Mo. Gwynne launches a new interfaith initiative

Mo. Gwynne launches a new interfaith initiative

I am pleased to announce that The Guibord Center - Religion Inside Out is in formation and will be housed at St. John's Cathedral. The Center has declared as its mission:

To bring people together to challenge assumptions, unleash the Holy, and affirm the faith that transforms the World.

We chose this mission because religion, once a common way of making sense of the world and connecting to beliefs and a code of ethics that unite us, has become perceived as a jumble of justifications that are used to separate and injure those deemed "other." In our dangerously conflicted and rapidly changing world, we urgently need to weave a fabric of firsthand knowledge of different faith traditions into our society. Our ability to hear each other's religious voices without fear and intolerance will bring faith back to the public square in a meaningful and balanced way. At the same time, many of us crave more knowledge about our own spirituality and faith. By looking at our faith through the eyes of other faith groups, we can learn and grow. The Center will offer an educational template for what could become a national path to better understanding of what makes each of us an important part of the whole. Our mission will be fulfilled through mutual discovery, broad and interactive dialogue, shared study and story-telling, and the dynamic discovery of the Holy through experiences of faithful exploration, education and practice together. Our inaugural event is scheduled for February, 2011, and the entire St. John's family is invited. I will be telling you more about this new adventure in the weeks ahead. Your prayers will be deeply appreciated. Stay tuned!!

The Rev. Canon Dr. Gwynne Guibord

Founder and Executive Director

She is a trustee of the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions. She is past President of the following boards: the Interreligious Council of Southern California; California Council of Churches; the National Board of The Interfaith Alliance; and Progressive Christians Uniting. Interfaith dialogues initiated by Dr. Guibord in Southern California include those with the Hindu community, the Sikh community and the Buddhist community. She is the co-founder and co-convener of the Christian - Muslim Consultative Group.... (http://www.firstchurchlb.com/Pilgrim/100620.html)

She is an award winning preacher and much sought after public speaker. She served as the Officer of Ecumenical and Interreligious Concerns for the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles for six years. She currently is the Consultant for Interfaith Relations for the Episcopal Church USA. Concurrently Dr. Guibord is developing “The Guibord Center, Religion Inside Out” that will be housed at St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral. (https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://cst.edu/pdf/ClaremontSchoolTheology_Brochure_final.pdf)