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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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December 2025 Newsletter
If you missed our December 2025 newsletter, you can check it out at the link below:
Dec 15, 2025
November 2025 Newsletter
If you missed our November 2025 newsletter, you can check it out at the link below:
Dec 15, 2025
October 2025 Newsletter
If you missed our October 2025 newsletter, you can check it out at the link below:
Dec 15, 2025
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
Recording of Presentation: The Challenge of Lasting Peace in the Middle East
The Challenge of Lasting Peace in the Middle East is the title of a presentation and Q&A by Jon Allen on Thursday, November 13, 2025, at Forest Hill United Church in Kitchener. You can watch the event here . Jon Allen is currently a Senior Fellow at the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History at the University of Toronto. From 2006 to 2010, he was Canada’s Ambassador to Israel. Jon is also Chair of Rozana Canada, the Canadian branch of an international n
Dec 15, 2025
Meditation at Lake Monastery
18th December 7-8pm The Sikh community is invited to a meditation session at Lake Monastery
Dec 15, 2025
Some Changes We Envision for 2026
by Jay Moore I want to share some new developments about the progress we are making in interfaith action in Waterloo Region and beyond. The Steering Committee of IGR recently took some time for long range planning and a new vision of our future is emerging. In recent years, let’s call it the “parent” group of IGR, has been focussed on the monthly meetings which usually are themed on a topic the Steering Committee has chosen and led as a discussion in one of three possible f
Nov 19, 2025
Thinking in Lyrics (November)
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. This is Me (Words and Music by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, from The Greatest Showman) This song is about people who are very conscious that they stand on the margin
Nov 19, 2025
Share your thoughts on the WRDSB Strategic Plan
The Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) has launched the Strategic Plan Community Consultation Survey. The survey is open to WRDSB students, parents, families, caregivers and community members and will gather information on how we can continue to improve our efforts to support the educational needs of students in the WRDSB. We are asking for your participation and support in sharing this survey. Through this survey we are seeking feedback on the current WRDSB Multi-
Nov 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
Bring Hope Home Campaign
On December 2nd, SHOW (Supportive Housing of Waterloo) is joining the global GivingTuesday movement and launching our "Bring Hope Home" campaign. The holiday season should be a time of warmth, safety, and belonging — yet for many in our community, that feeling of home remains out of reach. Through SHOW's supportive housing and wrap-around programs, we're helping residents rebuild their lives with dignity, care, and hope. This year, our goal is to raise $35,000.00 to ensur
Nov 15, 2025
Faith Communities Preventing the Spread of Measles
November, 2025 Dear Friends of the Canadian Interfaith Conversation, The Public Health Agency of Canada has again been in touch this fall to invite faith communities to join the public awareness initiative to prevent the spread of measles. Thus far in 2025 over 5,000 cases of measles have been reported in Canada resulting in two deaths, whereas the total of reported cases for all of 2024 was only 285. Please share the announcement below with your faith community. Thank you fo
Nov 15, 2025
Concordia Choirs Christmas Concert
Sunday 7 December at 3pm Concordia Choirs Christmas concert Concordia Club 429 Ottawa Street South Kitchener, Ontario, N2M 3P6 Free but donations are welcome https://www.concordiaclub.ca/events/
Nov 15, 2025
Climate Vigil
You're invited -- to a Waterloo Region Climate Vigil while the UN Climate Conference (COP30) unfolds in Brazil, Nov 10-21. Sunday, November 16, 2pm at Mt Zion Lutheran Church, 29 Westmount Rd S, Waterloo. Guest speaker, Lutheran Pastor Marie Besong from Cameroon is a strong advocate for her people who live in one of four countries containing Lake Chad, a vast freshwater wetland that shrunk in size almost 95% from 1963 to 1990. The vigil will also include music, silent reflect
Nov 15, 2025
We All Belong Here Campaign
Something very important to our focus on Interfaith action and awareness is the new campaign in Waterloo Region, “We All Belong Here.” This campaign is about addressing hate, harm and building a community where everyone feels safe to be their true selves and is celebrated for who they are. It has been two weeks since the campaign launched. Let’s keep the momentum going. Here’s how you can support the campaign: Learn more: Visit the campaign website ( webelongwr.ca ) to
Nov 15, 2025
Thousands of Nativities
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is hosting an event the celebrates the spirit of the Christmas season: Thousands of Nativities – a special display of nativities of many sizes, styles, and cultures, taking place from November 20 to November 30, and hosted at the Walkerton Chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 11 Fourth Street, Walkerton, Ontario. This unique display of nativities is the result of collaboration and contribution by the memb
Nov 15, 2025
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