Rugby Interfaith Forum holds monthly discussion meetings and each year a peace walk and public meeting.
The Peace Walk
About a hundred people took part in a walk through Rugby on that first event in 2001 and visited some of the places of worship of the faith communities. We have repeated this Peace Walk most years and plan to continue this tradition in the future. Starting at the Peace Tree we visit typically a Christian church, the Hindu Temple, the Sikh Gurdwara and the Mosque.
Meetings
We also discussed some of the significant moral issues that confront us such as world poverty, alcohol, climate change and abortion. 2017 discussion topics included refugees, the environment, war and mysticism.
Religious festivals in the UK
For a list of religious festivals commonly celebrated in the UK see here.
Past and Future RIFF Events
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Mon13Jan20207:30 pmUnited Reformed Church, 40 Hillmorton Road, Rugby, CV22 5AD
The Imam and the Pastor is a documentary film from the heart of Nigeria. It is a moving story of grass-roots peace-building that gives hope to humanity. This is a lead into the first discussion topic of 2020 on the subject of conflict, reconciliation and forgiveness.
RIFF needs your support so please come along and join the discussions.
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Wed19Feb20207:30 pmUnited Reformed Church, 40 Hillmorton Road, Rugby, CV22 5AD
This is the second part of the discussion topic on the subject of conflict, reconciliation and forgiveness.
The 2020 RIFF season of discussions started with a screening of the Imam and the Pastor - a documentary film from the heart of Nigeria. It is a moving story of grass-roots peace-building that gives hope to humanity.
We followed the film with a discussion of the Shendam Peace Affirmation - a document agreed by all the community of Yalwa Shendam following an outbreak of violence there. This document has relevence to the post -Brexit sitation in the UK today. You can read the document here.
At this next RIFF discussion we will show a sequel film 'An African Answer' in which the Imam and the Pastor support peace building initiatives in Kenya to rebuild community trust following serious election violence. More than one thousand people were killed following disputed elections in Kenya at the end of 2007. Imam Muhammad Ashafa and Pastor Jame Wuye – former militia leaders turned peace-makers from Nigeria – were invited to mediate in the worst-affected district. This film depicts their dramatic bid to bring healing and reconciliation after death and destruction.
An African Answer, shot in Kenya, was premiered in Nairobi on 11 June 2010 in the Amani Room of the Serena Hotel in Nairobi. ‘Amani’ means peace in Swahili and the room acquired its name after Kenya’s post-election violence in 2008. It was here that Kofi Annan brokered the National Peace Accord and the formation of Kenya’s present coalition government. Please do come along to the discussion and support this second part of our considerations of conflict resolution and reconciliation.
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Thu19Mar20207:30 pmUnited Reformed Church, 40 Hillmorton Road, Rugby, CV22 5AD
As a consequence of the corona virus pandemic we have cancelled this third part of the discussion topic on the subject of conflict, reconciliation and forgiveness when we planned to have Pete Hicky come to speak to RIFF about his role as a Street Pastor in Rugby.
Hopefully we will be able to re-arrange the meeting at a later date.