The people of Westworth United Church have already opened up their lives to Syrian Muslims, and now they\u2019re inspired to open up their hearts.<\/p>\n
“We thought because we are in the middle of a one-year sponsorship of Syrian refugees, this was the perfect opportunity to learn about Islam,” says Rev. Loraine MacKenzie Shepherd about a five-week study series on Islam and Christianity.<\/p>\n
Last fall, the River Heights church, along with members of Muslim and Jewish communities, sponsored six adults and 18 children from Syria. The multi-faith sponsorship group, called REFUGE, has raised about $100,000 of the $120,000 needed to sponsor these three families for their first 12 months in Canada.<\/p>\n
Running during the Christian season of Lent, the 40 days before Easter, the free series covers topics such as violence, reading difficult passages in the Qur\u2019an and the Bible, and issues of hate, violence and racism in both faiths, says MacKenzie Shepherd.<\/p>\n