Interfaith Youth Café: February 14, 2010

Twenty-five adults and forty-two young people came together for interfaith dialog and education on Valentine’s Day. The Interfaith Youth Café were hosted by the Sikh Religious Society of Wisconsin in Brookfield. The theme of the day was “Love and respect among the generations,” and for this particular café, parents and grandparents were invited to make it a multi-generational event.

After visiting the worship area, the group was treated to a vegetarian lunch.

Three rounds of conversation focused on the following topics:

1. Teachings about love and respect in each faith’s holy writings or traditions

2. Formal celebrations of life passages

3. Opportunities for different generations to interact with each other

After the interfaith dialog and sharing, the faith groups gathered back together in their “home groups” to discuss their learnings and share their insights from the day.

• The Sikh community thanked everyone for sharing their religious traditions.

• The Quakers noted how faith and food are an important connection in every religion.

• The Unitarian Universalists observed how all faiths made an effort to create sharing experiences for multigenerational sharing.

• The Christians from the House of Peace reported how every religion shares traditions regarding the celebration of birth and death.

• The Jewish participants mentioned how culture and spiritual beliefs influence generational interactions.

• The Muslims spoke of the importance of religious worship and the respect for elders.

After the sharing of insights and learnings, each group offered a prayer:

• The Sikhs asked that humanity be saved.
• The Quakers called for silence and individual silent reflection.
• The Unitarian Universalists prayed for your personal conveant with the God of your choice.
• The Christians from House of Peace prayed a traditional Catholic prayer called “Glory Be.”
• The Jewish community prayed for keeping alive the word of God alive for generations. The Muslims prayed that each would worship in their own way; that you shall pray in your tradition, and I shall pray in mine.

The Unitarian Universalists invited everyone to attend the next café, which they would be hosting on March 21, 2010, at the First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee.

At the end of the day, the group watched a video that gave an overview of the Sikh religious beliefs and traditions.