Finding Common Ground—Exploring Faith in the Valley

Recording: A recording can be listened from HERE. Brother Minjhing's speech is starting at about 28:00.

Date: 1/16/2018            
Time: 6:45 PM - 8:00 PM
Place: Inclusion Group of Good Samaritan United Methodist Church (19624 Homestead Rd., Cupertino, CA)
Description: Brother Minjhing is invited by Amy Kaiser to have a speech. The following is a description of the "Finding Common Ground-Exploring Faith in the Valley" by Amy.

I am writing on behalf of the Inclusion Group of Good Samaritan United Methodist Church (19624 Homestead Rd., Cupertino, CA). Our group’s mission is to create opportunities for the church and community to celebrate diversity.

We would like to invite you to participate in a discussion series titled: Finding Common Ground—Exploring Faith in the Valley.  The purpose of this discussion series is to dispel the myths that separate us and discover and cast a light on what we have in common. There is so much hate, anger, and frustration in the world, and we believe that the various faith communities can work together to bring about unity and understanding.

We are surrounded by many sources which remind us of our differences, and we rarely hear about areas where we are similar. We are planning this series on Tuesday nights from January 9th – February 13th, (7-8:30 p.m.) to gain a better understanding of one another’s beliefs. Over the course of the series we are hoping to hear from a variety of faiths: Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Unitarianism, and Atheism.

We are asking speakers to address the question “What would you like people to understand about your faith/beliefs?” Please feel free to discuss your central ideology, or dispel common myths or misunderstandings, share a story or song.  Please also consider a few of the additional topics/questions below and be open to respectful questions from the attendees about your faith.  

• What do you believe? 
• What deities do you believe in and how do you conceive them?   
• What’s the end goal/transition for your faith? 
• Is there a set of rules/laws/moral codes that your faith follows? 
• What is prayer? 
• What holidays do you celebrate? 
• What sacrament(s) do you have and what foods hold special meaning? 
• What is the role of women in your faith? 
• What do you see as a challenge today? 
• Is there diversity in your community? 
• What are your beliefs on homosexuality? 
• Have you ever doubted your faith?

In addition to you speaking, we welcome members of your faith community to come and explore the faiths of the valley with us.