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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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Faith perspectives on AI
I am currently compiling and editing an anthology on Pagan, polytheist, Heathen, and animist perspectives on generative artificial intelligence (genAI for short), and as part of that effort, I decided to research the views of other religions on genAI. Most faiths are rightly concerned about the human and environmental impacts of AI. Some suggest limiting its use in order to prevent the worst outcomes; others suggest avoiding its use altogether. Buddhist Buddhism and AI initia
4 days ago
Reflection: Further Exploration of Divine Remedies for Our Age
by John McLaughlin At our July meeting, IGR members responded to the following question: Which teachings (conceptual or practical) of your religion would you prescribe as remedies for the illnesses, whether spiritual, social or political, that are afflicting humanity? Despite criticisms of religion, renowned historians Arnold Toynbee and Will and Ariel Durant identified religion as the most potent driving force of civilization, making this inquiry essential. By the mid-1800s,
Aug 27
Reflection: Rest & Regeneration in Your Tradition
by John McLaughlin At our August meeting, IGR members shared contributions on the theme: “Rest and regeneration in your faith tradition”, an interesting theme considering how many of us struggle to balance response to the daily demands of life with the need to maintain our spiritual and physical health as we strive to meet these demands. Contributions were many and varied, with most contributors sharing calendar-based times for stepping back from work, such as a weekly day
Aug 27
Reflections from the July IGR Meeting
by Jay Moore "Which teaching(s) (conceptual or practical) of your religion would you prescribe as remedies for the illnesses, whether spiritual, social or political, that are afflicting humanity?" In the Unitarian tradition, there are many points of view and no one revered source of truth is promoted. Consequently, there are many opinions among Unitarians about the remedies to the ills of humanity. However, there are guides for our individual searches and for the functions of
Jul 28
Special Meeting of the Steering Committee about Antisemitism
by Jay Moore In early July, the Steering Committee held a special meeting and I thought it important that members of IGR know what we did and why. A few weeks earlier, John McLaughlin and Judith Oudejans, both members of the Baha’i faith, sent a letter to the Steering Committee asking us to address a concern that they decided to raise with us. There has been more reporting in recent times about the rise of antisemitism in Canada, particularly since the war in Gaza has proceed
Jul 28
Nature as a teacher
Which teachings (conceptual or practical) of your religion would you prescribe as remedies for the illnesses, whether spiritual, social or political, that are afflicting humanity?
Jul 3
Thinking in Lyrics (June)
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. You Have Loved Enough (Leonard Cohen) Two lines jump out at me from this song. The first is “I am not the one who loves, it’s love that seizes me.” I love the sense t
Jun 23
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
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