INTER FAITH WEEK 2012, DAY 2: HIGHCROSS EXHIBITION

Today is the first day of our week-long exhibition in Highcross for Inter Faith Week. First volunteers are Barbara Butler (of Christians Aware) and Allan Hayes (from Leicester Secular Society). There they are in the photo above, either side of me. For the first time, we have literature from both Christians Aware and Leicester Secular Society on display.

The photo was taken by John Coster of Citizens' Eye. He and Tina Barton (of Somewhere_To) are early visitors. I should have tucked my shirt in - but I'd just finished putting the exhibition together and was a wee bit more dishevelled than I would have liked.

Our very first visitors, though, are a couple who want to know why Pagans aren't represented in the exhibition. I give them a flier and ask them to put their query in writing so that the Council of Faiths can respond properly.

This is the fourth year running that we’ve been asked to put on this display in Highcross. After we’d been bumped up to First Class last year in terms of location and space, we’re pretty much back where we were in 2009 and 2010. That’s fine though – if it felt a bit more special last year, that's because it was our 25th anniversary. We couldn’t have that space this year anyway because it's being used for a special promotion:  let’s face it, nothing says “Christmas” like a Mini Cooper dressed up as Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Anne Fishenden (member of Leicester Quakers and Chair of Leicester SACRE - Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education) and Narendra Waghela (from BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir) volunteer on the display in the early afternoon.

I have to stand in for a couple of unscheduled hours in the afternoon when both volunteers for one slot cancel on account of illness. I should be at St Paul's Catholic School in Evington for their Sixth Form Philosophy Panel, but they'll have enough participants to go round. I phone the school with my apologies of course.

During these two hours I have interesting chats with a Christian couple who had seen a couple of lines about it being Inter Faith Week in the parish notes at church yesterday and had set out today to find evidence of it and with a pair of Iraqi fellows who recommended some adjustments to Highcross's Faith Room.

Deirdre O'Sullivan, Stephen Foster and Clare Carr (photo below) help out on the display, late afternoon and early evening. Deirdre is Lecturer in Archaeology the University of Leicester School's of Archaeology and Ancient History, which produced the Mapping Faith and Place in Leicester and the Leicester Faith Trail, the banners and booklets for which we have here this week; Stephen is Co-ordinating Chaplain at the University of Leicester Chaplaincy; Clare was of great help to the Council of Faiths for years when she was Schools Worker with Global Education Leicester-Shire.

One innovation on the exhibition this year is our little white tree, on which visitors and volunteers are invited to hang their hopes, dreams, prayers and wishes for themselves, for friends and family, for Leicester or for the wider world. Clare has spent several hours making labels with ribbon and I've put out a nice multi-coloured collection of Sharpies. Here's a selection of what some people write on the labels and hung on the tree:

Things can only get better! *lol*

Living in Leicester is a global experience! I am part of the world family of Faiths ... it's a good thing!

Love Leicester: United Nations in Leicester

In loving memory of Paul. Friend and husband of Denise. Sleep well xxx

I hope all religions have a good relation and peace

"Beyond our ideas of right and wrong, being is a field - I will meet you there" - Rumi

A hope and a prayer - that the children of the world will be healthy, happy and loved

I pray that one day soon there will be peace amongst all nations and faiths

SACRE AT ST MARTINS HOUSE

At St Martins House, Peacock Lane, this afternoon for the regular scheduled meeting of Leicester SACRE (Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education). This is the first meeting since Jill Carr, who was Secretary of SACRE, left Leicester City Council to take up her appointment as Head of RE at Leicester Grammar School. Her role is being filled by Fiona Moss (of RE Today Services) at least until Christmas this year and probably beyond. Fiona was doing this role with SACRE when I first became involved, so seeing her back here feels like having come full circle. We worked together on the early drafts of Engaging with Faith Communities in Leicester.

I'm able to flag up the forthcoming Philosophy Panel I've been asked to convene for St Paul's Catholic School next month. A handful of people at this meeting volunteer their services. Catholic schools, of course, exist outside of SACRE's sphere of influence. I thought that of some members of Leicester SACRE could take part in the event at St Paul's, then that would provide a nice crossover experience.

As I do at the end of all my blog posts referring to St Martins House, I refer any reader wondering about the omission of the possessive apostrophe from the building's name to a letter from Rev. Peter Hobson, Director of St Martins House, published in the Leicester Mercury, 29 March 2011.

PHILOSOPHY PANEL AT ST PAUL’S CATHOLIC SCHOOL

To St Paul's Catholic School, Spencefield Lane, Evington, this morning, where I'm facilitating a "Philosophy Panel" for Year 9 pupils. This is the second year that the school has approached Leicester Council of Faiths to put together the panel. It’s very gratifying to be asked back, almost a year to the day.

At 1100, Seamus O'Looskan, the School Chaplain, meets our party of seven (including me) at reception. The people taking part today are:

• Alastair Ballentyne (Leicester Bahá'ís)
• Dr Allan Hayes (Leicester Secular Society)
• Dr Samuel Lebens (Leicester Hebrew Congregation)
• Kartar Singh (Leicester Sikhs)
• Prof. Martin Stern (Leicester Hebrew Congregation)
• Jim Strupish (Zen Serene Reflection Group)

After a cup of tea and a brief description of what’s going on today, we're taken into the assembly hall to meet the pupils. They’re spaced out around the hall, eight or so pupils per group. There's a seat for each of the representatives, facing the group. Each speaker spends ten minutes or so answering the group's questions, then a bell is rung and they move on to the next group (Martin and Samuel go round together). This whole process is done twice, although second time round we don't quite complete the circuit. This activity is being offered to the pupils as something additional to the curriculum, which gives them greater freedom to ask what they want, rather than just stick to topics on which they'll be examined.

This is a completely different group of participants from the one we put up last year (apart from myself).  Last year, I stood on the sidelines, just in case any of the speakers want to bow out at any time, so I could step in and take their place, but that didn't happen. I was able to speak to several teachers then, so the time was well used - but I insisted that were I to come back with the other representatives, I wanted to speak to the pupils. So I try to respond to their questions with an inter faith perspective. Among the questions the pupils ask me are ones such as: "Have you ever experienced a miracle?"; "What do you believe happens after you die?"; "When was the last time you communicated with God?" and "What is a cult?"

Both sessions with the panel conclude with the recitation of the school prayer, is taken from Micah, 6:

This is what the Lord asks of you: to act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with your God.