The infinity of an intimate God:
a visit by Jane Winter to a Church, Gurdwara and Mosque in Leicester 2010
‘O would some power of the gifte gie us to see ourselves as others see us’
Robert Burns
If God’s love is infinite and intimate then there must be infinite ways in which that love is experienced and shared beyond any single one religious expression. A recent trip to Leicester helped me experience the reality of this truth across three faith traditions.
Leicester has been described as the UK’s most ethnically diverse city. Arriving at the station, the first thing that greeted me was welcome: the welcome of Fr. Derek my host, and ‘welcome’ written large into the restored station portico in a number of Indian and Arabic languages. Leicesteris a city of great faith opportunities. Mosques and Churches abound on street corners. There are Gurdwaras, Hindu temples and Synagogues. They all tell a story of faith that has made a significant impression on city life for generations and as a result created a sense of space and place that is genuinely public. The impression shows that multifaith and multicultural growth hasn’t always been easy, with conflicts between and within different faith communities. These are inevitable, but unlike other cities conflicts haven’t escalated and diversity appears to be a strong community thread with a commitment to improve understanding and grow respect and tolerance. The work of the St Philip’s Centre is a prime example:
Two things struck me about my day in Leicester.
The first was the intimate way in which faith communities on the ground live side by side. Areas of the city are made distinctive by cultural communities. Alongside the cultural identity marked by places of worship, shops, dress and language, I also got a sense of people sharing cultures and faith in a way that is relaxed and accepting, not forced. In these communities the presence of the church through a range of denominational buildings and activities sits comfortably with neighbouring Mosque or Gurdwara. The welcome I received at the Gurdwara and Mosque invited me to enter into the prayer culture demonstrated in worship and a hospitality born of deep personal and community faith. For some faith groups this intimacy has been risky living. For example in the 1950’s one church had the vision and confidence to welcome newly arriving Afro-Caribbean communities when everyone around them was being very unwelcoming. The church took the risk of being ostracised by those individuals and organisations who demonstrated unwelcoming behaviour. The story illustrates that in the end it is the way people choose to live together that creates peaceful or antagonistic communities.
The second thing that struck me was the infinity of opportunity in the work being done with many different agencies to increase understanding of different faiths. Faith leaders, lay people, and people working across the city and beyond are able to have genuine face to face conversations in safe places which build trust and respect beyond just tolerance. It is a releasing experience.
My cameo visits caused me to reflect on what we can learn about the infinite expression of love through our own faith tradition and that of others. If God’s love is infinite then it requires aninfinity in which to flourish. The experience of engaging with three deisticfaiths simultaneously made me aware that God’s love for everyone includes everyone and is experienced in lots of different ways many of which are practical down to earth faith inspired social action.
The three faith traditionsdemonstrated a love and care for those who often get left behind in our fast moving consumer society. The commitment of faith groups to remain in areas that have seen vast socio-demographic shifts within generations is one example particularly precious to the Afro-Caribbean community. Another is the care provided for older people by the Sikh Community. This faithfulness demonstrates intimate love among those who for a number of reasons find themselves forgotten by main stream society.
In Leicester the intimate and the infinite came together showing me a richness and depth of God’s love which comes about through taking risks and being faithful regardless of our faith tradition.
With thanks to Fr. Derek Brown and Riaz Ravat for arranging the visit and being my guides.
Jane Winter Faith Based Regeneration Network
Fr. Derek St Barnabas Church Leicester, Executive of National Estate Churches Network
Riaz Ravat St Philip’s Centre Leicester
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