414 – Ethan Vanderleek

In Letters of Support by

Your name (required)
Ethan Vanderleek

Title/ Position
Christian Reformed Chaplain

Organization
Multi-Faith Centre, Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Country
Canada

Your Message
The Surrey Interfaith Council is excited and proud to participate again in the United Nations World Interfaith and Harmony Week. As a local group of diverse religions and worldviews in western Canada, we see this annual and global celebration of harmony as emblematic of a deep desire for peace, love, and justice, a desire which we endeavor to foster here in Surrey and which we are hopeful can take root in the hearts and minds of people across the globe.

One of our main events this year, as in years past, is an interfaith pilgrimage. People from all walks of faith and life gather for a (rather lengthy) walk through the city of Surrey, stopping at different places of worship and religious practice along the way. It is an act of hospitality and love that takes place across different traditions, a small attempt to embody the larger project of global interfaith and harmony. This pilgrimage, along with other events through the week in Surrey celebrating the intellectual, aesthetic, and contemplative dimensions of different traditions, serves to highlight our commitment to the Interfaith and Harmony Week in particular and also to the practice of Interfaith and Harmony in general.

By faithful adherence to our deepest resources of love, compassion, and justice, interfaith practice can continue to move from idea to reality. Here in Surrey we hope to be one small but committed piece of that movement.