\u201cReligious Life\u201d is the kind of topic one would expect Eastern Mennonite University to pick as its 2014 theme for International Education Week. It may surprise some, though, that this Christian university used the words \u201creligious life\u201d to refer to more faith perspectives than Christianity exclusively.<\/p>\n
Then, again, this is a Christian university that says it is \u201clike no other.\u201d<\/p>\n
The week was intended to encourage both interfaith dialogue and intercultural awareness, said Susannah Lepley<\/a>, EMU\u2019s director of multicultural <\/a>and international student services<\/a>.<\/p>\n Events included a lecture on Muslim prayer practices, a Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed<\/a> devotional, worship services conducted in the Orthodox, Mennonite, and Methodist traditions, a lecture on Jewish faith practices on death and dying, an interactive faith talkback, and an international food festival.<\/p>\n The week opened Friday, Sept. 12, with the Islam-themed talk, sponsored by EMU\u2019s Center for Interfaith Engagement<\/a>. \u201cReligions are the most important part of our cultures,\u201d said visiting Iranian-Islamic scholar Amir Akrami<\/a>, at the beginning of his hour-long lecture about the history of Islam, basic Islamic beliefs, and what the ritual Islamic prayer practice (Salat<\/em>) looks and sounds like.<\/p>\n Monday morning, a mostly different group of EMU community members gathered into a tight circle in the EMU Discipleship Center. The facilitator, senior Julie Huffer, welcomed the group and briefly explained how the Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed devotional would run. Several participants were given yellow strips of paper containing portions of a single scriptural passage. Like Akrami, Huffer took time to explain the basic history and beliefs of Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00eds before moving into the main part of her program, which included hearing the words on the yellow strips, experiencing silence and prayer, and listening to music from a Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed artist, before breaking for refreshments.<\/p>\n Rabbi Joe Blair\u2019s explanation of Jewish practices on death and dying was both interesting and educational on Monday afternoon. \u201cI learned that the Jewish tradition has a specific process of honoring the souls that have passed and honoring the family that has lost them,\u201d said Huffer. \u201cIt was interesting because I didn\u2019t know that in Judaism they have such a specific process.\u201d<\/p>\n Held in Martin Chapel, both the Mennonite and Methodist worship services \u2013 Tuesday and Thursday, respectively \u2013 were sponsored by the EMU seminary<\/a>, which is accredited by both denominations. They both included hymns, a short message on church history, and what a typical service looks like.<\/p>\n The thurible emitted a faint waft of incense as the priest swung it back and forth in front of the makeshift altar he was blessing in Lehman Auditorium on Wednesday. Although he later explained that his church, Church of the Holy Theotokos<\/a>, was affiliated with a \u201csimple\u201d branch of Orthodox Christianity, the beautiful icons, heavy, ornately embroidered priest-robes, and formal blessing ceremony seemed mysterious and involved to eyes used to \u201cplain\u201d Mennonite worship practices.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was eye-opening and refreshing to participate and experience another faith tradition,\u201d said senior Philip Yoder, raised Mennonite. \u201cI never realized they codified their faith tradition in the 10th century, and they have been worshiping the same way ever since. Even though the practices were old, they infused the service with heartfelt prayers for the students and professors at EMU, and that was pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n On Thursday evening, around 50 people gathered in Common Grounds<\/a> to view the Faces of EMU Exhibit and participate in an \u201cinteractive faith talk-back.\u201d The evening included playing get-acquainted games, circulating through the exhibit, chatting, writing impressions on a large sheet of newsprint, and watching a short movie about the two largest minority groups on campus, Hindus and Muslims (from the series \u201cHave a Little Faith\u201d <\/a>on the YouTube channel SoulPancake).<\/p>\n Senior Jordan Luther said \u201cit was neat\u201d to move beyond the Christian majority on campus and have his eyes opened to the religious minorities in the EMU community.<\/p>\n By far, the most-attended event of the week was Friday\u2019s International Food Fest and Games. This is perhaps to be expected since the time of the event did not conflict with classes or most work-study schedules, and the email reminder sent out by Lepley encouraged people to \u201cbring your taste buds\u201d to partake of enticingly described international foods.<\/p>\n Over 30 vendors prepared food that represented cultures in Saudi Arabia, Korea, Nepal, Kenya and Italy, among others. Students, faculty, staff and other community members intermingled together over what could be described as \u201ca diverse fellowship of believers\u201d or \u201cinterfaith communion.\u201d With the Food Fest, the organizers of International Education Week showcased the different faith traditions present at EMU in a common space where everyone could laugh, break bread and celebrate their diversity.<\/p>\n The week was organized in conjunction with EMU\u2019s International Student Organization, led by junior\u00a0<\/span>Kaltuma Hassan Noorow<\/a>\u00a0of Somali origin and senior Sun Ju Lee<\/a> of South Korea; the Third Culture Kids Club<\/a>, led by Carmen Witmer; the Center for Interfaith Engagement<\/a>, represented by Trina Trotter Nussbaum<\/a>; Cross Cultural Programs<\/a>, represented by Linda Martin Burkholder<\/a>, and Multicultural and International Student Services<\/a>, led by Susannah Lepley.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lectures, prayers, incense, music<\/h3>\n
Eye-opening for students<\/h3>\n
Popular food festival<\/h3>\n