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ConcordNewsletter - October 2004

LEEDS INTERFAITH FELLOWSHIPwww.concord-leeds.org.uk

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Reg. Charity No 516339

THERE WAS AN EXCELLENT turn-out for Ray Gaston’s illustrated talk“Where’s the Christian?” at the

Quaker Meeting House on 16thSeptember. Many powerful images of hisvisit to Iraq were presented during theevening and two contrasting featuresregistered in my mind. The first was thatof the horrors suffered by the people ofIraq: horrors imposed by the regime ofSaddam Hussein followed by the horrorsof the invading “liberators” culminatingin the present horrors of insurgencies,uncertainty and the continued death anddestruction.

Where’s theChristian?

Ray shared with us the true stones ofreal people. He had gone to Iraq with aMuslim friend and had stayed withMuslim families. He was a Christianforeigner in a wartorn Muslim country. Butin sharp contrast with that, and thehorrors mentioned above, were his vividdescriptions of the wonderful hospitality,friendship and generosity shown to himby those people. Wherever he went he,as a Christian priest, was welcomed—andeven given priority on occasions. Can youthink of anywhere, any time, anycircumstances even when you could getprivileged treatment by saying “I have aMuslim Imam with me”? It left mewondering.... Where have we gonewrong?

Cynthia Dickinson

Coming EventsMeetings taking place at 7.15pm in the Beech Room, Thomas Danby College

Thursday 18th November

Professor Kim Knott from Leeds University’s School of Theology & ReligiousStudies has been researching “Attitudes to Inter-Faith Encounter in Leeds”

with the Interfaith Task Group of the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds.

Tuesday 14th DecemberYou are invited to join us for a Multi-Cultural Winter Social.

We would like this evening to reflect the different cultures present in Leeds bybringing to share food and music appropriate for the season.

There will be a cassette tape recorder to play your favourite ‘winter’ music.Please bring a sample of seasonal (vegetarian) food to share.

Photographs or pictures of your celebrations can be put on display—just for theevening.

DIVERSITY AND DIALOGUE is aunique project for children in theUK. It is being headed by Save the

Children and is funded by DFID, but alsohas the support of many groups, CAFOD,Christian Aid, Citizenship Foundation,Islamic Relief, JCORE, Muslim Aid, Oxfamand World Jewish Aid.

The project invites young people fromdifferent faiths to look outwards, beyondtheir immediate community. This meansgetting to know people with differentreligions who may be living just next door,as well as beginning to tackle the hugechallenges facing the planet. Diversityand Dialogue hopes to build local linksand friendships through working togetherfor global change.

There are several key stages to the work1. Finding out what’s going on We need

to find out about existing initiatives orprojects that bring people together ofdifferent faiths or that raise awarenessof global issues with young people fromdifferent religious backgrounds

2. Workshops We will be running severalworkshops around the UK to shareideas and experiences and help developthe project

Diversity and Dialogue – Can you help?!3. Models of dialogue and action

Working together with young peoplewe will develop programmes ofactivities and discussion. These mightinclude summer activity schemes,school twinning, drama, depending onwhat young people want! Activitieswill take place in different schools andcommunities over 2005-6.

4. Educational resources We will developand share useful educational resourcesbased on our workWe want to hear from organisations and

individuals interested in the project. Wewould like to know about innovativeinitiatives already going on, and to workwith schools and youth groups to developactivities and dialogue. If you areinterested please call any of the followingpeople! Imogen Gregg (Leeds) 0113 242 4844

ext 212i.gregg@savethechildren.org.uk

! Samantha Dunbar (Manchester) 0161434 8337s.dunbar@savethechildren.org.uk

! Becky Hatch (Project Coordinator,London) 020 7012 6438r.hatch@savethechildren.org.uk

Other Events of Interest to Concord Members Saturday December 4th An Evening of Prizes, Poetry and Music in HolyTrinity Church, Boar Lane Leeds at 7.30 pm. The final of of the “Making

Peace, Keeping Peace” poetry competition

Dates for 2005 •Holocaust Memorial Day in January marks the 60th anniversary of the liberation

of the concentration camps. Concord hopes to join with Leeds City Council andthe Leeds Faith Communities Liaison Forum for this occasion.

•Wednesday 9th March Leeds Asylum Seekers Support Network—a talk by thepeople working to meet some of the social needs of refugees and asylumseekers in Leeds

•Tuesday 12th April - an invitation to visit to Bradford Concord for a jointdiscussion: “Where do we go from here? The future of Interfaith Activity”

This newsletter edited by John S. Summerwill, October 2004.Admin Secretary: Cynthia Dickinson, 9 Springhill Drive, Crofton, Wakefield WF4 1EX (Tel: 01924-863956)

Living with Difference

LIVING WITH DIFFERENCE was the titleof the Annual Public Lecture which theRight Revd Dr David Hope, Archbishop

of York, gave to the Council of Christians andJews in Leeds Civic Hall. It was a most movingand eloquent plea for tolerance in an age ofextremism and for loving our neighbour asourselves, regardless of race, colour or creed.

Echoing the sentiments and arguments ofDr Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi, in hisbook The Dignity of Difference, the Archbishop’slecture concentrated on promotingunderstanding, friendship and trust betweenpeople from all faith communities. Thechallenge was essentially to honour thedignity of difference and diversity, surely ofitself ‘God-made and God-given’ and so richlycelebrated throughout both the Old and NewTestaments of the Bible.

The great monotheisms of Judaism,Christianity and Islam, the three ‘religions ofthe Book’, so often in conflict, each worshipthe same God of infinite justice, peace,compassion and love. Rather than beingregarded as divisive, it was imperative thatthe powerful forces of religion and prayerhelped to heal the wounds of politicaldifference and enable people to live togetherharmoniously.

In their dialogue with Judaism, Hinduism,Buddhism, Islam, African and other faithtraditions, the Archbishop urged Christiansto listen and to learn from these sacred textsand especially to match words with equalcooperation in service to others.

Each time he went to Jerusalem, Dr Hopedescribed how he always visited the Churchof the Holy Sepulchre, the Western Wall andthe Mosque to reflect and to pray, recallingPsalm 122, ‘I was glad when they said to me,we will go into the house of the Lord’.

Finally the Archbishop enjoined everyoneto become an evangelist in interfaithunderstanding, recognising and rejoicing inthe dignity and worth of each and everyhuman person.

How gratifying to have the principles andideals of Concord so emphatically endorsed!

Joyce Sundram

Reconciliation in Coventry

THE ANNUAL Act of Reconciliation withJapan took place amid the Ruins ofCoventry Cathedral on the afternoon of

Sunday 15th August, and I was invited toattend by Japanese Buddhist friends. It was ashort but poignant service which will long staywith me. It was spiritually most evocative.

The Bishop of Coventry welcomedeveryone and especially the Japanesedelegates, including aged World War IIveterans in their distinctive kimonos,returning each year to Coventry for this simpleact of commemoration and dedication. HisExcellency Masaki Orita, the JapaneseAmbassador, addressed us with impeccablefluency and conviction. Following a readingof the Beatitudes, Mr Masao Hirakubo HonOBE repeated this in sonorous Japanese,enhancing so richly the poetry and beauty ofthis scripture. It was sheer music and soundedso much better in Japanese!

The intercessions were by Canon AndrewWhite, Co-Director of Coventry’s InternationalMinistry and almost permanently based in ornear the Middle East conflict zones, mediatingtirelessly there.

The Lord Lieutenant, the Lord Mayor andthe Ambassador each laid a wreath at the footof the Reconciliation Statue, followed by MrPhilip Malins, a tortured prisoner-of-war,marching with military precision side-by-sidewith former enemy captor Captain SatoriYanagi. Then they embraced and it wasimpossible to hold back the tears. The finalwreath was placed by Mr Leslie Dennison,struggling from his wheelchair, who admittedthat it had taken many years for him to forgivethe atrocities he had suffered and attend thisservice in a true Christian spirit.

Together we recited the Coventry Litanyof Reconciliation, beginning ‘The hatredwhich divides nation from nation, race fromrace, class from class, Father forgive’, andthen there was the final blessing by the RightRevd Colin Bennett, the Bishop of Coventry.

I felt deeply privileged to have attendedsuch a moving ceremony, totally sincere andheartfelt and so very uplifting.

Joyce Sundram

All Alone at the Mela

THE DAY DAWNED BRIGHT onAugust 1st, just right for ourConcord picnic at the Leeds Mela

Festival in Roundhay Park. I had neverbeen to the Mela before so was lookingforward to the new experience. Gerry andI arrived early, even before the gatesopened at 1 o’clock, and found an idealpitch for the Concord banner and brightyellow cloth. Then we waited and waited... and waited.

After an hour or so Gerry went off fora walk around the vast empty-looking fieldwith stalls and activities hugging theperimeter fence and a fairground in thefar distance. Meanwhile I sat...and waited.When Gerry returned I had a walk round.By this time the centre of the field was

filling up with families and friendsgathering in groups, sharing picnics. Ireturned to the lonely Concord bannerand waited. Gerry and I decided to walkround together— the banner could lookafter itself. We visited stalls, listened tomusic and gingerly picked our waythrough the piles of discarded rubbish.

At last we came across some Concordmembers so returned to the banner toenjoy the sunshine, picnic and company—

for now there were six!Three more arrived andas we were enjoying alively discussion wewere joined by someinterested ‘strangers’.Sadly by this time Gerryand I, having beenthere for over 5 hours,felt hot and tired as wellas generallydisappointed, so wereready to leave.

Cynthia Dickinson

October1-8 Sukkot Jewish14-22 Navratri / Durga Puja Hindu15 Ramadan Muslim20 Birth of the Bab Bahá’i28 Pavarana Buddhist31/1 Nov Samhain Pagan

November1 All Saints’ Day Christian2 All Souls’ Day Christian11 Lailat-al-Qadr Muslim12 Birth of Bahá’u’lláh Bahá’i

Divali Hindu, Sikh

13 Hindu New Year Hindu14 Remembrance Sunday

Eid-ul-Fitr Muslim24 Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sikh25 Advent Sunday Christian26 Sangha Day Buddhist28 Birth of Guru Nanak Sikh

December8-15 Hanukkah Jewish8 Bodhi Day Buddhist

Immaculate Conception RC Christian20/21 Yule / Winter Solstice Pagan25 Christmas Christian

Festivals Calendar