Relating, Creating, Transforming
John 3:1-9 Last week, I participated in the Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia’s Interfaith Encounters Alternative Spring Break program for college students. I journeyed with students, faculty, and college staff professionals to encounter seven different religious traditions, including: Reconstructionist Jewish; Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Christian; Sikh; Quaker; Won Buddhist; Hindu; Black Muslim and Sunni Muslim. There […]
Read MoreOur last day began and ended at Masjidullah in Northwest Philly. This Muslim community recently moved to this new space in January. Previously, the building was a Jewish synagogue and then a Christian church. First, we were greeted by Adilah, one of the leaders of their community. She had set up some refreshments for us […]
Read MoreOn Day 6, we traveled to NE Philly to Aid for Friends. The mission of Aid for Friends ( AFF) is to alleviate the hunger and loneliness of isolated homebound individuals. All their services are provided for free. – AFF provides home-cooked meals and the gift of friendship to people in the five-county Philadelphia region. […]
Read MoreOur day began with Sue Witte and the folks from Urban Tree Connection! And…what amazing weather! Urban Tree Connection is a nonprofit organization that engages children and adults from some of Philadelphia’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods in community-based, urban-greening projects. UTC believes that community-based urban greening is a great way for residents of all ages to […]
Read MoreOur morning began with volunteer work at SHARE in the East Falls neighborhood of Philly. The SHARE Food Program is a nonprofit organization serving a regional network of community organizations engaged in food distribution, education, and advocacy. SHARE promotes healthy living by providing affordable wholesome food to those willing to contribute through volunteerism. Their motto: […]
Read MoreThis week, and part of next week, I will be participating in the Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia’s Interfaith Encounter Alternative Break program. Students from Bryn Mawr College and Haverford College will journey with Walter Hjelt Sullivan, Haverford’s Director of Quaker Affairs; Vanessa Christman, Bryn Mawr’s Assistant Dean of the College and Director of Leadership […]
Read MoreMatthew 5:21-26; 33-37 -Martin Luther King, Jr., speech at St. Louis, 1964 Money is the root of all evils: poverty is the fruit of all goodness. Rumi, 13th-century Persian poet, jurist, theologian, and Sufi mystic Where there is ruin, there is hope for a treasure. I am showering you with antitheses. But […]
Read MoreMatthew 5:1-12 How do you greet people? How do people greet you? It depends on where you live, of course. In Hawai’i, someone might approach you and say: How’s it? In Philly and South Jersey, I hear this a lot: How YOU doin’? Or, this: Whazzup? or What’s up, yo? Or the really short version: […]
Read MoreMatthew 3:13-17 Baptism stories are always fun to tell because if you think about it, what is stranger, funnier, or more awkward than dressing up someone in white clothes, sprinkling water on his/her head and rubbing it into his/her hair while people stare? Or, if you come from another tradition, what is odder than dunking […]
Read MoreGenesis 32:24-31 NRSV Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the day […]
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