People of God in Unity

People from Beth Tikvah Synagogue, St. Joseph the Worker Roman Catholic Church, Our Saviour Lutheran Church and St. Anne’s, Steveston Anglican Church gathered to listen to each other and to reflect on the call of the prophet, Samuel. On the evening of January 18th, a night where everything seemed to be conspiring against the gathering – ice and snow on the roads and a Richmond-wide power failure – some 70 people came together to listen and to learn.
The clergy of the four congregations met some months ago out of a desire to promote a sense of spiritual comradeship between our different faiths and congregants. We look to study together, exchange ideas and work for our common causes in a spirit of tolerance and respect. We hope to create the necessary bridges as we explore the spiritual concerns we all share.
Our first session was on the call of Samuel – “God is Calling: Is Somebody Going to Answer?” Introductory presentations were given by Fr. David Poirier (St. Joseph’s) and Rabbi Claudio Kaiser-Blueth (Beth Tikvah) and then small groups considered some questions around Samuel’s call and our own individual calls from God. After some singing in Hebrew and further reflections from small groups, we enjoyed refreshments and had a chance to get to know one another in a more informal way.
Future sessions are planned in March looking at the theme: “Let’s Celebrate Together Easter and Passover” and in May with the topic: “The Ten Commandments…Are Not Multiple Choice.”
It was a wonderful evening – a wonderful beginning!
How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!