Christian/Muslim Dinner Group

Last September the Wieca Road Baptist Church hosted a seminar -- Understanding Islam. About 250 persons gathered on Three Sunday Evenings during Ramadan for study, conversation and prayer. Attnedees were invited to sign up for a dinner group that would meet quarterly. Enough people signed up that we had 20 groups of 8 persons each -- 4 Muslims and 4 Christians with both males and females.

Last night the group met that I belong to. Each of us brought a covered dish, we spread the food and shared the good things that friends had brought. When dinner ended, we continued to sit around the table and talk. One of our members began to tell about how he was reared and the kinds of values that were firmly set in his mind and heart. The topic seemed to draw lots of attention and we extended the conversation, giving everyone who desireds a time to tell about his/her upbringing.

We heard about divorces, remarriages, good discipline, communities that cared about children, the pain and loss that is suffered in families where there is lots of conflict. Each shared as much or as little as felt comfortable.

Our full intention was to end our meetng at 8:45 but before we knew it, the time had slipped up to 9:30 and we had to make ourselves close and get home. As we were closing, our group decided several things:
1. We would meet the 8th or 15th of November
2. We named the member who volunteered to host us
3. One member agreed to create a blog and place the 2020 vision in it for our group to dialogue about.
4. A new couple was announced that desires to meet with us in November.

We have found that a gathering like this creates positive relationships, builds trust, and lays the foundation for us to work together on a vision that is larger than ourselves.

Do you have any interest in beginning or belonging to a group like this? What questions do you have?