Upcoming IFA Programs

IFA meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month from 12 to 1:30 pm each September through May. Each begins with fellowship lunch, followed by an opening invocation and announcements, which is then followed by an hour of input and discussion on an issue of interest to area clergy and lay leaders. Meetings are held at Eastern Mennonite University whenever EMU is in session, and are in the West Dining Room adjoining the cafeteria on the ground floor of Northlawn Residence Hall. January, May and June meetings are held elsewhere as announced.

December 6

We are fortunate to have Dr. Amir Akrami presenting at our monthly meeting, 

He will be speak about the Islamic faith and how a greater understanding of Islam helps us in America have more peaceful relations across religions and cultures. He will describe his views on how the West and Iran could peacefully resolve the current dispute.

Dr. Akrami’s bio:

Dr. Akrami, EMU’s first visiting Muslim scholar in the Center for Interfaith Engagement, arrived mid-September in Harrisonburg and will continue in his role as visiting scholar through summer 2013. He comes to EMU from the Iranian Institute of Philosophy in Tehran, Iran.

Dr. Akrami has been a regular participant in the internationally respected Building Bridges Seminars in London, 2002; Bosnia, 2005; Washington DC, 2006; Singapore, 2007 and Rome 2008 (http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/networks/building_bridges), and has organized and participated in numerous interfaith conferences and workshops. He has written and published broadly on topics of inter-religious dialogue, religious pluralism, Islamic mysticism, theology and philosophy.

He holds an M.A in Religions and Mysticism from the University of Tehran, and a PhD in Philosophy of Religion from McGill University in Montreal. From 2006-2009 he served as lecturer of Islamic Studies at Al-Mahdi Institute, Birmingham, UK, and has taught courses in Buddhism, Christianity, Philosophy of Religion, and Islamic Mysticism.

A reminder: you may buy your lunch at EMU’s cafeteria for $7.00.  I believe it’s about $5 for senior citizens.  Come a few minutes early to beat the lunch rush.

Officers:

President: David Miller, Pastor, Montezuma Church of the Brethren

Vice-president and Program Chair: Mark Keller, Pastor, Harrisonburg Mennonite Church

Secretary: Emily North, Pastor, Shalom Mennonite Church

Treasurer: Jim Brady, Harrisonburg Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints <bradyeast@yahoo.com>

The Interfaith Association Story

The history of the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County area's Interfaith Association goes back to the 1960s, when some Harrisonburg ministers got together to collaborate in planning community Lenten and Thanksgiving services and to simply get to know each other better.
     Formally organized in the 1970s as the Harrisonburg/Rockingham Association of Churches and Congregations, it changed its name to the Interfaith Association of Harrisonburg/Rockingham County in 1997, welcoming participation by Jews and Muslims as well as Christians.
     From the start, the group sponsored weekly Lenten services and helped with food drives and the support of causes like the Salvation Army and the Patchwork Pantry. More recently, it has helped launch and support the HARTS program, one that provides for shelter and food in area churches on a rotating basis during the coldest months of the year. In 1998 it coordinated the signing of a Community Marriage Policy which committed congregations to providing more extensive premarital preparation and stronger support for existing marriages. The association has sponsored numerous part-time chaplains at Harrisonburg-Rockingham Regional Jail over the years.
     The association's statement of purpose says, "By their common origin in God, all peoples are one. Seeking to better understand our interrelatedness and to manifest love and justice, we covenant together to embody in our community God's peace through our faith traditions."      Congregations are considered members by their making a contribution of $25 or more each year, and individuals join by giving an annual gift of $10 or more.