{"id":40092,"date":"2017-12-07T13:08:25","date_gmt":"2017-12-07T20:08:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/?p=40092"},"modified":"2017-12-07T13:09:23","modified_gmt":"2017-12-07T20:09:23","slug":"interfaith-centre-a-place-for-people-of-faiths-to-pray-meet-and-share","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/2017\/12\/07\/interfaith-centre-a-place-for-people-of-faiths-to-pray-meet-and-share\/","title":{"rendered":"Interfaith Centre a place for people of all faiths to pray, meet and share"},"content":{"rendered":"

H<\/span>istorically, religious groups tend to stay far away from one another.<\/p>\n

H<\/span>owever, this is not the case at the SAIT Interfaith Centre.<\/p>\n

The centre, which is located on the second floor of the Stan Grad Building on campus, has become a place where students of many religious traditions can worship, mingle and share their faith traditions.<\/p>\n

Tim Nerthercott has been one of the five chaplains at the centre for the last two years. He also is a chaplain at Mount Royal University and at the University of Calgary.<\/p>\n

A self proclaimed \u2018liberal Christian,\u2019 Nethercott was raised as an Evangelical, but left the church after being looked down upon for seeking out treatment to cope with mental health problems.<\/p>\n

\u201cGoing to therapy and seeking out help wasn\u2019t an option that the church supported. We were told that these problems were an evil spirit,\u201d he recalled in an interview.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when he started to explore the wide range of faith traditions that exist today.<\/p>\n

Nethercott is also a dedicated activist for LGBTQ.<\/p>\n

He studied Buddhism for two years overseas, but ultimately came back to his Christian roots.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy favourite thing about the centre is that I get to work with a wide range of people, without religion even being a factor,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

One of the things Nethercott feels could be improved about the centre, is the promotion and location.<\/p>\n

\u201cA more visible office would be great so we could get more exposure,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The interfaith centre is promoted as an inclusive space for all religions. Even if a person doesn\u2019t identify as a part of any specific religion, all perspectives on spirituality are welcome.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try very hard to work with as many different groups as I can. I try to engage people around spirituality without religion,” Nethercott said.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019ve found it the most effective way is drumming,\u201d says the chaplain, who is well known in the city for his drumming workshops.<\/p>\n

Nethercott\u2019s view of building community and connection seems to align well with the centre\u2019s inclusive approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt strengthens the community. People build one another up, and it lifts their hearts and spirits.<\/p>\n

“It works below ideas. It becomes a communion of souls connecting over music,\u201d Nethercott said.<\/p>\n

Five chaplains who serve as volunteers at the school run the interfaith centre.<\/p>\n

Each chaplain is experienced, dedicated, and has an extensive background serving in their faith.<\/p>\n

There are three Protestant Christian chaplains, one Roman Catholic and one Muslim chaplain.<\/p>\n

This provides some variety for students to come and explore different religious beliefs from different possible mentors.<\/p>\n

The centre also offers religious accommodations and observance for anyone who requests it 10 days in advance.<\/p>\n

The interfaith centre is a small room, filled with different spiritual resources, including the Bible, and a variety of \u2018self-help\u2019 and grief counselling books.<\/p>\n

There are also brochures that direct students to call centres and counselling options outside of SAIT.<\/p>\n

Ministry assistant Heidi Yip has been spending time working with students at SAIT since the beginning of September.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love working with the variety of different students, talking with them, and connecting,” she said.<\/p>\n

“I love this quiet space too. I can play my guitar and practice music here, and sometimes students join me,\u201d Yip said.<\/p>\n

Along with the interfaith centre, there is also a meditation room, and a meeting room that are both affiliated with the centre.<\/p>\n

The meditation room is a large space where students are free to come and go, as long as they do so in a respectful manner.<\/p>\n

Daily Muslim prayers are held in this room, starting at 1:45 p.m. Catholic mass is held in the same room on Wednesdays at noon.<\/p>\n

Someone who has made use of the centre at SAIT is Sahib Rahim, a first year business administration student who follows the Muslim faith.<\/p>\n

\u201cI follow Islam very closely, but I try to keep an open mind about religion and spirituality too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rahim has attended a few Muslim daily prayers that SAIT offers, but not very often. He prefers to pray on his own.<\/p>\n

After moving from Pakistan to Calgary, Rahim appreciates that the\u00a0 school is happy to hold a space for the religion he grew up with.<\/p>\n

\u201cSAIT is doing everything right in that sense. I haven\u2019t been here very long, and I need more time to adjust,\u201d Rahim said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The centre felt like a place where Rahim could connect with other like-minded students, some of who had just moved to Calgary as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cMeeting some people who held the same views and ideas as me made me feel more supported and connected in a new place,\u201d Rahim said.<\/p>\n

The centre is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday.<\/p>\n

More information on Prayers and Services can be found on SAIT\u2019s interfaith website.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"
Building community through music:<\/strong> Heidi Yip plays her guitar in the interfaith centre at SAIT in Calgary on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017. Yip is a ministry assistant who serves under Chaplain Art Kung. (Photo by Vanessa Stewart\/The Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The interfaith centre is promoted as an inclusive space for all religions. Even if a person doesn\u2019t identify as a part of any specific religion; all perspectives on spirituality are welcome. [ READ MORE ]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":414,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_ef_editorial_meta_text_assignment-slug":"S4 Interfaith Story","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-40092","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-campus-2"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40092","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/414"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40092"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40092\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41341,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40092\/revisions\/41341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40092"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}