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IGR Community News
Announcements, Newsletters & Activities
IGR members are connected to many different religious, spiritual, ethnic, and cultural groups, and love to share what’s happening in their communities. Check out our new Community News section to see events and activities shared by IGR members!
Please note that while all events and activities posted on the Community Events blog are submitted by Interfaith Grand River members, they are not necessarily endorsed, supported by, or vetted by Interfaith Grand River as an organization.
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AI: an opportunity for multi-faith engagement
By Yvonne Aburrow I was very excited to see that Pope Leo XIV's new encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas (“Magnificent Humanity”) is about artificial intelligence (AI), together with a historic apology for the Church's role in slavery. This is a subject that is definitely something that people of faith should engage with and comment on. As a Tolkien fan, I was also delighted that he quoted Tolkien (in section 213). The encyclical has been very well-received by most Pagans who have
May 27
“We All Belong Here” Campaign in Waterloo Region
by Jay Moore At our Members’ Meeting on 14 May 2026, held at the Waterloo Wellington Buddhist Monastery and Meditation Centre, (a.k.a. The Lake Monastery) our guests, Fauzia Baig and Cheryl Grove, are leaders in the Waterloo Region anti-hate campaign called “We All Belong Here.” Brice Balmer led us in some discussions where we shared our own thoughts and feelings about belonging, about the campaign and about our community. It was beneficial to hear about our many experiences
May 17
Thinking In Lyrics (May)
by Jan Hansen I often find myself thinking in song lyrics. This is one in a series of short articles about some songs and a few of the thoughts that they prompt in me. None of these songs were written for a faith-based setting, but all of them have some elements that relate to faith, philosophy, or world view. Rainy Day People (Gordon Lightfoot) There are so many points in common between various faiths, practices and philosophies. One of them is how we are invited to treat
May 17
Annual Interfaith Service at Grand River Unitarian Congregation
by Jay Moore 12 April, 2026 Grand River Unitarian Congregation held their fourth annual Interfaith service recently. When considering a topic to focus on, the prominent issues surrounding the active war in the Middle East were at the top of the list. We also considered who among us would have a helpful message about this current conflict. The Mennonite tradition has a long history of pacifism and working for peace in the world and our very own Brice Balmer is a respected spok
Apr 23
Thinking In Lyrics (April)
by Jan Hansen I often find myself thinking in song lyrics. This is one in a series of short articles about some songs and a few of the thoughts that they prompt in me. None of these songs were written for a faith-based setting, but all of them have some elements that relate to faith, philosophy, or world view. One Tin Soldier (Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter) This song has always made me angry. As a kid, I didn’t realize that it was an anti-war song. I took it literally as
Apr 23
Faith and Nature: IGR Winter Campus Event 2026 Report
By Jeff Wilson On March 26, 2026 we held the first annual IGR Winter campus event: “Faith and Nature: Respecting our Reciprocal Relations,” which featured a diverse panel of six students from UW and Wilfrid Laurier University. Represented traditions included Baha’i Faith, Roman Catholicism, Hinduism, Indigenous spirituality, Pentecostalism, and Sufi Islam. Jeff Wilson was the emcee (and is also a grad student), and provided some further remarks from a Buddhist perspective. St
Apr 23
IGR visit to Hospice Waterloo Region
This month's Interfaith Grand River meeting was hosted by Hospice Waterloo Region. It is a beautiful facility in the northern part of Waterloo, and very thoughtfully designed. The site of the hospice, which was built in 2021, is a former barn, so the architectural inspiration was a barn and silo. The building is made from durable natural materials. The whole facility is immaculately maintained and has a lovely warm, calming atmosphere.
Apr 9
Thinking in Lyrics (March)
by Jan Hansen I often find myself thinking in song lyrics. This is one in a series of short articles about some songs and a few of the thoughts that they prompt in me. None of these songs were written for a faith-based setting, but all of them have some elements that relate to faith, philosophy, or world view. Loster (Tom Felton) Hope is a hard thing to grasp. Often it isn’t based on anything but a feeling. Faith can be the same way. But the wonder of both hope and faith is
Mar 20
Thinking in Lyrics (February)
by Jan Hansen I often find myself thinking in song lyrics. This is one in a series of short articles about some songs and a few of the thoughts that they prompt in me. None of these songs were written for a faith-based setting, but all of them have some elements that relate to faith, philosophy, or world view. Ain’t No Sunshine (Bill Withers) Initially, I understood this song to be from the perspective of a person who couldn’t accept that his partner had left him and is so
Feb 25
Pagans and money
The discussion topic at Interfaith Grand River on 12 February was about Money and Faith, so here is a Pagan perspective on the topic.
Feb 23
Thinking In Lyrics (January)
by Jan Hansen I often find myself thinking in song lyrics. This is one in a series of short articles about some songs and a few of the thoughts that they prompt in me. None of these songs were written for a faith-based setting, but all of them have some elements that relate to faith, philosophy, or world view. Another Way to Cry (Justin Hines) I love the idea that some of the things that we do are ways that we act out because of the wounds inside us, that they are “just a
Jan 22
Interfaith at the American Academy of Religion
By Jeff Wilson In November I went to Boston to attend the annual combined meeting of the American Academy of Religion and the Society for Biblical Literature. Together they constitute the largest gathering of Religious Studies scholars in the world, with more than 10,000 professors and researchers meeting to present papers, learn about developments in our subfields, and catch up with colleagues. It’s a heady time, with scholars studying every kind of religion
Dec 15, 2025
Yule
by Yvonne Aburrow At our recent Interfaith Grand River members’ meeting, we were invited to speak about our favourite festivals. My favourite festival is usually the one that’s just about to happen, but if I had to pick just one, it would be Yule. Yule is an ancient festival marking the winter solstice and was historically celebrated in England, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. It’s celebrated by many Pagans today as one of our eight festivals (Imbolc on 2 February, Spr
Dec 15, 2025
Thinking in Lyrics (December)
by Jan Hansen I often find myself thinking in song lyrics. This is one in a series of short articles about some songs and a few of the thoughts that they prompt in me. None of these songs were written for a faith-based setting, but all of them have some elements that relate to faith, philosophy, or world view. Anchor Me (written by Don McGlashan, sung by The Three Tenors) Sometimes life wears us down, to the point where we don’t know what to do. As the song says, “My heart
Dec 15, 2025
Launch of "We Belong WR"
by Sandy Milne On Thursday, November 27, a small group of IGR members + friends gathered to sing as part of a mini-launch of Waterloo Region's " We all belong" campaign which asks the community to care for each other at a human level, and to celebrate the differences and similarities that unite everyone. You can find the announcement of the campaign launch here . Thursday's event was one of many mini-launch events being held across the Region. Go to We Belong WR to l
Dec 15, 2025
Censorship and Free Speech
by John McLaughlin Is censorship, or “cancelling” people whose views do not align with our own the most constructive responses to speech or writings we find objectionable, or should they be tolerated under the banner of free speech? How can we resolve this conundrum? The Baha’i Teachings do not support suppression of ideas or perspectives through censorship, but at the same time strongly condemn speech that attacks any member or group within the human family. The Baha’i Teach
Nov 15, 2025
Religion Trivia
by Jeff Wilson On Saturday, November 8, the University of Waterloo held its Open House for prospective students. Since I’m the Associate Chair, Undergraduate for the Department of Religious Studies, I was on hand to staff our table. Because we were surrounded by all the other programs in the Faculty of Arts, I had to think about what I would do to make us stand out. So I created a simple game. I used an over-sized foam die, a cardboard box, and a small folding table. Visitors
Nov 15, 2025
Sharing Our Deep Thoughts
By Jan Hansen Do we talk enough about what is important to us? I have just filmed the 36th episode of an interfaith podcast on YouTube. In it, a guest sits with our host for a fifteen minute to half hour conversation. Questions include “What is most important to you about your faith?” “How does your faith impact your life?” and “Have there been times when you have struggled with your faith, or when your faith supported you through a struggle?”. We have spoken with bishops (wh
Nov 15, 2025
Books that Shaped Us
In October, we discussed books that shaped our spiritual journey (excluding holy texts). Below, you'll find reflections from some of our members on their books, and also a list of the books that were shared during the October meeting. Want to share about a book that shaped you? Send your reflections and reviews to interfaithgrandriver@gmail.com We Need to Build - Field Notes for Diverse Democracy by Eboo Patel, 2022 Recommended by: Jay Moore The question he attempts to addre
Oct 15, 2025
A message of thanks from Duaa
Duaa, bottom centre, with her Award of Appreciation Dear Jay and IGR Members, I want to sincerely thank you for the beautiful recognition and the thoughtful Award of Appreciation. It truly means a lot to me and I am deeply honored to be acknowledged by such an inspiring and dedicated group. Your kind gesture and warm words remind me how meaningful our collective efforts are in fostering inclusion, understanding, and collaboration across our community. It was truly heartwarmin
Oct 15, 2025
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