Congregations in Newcastle Participate in Interfaith Tours of Houses of Worship

Recently, the Maitland Ward (congregation), in Newcastle, Australia of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, opened its doors to guests of various faiths in order to foster religious unity in the local community.

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President Shane Osmotherly, lay leader of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Newcastle area, accepted an invitation by the Newcastle-Maitland Diocese of the Catholic Church to join with three other local religious organisations to participate in an interfaith activity, cheerfully referred to by Catholic organisers as a “Church Crawl.”

The other participants were from The Uniting Church, The Grainery Church, and The Masjid Muhammad Mustafa Mosque.

The activity consisted of attending four local houses of worship and having faith leaders from the respective religious organisations share information, as well as answering questions, about their faith and beliefs.

Bishop Ben Little, congregation leader of the Church of Jesus Christ, opened the Maitland building to present information about the Church and answered questions about Church history.

Julie Hill presented a brief explanation on the Relief Society (women’s organisation) and the role of women in the Church.

Emy Liao spoke about the sacredness of the sacrament and its importance to members of the Church.

President Shane Osmotherly shared some thoughts about building and fostering interfaith relationships, as well as sharing his feelings about Jesus Christ.

The full-time missionaries inspired and uplifted everyone through their talks and musical performances. This created a feeling of love, service, and community.

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Church service missionaries overseeing self-reliance, Elder and Sister Peisley and Elder and Sister Griffin, displayed the resources that are available to members and friends of the Church, and answered questions about what the Church can offer the broader community.

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Friends of the Church who attended were each given copies of The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ; The Family: A Proclamation to the World; The Restoration; The Articles of Faith; and The Living Christ.

President Osmotherly said, “We hope this activity will help dispel misunderstandings in the community about the Church as well as assist in building and strengthening relationships with the other religious groups in our local communities. We look forward to participating in further interfaith activities”.