ILN meeting at the Quaker Meeting House, Fern St.

We are actively seeking members of diverse faith communities who are interested in interfaith matters.

Participants gather to share and learn from one another. Meetings follow different formats, and may include sharing on a spiritual teaching or practice, guest speakers or a visit to the sacred space of a faith community.

Spring 2023:

• • Polarization is an issue of concern; what are the elements that unite us? We have many teachings and practices in common.
  • We would like to have meetings that are deep and rich in sharing, but short and succinct.

Meeting Format:

• • To have one-hour meetings at 2:30 pm on the 4^th Monday of the month.
  • Format: Invitation to include request to reflect on the theme. Meetings to open with a 5- to 10-minute presentation on theme to start the conversation, followed by a round of sharing. Light refreshments to be shared.

Upcoming meetings, presenters and themes:

• • 27 February: Rabbi Louis Sutker on the theme of Suffering
  • 27 March: Derek Hawksley to present on Social Action
  • 24 April: Vicki McNulty to present on Prayer

Please email interfaith.network.bc@gmail.com or victoriamultifaith@gmail.com if you would like to be on the contact list.

ILN participation is open to all spiritual communities and congregations in the Victoria area. It’s hoped that members will act as informal liaisons, sharing information from and with their communities when they believe it would be of interest.

HISTORY

The Interfaith Liaisons Network decided in 2017 to ally itself with the Victoria Multifaith Society, to benefit both organizations. ILN is able to act in an advisory capacity to VMS and also as a conduit for communications both to and from the many faith communities it represents. The Victoria Multifaith Society Board is very grateful for this support.

ILN developed out of a series of conversations in 2015 and early 2016 between Beth Gibson, co-chair of the Downtown Churches Association, and Rabbi Harry Brechner of Congregation Emmanu-El. These conversations revealed the desire for diverse spiritual communities to share, consult, develop authentic relationships and serve together.

The first meeting was held at the Congregation Emmanu-El synagogue on 24 Feb. 2016 with 15 representatives of 12 different faith groups. It was agreed that there was a need for collegial support and informal networking, to learn about events, reduce isolation, emphasize commonalities, become known within the community and reduce misconceptions regarding our respective faiths.

At its September 2017 meeting, it was decided that the group would come under the umbrella of the Victoria Multifaith Society, to give greater focus and fit within an existing structure whose vision and mandate were compatible. At the November 2017 meeting, a Memorandum of Understanding was considered. At this time, the name Interfaith Liaisons Network was adopted.