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What does it do?
The
World Congress of Faiths publishes the leading journal on interfaith matters
Interreligious Insight. It arranges
a variety of conferences, meetings, retreats, visits and group travel. All these
provide occasions to learn what others believe, what they think about life today
and how they pray, meditate and worship. Some meetings are of special interest
to teachers or to health and social workers. WCF also provides a chance for
members of local interfaith groups to meet people from different parts of the
country and the world who share their concern.
What are its beliefs?
The World Congress of Faiths believes that understanding
between people of different religions is important for good community relations,
for moral and spiritual renewal and for world peace.
A principle is respect for those of differing faith.
WCF by its educational work encourages interfaith understanding and
co-operation at all levels of society.
Who
else does it work with?
WCF is a member of the Inter Faith Network (UK) and works
with other interfaith organizations in Britain and across the world. WCF has
helped to establish the
International Interfaith Centre at
Oxford and works closely with the
London Interfaith Centre. It has good
relations with many faith communities.
Who
are the Executive?
The members of the Executive of WCF are
drawn from all major religious communities in Britain.
President:
The Reverend Marcus Braybrooke
Oxford, UK
MarcusBray@worldfaiths.org
Patron of the International Interfaith Centre, Co-founder of the Three Faiths Forum and Peace Councillor and author.
Revd Dr Marcus Braybrooke is a retired Anglican parish priest, living near Oxford, England. He has been involved in interfaith work for over forty years, especially through the World Congress of Faiths, which he joined in 1964 and of which he is now President. He was Executive Director of the Council of Christians and Jews from 1984-8. He is a Co-Founder of the Three Faiths Forum, Patron of the International Interfaith Centre at Oxford and a Peace Councillor. He has travelled widely to attend interfaith conferences and to lecture. He has studied for a time in India and in Israel.
In September 2004, he was awarded a Lambeth Doctorate of Divinity by the Archbishop of Canterbury ‘in recognition of his contribution to the development of inter-religious co-operation and understanding throughout the world.’
He is author of over forty books on world religions and Christianity, including Pilgrimage of Hope, Faith and Interfaith in a Global Age, Time to Meet, How to Understand Judaism, What We Can Learn from Hinduism, Christian-Jewish Dialogue: the Next Steps. He has also written Learn to Pray and 365 Meditations for a Peaceful Heart and a Peaceful World and has edited several anthologies of prayers and meditations, including 1,000 World Prayers and Life Lines. His latest book A Heart for the World: the Interfaith Alternative is now available. See our publications page for more details.
Marcus is married to Mary, who is a social worker and a magistrate. They have a son and a daughter and six granddaughters.
Patrons:
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
The Most Reverend Desmond Tutu
Desmond Tutu was born in Klerksdorp, in the South African state of Transvaal.
The family moved to Johannesburg when he was 12, and he attended Johannesburg
Bantu High School. He trained as a teacher at Pretoria Bantu Normal Normal College
and graduated from the University of South Africa in 1954.
He was ordained as a priest in the Anglican church in 1960. He lived in England from 1962 to 1966, where he earned a master's degree in theology. He taught theology in South Africa for the next five years, and returned to England to serve as an assistant director of the World Council of Churches in London. In 1975 he became the first black African to serve as Dean of St. Mary's Cathedral in Johannesburg.
From 1976 to 1978 he was Bishop of Lesotho. In 1978 he became the first I
black General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches.
In 1984, Desmond Tutu was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace, "not only as a gesture of support to him and to the South African Council of Churches of which he is leader, but also to all individuals and groups in South Africa who, with their concern for human dignity, fraternity and democracy, incite the admiration of the world."
Two years later, Desmond Tutu was elected Archbishop of Cape Town.
After the country's first multi racial elections in 1994, President Mandela appointed Archbishop Tutu to chair the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, investigating the human rights violations of the previous 34 years. Today he is a Professor of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Published collections of his speeches, sermons and other writings include Crying in the Wilderness, Hope and Suffering, and The Rainbow People of God.
Diana Eck
Diana L. Eck is Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies at Harvard University where she serves on the Committee on the Study of Religion in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. She is also a member of the Department of Sanskrit and Indian Studies as well as the Faculty of Divinity. She received her B.A. from Smith College (1967) in Religion, her M.A. from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (1968) in South Asian History, and her Ph.D. from Harvard University (1976) in the Comparative Study of Religion. Diana Eck and her partner Dorothy Austin are currently serving as Masters of Lowell House at Harvard.
Since 1991, Diana Eck has been heading a research team at Harvard University to explore the new religious diversity of the United States and its meaning for the American pluralist experiment. The Pluralism Project, funded by the Lilly Endowment, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Ford Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation has been documenting the growing presence of the Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, Jain, and Zoroastrian communities in the U.S. This research project has involved students and professors in "hometown" research on America's new religious landscape.
In 1996, Diana L. Eck was appointed to a U.S. State Department Advisory Committee on Religious Freedom Abroad, a twenty-member commission charged with advising the Secretary of State on enhancing and protecting religious freedom in the overall context of human rights. In 1998, Eck received the National Humanities Medal from President Clinton and the National Endowment for the Humanities for her work on American religious pluralism.
Dadi Janki
Dadi Janki is a pioneer in spiritual leadership. In 2007 she became the Administrative Head of the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University, known for its grass roots work in spiritual education and its role convening international projects and dialogues about issues of world transformation. An energetic 92 year old, Dadi Janki provides inspiration and practical help to millions.
Since 1974, Dadi has overseen the expansion of the university's work into over 100 countries. She shares only that which is an example in her own life. A mentor to business and community leaders, Dadi was one of the few women spiritual leaders empowering women to become leaders in their communities, following India's independence. In 1992 Dadi was invited to be one of ten Keepers of Wisdom, an eminent group of world spiritual leaders convened to advise the Earth Summit in Brazil on the fundamental spiritual dilemmas which underpin current worldwide environment issues. Her awards include the Medal of Independence from The King of Jordan, for humanitarian work.
Chair:
Rabbi Jackie Tabick
London, UK
Rabbi, North West Surrey Synagogue, Weybridge.
jackie.tabick@gmail.com
Rabbi Tabick became a rabbi in 1975, the first woman rabbi ordained in Great Britain. She served West London Synagogue as an associate rabbi till 1998 and then became rabbi of North West Surrey Synagogue in Weybridge.
She is married to Rabbi Larry Tabick and they have three children.
Rabbi Jackie is Vice-President of the Movement for Reform Judaism, an executive member of the InterFaith Network and a Patron of the Jewish Council for Racial Equality.
Secretary:
The Reverend Feargus O'Connor
London, UK
Feargus O’Connor has been involved in interfaith co-operation and dialogue for many years as a Unitarian minister through the WCF, the International Association for Religious Freedom, the Unitarian Interfaith Panel and the Unitarian Faith and Public Issues Commission.
As minister of Golders Green Unitarians, he facilitates and leads many interfaith services and other interreligious activities, including interfaith peace services and the annual World Congress of Faiths interfaith celebration of animals.
He is particularly active in interreligious dialogue for peace, is a former secretary of the Unitarian Peace Fellowship, a member of the Gandhi Foundation and supports the very active and committed work of his congregation for the United Nations Association, Amnesty International and the School for Peace at Neve Shalom-Wahat al-Salam (the ‘Oasis of Peace’), the Israeli-Palestinian peace village.
Treasurer:
Pejman Khojasteh
London, UK
pejman_khojasteh@btinternet.com
Completing a social belief methodology based on questions arising from the creation of Universe.
Whereby advice and guidelines are provided within 8 stages to assist in achieving the ideal expectation in inner self, world at large, and belief exploration.
British Standards Institute's consumer and public interest representative in Information Communication Technology
British Standards Institute's technical committee nominee in Risk Management.
International Secretary:
Imam Abduljalil Sajid
Hove, UK
imamsajid@gmail.com
Imam Dr Abduljalil Sajid has been in the UK since 1972 and lives in Hove with his wife, Jamila (M.1974) and has three grandchildren and five children Three girls and two boys: Amina (B.1975) Fatima (B.1976) Hassan (B.1978) Mohsin (B.1980) and Zahrah (B.1981).
All Five children of Imam Sajid and Mrs Jamila Sajid are graduates from various British universities and married living happily.
Chairman Muslim Council for Religious and Racial Harmony UK
President National Association of British Pakistanis
President Religions for Peace UK and Deputy President of European WCRP -Religions for Peace
Chairman Taskforce for 2008 European year of Inter-cultural Dialogue
Adviser to European Council of Religious Leaders/Religions for Peace
Adviser to the Muslim Council of Britain - Europe and International Affairs Committee
Link Officer Brighton and Hove Interfaith Contact Group for National and International Inter-faith matters
European Representative of World Council of Muslims Inter-faith Relations
Editor of Interreligious Insight:
The Reverend Canon Dr Alan Race
Leicester UK
Author, Interfaith Encounter (2001)
Joint Editor of Christian Approaches to Other Faiths (2008)
Vicar, St. Philip’s Church, Leicester,
Dean of Postgraduate Studies, St. Philip’s Centre.
alan.race@ntlworld.com
Alan Race is involved in work for interfaith understanding and co-operation at many levels:
locally he is a member of the Leicester Council of Faiths;
nationally he is involved in training and education programmes;
and internationally he is a conference speaker on theological and dialogue themes.
His most recent overseas visit was to Amman, Jordan, (2008), where he participated in a conference involving Jews, Christians and Muslims thinking about Business Ethics.
Editor of One Family:
Dr Joy Barrow
London, UK
JoyBarrow@aol.com
Joy Barrow is presently Inter Faith Relations Officer for the Methodist Church in Britain. Prior to that she taught Religious Studies in London Secondary Schools for twenty-five years, after which she was Director of the International Interfaith Centre in Oxford.
Joy has been studying Sikhism, and involved in dialogue with Sikhs, for over twenty-five years, regularly visiting Sikh places of worship and leading university field trips and lecturing in Sikh studies.
Joy has a PhD in Sikh spirituality from Leeds University and, in 2003, was a Visiting Fellow in Sikhism at Punjabi University, India.
She edited 'Meeting Sikhs', which was published by Christians Aware and wrote 'World Faiths: Sikhism' for Chrysalis Books. Additionally, she has contributed to a variety of publications. She has also presented academic papers on Sikhism and Inter Faith Relations internationally.
Other Executive Members:
Swadeka Ahsun
UK
Rev Jonathan Barker
London UK
Mrs Martha Besser
Harrow UK
The Reverend Dr Richard Boeke
Horsham UK
Richard Boeke has served as both Chairman and Secretary of the WCF.
He coined the word, FIDEOLOGY, the study of faith as trust, for three conferences based on the work of Wilfred Cantwell Smith.
He has served as Secretary for the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists (ICUU), and lectured on Michael Servetus for the ICUU.
He was founding President of the U.S. Chapter of the International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF). For several years he was Vice President of a Shinto Shrine (Tsubaki America).
His articles have appeared in "Dharma World," "Faith and Freedom," "Sacred Journey" and many Unitarian Publications.
Early in his ministry he was a U.S. Air Force Chaplain, and served churches in the United States before moving to England in 1995. In 2005 He received the Louis Cornish award for service to International Liberal Religion.
Richard Boeke is the author of GOD IS NO-THING, available from Amazon.
He was elected a Vice President of WCF in 2007.
For 2009 he is organising the WCF London Series, AFFIRMING RELIGIOUS PLURALISM.
It is hoped that the 18 June FIDEOLOGY programme will also be presented at the Parliament of the World’s Religions, Melbourne, Australia, 3-8 December 2009.
Andy Burns
London, UK
Dr Owen Cole
Chichester, UK
The Revd Dr Alan Gadd
London, UK
alangadd@yahoo.co.uk
Secretary, South London Inter Faith Group
Alan was ordained an Anglican priest in 1972 and was a Minister in Secular Employment, working in the Meteorological Office on Numerical Weather Prediction, until 1995. There followed 10 years as a parish priest at All Saints’ Church, Battersea Park, during which time he was active in the Southwark Diocesan Inter Faith Group. Since 2006 Alan has been the Secretary of the South London Inter Faith Group. Recent writing includes ‘The Book of Nature and the Book of Revelation: Perspectives from D B Burrell and T F Torrance’, a dissertation for the MA in Philosophy and Religion (London: Heythrop College, 2007) and two chapters in ‘Together and Different: Christians working with people of other faiths’, Eds. Malcolm Torry and Sarah Thorley (London: SCM-Canterbury Press, 2008).
Sister Maureen Goodman
London, UK
maureen.goodman@uk.bkwsu.org
Sister Maureen has been Programme Co-ordinator at the International Centre of the Brahma Kumaris in London since 1991, and has travelled widely giving workshops and lectures on themes related to spiritual development.
She has developed the University’s outreach community work in the UK including in prisons, healthcare, education and with young people. She is also the University’s representative at the United Nations, Vienna.
Maureen has worked in the area of inter-religious dialogue nationally and internationally for over 20 years, serving on several executive committees. She is a contributor to ‘Testing the Global Ethic’, published in 1998 and to the SHAP World Religions in Education Journal 2002/3, ‘Religion: the problem or the answer?’ Maureen is the International Co-ordinator for BK Youth Activities and co-convenes the annual International Youth forum at the Brahma Kumaris World Headquarters in Mt Abu, India which attracts youth from around 50 countries.
Vinod Kapashi
Harrow, UK
Dr. Vinod Kapashi has studied Jain scriptures and published his first book called 'In Search of the Ultimate' which was written after compiling quotations from Jain scriptures.
Since then he has written ten more books on Jainism and has gained PhD in the Jain literature.
Dr. Kapashi is the founder trustee and now the president of
'Mahavir
Foundation'- a registered charity established in 1987.
Vinod Kapashi was also the founder president of Jain Social Group, Middlesex.
He was included in the special delegation to Buckingham Palace and to the Vatican.
Dr. Kapashi was chosen to speak in the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago, Cape Town and Barcelona.
Dr. Kapashi is the past president of Harrow Interfaith Council and has always taken great interest in the Interfaith Movement.
Sister Jayanti Kaplani
London, UK
Brian Pearce, OBE
London, UK
Batul Sharif
London, UK
Om Parkash Sharma, MBE
London, UK
Ajit Singh
London, UK
Where did
the WCF come from?
For more information on The
Beginning click here.
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