Long-time friends Reverend Oliver Blease of Christ Church and St John’s and Rabbi Paul Freedman of the Radlett Reform Synagogue have recently set up an interfaith community morning called Coffee with Clergy.
Revd Blease and Rabbi Freedman have been close friends ever since the reverend and his wife moved to Radlett two years ago.
Originally, they planned their interfaith group to take the form of a weekend hike, but with the Jewish Sabbath being on a Saturday and the Christian day of rest taking place every Sunday, the pair pragmatically decided to schedule their meetings outside of weekend hours.
Revd Blease said: “A lot of the friendships fostered by the group were already established. We’re all neighbours, after all. This is just one way of unpicking the potential for siloed living.”
Asked what spurred the two friends to finally form their interfaith group after months of talking about it, Revd Blease suggested that he had felt it was important to express solidarity with those who have been affected by the war in Israel and Palestine.
Revd Blease said: “I went with Paul to participate in the Sabbath on October 14, and the next day, I was touched to find that a lot of Paul’s congregation came to the reopening of St John’s.”
The Coffee with Clergy event now alternates taking place at the church and the synagogue.
Revd Blease added: “Most conflicts are largely born of a lack of understanding and compassion. I think Coffee with Clergy is about recognising how much we have in common.”
Coffee with Clergy takes place on Tuesday mornings at 10am. For locations and exact dates, please contact radlettchurchoffice@gmail.com or office@radlettreform.org.uk
A great udea that should be picked up across the country!
Too many lives have been kost or blighted in the name of religion or because of ignorance and bigotry. This looks like a. good way to incease mutual understanding and trust
Why not expand it to include other faiths too such as Islam, Sihkism, which have common roots or Buddhism, that looks at things from a different angle?