At the Montreat College Conference earlier this month, we explored the idea of interfaith understanding and its importance for our Christian faith. As a result, some of the students decided to host an 80′s Interfaith Dance Party at the PSC. We invited every religious group that we could find on campus. In the end, we had some Lutherans, Baptists, and a Bahai show up. Moreover, we started a dialogue with several other groups that were not able to attend, but who appreciated what we were doing.

As ridiculous as it is to join together with people of other faiths to dance to “Thriller,” I think that the world would be a better place if this was a regular occurrence. Maybe Jerusalem could use an Interfaith Dance Party…

Here are some pictures from 2009 beginning with the Montreat College Conference on Jan. 2 and ending with the distribution on blankets and coats for the Fall Blanket Drive on Dec. 8. Enjoy…

On Oct. 18, we hosted the Jerusalem Women Speak tour at the Presbyterian Student Center. The idea behind the tour is that a Palestinian Muslim women, an Israeli Jewish woman, and a Palestinian Christian woman will tour together and tell about their experiences in Israel/Palestine and their work toward a peaceful and just resolution to the ongoing conflict in Israel/Palestine. This was the 16th Jerusalem Women Speak tour and we were one of four stops in Athens.

One of our students covered the event for the Red and Black, the campus newspaper. Click here to learn more.

Pictured here are Mitch, our campus ministry intern, who organized the event for us along with the women from the tour and me. We had about 70 people come out to hear the women and to learn about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. The students asked some great questions.  It was a very meaningful evening for our ministry as we struggled with issues of sin and suffering in a world that longs for the peace of God.