Salaam Project Holds Conference
A Christian Reformed Church pastor says he is seeing many Muslims move into the southwest Chicago suburb in which his congregation is located.
He has not been certain how to respond to this influx of people— and this is a reason why he attended the recent Salaam Project Conference at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Ill.
The Salaam Project is an inter-agency ministry of the Christian Reformed Church whose aim is to educate people and encourage them to show love to, as well as to share their faith in an appropriate way with, their Muslim neighbors.
Attending the one-day conference, the CRC pastor outside of Chicago says his “heart was touched and changed by learning more about what Muslims believe.”
He also came to see that Muslims can be “highly devoted but search in vain for eternal assurance, feeling threatened by the breakdown of their community.”
The conference helped him realize how crucial it is to “see these people as Jesus sees them, lost, and craving what can only be found in him.”
Many others who attended the conference also said they came to learn more about the faith of Muslims who were moving into their neighborhoods.
Nearly 70 people, including participants and presenters, attended the conference held on Nov. 10 in the Ozinga Chapel at Trinity.
Goals of the conference were to cover three areas of emphasis:
- Education
- Ministry and witness
- Inter-faith dialogue
“We started the conference with a warm welcome and a brief devotion on Ishmael, one of Abraham’s sons, and God’s blessing on him,” says Rev. Greg Sinclair, training director for the Salaam Project.
In Islamic tradition, Ishmael is considered to be the forebearer of Arab tribes from whom the prophet Muhammad is said to have descended.
The devotion was followed by a plenary address by Rev. Paul Mpindi, director of Back to God Ministry International’s French-language ministry.
In his presentation titled “Loving your Muslim Neighbor,” Rev. Mpindi talked “about our rational and irrational fears when it comes to people of the Islamic faith and how we have to learn to love them despite our fear so that we can share with them God’s love,” says Sinclair.
There were then five workshops with different topics related to Islam such as a workshop offering information on an inter-faith work project.
Other workshops included Christian/Muslim relations since the terrorist attacks of 9/11, 2001; Christian and Muslim understandings of Jesus; similarities and differences between Allah and God; Loving your Muslim neighbor, and becoming a trainer for the Salaam Project.
Salaam Project trainers will be able to meet with churches and other groups wishing to know more about Islam.
“During the workshop on becoming a trainer, we looked at two engaging educational programs that can be used in churches to help people learn about Islam and connect with their Muslim neighbor,” says Sinclair.
“We also connected with a smaller number of people who are interested in further training and to advance the educational goals of Salaam Project by holding seminars in their local churches and communities.”
Of the conference, the pastor from the southwest Chicago area says: “ The Salaam Conference helped me to see our Muslim neighbors in a new light ... We allow fear to block relationships that need to form.”
