10th Anniversary Special Edition Newsletter

Celebrating 10 years 2001- 2011

Celebrating 10 years 2001- 2011

10th Anniversary Special Edition Newsletter

Reflection

“After my experience at the Centre, I have been inspired by all

the different visitors from the three religions. I have realised

that actually, many religions entwine and are very similar in

some aspects of life and this is why I have chosen to create

what I have. My art work represents the pathway through

life. The nine coloured paths are the different main religions

weaving their way through life. At times, they are far apart but

occasionally, they meet and share ideas. I believe this is the

beauty and the teachings of the Centre”.

Ellen Tyler – Liskeard School and Community College

“We can find the road to hope and

peace in our world if we open

ourselves to change, enter into true

relationships and break down the

walls around our own hearts.”

[Jean Vanier, author & founder of L’Arche]

Welcome to this special, 10

th Anniversary edition of the PCFCD newsletter.

We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we have enjoyed compiling it. For those of you who regularly receive our newsletters you will notice that not only have we changed the layout but the content is also very different. We have explored some of the thinking which lies behind the Centre’s work, aims, philosophy and ethos. Thank you for your support over the last 10 years – and here’s to the next 10!

Jonathan, Bev & Gemma

Why PCFCD? The need for interfaith understanding and dialogue remains as important now as it was when we first started a Plymouth group in 1998. It was this interfaith group that led to the formation of the Centre in 2001 and it is this perspective that continues to influence all we do. Trustees are drawn from six world faiths and our faith speakers, volunteers and users of the centre all come from different faith/belief traditions and cultures but they work to promote the shared values of respect, understanding and compassion, which are at the heart of all faith traditions. When we meet with people from different religions we have the opportunity to go beyond the world of beliefs, where there will always be differences, and enter into the world of experience. It is here that we can deepen our friendships and relationships; building bridges of real understanding.

“We are as big or

as small as the

space we make for

others who are not

like us”

Lord Sacks,

Chief Rabbi

Interfaith dialogue circa 2001

Being the Centre

Over the past ten years the Centre has undertaken a wide range of work and I have been very fortunate to have been involved in something, I believe to be, important and worthwhile and which has made a difference. Having a Centre, a place where this can happen, is vital but ultimately it is even

more important that each of us comes to develop that centre within him or her self. When I was teaching, I liked to use a video about Brother Roger, the inspirational founder of the Taize community in France. Each year thousands of people, especially young people, flock to Taize, from all over the world. In the video Brother Roger is

asked what he hoped the young people would do when they returned home. His reply was somewhat surprising and, I think, refreshing. “Well,” he said, “We certainly don’t want them to start Taize groups! We ask them to become voices and influences through whatever work or communities they find themselves in.”

The Jewish tradition (but the other religions too, I think) teach us that the world is indeed broken and that we can either keep complaining about it or set about the task of rebuilding; repairing the world. Each of us can be a Centre, a bridge, working to bring people, things and the world back together. Is there anything else to do?

JM

Faith speaker in action

Interfaith dialogue 2010

Belief, Faith & Culture training

Looking After Our Young People The warning in this African proverb is all the more chilling after the recent riots in some English cities.

PCFCD was set up to promote the understanding of religion and cultural diversity, especially amongst the young. As parents, teachers and elders, we have responsibility towards our children and young people. They flourish when their roots are strong and able to draw up the nourishment they need for growth and development. Even more important than academic achievement, young people must know that they matter; that they are loved. They must know too, who they are and where they belong. At the heart of all authentic religious teaching through practices, festivals and stories we can find the very best ways of living well, living wisely.

Card available from Awareness

Sunday

“If the young are not initiated into the village

then they will burn it down just to feel its warmth.”

“Be the

change you

want to see

in the

world.”

Mahatma

Gandhi

What is Religion? Over the past ten years I have become keenly aware of a range of issues and questions we need to address, perhaps over the next ten years! The deepest is p robab ly the w idesp read misunderstanding of what religion actually is! Many people turn away from organised religion and cite powerful historical and contemporary examples of how religion has caused more conflict and suffering than it has resolved. Sadly, it is often the case that, once organised into systems, religion is very quickly hijacked by those driven by power and politics and used for their own benefit and goals. So we have to work hard to realise the true and deeper purpose of faith which leads to the transformation of ourselves; from the selfish to the selfless, and of the world; from domination to service.

Religion is a way of living life, grounded in the human or spiritual qualities of respect and compassion, leading to transformation. Without these essential principles I question whether what is often claimed as religion is religion at all. JM

“No peace without

peace among religions,

no peace among

religions without

dialogue between the

religions, and no

dialogue between the

religions without

accurate knowledge of

one another.”

Hans Kung

From

Shackles to

Freedom

And Why Interfaith? There is often a lot of mis-information about “interfaith” and “multi-faith” and why interfaith dialogue is important. The dictionary definitions are the same but in practical terms multi-faith is often about groups working together, e.g. in a multi-faith chaplaincy and interfaith is likely to involve communication or dialogue from different faith perspectives. PCFCD’s work focuses on acknowledging the shared values (which appear in almost every faith) such as compassion, generosity and care for neighbours; and exploring together the differences between faiths. Some people say interfaith work is about finding common denominators, leading to a kind of “watered-down” faith. Many involved in interfaith work say the opposite: they find they need to mature in their own faith in order to engage appropriately with people from other faiths.

The Interfaith Network UK The IFN connects the representative bodies of nearly all faith groups in the UK and more than 40 national interfaith organisations as well as numerous local groups (inc PCFCD) and a number of educational and academic bodies. It aims to help make the UK a place marked by mutual understanding and respect between religions, where all can practise their faith with integrity. It is firmly based on the principle that dialogue and cooperation can only prosper if they are rooted in respectful relationships which do not blur or undermine the distinctiveness of different religious traditions.

Ignorance Steals Lives

A personal Story Before working at PCFCD I was extremely ignorant about different faiths. I had always been something of a “seeker” and interested in other faiths but I had very little understanding and even less knowledge. 10 years ago, I was a helper at a church-based children and young people’s group. Shortly after 9/11, we were having a discussion about visiting speakers

and someone suggested, in response to the tragedy, inviting an Imam (a mosque leader) or a practising Muslim. This led to an extremely heated debate, which included the assertion that Allah was not the same God as worshipped by Christians. I remember feeling incapable of participating because of my lack of knowledge and understanding. I did not understand the relationship between Christianity, Islam and Judaism. I had never heard the term “People of the Book”, which is used to refer to the three faiths which share large sections of the Bible and much common ancestry. I was not able to assess the arguments, for or against, form an educated opinion, or make a decision. Education is about learning and one aspect of learning is knowing what we believe. That is why I am passionate about PCFCD and its aim to educate people (of all ages), raising awareness to differences and similarities, promoting respect and understanding of the shared values and reducing fear of the differences through knowledge and exploration. BS

“The sun glints

through the pines,

and the heart is

pierced in a

moment of beauty

and strange pain,

like a memory of

paradise. After

that day...we

become seekers.”

Peter Matthiessen

Development Officer at work!

9/11: 10 Years On Plymouth Centre for Faiths & Cultural Diversity was officially opened just 11 days after the 9/11 tragedy, so people were aware of the importance of the work the Centre (then called Plymouth Religious & Cultural Resource Centre) would be undertaking. One of the first events to take place was a Japanese evening, which included making origami cranes.

In Japan, the crane is a mystical and holy creature and is said to live for a thousand years. Legend promises that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted their heart’s desire. The Thousand Origami Cranes became a symbol of world peace through the story of Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl, who tried to make one thousand origami cranes before her death from leukemia as a result of radiation from the bombing of Hiroshima.

For the 10th Anniversary of 9/11, a quiet space/exhibition has been created at the Centre showing the devastation and offering ways to reflect and respond. The final reflection invites people to take one of these beautiful cranes as a reminder of the hopes and prayers for peace following 9/11 and of the small part PCFCD is playing, with thanks for the support of all who have helped make it happen.

Faith Development Workers Coming soon to PCFCD! A new and exciting qualification accredited by the National Open College Network. Designed for faith leaders and workers to explore and develop their potential within a community setting, the units include: Community Development within a faith context, Diversity & Faith, Intro to Equality & Diversity, Leadership, Legal obligations and Working with vulnerable adults. For more information visit www.nocn.org.uk or contact the Centre.

Origami cranes

Unique Claims We need to find more skilful ways of passing on to our young people the Christian teachings and heritage of this country. There is nothing wrong in promoting the unique claims of Christianity and its links to the deepest cultural influences we share. But I would want to add that this needs to be with the realisation that other religions have their unique claims too! Even though Christianity might be THE religion for me, we need to move away from the sense that it is also THE religion for others too. The uniqueness and truth of Christianity, the Christian way of life, I feel, is diminished if it comes with criticism, however subtle, of other faiths. JM

“Religion is like a

sharp scalpel; in the

hand of a skilled

surgeon it is an

instrument of healing

but in the hand of an

angry fanatic it is a

weapon of destruction

and harm.”

Desmond Tutu

Bridge of Stories The legacy from the very successful Bridge of Stories project (funded by a “Faiths in Action” grant) includes an excellent DVD, the wonderful Bridge of Stories tent and a host of new relationships and networks. The art of storytelling as a means of sharing vision and values from one generation to another is seen across the world and down the ages, with storytellers often described as bridges between the ancient wisdom and the present generations. PCFCD has always seen itself as being in the “bridge-building business”, so continuing to develop the excellent work started by project worker, Hannah Adgopul, will be a priority. The warmth and interest aroused by the Bridge of Stories tent suggests excit ing developments to come. And, in the meantime, the Simply Storytelling group continues to meet regularly.

wishes to thank the faith speakers and faith communities, staff, supporters, trustees, volunteers, and partner organisations for all the work and dedication they have contributed towards the development of the Centre over the past ten years.

20th

September 2011

Plymouth Centre for Faiths and Cultural Diversity

Different beliefs

Different cultures

Shared values

www.pcfcd.co.uk info@pcfcd.co.uk

Contact Details

The centre is open Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm 3a Watts Road, St Judes Plymouth PL4 8SE Tel: 01752 254438 Email: info@pcfcd.co.uk Online: www.pcfcd.co.uk Director: Jonathan Marshall MBE Development Officer: Bev Smerdon Administrator: Gemma Foster

PCFCD Registered Charity no: 1089521 Company no: 4243229

Supported by Plymouth City Council to: Deliver Growth Raise Aspirations Reduce Inequality Provide Value for Communities

“You can only be safe and secure

in a society that practises

tolerance cherishes harmony and

can celebrate difference”

Rabbi Hugo Gryn