Events & News

Annual General Meeting

WCF's Annual General meeting took place via Zoom on 29th May 2024.

 

The minutes can be viewed here: WCF AGM 2024 minutes final.docx .

 

Presentation by HRH Prince Hassan of Jordan

A highlight of recent months was an online presentation by Prince Hussain of Jordan on the theme of Hope, on 21st November 2023. The Prince spoke with perceptiveness, warmth and humour. He drew out the grounds for Hope that still exist in spite of the different challenges around the world, but emphasised that this requires hard work on the part of people of goodwill, and attention to the views and needs of others. Following the presentation an invited audience from different traditions and interfaith bodies engaged in an conversation.

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The talk was published in the December 2023 Journal.

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Crisis in Gaza

Our Director, the Revd Dr Alan Race, sends the following message to WCF members in light of the situation in Gaza and Israel:

"Conflict between nations always has many causes and always results in terrible suffering and death. This is true at the present time between Israel and Palestine. Our hearts and prayers go out to individuals, families, communities and whole peoples, all who are caught up in this cycle of violence. Let us all pray for :

• the peoples of Israel and Palestine

• those of the surrounding nations who fear being dragged into conflict

• families grieving over killed or kidnapped loved ones

• wisdom to be given to political leaders

• faithfulness to be given to religious leaders

• international institutions working for an end to violence

• eventual meaningful peace talks

• transformation in the region’s relationships for the sake of a different future

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May the interfaith relationships built up over many years now bear fruit that all may experience the dignity of being human.

Amen."

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Younghusband Lecture 2023

The Younghusband Lecture for 2023 took place via Zoom on 25th October.

The Revd Dr Steve Albert of the World Interfaith Network gave his unique perspective on interfaith dialogue, taking the Golden Rule as his focus.

 

A recording of the event can be seen at:  https://faithinsociety-my.sharepoint.com/:v:/g/personal/warwick_faithinsociety_org_uk/ESo1pWeIwoBIqvdkCcbNHoEBHlFNIC8dBKjc1Nxf8qeIeQ?e=tW79I6 .

 

Interfaith Awareness Week

On 8th August WCF offered an online presentation on our history and work, as part of Interfaith Awareness Week 2023.

Members from different religious backgrounds offered brief reflections on why diversity is important within their traditions.

The session was recorded and can be viewed at https://youtu.be/qNzmQCNjNtU .

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New Vice-President

We are delighted to welcome Michael Sternberg KC KCFO as a new Vice-President of the WCF.

Michael is the son of the late Sir Sigmund and Ruth Sternberg; he was educated at Jewish schools and then at Cambridge University, where he obtained degrees in English and Law. He was called to the Bar in 1975 practising as a Barrister specialising in family law.

He became a QC in 2008, and is a Master of the Bench of the Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn and a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers.

 

Michael has been active in interfaith work for over 33 years. His work has been recognised: In 1990, he received a Benemerenza Medal from the (Catholic) Sacred Constantinian Order of St George; in 2013, he was made a Knight of the Royal Order of Francis I (Italy) and in 2018, he was promoted to be a Knight Commander of the Royal Order of Francis I. He was awarded the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2019, (The German equivalent of a Knighthood) in recognition of his contribution to interfaith work.

Michael is President of the Faith and Belief Forum. He was Chair of the Board of Trustees of The Three Faiths Forum and later of F&BF from 2009 until 2022. He is chair of the board of Trustees of the Sir Sigmund Sternberg Charitable Foundation. He is a member both of the United Synagogue and the Liberal Jewish Synagogue.

Anthology launch

A one-off World Congress of Faiths event took place at St John’s College, Oxford on Monday 15th May 2023. This was the launch of Unutterable Joy, our recently published anthology of WCF journal articles and Younghusband Lectures spanning 60 years. The event included a lecture by our Executive Director, Dr Alan Race, on the topic ‘Interfaith Travelling with the WCF’.

 

Please email us at admin@worldfaiths.org if you would like to buy a copy of the book.

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Excerpts from our Summer 2-23 Newsletter

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A message from our Director, Dr Alan Race

Summer is a time for reading, at least according to the marketing pressures from publishers and bookshops. So let me unashamedly commend to you again WCF’s wonderful Unutterable Joy – as advertised below! I call it a ‘record of some of the best of WCF’. At the launch of the book in mid-May at St. John’s College, Oxford, I was able to cite a number of contributors whose words continue to ring true and enlarge our imagination.

 

So here’s an inspirational citation from Rabbi Norman Solomon, a great friend of WCF, from a talk in 1986 entitled ‘Judaism and the World Religions’:

“I cannot set the bounds of truth, that I want to listen and to learn, to grow in experience and to forge language, to be open to the world around me and its many people and ways, and to reread and reinterpret my Scriptures and the words of the sages constantly, critically, in response to what I learn each day.”

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These are words encouraging an openness fitting for our times, and my guess is that many people will want to say ‘Amen to that’. I certainly do.

So, Happy Summer Reading with our WCF anthology!

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Annual General Meeting, book launch and lecture

Our Annual General Meeting took place at St John’s College, Oxford on 15th May 2023, kindly arranged by our Executive Committee member Imam Monawar Hussain.

Among the outcomes of the meeting was a decision to donate £1,000 to the Inter Faith Network of the UK, in response to its recent appeal.

Please email us at admin@worldfaiths.org if you would like a copy of the Minutes and summary accounts.

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The meeting was followed by the launch of ‘Unutterable Joy’, our recently published anthology of WCF journal articles and Younghusband Lectures spanning 60 years (see above). The event included a lecture by Alan on the topic ‘Interfaith Travelling with the WCF’.

Alan would be pleased to share his speaking notes; you can email him at alan2race@gmail.com.

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Celebrating Buddha’s Birthday

by Alan Race

On 20th May, on behalf of WCF, Dr Alan Race was a guest at a ceremonial event marking the birthday of the Buddha at the Taiwanese Fo Guang Shan Temple in Margaret Street, London.

There are different dates for Buddha’s birthday, depending on tradition. This Taiwanese temple follows the Mahayana tradition.

Says Alan, “The birthday was a very joyful occasion, with chanting, colour, offerings of incense and flowers, and at its heart the ‘bathing of the Buddha’ as an act signifying the purifying of the human heart and intentions. I was honoured to participate in this act of bathing for what the service order called ‘accumulating purity, wisdom, dignity, merit and virtue.’

 

The ceremony included beautiful music and singing by the women’s Temple community choir and children’s choir. Other distinguished guests included local dignitaries such as the recently elected Mayor of Westminster, as well as international visitors. Afterwards we were all treated to a magnificent vegetarian lunch in cultural Taiwanese style.

The London temple is a branch of the Fo Guang Shan Order which was founded by the Venerable Master Hsing Yun, a Buddhist monk for over 80 years, and who spread the message of Humanistic Buddhism throughout the world.

 

The Order describes its teachings as a ‘modern Buddhist philosophy’ which consists in:

• Propagating Dharma through Cultural Activities

• Fostering talents through education

• Benefiting society through Philanthropic Programme

• Purifying human hearts and minds through Buddhist practices

It was clear that the temple follows these principles closely, if the wonderful hospitality of the community is anything to go by.

WCF has engaged with Fo Guang Shan on numerous occasions in the past and looks forward to further sharing and learning in the future.

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I conclude with some words from the Prayer for World Peace at the ceremony:

“Oh great, compassionate Buddha!

Let people of different ages live in harmony;

Let people of different social stations have mutual respect;

Let people of different professions work in cooperation;

Let people of different religions practice with tolerance.”

 

 

HM The King’s Coronation

by Jacquetta Gomes

The Lord Lieutenant of Cumbria invited Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian and Muslim faith leaders, including WCF Member Jacquetta Gomes Bodhicarini Upasika Jayasili, to a Service of Choral Evensong to celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III at Carlisle Cathedral on Friday 12 May. Many of the prayers, hymns and music were also used in the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey.

 

Jacquetta represented the South Lakeland Equality and Diversity Partnership, of which she is the Lead on Interfaith and Multifaith. In 1991 she was a Founder of the Buddhist Group of Kendal (Theravada).

The Choir, Faith Leaders, Cathedral Chapter and Bishop of Carlisle entered during the processional hymn. Jacquetta and the leader of BGKT, John Gerrard Upasaka Sumedha, were invited to walk at the front of the Faith Leaders Procession. The ecumenical and interfaith guests sat in chairs near the high altar in the Sanctuary. The Act of Commitment was read by Faith Community representatives from across Cumbria. The wording is replicated at (https://www.interfaith.org.uk/resources/act-of-commitment). Jacquetta as a representative of the Buddhist Community read  the words:

“For a spirit of friendship, co-operation and tolerance, to work together alongside all who share our values and ideals, forgiving each other for our misunderstandings, to help bring about a better world now and for generations to come.”

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Retiring WCF Joint President, the Revd Marcus Braybrooke, wrote the following letter to the Church Times on the occasion of the Coronation:

“Sir,

The participation of leading members of faith communities in the Coronation of King Charles III is very welcome and will be appreciated throughout the Commonwealth.        

For example, the Chief Rabbi has distributed a booklet of prayers and thanksgivings to mark the Coronation.

Before her coronation, Queen Elizabeth asked for prayers from people of all faiths. In response, the World Congress of Faiths arranged a special service. The Queen was a Patron of the Council of Christians and Jews and almost always attended the Commonwealth Day Multifaith Observance at Westminster Abbey.

King Charles has studied the Qu'ran and other holy books and visited many faith communities here and across the world.

I hope that in local communities, people of all faiths will be joining in praying for our new Sovereign.”

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