Working together to support faith communities in dialogue, peace and understanding
It was great to welcome so many new people to our event at Swindon Hindu Temple last night. We hope to see you all at another event in the near future.
Our next event is our Public AGM on 25th March at the Pilgrim Centre. More information to follow soon.
Dear friends.
We are sorry for the change of date for our visit to Swindon Hindu Temple.
This will now take place on Wednesday 19th February 2020 at 7.30 pm.
The trustees of the Temple are especially looking forward to welcoming our group.
We are sure everyone will be inspired to see the great effort that the Hindu community have made to convert and dedicate this building for worship.
They are also providing a valuable meeting place for various activities serving the needs of local people.
VENUE ADDRESS
Swindon Hindu Temple & Culture Centre
Cheney Manor Industrial Estate
Our chairperson Waleed and all the committee at Swindon Interfaith would like to offer our very best wishes to you and your family for 2020.
We know each year brings opportunities but also we sometimes face personal challenges and family upsets which can disturb our calm and require a lot of our energy and willpower to face.
We really hope that our interfaith activities during this new year can offer some spiritual inspiration, encouragement and friendship to you.
We thank you for your support in 2019 and look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events on 29th January where our Hindu friends will be our hosts at their Temple and then on 25th March we will have our AGM.
The details of these events will be emailed and on our website and facebook page shortly.
A massive thank-you to everyone who joined in our various Interfaith Week events here in #swindon this week! We’ve had a diverse range of events and it’s been great to see everyone participating.
Of course, Interfaith is about more than just one week! We at Swindon Interfaith hold events throughout the year and will be back with our next event in January 2020 – more details on that soon!
This poem was shared yesterday at our Interfaith Week Launch event. It has been written for us by local poet Katherine Owen.
In The Name of Religion (What do we do?)
What do we do when the gun goes off
and we feel people’s loss of ones
they’d built their life around?
‘Not in my name,’ we say.
Yet it has been done
in the name of religion.
What do we do?
Do we resign from the group,
leave its name to ones who do not stand
for anything it stands for?
Or do we choose to stay and claim
the beauty of our tradition?
What do we do when the explosion roars?
People point towards us, saying,
“He, she, is one of them.”
Do we build walls, shut ourselves in with those who share our label?
Or do we reach out– share our home, our table,
do what we can to show we are against the violence?
What do we do?
We take time to bless the enemy–
we see Love pour down on one who contemplates an atrocity,
we see them choose again.
We reach out to those who feel victimised, marginalised.
We include, we educate.
What do we do?
We bring what we know to bear–
our blessings, our forgiveness, our rituals, our prayer,
our holding to the knowing that
there is a Love beyond all things
and without it we are nothing.
What do we do?
We hold a vision of a world at peace.
We pray for leaders to be guided wisely.
We pray for those who take care of our security.
We pray for those who have lost
a limb, a loved one, a life.
What do we do?
In the name of all religions and of none
we choose to be here together today.
As the native Americans wisely say
“Which tree is so foolish that
its branches fight among themselves?”
(c) Katherine T Owen
The poet gives permission to share this poem with her name included.
https://www.a-spiritual-journey-of-healing.com/media-files/interfaith-day-poem-katherine-t-owen.mp3?
Swindon Interfaith Group 