British churches and mosques launch a new programme of local conversations 

A group of church denominations and mosques have announced a new phase of dialogue aimed at encouraging Christians and Muslims to meet and share conversations in their local settings.

The announcement coincides with national Inter Faith Week, 14-21 November, 2021. 

The scheme brings together a church and a mosque in a shared neighbourhood and offers them guidance about how they might go about setting up a local conversation. Now that faith centres are open once again after the Covid lockdowns, this could be held at a place of worship or over a shared meal, for instance.

The appeal is for churches and mosques to volunteer for the new programme, particularly where they have not attempted such an interfaith encounter previously. The aim is to learn more about each other’s faith and practices, to foster understanding and to take the first step in meeting neighbours from a different faith. 

To register an interest to join the new programme, please visit www.christianmuslimforum.org and fill out the expression of interest form.

The programme builds on a highly successful digital pilot last year, which brought mosque and church congregations together for a series of online conversations. Using Zoom technology, topics of exchange included lessons learnt from living through a global pandemic, comparing religious festivals and how to develop more local co-operation. The Revd Andy Williams, who chairs the Baptists Together Inter Faith Working Group, took part, and wrote about his experiences here.

There were several practical outcomes to the discussions. For example, in Darwen, Lancashire, churches and mosques partnered to offer food and furniture for refugees and asylum seekers in the town. 

Speaking about this new phase of dialogue, the United Reformed Church’s Interfaith Secretary, the Revd Philip Brooks said, 'We believe that by encouraging local mosques and churches to meet with one another, it is not only beneficial in terms of mutual understanding, but it also offers greater potential to extend the support that faith communities are so good at providing to their local communities.'
 
The Church-Mosque conversations initiative is organised by the national faith bodies below, including the Baptist Union of Great Britain through its Inter Faith Working Group, and offers the possibility of leading to a twinning programme developed by the Christian-Muslim Forum:

• Muslim Council of Britain
• Christian Muslim Forum
• United Reformed Church
• Methodist Church
• Salvation Army
• Baptist Union of Great Britain 

Inter Faith Week 2021 takes place 14 - 21 November - visit interfaithweek.org for more.