Interfaith Pilgrims Walk In Remembrance And Hope In Surrey

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The Pilgrimage begins at Northwood United Church (8855 – 156 Street) at 9:00am and end at the Surrey Jamea Masjid (12407 – 72nd Avenue) in time for participants to join the Muslim community for Friday prayers at 12:30pm.

SURREY – An Interfaith Pilgrimage takes place this Friday, November 20 to honour those who lost their lives in the recent attacks in Paris and Beirut and to foster friendship and understanding between people of different backgrounds and worldviews in Surrey, BC.

The Pilgrimage begins at Northwood United Church (8855 – 156 Street) at 9:00am and end at the Surrey Jamea Masjid (12407 – 72nd Avenue) in time for participants to join the Muslim community for Friday prayers at 12:30pm.

The route will also go past four other houses of worship: Bear Creek Community Church, Brookside Sikh Gurdwara, Laxmi Narayana Hinudu Mandir and Canadian Singh Sabha Sikh Gurdwara. There will be a small ceremony at each site.

The pilgrimage is open to all members of the community and there is no cost to participate. Participants may join at the beginning or at any of the meet-up points listed below.  All participants are encouraged to be self-sufficient in terms of any food, water or clothing they may need on the pilgrimage. There will be a limited number of rides back to the starting point after the event is over, so participants are encouraged to arrange their own return transportation.

The event organizers come from a range of backgrounds and worldviews including Islam, Christianity, Atheism, Bahá’í, Sikhism, Hinduism and Buddhism.

Scott Reynolds, an event organizer from the United Church of Canada and student at the Vancouver School of Theology, reflects on why the group chose to organize an interfaith walk: “When we are confronted with deep loss, fear often emerges in our thoughts. Walking together is a tangible, bodily demonstration of unity that reminds us to let go of fear and to move forward in love.”

Connie Waterman, an event organizer from the Bahá’í community, reflects on the role of religious values in creating peace: “Each one of us has the ability, individually and collectively, to be compassionate, selfless, and loving. These attributes are strengthened by religious values taught by all the world’s great religions. Together we can create a better world by concentrating all the thoughts of our heart on love and unity, then aligning our actions to reflect that thought.”

8:45am – Gather in parking lot at Northwood United Church (8855 – 156 Street).

9:00am – Pilgrimage begins. Distance from Northwood United Church is 10.4km, approximately 2 hrs 15min.

10:00am – Meet up point in the parking lot at the south end of Bear Creek Park on 140th Street beside the Bear Creek Community Church, Brookside Gurdwara, and Laxmi Narayana Mandir. Distance from here is 6.3km, approximately 1hr 20min.

11:00am – Meet up point at Canadian Singh Sabha Gurdwara (8115 – 132 Street). Distance from here is 3.4km, approximately 45 minutes.

12:00pm– Pilgrimage concludes at the Surrey Jamea Masjid (12407 – 72nd Avenue).

12:30pm – Participants are welcome to join the Muslim community for Friday prayers at 12:30 – 1:00pm for those who so choose.