Every couple of years, the program for the Purple Class (middle-school-age) is a mix of experiential and discussion-based learning called Neighboring Faiths. They visit several faith communities over the course of the year, attending the service and talking with a leader of the community afterwards. For a couple of weeks beforehand, they learn about that religious tradition and what to look for during the upcoming visit; the week after the visit, they debrief about what they observed and learned.
On occasion, one of the adults accompanying the Purple Class on their field trip says, “We should have a program like this for adults!” So this year . . . we will! Amy is adapting the program for adults and will be one of the facilitators.
The schedule of classes will be different, of course. Except for the field trips, the adult group will meet on a weekday to be determined. Adults and middle-schoolers learn differently, so we’ll have separate groups, but during the visit, we’ll all be together.
The faith communities we plan to visit are the UU Fellowship of Redwood City; University AME Zion; the Sikh gurdwara in San Jose; and a Catholic church, Buddhist temple, and synagogue to be decided. If you’re an interested adult, watch this space, or drop a line to Amy now to be informed when the specifics are in place.
Photo credits, top to bottom: Muslim U.S. Army trainees praying at Fort Jackson (Leesburg, SC) during Ramadan in 2015, US Army, Public domain; Beth Israel Torah Dedication Ceremony, New Orleans, LA, Jewish Women’s Archive; Saint Ludmila Catholic Church (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) – the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, by Nheyob; Buddhist Altar in Bellflower, CA, by Ant1234567; all via Wikimedia Commons.