Guidelines for Christian-Muslim witness

The Christian-Muslim Forum, whose founding patron is Archbishop Rowan Williams, is an organisation that has links to the Methodist Church, and whose mission statement reflects the ethos of the Methodist Church in its relations with people of different faiths. The Chief Executive and Co-Director of the Christian Muslim Forum, Julian Bond, is a Methodist and other Methodist members are actively involved with its work.

Last month the Christian Muslim Forum launched guidelines for Christian-Muslim witness that provide a very helpful basis for dialogue not only between Christians and Muslims, but all inter faith dialogue. For a copy of the guidelines see www.christianmuslimforum.org.

The Inter Faith Network for the UK, with which the Methodist Church is in relationship, have a code of conduct that is supported by all the main Christian Churches. For a copy of their code of conduct see http://www.interfaith.org.uk/.

The Council for the Parliament of World Religions

The 2009 Council for the Parliament of World Religions will be held in Melbourne, Australia in December.The Parliament will run for seven days with approximately 450 events including key note addresses, seminars, conferences, debates, performances, concerts and exhibitions. For further details see www.parliamentofreligions.org.

Inter Faith Relations event at the Methodist Conference

Those who were fortunate enough to attend the Inter Faith Relations fringe event during the Methodist Conference experienced a wonderful evening. It was organised by the Inter Faith Relations Office at Methodist Church House. After a welcome by myself as Inter Faith Relations Officer, Gareth Jones, the Inter Faith Relations Director of the West Midlands Faith Forum who had supported me in the organisation of the event, introduced the four speakers and chaired the evening. Those present then listened to reflections on Inter Faith Relations in the 21st century from the perspectives of the Buddhism, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh faiths.

Erik Pearse, Treasurer, Wolverhampton Inter-Faith Council, commented in an e-mail: ‘I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the meeting on Monday and how interesting and well-organised it was. A joy to hear four feminine perspectives, each so very different in their approach. Many thanks again for a most interesting evening’.

You can read another comment on the evening at the blog
http://42.blogs.warnock.me.uk/2009/07/some-beautiful-women.html

A fuller report of the evening will be posted shortly on the Inter Faith Relations pages of the Methodist Church website: http://www.methodist.org.uk/interfaith

President's speech

In his Presidential speech, the Revd David Gamble stated: 'Surely it is in everyone's interest for us to create safer spaces for people of different faith traditions and none to come together and share their experience and understanding and their commitment to a better life for everyone?.. One of the most striking things [in the Gambia] is the relationship between the small minority four per cent Christian and majority Muslim communities. Relationships between people of different faiths is not just a London or larger city issue, its for all of us...'