NFIE Feeds the Homeless in Partnership with Other Interfaith Groups
By Yousuf Bhuvad
An interfaith event, sponsored by the Naqshbandiya Foundation for the Islamic Education (NFIE), Abrahamic Alliance International and the Trinity Mennonite Church, brought together the volunteers from the three faiths - Christianity, Judaism and Islam - in a common cause to serve food to the homeless and hungry of Phoenix.
The volunteers arrived at the Trinity Mennonite Church in Glendale on the afternoon of September 23 rd. They were greeted and welcomed warmly by the Pastor of the church and the event leaders. Pastor Hal Shrader gave a brief overview of the history of the Mennonite church. Eric Shank, the Christian event leader, briefed the volunteers about Abrahamic Alliance and Common Word. Each volunteer was paired with a person of a different faith to share their backgrounds, education, family life and preferences in what they called a buddy system.
A dialogue was initiated by the Muslim scholars and welcomed by Christians and Jews. Dr Ahmed Mirza, Muslim-event coordinator, introduced the volunteers from diverse backgrounds who had come to serve the poor. The Muslim group offered the Asr prayers inside the church. Pastor Hal gave a tour of the church while giving a historical perspective of the Mennonite movement. The group got together for a group photo outside the church.
The volunteers arrived at the St Vincent DePaul Shelter at 4.30pm. The homeless were served tandoori chicken, Afghani pilaf, salad, rolls, fruit and cup cakes. The group served more than 200 guests at the shelter. After serving all the meals, the volunteers sat down to eat dinner. Dr. MIrza offered the closing prayer.
We congratulate Rod Cardoza of Abrahamic Alliance International (AAI) along with Dr Ahmed Mirza, Zeb Mirza and Christian leader Eric Shank for organizing this very inspirational interfaith event. AAI is a faith-based nonprofit organization uniting Jews, Christians and Muslims for active peace building and relief of extreme poverty .
The photos of the event are posted at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/azpakcommunity/sets/72157631633174567/show/
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