Caring for One Another
No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made perfect in us. - 1 John 4.12The Church of England is present in every locality in the country - and is called to engagement with every person, whatever their beliefs.
In the words of the Presence and Engagement report:
“The obligation to engage with all and sundry in a neighbourhood, whether through the occasional offices, through pastoral care or by promotion with others of the common good, has been a constant source of re-call out of mere presence towards renewed engagement and rediscovery of the real presence of Christ amongst those who seem to be ‘other’ to the churches.”
Resources
Our blog contains news of current events and activities in this area.
Celebrating Difference, Staying Faithful includes guidance on a range of pastoral issues which face congregations and clergy in multi faith areas. The Church of England also has online guidance on inter Faith marriage - both for the clergy and those contemplating such a marriage
Diocesan Advisers are the first point of call for congregational leaders on multi faith issues.
For practical examples of pastoral care in multi faith contexts, you can also order a copy of Malcolm Torry and Sarah Thorley’s anthology Together and Different.
Stories of local engagement
Faithful Friends (pdf) A grassroots Christian presence engaging with people of all faiths and none
FIT Voices - Whole Community Works - North Kent (pdf)
Regeneration and inlcusion in the North Kent Thames Gateway
The Froud Centre and Islamic Circles (doc) From renting out a hall to building a relationship
Greenwich Peninsula Chaplaincy (pdf) Pastoral care and advocacy in a multi-faith team
Health Preachers Project - Waltham Forest Faith Communities Forum (pdf)
Faiths leaders learning together to meet a community need
London Inter Faith Centre (pdf) Creating a place for worship, meeting, study and dialogue
Salvation Army and Shahjalal Mosque (Video) Building relationships by acting on common concerns