The area in and around the Pittsburgh suburb of Monroeville is distinguished by the wide variety of religious traditions found there. Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs are among those with vibrant faith communities. To help increase understanding among neighbors, Monroeville United Methodist Church (MUM) will offer a Monday evening study about the various religions represented in the area.
Pastor Ed Schoeneck of MUM and Dr. Dave Morse, retired pastor and adjunct faculty member at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, will lead the study along with members of the Monroeville Interfaith Ministerium. It begins at 7 p.m., Jan. 18 and continues on Monday evenings into April. The intent is to help participants learn and understand Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Jain, Sikh and other traditions, so that they can be well informed neighbors who can work together to build a strong and safe community.
At the first session, Morse will discuss different historical/scriptural approaches of the Christian Community to other faith communities. Each week following will feature a short video on a specific faith, followed by a time of discussion. Members of the different faith communities will be on hand to bring better understanding of their traditions and offer an opportunity to “build a bridge” with them.
The videos will be taken from lectures given by Professor Mark Berkson of Hamline and Stanford Universities. His course is entitled: “Cultural Literacy for Religion: Everything the Well-Educated Person Should Know.”
All are welcome to join the study. Get details.