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To the Interfaith Women Leaders:
Since we will still be in Ramadan on April 2, and in order to again allow our Muslim women to participate fully, we will start our session at 7:30 pm instead of 7 pm on Tuesday April 2. This way they can pray and eat and then join us with energy and full participation. Thank you again for our session this week on Zoom with the Interfaith Women’s Leadership Group! We are not always in agreement like Priscilla, Ranya and Suzanne in the ‘The Faith Club’ book. It takes courage to speak of one’s faith and question things we don’t understand. Thanks for sharing a belief that was challenged or changed during your spiritual journey. That was a powerful sharing. Most importantly, we all create a ‘safe space’ to allow for those deep sharings and questions. We have gotten to a point with this special group that seeks to acknowledge differences, seeking to understand them. If we see differences as problematic, we reduce things to common denominators rather than seeking to acknowledge differences, to understand them. This is what this opportunity is all about. I would like to suggest that everyone pay attention to when they are speaking on Zoom so that we can hear you. Test out your microphone and speak into it. As we continue to get to know each other with each call, we grow deeper in our personal spiritual journey. We can’t avoid the politics that has been part of the ongoing religious struggles and wars, but we listen for understanding, not judgement, and recognize that our stories are individual and reflect one’s personal experience. It is all in the spirit of learning. Appreciating your very respectful focus. Our next session will be on Tuesday, March 19 from 7:30 – 9:00 pm and we will continue to explore the questions raised in the book as well as our own questions and learnings from each other. Here is the link for the Zoom call. https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88528937693?pwd=R0OtLpXIiS37GaXZ6VDZnA4JYSbF4T.1 The Reading Assignment for the next session is Chapters 13-15 pages 200 - 247 in ‘The Faith Club,’ and we will build on this week’s conversation and those raised in the Zoom chat. Here are a few questions that might consider perhaps if you are journaling, or just to think about after Tuesday night’s session:
Your responses are part of your own journey and will allow you to personally explore your own faith and take notes to your learning. At the next session, we will introduce ourselves again and answer the question: How do you pray? Why do you pray? What’s the importance of prayer ritual and communal prayer at houses of worship? We will share those thoughts with each other as we open the next session. We will then ask for any input regarding the last session, thoughts/learnings and get some basic understanding of the Shiite/Sunni distinctions in the Muslim faith (Thank You Tayyaba!) The link to all the assignments for the Interfaith Women’s Leadership Group has been updated and contains all the information sent out on a regular basis. If you need to review assignments or other information shared, you will find it on this link. The newest one will always be on top and the older ones will be below. https://www.churchholyspirit.org/interfaith-womenrsquos-leadership-group-iwl Comments/questions/suggestions always welcome. See you on April 2! Thank you again for your participation. Janet Janet B. Matts Office: (908) 203-9284 Cell: (908) 334-5504 [email protected] www.janetmatts.com Comments are closed.
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