Interfaith Encounters Day 1

All this week I will be with students from Alvernia University and their campus ministry director.
We will experience 6 different religious communities and engage in service-learning with two organizations.
Follow us on our journey!

Today we went to the Church of Latter Day Saints in Center City Philadelphia.
We met with 3 members of the community who are missionaries, as they are known in their tradition. They gave us a tour of the building and we even sat in on a children’s class. We heard their personal stories and learned about their perspectives on what it means to be a Mormon.
Afterwards, we experienced their sacrament service comprised of singing, speakers, prayer, the sacrament (bread and water) and scripture readings.
We were welcomed warmly and learned a lot!

Reflecting on the experience, I particularly will remember what Ammon, one of the speakers shared:
Being a missionary is not necessarily about getting more people to the church. It is an everyday action of sharing love with people in life.

Also, I was greatly encouraged by their interest in pursuing service or social work with others, i.e. Cooperation.

Let’s see what tomorrow may bring!
We will be at the HMS school for children with cerebral palsy and Inglis House.
See you then!

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Josh grew up in the Midwest before completing a B.A. in Theatre at Northwestern College [IA] and a Masters of Divinity [M.Div.] at Princeton Theological Seminary [NJ]. An ordained minister in the United Church of Christ [UCC], Josh has lived and worked in the Midwest, East Coast, Hawai’i, and Mexico. He is the co-founder and Executive Director of The Welcome Project PA, host of the Bucks-Mont PRIDE Festival, and he is Pastor of Love In Action UCC, an open and affirming congregation featured in a Vox Media episode of Divided States of Women with Liz Plank and in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Josh has 20+ years of nonprofit experience, including leading workshops and training in corporate, medical, and academic settings, focused on diversity & inclusion, grant writing, fund raising, and program management. Josh is a fellow of Interfaith Philadelphia, and designs and coordinates HS and University student groups for interfaith immersion service-learning weeks. Josh also co-facilitates Ally trainings for LGBTQIA+ inclusion and interfaith cooperation. He is a founding member of The Society for Faith & Justice, and a Collaborator for Nurturing Justice, and a member of the Driving PA Forward team via New Sanctuary Movement. He also performs regularly with the dinner theatre company, Without a Cue Productions, and has developed theatre arts curriculum for use in religious and secular settings. Josh also enjoys running, singing, traveling, learning languages, or making strange and funny faces. He lives in Center City Philly.

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