In light of news headlines regarding GraceLife Church in Parkland County, where leaders and members have defied COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the Province, we share once again this message from a group Edmonton and area spiritual leaders, reiterating our commitment to putting safety first.
Please join us for the 2021 Building Bridges Among Faith Traditions: A Multifaith Concert, which premiered at 2 pm on Sunday, February 7, 2021. This event is presented in celebration of World Interfaith Harmony Week as well as the 25th anniversary of the Edmonton Interfaith Centre for Education and Action (EICEA). There were prayers/readings from various faith traditions and exciting performances by Ensemble Topaz, Melanie Gall, Martin Kerr and Sharmila Mathur.
As part of World Interfaith Harmony Week, the EIC held a Zoom poetry reading on February 6, 2021. Our special guest poets each read from their own work and introduced audience members to other poetry that inspires them. Discussion followed the readings followed in turn by a poetry sharing circle (or open mic), where attendees were invited to share a single poem that they have written or that has been written by someone else but proved to be a source of personal inspiration.
The City of Edmonton has proclaimed February 1-7, 2021 to be “World Interfaith Harmony Week”.
Lori Stewart and Jack Jervis have been facilitating movie discussions at Naramata Centre, BC, St Stephen’s College, and various churches in Edmonton for over 25 years. Lori is a spiritual director, poet, and was associate faculty at St Stephen’s College. Jack is a retired personnel manager who has made film watching his hobby for most of his life.
The film we watched and discussed was “The Life Ahead,” starring Sophia Loren. Its running time is 1 hour and 34 minutes and is available on Netflix.
The film is about a Holocaust survivor with a daycare business in seaside Italy who takes in a 12-year-old street kid who recently robbed her. Her diverse community of friends provide support for both the old woman and the boy.
Cardus, “a think tank dedicated to the renewal of North American social architecture”, has produced this video on on the massive economic impact of faith organizations in Canada.
Every year since our incorporation we have hosted an open house in December; the programs included entertainment, music, dance and prayers from different faith traditions. Ethnic food from across the globe was provided by our members.
It was a wonderful opportunity to experience diverse customs and enjoy fellowship and community. Since we could not meet in 2020 we created a virtual celebration, here is a link to the video….. Let’s hope to gather in 2021!
The Edmonton Interfaith Centre hosted a panel on Love, Justice and Family Violence on November 25, 2020. Misinterpretation of religious texts and messages can be used to justify and excuse family violence, and faith leaders must address these issues as they help their communities understand and avoid gender-based violence.
We are pleased to announce that we are donating $5000 each to the Edmonton Food Bank and to Women In Need (WIN) House. This is from our casino account, the proceeds came from the citizens of Edmonton and we are honoured to be able to give back in these difficult times. As well, the Edmonton Community Foundation is helping out local charities as well. We have two funds with them, so are part of this wonderful initiative too.