The first week in February is World Interfaith Harmony Week.
The week was proposed by the Jordanian delegation to the United Nations and
established by the UN General Assembly in 2011. In response Rev. Tim Miner and
I (Rev. Tim is the creator of the Big I conference we are hosting in Nashville
on February 4-5) began to promote World Interfaith Harmony Week Breakfasts
around the globe.
Last year there were numerous breakfasts on every continent,
some large some small. This year we are hoping to see the numbers increase. To
help with that let me provide a simple outline for hosting such a breakfast.
First, think small and local. If you have a church, mosque,
synagogue or other institution to work with that might lend itself to a larger
breakfast, but even if you a few friends get together it is worth it. You can
meet in a home or a restaurant if that better suits your situation.
Second, set a fixed time to gather. We run our breakfast
from 8 to 10 in the morning.
Third, charge a nominal fee. Resist the impulse to make this
free. Charging a fee helps people take the event more seriously. In Nashville
we charge $15 to cover our food and room rental expenses. We had 100 people for
breakfast last year, and hope to add a dozen or so this year.
Fourth, advertise. Depending on how many people you want in attendance
do more or less advertising. Let your local newspaper you are doing this, and
they will probably interview you for a story. Post it on your Facebook page if
you have one. Call some friends and invite them to breakfast if you don’t.
Fifth, do something during the meal. This can be simple such
as asking people to share what they like most about their personal faith path
(some groups also ask that people share what troubles them the most about their
faith, and what they “envy” in other faiths). This year in Nashville I will
unveil our Compassionate Nashville campaign (rooted in Karen Armstrong’s
Charter of Compassion movement, www.charterofcompassion.org),
and we will engage each table in identifying examples of compassion in Nashville
and areas that need addressing.
Sixth, follow a simple structure. Begin with a statement of welcome.
Then invite people from different traditions to bless the gathering and the
meal. Allow people time to eat and talk informally, and then spend a good 45
minutes or more talking about whatever it is you choose to have as the formal
topic of conversation. End with another series of blessings from traditions not
represented in the opening.
This is obviously a very brief outline of what can be done. I hope it helps to get you motivated to host a
breakfast. If you do, please let post it on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/interfaithharmonybreakfasts/.
Thanks.
2 comments:
I also recommend not telling each other what you believe. This approach has a Christian bias. Christian religious identity is rooted in faith, so the way Christians understand their own religion, and that of others, is through belief. While that's fine for them, it isn't necessarily the way others understand themselves.
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