Christian churches could learn a lot from thriving mosques, a Church in Wales leader said yesterday.
A report published today by the Charity Commission reveals a vibrant culture of community activism in many mosques, with many offering a variety of activities beyond worship.
The study found that at an average mosque 421 people attend regular Friday prayers – and more than half have people aged between 18 and 30 in management positions.
Almost all ran educational programmes for children and young people, three in five had women’s activities, and nearly half hosted sports and leisure events.
Saleem Kidwai, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Wales, said the reason that mosques were able to offer such a diversity of activities was that a culture of volunteering was at the heart of mosque life.
He said: “It’s a totally voluntary sector... It’s the commitment which is important.
“In Cardiff I know of five mosques that have been extending their facilities because of increasing numbers.”
The Rev Robin Morrison, Church and Society Officer for the Church in Wales, said it was crucial that Christian congregations also gave people an opportunity to play a full role.
He said: “We’ve got a lot to learn and being part of the Christian church is clearly an active thing rather than a passive thing. It should be a place where there are opportunities given and created for everyone to discover who they really are and what they can really contribute.”
Stressing that people should be given meaningful roles, he said: “There’s no use asking some senior policeman in the congregation to give the hymnbooks out. These little superficial things only satisfy very minimally.”
Mr Morrison is convinced fully involving people in the work of the church is both a practical and spiritual imperative.
He said: “That’s the secret – give people a sense they are valued for who they are and bring the best out of people all the time; being part of the body of Christ, being part of the Church, has got to be part of that.”
Mr Kidwai said people did not go to mosques because they wanted to be cut off from wider Welsh society but out of an appreciation of the “Islamic ethos”.
Describing how mosques reached out beyond the Muslim community, he said: “The football teams have non-Muslims, and the cricket teams. It’s a centre for community cohesion.
“I think three or four times a year every mosque has open days so people can look in, walk around, and see what’s happening.”
Faith communities make an economic contribution worth around £102m to Welsh life, according to a 2008 report.
Gweini – the Council of the Christian Voluntary Sector in Wales – and the Wales Council for Voluntary Action found such groups employed around 1,400 staff to work with the wider community.
Human need to be part of a wider community
More than 42,000 volunteers together gave just under 80,000 hours a week to activities. On any given week, around 7% of the population of Wales attend a religious service.
Gweini also reports that 11% of people at Christian services are aged under 30, compared to 36% of those who go to mosques.
Mr Morrison said the popularity of football was proof of the human need to be part of a wider community.
He said: “If you think of that, it gives a lot of people meaning and purpose and a rhythm to the week. They know Saturday is coming, they follow individuals – it’s almost like a religion.
“They are engaged; they are participating, they are looking for results.”
Nearly six out of 10 mosques (58%) in the survey of 255 across England and Wales had English classes; in 15% women had management responsibility.
Around one in five of the 190,000 charities on the register of charities has religious connections.
Harry Iles, head of the Charity Commission’s Wales Office, said: “I’m really interested to see the wide range of services that mosques provide, from healthy living activities to legal advice services and from fundraising for those in financial hardship to sport and leisure.”
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