CSI

CSI – Central Scotland Interfaith

The forum to promote inter faith encounter in Clackmannanshire, Falkirk and Stirling.

Registered as a Scottish Charity under Scottish Charity No SC041399

Contact CSI

By email at csi [at] irenic.org.uk (replace [at] with @) or phone the Secretary, Andrew, on 07743 726013

Coming Events

Sun Aug. 29 7pm

Theme: Rites of passage (How different faiths mark Birth, Marriage and Death)

Stirling area venue t.b.c. by kind invitation of Iffy Ahmed

Sun Sept. 26 7pm

Meeting in Stirling. Details t.b.c.

Sun Oct. 31 7pm

Meeting in Falkirk. Details t.b.c.

Sun Nov. 28 7pm

Meeting in Alloa. Details t.b.c.

Recent Events:

The July meeting in Falkirk was led by members of the Unification Church, who presented their principle of the cross-cultural family as the source of peace and harmony.

The June meeting was held in Shieldhill, and attended by Hugh O’Donnell MSP, Stirling Provost Fergus Wood and Falkirk Depute Provost Allyson Black. The theme discussed was the role of women in religion, with an emphasis on Sikhism.

On Saturday June 5, we engaged in our first service project, clearing rubbish from the riverbank in Stirling starting from the Customs roundabout, along Lovers Lane to the Riverside Boathouse.

Members of several local Faith groups, including various Christian denominations and Baha’is, were joined by Bruce Crawford MSP with equipment provided by Stirling Council. The quantity of rubbish in this area proved to be impressive with the added challenge of the tangle of prolific summer undergrowth.

We hope to undertake further service projects, feeling that doing things together strengthens relationships in a way that just talking does not.

There were about a dozen members and friends at Scottish Churches’ House in Dunblane on May 30 to hear Dr Maureen Sier speak of the need for inter faith dialogue as a peace making and bridge building perspective.

Nine members were the guests of Carolyn and Jeremy Fox in Stirling for our April Get-together, and Parvin gave us an insight into past and present persecution of Baha’is.

The March meeting was held in Bridge of Allan on Palm Sunday, the start of what Christians call Holy Week. Our host, Dom Ind, co-director of the Scottish Centre for Inter Faith & Spirituality, explained the significant events of that week, and how many Christians commemorate them.

The February Meeting, was held in Clackmannanshire for the first time, in Alva, at the home of Monty Fatemi. Nine members held a lively discussion after hearing about Satwant and Iffy’s recent visit to Pakistan, where they met many people of influence in inter faith in that country..

January’s meeting was held in the rather less than warm surroundings of the chapel at Falkirk Royal Infirmary. Ten members met and discussed, among other things, homelessness and how a just and loving God could permit events such as the Haiti earthquake.