Wheaton’s Gary UMC to host ‘Becoming an Interfaith Friend’ class

Starting Sept. 8, Gary United Methodist Church in Wheaton will offer the class, “Becoming an Interfaith Friend,” led by Dr. Michael Graves. It will be at 10:10 a.m. Sundays through Oct. 6 at the church, 224 N. Main St.

For the history of the Church, Christians have shared space with people who follow other religious paths and have their own beliefs and experiences of the sacred. This is still true today.

The goal of this class will be to orient your heart and head so that you are better equipped to be good interfaith friends. Over a period of five weeks, participants will reflect together on what it means to be “religious.” They will learn a bit about Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists for the purpose of understanding our neighbors as they understand themselves and preparing ourselves to be loving neighbors and friends.

The church celebrates deep roots in the community since 1853. It has vibrant music, kids, youth and adult ministries, plus opportunities for local, national and global missions. The church offers worship at 9 and 11:11 a.m. In-between services, there’s Sunday school for all ages, a coffee fellowship hour, plus the chapel is available for prayer and reflection. For more information, go to garychurch.org or contact the church office at office@garychurch.org.