As reported by Tampa Bay Online, this year, communities in the Tampa Bay area are coming together to celebrate IWD differently. On Monday, women from diverse religious backgrounds will join forces to pray for the common ground issue of world peace. The aim of the event according to Sister Anne Dougherty, a Franciscan nun who works at Academy Prep Center of Tampa, is to use the collective positive “power of prayer to create change.” Co-sponsored by Women of Faith Building Community, and Bridge Builders, the first-time interfaith event will take place from noon to 1 p.m. at Hyde Park United Methodist Church.
Monday’s IWD service will bring together Muslim, Christian, and Jewish women to participate in a praise dance, readings from Jewish scripture, the New Testament, and the Quran, worship songs, and sacred silence. The prayer service is the most recent of multiple interfaith outreach programs led by Bridge Builders (an interfaith fellowship). Liz Kennedy, the founder of Bridge Builders, says that the event is about building relationships. "The more people we can encourage to create connections and build respect, the better off we all will be. I happen to believe in that notion about dropping a pebble in the pond and seeing how it can create ripples. Anything we can do to make those ripples grow wider is a help," says Kennedy.
Vicki Walker of Hyde Park UMC agrees that world peace may seem like a long shot, but it starts at home. "Peace in the world starts with peaceful relationships," Walker says.
Bridge Builders has led several interfaith initiatives over the past three years of operation. "The idea was to bring people together from other backgrounds and perspectives, so we could build relationships and understanding," says Kennedy. That idea has grown into something beyond her wildest imagination. Bridge Builders now have more than 150 women on their mailing list, and offer interfaith programs every six weeks during the school year. Examples of programs include visiting different places of worship, viewing faith-base films, and guest speakers. At the end of the day, for Kennedy, “[Bridge Builders] is about conversation, not conversion.” She adds, "This isn't an organization - we don't have a board, dues or regular meetings. It's an opportunity to grow and learn."
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