On a warm evening, 60 people from various faiths and beliefs came together to enjoy our popular Faiths in Harmony event. We were holding this in conjunction with Refugee Week, keeping the theme of 'Our Home.'
Our Chair, Rev Phil Simpson and Kawther Hashmi welcomed everyone and introduced our performers who showcased their faiths beautifully. The evening's performances began with a poignant recitation from the Qur'an by Hafiz M Saeed Hashmi, Imam of the Shah Jahan Mosque, followed by a stirring rendition of the nasheed 'Qaseeda Burda Shareef' accompanied by his three sons.
The Pirbright Gospel Singers captivated the audience with acapella versions of ‘Take Me Home’ and ‘Down in the River to Pray.’ Meeta Joshi followed with a beautiful Hindu hymn, 'Shri Ramchandra Kripalu Bhajaman.' Baha’i artists Mandisa Nakana-Taylor and Simon Trick performed ‘My Home’ accompanied by guitar, adding a soulful touch to the evening.
Micky Singh mesmerised the crowd with a Tabla performance of ‘Home, Sweet Home,’ leading into a heartfelt set by Angie Ng, Graham Kirby-Smith, and Mike Cope from The Foundry, who performed ‘Arms of Grace’ and ‘Country Road’ (Methodist).
Syrian musician Abdu Fawaz played the oud with pieces 'The Wine of Love' and 'A Tear of Sadness' by Abdel Halim Hafez. Adejoke Papoola from the Nigerian Redemption Church brought powerful vocals with 'How Great is Our God’ and ‘In Christ Alone.’ The audience even joined in with her! The evening concluded with Rabbi Kath Vardi and Laurence Smith from the North West Surrey Synagogue, who sang 'L’chu N’ranna' from Psalm 95, ‘Mi Chamocha,’ and ‘Yedid Nefesh.’
Louise Morales, Mayor of Woking, and Shahid Azeem, High Sheriff of Surrey, shared their reflections on the significance of the event, which was followed by a time of food and everyone had chance to chat with old friend and make new ones. The 'Faiths in Harmony' event beautifully showcased the rich diversity of cultures and faiths in the community, emphasising unity and mutual respect.
WPoF is supported by WBC. This event was co-sponsored by URC, SMEF and Chennai Dosa.
Date: Thursday 20th June 2024
Location: Parkview Community Centre, Blackmore Crescent, Sheerwater, GU21 5NZ
Time: 6.30pm