We would like to thank all those who came out in support of our first “Two Faiths, One Friendship” mixer on Feb. 22! We were honored to see so many smiling faces. The positive energy in the room was exhilarating!
Despite heavy rain and traffic, over 100 Muslims and Christians gathered at a community center to build bridges of understanding and make new friends. Every attendee brought a delicious dessert or snack to share, which resulted in three long tables that overflowed with food from cultures spanning the globe!
The event began with a welcome and inspirational words from Pastor Abraham on behalf of the People of Peace foundation, a co-sponsor of the event. Then, Pastor Jeffrey Burns shared his moving story of transformation from somebody who hated Muslims to somebody who now dedicates his life to promoting peacemaking between Christians and Muslims. Pastor Jeff’s heart-warming story elicited many tears from the audience; we were so grateful to him for taking time out of his travels to share his experience with us!
The program concluded with an icebreaker activity for each table. Every attendee was pre-assigned a table to sit at for the evening to ensure maximum interaction between Muslims and Christians of similar age and gender. At each table was a list of fun icebreaker questions meant to encourage discussion and insight. During the last half an hour of the event, the room was buzzing with anecdotes and bouts of laughter as Christians and Muslims swapped stories and experiences.
As the evening wrapped up, the beginnings of new friendships were seen all over the room. Muslims and Christians exchanged contact information and some groups even began planning a second get together in the coming weeks! Everybody was given a goodie bag to take home containing two Besties cookies with the instructions to keep one cookie for yourself and share the second with a new Muslim or Christian friend.
God’s presence and His blessings were felt in that community center that night, and we are immensely grateful for the opportunity to serve Him alongside our new friends.