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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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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
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
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
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
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
Reflections on War and Violence – “Let Us Beat Swords Into Ploughshares”
by John McLaughlin Let Us Beat Swords Into Ploughshares As I share these thoughts, it seems appropriate as today, September 21, is the International Day of Peace. The theme of the discussion at last month’s IGR meeting was “War and Violence”. By co-incidence our monthly meeting fell on September 11, the anniversary of the horrendous attacks on the World Trade Center towers in New York that killed thousands of people and shocked the world. The effects of this tragedy have ripp
Oct 15
Thinking in Lyrics (October)
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. Beautiful (Gordon Lightfoot) This is a love song directed at a romantic partner, but it takes on a different meaning when one looks at it as a song about a higher pow
Oct 15
Reflection: Season of Creation
by Sandy Milne Each year since the 1990's, Christians around the world have celebrated the gift of Creation in a special way during the...
Sep 8
Socially Awkward During Post-Service Coffee Time? Talk About IGR!: Some Thoughts About Grassroots IGR Promotion
by Jeff Wilson At the August Interfaith Grand River meeting we had a very productive discussion about branding, elevator...
Aug 26
Thinking in Lyrics (August)
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...
Aug 26
Thinking in Lyrics (July)
by Jan Hansen For the Multicultural Festival, we wanted to try something new to draw attention. Jay or I planned to sit with our acoustic...
Jul 30
Interfaith Day at Buddhist Summer Camp at The Lake Monastery, Cambridge ON
8 July 2025 by Jay Moore Reverend Ananda Thero, a Buddhist monk at The lake Monastery and a member of the IGR Steering Committee, was in...
Jul 30
Observations from Interfaith Grand River at the Multicultural Festival in Kitchener
by Jeff Wilson On June 21-22, IGR staffed a booth at the annual Multicultural Festival. It was hot, occasionally rainy, and lots of fun....
Jul 30
Reaching Out For Human Contact
by Jan Hansen I was at the Interfaith Grand River booth at the Multicultural Festival when we had a pair of women come to us. One of them...
Jun 26
Lessons from an Interfaith Street Fair
by Jeff Wilson On a warm and sunny Saturday, May 24, I participated in the Interfaith Pride Street Fair sponsored by Eastminster United...
Jun 26
Jay Moore’s Speech at the Interfaith Community Breakfast, 2025
By Jay Moore Presented by Norm Finkelberg Good morning, everyone. I am so pleased to be here at the 50th Interfaith Community Breakfast...
Jun 26
Multifaith Room at Region of Waterloo
By Sandy Milne March 26 saw the launch of a new Multifaith room at Region of Waterloo’s administrative headquarters, 150 Frederick Street...
Jun 26
Supporting Young People in their Environmental Work
By Jeff Wilson At the May meeting of Interfaith Grand River, we discussed environmental issues, and considered the question “In a...
May 22
Faith and the Environment
by John McLaughlin I swear by Thy might, O Thou in Whose grasp are the reins of all mankind… that I can hear from the whisper of the...
May 22
A Spiritual Covenant with Indigenous Peoples
By Jay Moore The idea of a spiritual covenant with Indigenous Peoples is being explored by churches in Canada who want to find a way to...
May 22
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