I was in the airport today and found this....

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1257423--united-church-boycott-puts-sanctuary-sharing-by-waterloo-church--synagogue-to-test

This is how it should be and I'm pleased to see it happening in the city where I grew up.

Mendalla

Do they share breakfast meetings? Many synagogues I have known have Sunday breakfast meetings, usually with a speaker and some pretty good discussion. It's a good way to deal with practical aspects of faith. Any such meeting I have seen (and I have seen a great many of them) were well attended.

Look for yourself. The Westminster United web page:

http://www.westminsterunited.ca/

Temple Shalom:

http://www.templeshalom.ca/

looks very good, indeed. And a pretty impressive calendar.

Why only in Kitchener-Waterloo? 

By the way, this is the church I attend.

It's the only place it has actually happened. It was a confluence of people who made it happen. BTW, a former ministter, Gary Boratto, was a classmate of mine.

This is very attractive. It's nice to see a church/synagogue with weekly activities, especially for youth.

It's a big sad not to see the old CGIT there; but I suspect there's not one of those left in Canada. The idea of it was good - but very difficult to operate with just volunteer leaders.

There is still CGIT, and it's ecumenical, in my city.

Good question. My UCC shares a building. with an Anglican church, but to tell you the truth I think it would as good or a better fit with a Reform or Conservative Synagague. Not only because of the Saturday/Sunday split making it easier, but also the Jewish Reform community in Ottawa, is much more inclusive, vibrant  and  "informal" in ways that would match the UCC I belong to than other Christian churches, including the UCC. Our ANglican church is inclusive but very formal,  Which would make sharing other programs other than whorship more vibrants and challenging.

I suspect the same situation exists in other cities. Perhaps it is the future. 

I think people do not think of it as possible. When my church was looking for a new home, we sent out letters to other UCCs in the area, and none were interstied in sharing a building. We than sent out a letter to others churches, and the Anglican church we share with now was the only ones who were interested. I wonder if we even sent letters to Jewish or other faith communities.

Wow! How big is CGIT?

(I used to teach a course on history of recreation and leisure in Canada. Of all the youth movements that appeared 1900-1920s, I thought it far the best design - though very demanding of leadership skills.

THere is a CGIT group in Grande Prairie still.  I think they have about 10-12 girls in CGIT and about 10 in Explorers.  CGIT has been active here for something like 85 years.

That's astonishing, I thought it had become extinct. It's important for young people to get accustomed the church as a normal place to go. And what interests young people is other young people. A Minister I knew named Phil McCready understood that well, and had five of us in a very small church convinced to enter the ministry. And four did. (though two were wasted as Anglicans.)

I also remember Young Peoples' Union as a happy and effective experience. I'm not sure whether it survives.

It's difficult to compete with TV, spending money, and hanging out in the mall these days. But i think it can be done - and it's certainly worth the effort. it's dangerous when church is just a Sunday thing.

One year, or maybe two, our confirmation class went to the Temple Shalom for service.

Our youth were astounded, as were our adults, as how welcome we were made and the time taken to explain the service.

I was trying to imagine our church taking a break in the service to explain elements to guests.

I talked to the CGIT leader when picking my daughter up from Explorer's tonight.  CGIT has been active in Grande PRairie since 1921.   She says there are groups scattered across the country but maybe only 1000 girls total.

Sadly CGIT has gone the way of the Do-Do Bird in British Columbia. I was a member as a teenager and I really enjoyed my group.

Pinga - a couple of years ago the youth group got together with another youth group from a United Church further north on Vancouver Island. When that youth group came down to visit us, together they went to the synagogue and the Sikh Temple. When we went to visit them, we went to a Buddhist Meditation Centre. At each of those places the youth were warmly welcomed - and folks from each place educated and engaged us about their faith and its' teachings and traditions.

I'm also reminded of something that happened at the end of last year in our community. On New Year's Eve the Jewish cemetery was desecrated with swastikas and other vulgar things were spray-painted on the headstones. The following Sunday the community got together at the cemetary to stand in solidarity with the Jewish people in worship. I saw people wearing turbans standing beside people wearing hijabs who were standing beside people wearing crosses. It was a beautiful and incredibly touching ceremony.

At the University of Victoria there is an Interfaith Chaplaincy and an Interfaith Chapel which is used by students from many different faith backgrounds. Regular events at the chapel include daily Catholic Mass, weekly Muslim Prayer, weekly Zen Meditation and more. I know the United Church Chaplain and the Lutheran Chaplain together offer a weekly communion service. I suspect and hope there are similar programs at other universities across the country.

We may not share a worship space on a regular space on a regular basis, but that doesn't mean we can't or don't work together.

somegal, the leader here said taht while the porvincial association in BC has folded tehre are a few groups active in the province

somegal, the difference was that in the temple they were actually having a service and stopped to give us education - - the rabbi, the service  were truly teachers and took time to teach even though all the participants knew everything.

I can't image a united church minister saying to a congregation on a sunday morning, "yoah, folks, we have a few people from another faith here today, so, i will be breaking apart our service to really talk about the why and what of our faith, what the symbols mean, etc"

and yet maybe we should do that wheteher we hve visitors or not Pings....now you have me thinking.........

absolutely. The synagogue of Jesus was a place of just such discussion.

I was impressed by the hospitality and the patience, as well as the respect for the rabbi.

What was even more startling was when we knew that they only had a rabbi there every so often, as they didn't have their own, and so, they were sharing what was a truly special day with us. 

I was impressed by the hospitality and the patience, as well as the respect for the rabbi.

What was even more startling was when we knew that they only had a rabbi there every so often, as they didn't have their own, and so, they were sharing what was a truly special day with us. 

That's awesome Pinga! I agree with GordW - I think that would be a very good thing for United Church ministers to do occasionally too. I suspect it would be a good lesson for both long-time members/adherents and visitors alike!

I guess it depends on the nature of a service - are people fairly relaxed and present in their time together, or is it a ritual of worship and sacred action that would be disturbed.  Sometimes it is both, perhaps at its best?   Nevertheless, slipping such teaching in is critical - because we don't get it anywhere else. 

I love that this sanctuary/synagogue is shared.  I am sad that it seems so rare or bizarre.  My experience at synagogue felt like family - the same stories, the same hopes, coffee time after with friends & laughter & gossip.  Maybe that is the way we need to all move.

A synagogue can be unsettling for the Goyim. Some can be very relaxed, indeed, with the rabbi having to beg for people to stop talking during the sermon. It's an interesting challenge.