Mosque helps out local church

**glo** · 03-05-2010

Interrupting my Lent break to share this wonderful story with you.
I am always very excited to hear about good interfaith relationships!
Here is one:

A church whose £600 Christian Aid Week collection was stolen has had the money replaced by members of the neighbouring mosque.

Members of the Ilford Islamic Centre read about the crime in the local newspaper, the Ilford Recorder, and at Friday prayers the following day they donated enough to cover the church’s loss. They had also given money towards the original collection.

Father David Milnes, vicar at St Alban’s Church in Ilford, Essex, said he was 'absolutely thrilled. It was a wonderful gesture of support, friendship and goodwill.'

When he told the congregation about the donation, he said, 'everybody burst into applause'.

The church congregation also gave generously in the wake of the theft, which occurred on Thursday 22 May. As a result, the final collection was larger than the original one.

The friendly relationship between the church and the mosque goes back to the 1970s, when the mosque organisation purchased an old church hall from the church, and used the land to build the Ilford Islamic Centre.

Asked how the members of the church and the mosque got on so well, he said: 'We just respect one another. They respect our position as Christians, we do not water down our faith, and we respect them.'

Mohammed Azam, a spokesman for the Islamic Centre, said that when Muslim worshippers heard what had happened, they wanted to cover the church’s loss.

'There is a deep and respectful relationship between the two [church and mosque]. They are our neighbours, and we wanted to help them out,' he said.

As well as being neighbours, the mosque and church leaders know each other through local meetings of the Three Faiths Forum, added Mr Azam.

http://www.christianaid.org.uk/getin...ue_church.aspx

Right, now I'm off again ...

**Italianguy** · 03-05-2010

YOU BROKE LENT!

Just kidding, now get back to church.

What did you give up?

WOW! What an awesome article! God is truly great!!!!!

**ardianto** · 03-05-2010

Very good interfaith relationship.

Thanks for the article, sister Glo.

**PouringRain** · 03-05-2010

That is simply beautiful.

**Rabi'ya** · 03-05-2010

Fantastic!!1 We need to see more of this. Actually, our local church has offered their car park for people praying jumuah on Fridays as there is no mosque car park and with so many attendees on Fridays the local roads can get pretty jammed up.

churches and mosques need to share more and get together more.

**Supreme** · 03-05-2010

Love it. Who says multiculturaliism doesn't work? If only we a had mosque around my area, we could have good relations with it. Churches and mosques need to have better relations.

**Al-Indunisiy** · 03-05-2010

Somehow, I find it a little bit odd. Don't know why.

**Italianguy** · 03-05-2010

There is a mosque right next to a church 8 miles from me who share the same parking lot.

In fact the church lets them park their cars in the grass in case of overflow parking is needed, so they don't get tickets for parking in the street.

The same church(which my company maintaines the mechanical and electrical systems) Built the mosque a new "Lean-to" on the side of the mosque where the Muslims usually let the older folks park in case of rain.

No charge, it was done by the church volonteers and some volenteers from the mosque. (I did the electrical)

OH MY GOSH! Imagine that....Christians and Muslims working together. It should happen more often.

God be with you all!

**-Fallen Angel-** · 03-05-2010

Originally Posted by Italianguy

There is a mosque right next to a church 8 miles from me who share the same parking lot.

In fact the church lets them park their cars in the grass in case of overflow parking is needed, so they don't get tickets for parking in the street.

The same church(which my company maintaines the mechanical and electrical systems) Built the mosque a new "Lean-to" on the side of the mosque where the Muslims usually let the older folks park in case of rain.

No charge, it was done by the church volonteers and some volenteers from the mosque. (I did the electrical)

OH MY GOSH! Imagine that....Christians and Muslims working together. It should happen more often.

God be with you all!

Yea it should.
Shame the world is full of ignorants and the leaders puppets of the devil.

**Karina** · 03-05-2010

This warms my heart - sincerely.

It's always good to hear stories of love and respect......instead of hate, anger and hostility.

Not sure why some would find it 'odd' though?

**Italianguy** · 03-05-2010

Originally Posted by UnhappyD:

Yea it should.
Shame the world is full of ignorants and the leaders puppets of the devil.

I know, like that Raymond dude

What a bum!

I love hearing stuff like this. My mother and I own a bunch of rental properties, she rents one of the houses to a Muslim family who just moved here from Pakistan (well, a year ago) They are great people, we never have problems with them, I always fix anything on the drop of a hat especially because they have kids

. The are on a limited income so my mother gave them a $200.00 a month discount to help fit their budget.

**-Fallen Angel-** · 03-05-2010

Originally Posted by Italianguy

I know, like that Raymond dude

What a bum!

I love hearing stuff like this. My mother and I own a bunch of rental properties, she rents one of the houses to a Muslim family who just moved here from Pakistan (well, a year ago) They are great people, we never have problems with them, I always fix anything on the drop of a hat especially because they have kids

. The are on a limited income so my mother gave them a $200.00 a month discount to help fit their budget.

Yea, that does not happen much here in the UK

Your mother is a kind and caring person, "God bless".

**Italianguy** · 03-05-2010

Originally Posted by UnhappyD:

Yea, that does not happen much here in the UK

Your mother is a kind and caring person, "God bless".

Thats sad

It should happen more everywhere.

HAHA, Mia madre kind.......She is kind until you came home for dinner late...them I had to go outside and cut my owm "Switch" from the tree ....so she could whoop my behind with it!

lol Those darn Catholics...always wanting to beat somebody

Just kidding, my mother is a saint, she would help anybody in the world!

God be with you!

**Supreme** · 03-05-2010

Originally Posted by Karina

This warms my heart - sincerely.

It's always good to hear stories of love and respect......instead of hate, anger and hostility.

Not sure why some would find it 'odd' though?

So, Christians and Muslims are getting on. Next step: agnostics and atheists should improve relations. You guys bicker all the time.

**Italianguy** · 03-05-2010

Originally Posted by Supreme

So, Christians and Muslims are getting on. Next step: agnostics and atheists should improve relations. You guys bicker all the time.

Then the next step for them would be to believe in God.....How wonderfull that would be

**north_malaysian** · 03-06-2010

Mashallah... i love story like this...

**Pygoscelis** · 03-06-2010

But dude, what if we believe in some other God? Like Zeus or something, and bring back greek mythology to the mainstream. lol. Be careful what you wish for.

**ardianto** · 03-06-2010

Originally Posted by Italianguy

Then the next step for them would be to believe in God.....How wonderfull that would be

I think agnostics believe in God but they refuse religions.

**Italianguy** · 03-06-2010

Originally Posted by ardianto

I think agnostics believe in God but they refuse religions.

Maybe it's because they're lazy?? They don't want to wake up for church? Or pray 5 times a day and go to a mosque...i knew it...they're just plain lazy