This Winter Term, diversity is the big topic of discussion and the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life is not letting a theme like this go to waste. In a three-part luncheon series called Winterfaith Lunch-N-Learn, the Truitt Center is inviting students, faculty, staff and community members to broaden their religious knowledge beyond their own faith.
The Lunch-N-Learn series is using Winter Term to encourage the community to participate in healthy multicultural dialogues. Presenters will also speak at the lunches.
Lauren Emery, the assistant chaplain in the Truitt Center, said a program like this stems from a desire to learn about different religious practices and a chance to showcase diversity in a more casual setting. She also expressed her excitement about the program’s focus on the community.
“The presenters are from the local community,” Emery said. “It makes these topics personal and accessible.”
The series’ opening segment, held in the Elon Community Church Jan. 8, had more than 60 attendees. The theme of this meeting was Sikhism, a monotheistic religion based on the ideas of equality and significance of the soul. The Truitt Center hosted Jasbir Singh, a Sikh practitioner from the Sikh Gurdwara of North Carolina in Durham. Singh shared details about his religion and opened the floor to questions, educating attending community members about Sikhism.
The Winterfaith Lunch-N-Learn includes two more segments, one on Buddhism Jan. 15 and one on Judaism Jan. 22. Emery said she hopes the energy and desire for interfaith programs springs into the new semester.
The Truitt Center has a number of tentative plans for Spring 2013. Emery said she is interested in dinners where social issues can be discussed from various religious perspectives, pre-final meditation sessions and seminars that focus on traditions and art or women’s issues in religion. All of these plans are tentative for the moment, but Emery is optimistic about new programs in the future. In the meantime, Emery highlighted Better Together, Elon's multi-faith learning community, and the interfaith immersion trip to Morocco as two good ways for students to get involved in diversity-based programs.
The Truitt Center focuses on continuing the discussion about faiths from around the world and how they can intermingle. The Winterfaith Lunch-N-Learn, as well as other Truitt Center programs, can build from this theme of diversity – getting others to appreciate each other for their cultural backgrounds. It is a theme Emery believes is a cornerstone to any community.
“Interfaith engagement is key to Elon’s idea of being an engaged global citizen,” Emery said. “Religion is part of a person’s identity and culture. Understanding that is what it means to be in a community.”