People of faith on the mid-Island can concentrate on what they have in common, rather than the ways they are different.
A reverend from Parksville is one of the organizers of an upcoming conference and workshop series called Spirituality Beyond Borders.
Rev. Andrew Twiddy of the Anglican Parish of St. Anne and St. Edmund is joining with retired Roman Catholic bishop Remi De Roo and others to co-ordinate educational programming inclusive of different religions. There will be a conference in Nanaimo from April 3-6, a webcast from April 6-8 and then a six-week workshop series in Parksville starting May 23.
Twiddy has already seen a multi-faith approach work, pointing to an event this past Sunday at the Parksville church that involved dances from Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu and Christian traditions.
“All of them in one space, in one room…” he said. “To me that was certainly something I didn’t grow up with, but I see it as being very powerful and transformative for people to experience.”
He said he had a conversation with a parishioner who had reservations about using the word ‘Allah’ in a Christian church; Twiddy assured her that it means ‘God’ and was the word Jesus would have used when he prayed. It makes it worthwhile, the reverend said, “if you can have one person have an experience like that … where they start to change and open up their sense of who they belong to, so that it’s not just the people who look like me.”
The conference will be held at Nanaimo’s Bethlehem Centre; presenters include De Roo, Joanne Sales, Pearl Gervais and Ron Klusmeier. De Roo, former chairman of the B.C. Human Rights Commission, is an “iconic figure,” Twiddy said.
“He’s really carried a flag for a lot of people in bringing positive change in society,” said the reverend.
The conference will include Sufi dance, Islamic chanting, multi-faith music and more.
“It’s done in a way that’s very accessible. It’s easy to participate in,” Twiddy said.
He agreed multi-faith messaging seems more important considering current events and the intolerance that exists.
“I think the risk of working from fear to demonize other people who look different and speak different from us is heightened in today’s world,” said Twiddy. “And so it’s even more important that we make attempts to break down those barriers and go beyond stereotypes and look for common language and common ground.”
For more information, visit online at spirituality-beyond-borders.