familiesandchildren | Interfaith & Ecumenical

Interfaith & Ecumenical Resources

Interfaith is the term used when interacting with multiple religions.

Ecumenical is the term used when various groups of the same faith interact.

Many communities have councils and committees devoted to interfaith and ecumenical dialogue. We encourage church leaders and families to learn what form these interactions are taking at the local, state, and even national level. At each of these levels, there may be ways for both children and families to participate in increasing dialogue and understanding. The resources below vary from curriculum to national and international organizations that may help you begin to discover some of the important discussions that are happening around these issues.

R.E.A.D.Y. (Youth)

Are you R.E.A.D.Y!? Ready for a new discovery of yourself, the church, your community and the world? You and your youth can begin the journey of experiencing mission in new ways with this curriculum created by Global Ministries.

Peace Village

"An Invitation to Peace Village: Faith Formation in a Multifaith World is based on models of inspiring ministry in the United Church of Christ. An Invitation to Peace Village is a DVD resource lifts up the work of one powerful and effective model of interfaith, faith formation ministry from the Congregational Church of San Mateo in California. The accompanying handbook offers an engaging and helpful “how-to” framework for cultivating a Peace Village in your own congregation and community."

You can also check out the follow for inspiration:

Peace Village San Mateo

Peace Village, Inc - Portland, OR

Hands on Faith: An Interfaith Experience for Children

"The purpose of Hands on Faith is to help children deeply rooted in the prayer and signs of their own faith to develop understanding and respect for other traditions."

Materials, (Click here)

God’s Big Table: Nurturing Children in a Diverse World by Elizabeth Caldwell

Interfaith Workbook for Children: For Parents and Teachers Too by Dr. Michael R. Basso

Facing History and Ourselves

"For more than 30 years, Facing History has believed that education is the key to combating bigotry and nurturing democracy.Through a rigorous investigation of the events that led to the Holocaust, as well as other recent examples of genocide and mass violence, students in a Facing History class learn to combat prejudice with compassion, indifference with participation, and myth and misinformation with knowledge."

InCultureParent

"InCultureParent is an online magazine for parents raising little global citizens. Centered around culture, tradition and language, we feature articles on parenting around the world and raising multicultural and multilingual (also bicultural and bilingual) children. We also spotlight different global holidays together with craft ideas for kids and recipes. We review good books for kids that have a multicultural theme or feature different cultures."