‘Welcoming the Stranger’ is first in series of monthly multifaith conversations
by Emily Enders Odom | Presbyterian News Service
Rick Ufford-Chase. (Photo by April J. Leese)
LOUISVILLE – In its ongoing efforts to engage the wider church in more intentional and open dialogue with persons of other faith traditions, the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s office of Interfaith Relations is launching a monthly series using Facebook Live, the live video service introduced last year by the popular social networking website. The work of interfaith relations—especially building and fostering relationships with people of other religious traditions—is an integral part of the work of Theology and Worship.
On Feb. 16 at 12:00 p.m. EST, Ruling Elder Rick Ufford-Chase, the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s associate for Interfaith Formation, will host “Welcoming the Stranger: A Conversation about Leviticus 19 and Matthew 25 for Our Time” on the PC(USA)’s Facebook page. Ufford-Chase, who also serves as co-director, together with his wife Kitty, of Stony Point Center (SPC), will be joined by members of SPC’s Community of Living Traditions, a multifaith intentional community dedicated to the practice and study of hospitality, nonviolence and justice.
The Feb. 16 conversation will be the first live broadcast in the interfaith office’s new, monthly series, “Third Thursdays—Multifaith Conversations on Concerns of Our Time.” The format will be interactive, with brief presentations by the speakers, time for them to engage one another with questions, and the opportunity for participants to post questions of their own.
“We invite you to join us on ‘Third Thursdays’ if you are interested in hearing the point of view of both Presbyterians who take the gospel seriously and those of other traditions who seek Christian partners who will stand with them in difficult times,” says Ufford-Chase. “On February 16, we will be reflecting on extending sanctuary and safety in uncertain times.”
Ufford-Chase—in addition to having served as moderator of the 216th General Assembly (2004) —also served the PC(USA) as a mission worker on the U.S.-Mexico border for twenty years and as director of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship from 2006 to 2015.
“Come to learn,” he says. “Expect to be challenged.”
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