Interfaith Dinner

I was at an interfaith dinner this evening, a joint effort organised by a collection of different faith and belief-based societies here at Edinburgh University. At the dinner there were representatives from the Christian Union, the Catholic Students' Union, the Buddhist Society, the Islamic Society, the Vedic Society, the Baha'i Society, and the Humanist Society. It was held at the university chaplaincy, and the chaplaincy staff covered all the costs for the event, so kudos to them!

It was planned as a relatively informal get together - a chance for the various societies and their members to get to know each other on a more personal level, hopefully learn something about each other (and themselves), and to build lasting friendships.

That last point was emphasised in the opening comments of Rev Di Williams, the university chaplain, who encouraged us to go beyond the facile "speak to 3 new people tonight" or "meet someone from a different religion" ideas, and really challenge ourselves to connect with and develop friendships with those present. After her speech, there were a few icebreaker games, courtesy of the Baha'i Society, followed by lots and lots of delicious Indian food, courtesy of the Vedic Society (who had been cooking for 3 hours prior to the event!).

After eating, each society gave a short presentation of an item. The Baha'is having already given their icebreakers and a short talk, the Christian Union gave a short talk on Christianity followed by a song about Jesus. The Buddhists followed, with a Pali language chant, and then the Islamic Society with a quiz about Islam. Next the Vedic Society performed a dance and a song, the Catholic Union sang a couple of hymns, and the Humanists ended with some fun games for all. Thank yous were announced, and everyone pitched in at the end to help tidy and wash up. Afterwards, some of us went over to the Catholic Chaplaincy on George Square to have some tea, biscuits, and chat.

In all, there were about 50 people present at the dinner. It was funded by the chaplaincy, but we had a wee donation bucket for Oxfam, and we managed to raise £9.71 for the charity. That might not seem like much, but this event wasn't planned as a fundraiser - it was planned as a get-together.

I have a bit of a puzzle at events like this, that I'm involved in organising - on the one hand, I dislike organising things, and get stressed out during them, making sure that everything is running to plan and on schedule (one of the few times I will actually get stressed out, incidentally). On the other hand, I really enjoy interfaith, getting a chance to talk about my faith and listen to other people give their perspective. In spite of my inner turmoil, however, I have to say I definitely enjoyed tonight - great people, great food, great presentations.

It's really refreshing when things like this work, and work well - and to see the enthusiasm of everyone present about doing interfaith work, fostering understanding and friendships between societies. I've had a good day today.

No pictures as yet, but will be up as soon as I can get them. If you're reading an RSS feed, check the website itself.