May Chat

glendaWe spend five minutes with the Rev. Glenda Blakefield, Associate General Secretary of the Uniting Church in Australia National Assembly.

How did you become interested in interfaith work?

Quite simply, I think it was a response to living in contemporary Australian society. It is multicultural, intentionally cross-cultural, and multifaith. I live in a suburb of Sydney where, on any given day it wouldn’t be unusual to greet one neighbour with a friendly ‘hello’, another with ‘salaam’, another ‘namaste’ and yet another with ‘shalom’.

In my neighbourhood, it’s become customary to move between cultures and languages, and to be continually open to learn to understand one another more. I find that an incredibly vital and invigorating experience and one that I thrive on.

What motivates you to continue fostering interfaith relationship?
The simple answer to this is that I enjoy meeting people through interfaith events and dialogue. These kind of encounters allow opportunity to talk about the challenging topics around faith and life, but also to simply chat about our families and personal interests. I find that I have built some true friendships with people that I may not have crossed paths with if not for interfaith events.

The deeper answer to the question is that in fostering and participating in interfaith dialogue, I act in a way that reflects my call to discipleship. John 4:1-26 tells the story of Jesus and a Samaritan woman meeting at a well. Jesus talks to her despite it being against the custom of the day for a Jewish man to speak to a woman. He talks to her despite her being a Samaritan: a race quite separate from the Hebrews, who practice a different faith. This was Jesus engaging in interfaith encounter.

Do you have any news on interfaith events?
I continue to be a member of the UCA National Jewish Christian Dialogue. Meetings of this dialogue continue to offer friendship, challenge, joy and opportunity for further understanding.

I look forward to participating in the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions Webinar series. This looks like an exciting initiative – something to watch for in the coming months.

We will also see the launch of a book written by a member of our Working Group on Relations with Other Faiths at the end of May. An Improbable Feast: The surprising dynamic of hospitality at the heart of multifaith chaplaincy is the first book by Geoff Boyce, the South Australian representative on the Working Group. Copies of the book are available from Lulu in hard copy or e-book. Visit http://bit.ly/mt7Kzn

Do you have a recommendation for someone wanting to get involved in interfaith relations / dialogue?
The first thing I would suggest would be to sign up to receive the Relations with Other Faiths e-news. There you will find a list of interfaith events happening all over the country. Keep an eye out for one happening in your area, and go along. I guarantee that you will meet some great people.

Attending these kind of events is a very unintimidating way of ‘dipping your toes in’ to begin your interfaith, and often cross-cultural, journey.