The Stories of Faith Heritage in Brent project has now ended.  We thank all the people who have been involved and hope you, the visitor, will enjoy some of the history and stories gathered on these pages.

If you have any queries about the project, please contact the London Inter Faith Centre

Brent Interfaith Pilgrimage

On Sunday, 10th November a wonderful group of curious men and women of different faiths gathered for the Brent Interfaith Walk.  We began at the Churches of St Anne's and St Andrew's, strolled around the corner to the Al-Khoei Mosque (Centre) and ended only a little further away at the Shree Swaminarayan Temple.  Within this short distance we travelled to the religious heart of four very different communities whose worshipers have their roots from across the UK, in Africa, in the Middle East and in India and who have made their home in Brent.  

As we moved from worship space to worship space, we read and heard about the history of their foundation in Brent and caught hints and glimpses of the individual's stories (you can read more about those on the individual tabs of this blog).   

What shone through was the warmth of the welcome, the openness and the heart-felt sharing of those stories of faith and heritage.  Thank you to our hosting faiths for a truly enriching afternoon. 
 

Pilgrims enjoying the Heritage stories of St Anne's and St Andrew's

 

Arriving at the Mosque

Welcoming the Pilgrims to the Mosque and to the heritage stories exhibition

Heritage stories and exhibits

Shree Swaminarayan Temple

Being welcomed at the Temple

Brent Interfaith Pilgrimage 2013

Join us for a walk and a sharing of faith, tradition and personal reflections, on 

Sunday, 10 November 2013

 2.30 to 5pm 

Shree Swaminaryan Temple this week illuminated for Diwali

Starting Place: The London Inter Faith Centre
126 Salusbury Road, NW6 6PB.

Worshipers at Al-Khoei Mosque, Shree Swaminaryan Temple and the Churches of St Andrew's and St Anne’s will be opening their doors and warmly welcoming visitors. All three communities have recently been exploring the story of how their community and place of worship came into being, and a small exhibition of images and words will be on display at different locations. 

The date of this year’s pilgrimage coincides with Muharran (Islamic calendar) and Diwali (Hindu calendar). We are honoured that members of both communities will also be sharing the significance of these occasions with pilgrim visitors.   

• Bring your friends and neighbours
  
• Refreshments along the way
  
• Walking distance will be 1-1.5 miles
  
• Please wear modest clothing, women - please bring a scarf to cover your hair.

Getting to The London Inter Faith Centre
Nearest stations: Brondesbury Park (overground) or Queen’s Park (Barkerloo Line). Bus 206

For further details and questions contact Jo at jo.winsloe@stethelburgas.org or mobile 077 25 95 4005. 

St Andrew's and St Anne's celebrating together

On Sunday 21st July, adults, young people and children from the congregations of St Anne's and St Andrew's came together to celebrate St Anne's Day.   

Vicar Mother Christine and Curate Felicity Scroggie lead the service with Reverend Maggie Hindley.   It was a happy occasion with praises for kids' attendance, appreciation for adults contributing to the life of the church, joyous youth band and then..... to their great surprise, Viola and Trish were awarded the Order of St Mellitus by the Bishop of London in recognition of their outstanding contribution to St Anne's as Churchwardens.

Afterwards, in Mother Christine's back garden young people and adults came and shared their memories and stories.

St Anne's Day Service with the congregations of St Anne's and St Andrew's

From L-R, Reverend Maggie, Vicar Mother Christine and Curate Felicity

Afterwards in the Vicar's garden ~ a pot luck BBQ beneath warm sun and blue skies.

Young people chatting about church.

St Andrews

Meeting members of St Andrew's congregation.  After Sunday Service, members sit down to share food that they have made and brought to the Centre.  Many members have Ghanian roots and Rev. Maggie is wearing a gift brought back especially for her.

Exhibits taking shape at Al-Khoei Mosque

An exhibit showcasing existing or historic stained glass windows in the Mosque.  Two images on the right show the artist working on the new window, inscribed with Allah, that replaced the Synagogue's six pointed Star of David.

An exhibit of heritage stories.  Young people asked their parents about their relationship with the mosque and their first impressions.  

Learning about the Al-Khoei logo

Students at Al Sadiq school were interested to find out that the Al Khoei logo had been specifically designed for the Foundation.  They decided to reproduce a large version of the logo and explain the different components in English and Arabic beneath the image, so that members of their community could also share in the learning.  

Here the students speak about the white book, the yellow sun and its rays and the blue arch, the 'Mihrab'.