I have been associated with Faith Initiative Magazine since its launch two decades ago. In the first instance as the Vice Chair of URI UK, then as Patron of Hounslow Friends of Faith, Trustee of World Congress of Faiths and of the International Association of Religious Freedom Peace Commission. My admiration for Heather Wells and Lorna Douglas has enhanced over this period as I continue to see the magazine gaining greater prominence in the UK and global inter-religious field, under their excellent stewardship: a manifest labour of love and commitment.
The Editorial Board, all volunteers, are committed practitioners of their own faith and of interfaith. Each issue is a joy to behold with keynote personal reflections by eminent theologians and faith leaders on themes that embrace diversity in faith and spirituality; and a range of articles by insightful writers on topical and sensitive issues plus book reviews, poetry and art in many forms.
It was a great delight for me to learn that in 2011 the magazine received an award from the highly respected Shap Working Party on World Religions in Education (founded in 1969) for its contribution in the educational field.
May the magazine continue to grow from strength to strength and make advances in its aim of ‘opening windows on the beliefs and practices of people of different faiths and cultures'; and to build amongst its diverse readers a deeper understanding, harmony and spiritual wellbeing.
- Ajit Singh MBE
It is a privilege to have the opportunity to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Faith Initiative, a magazine that has been an inspiration to so many people, and to which we in Suffolk have contributed from time to time. When the magazine was first launched, Suffolk Interfaith Resource (SIFRE) was in the early stages of its development, trying to raise awareness of the increasingly diverse nature of a largely rural county, building bridges with and between the various faith communities, and developing religious literacy in the statutory and voluntary bodies. We were much encouraged to find that the various topics addressed by Faith Initiative resonated with our concerns, but, more significantly, that the magazine with its poetry and art fed the soul.
SIFRE has now closed, not because interest in interfaith work has subsided here, but because the context has changed and we are now working on both a larger and a smaller scale. We have a regional body, the East of England Faiths Agency (EEFA) and there are a number of local, now independent groups which were once sub-groups of SIFRE, including in Lowestoft, Bury St. Edmunds and Ipswich. More significantly, we are developing a virtual presence through various systems, including Next Door, Facebook and Instagram. We have had a great deal of interest shown by a whole new cohort of people, mostly outside formal faith groupings, who are expressing a yearning for something spiritual.
EEFA is now facilitating a new group called the Faith and Spirituality Network Suffolk (FSNS). It is an unregistered charity, designed to cater for both longstanding supporters and new contacts. We are so grateful that Faith Initiative is available to us as a unique resource on which we can draw to meet their various needs and yearnings.
Faith Initiative has made a great contribution to the important and exciting growth of understanding, at the deepest level, of the faiths that sustain this country.
Spiritual diversity is a Blessing not a threat.
The diversity our editors have picked up in spiritual experience and motivation is extraordinary. Through prayer, practice and personal experience; through the stories passed down to us and through the Arts they have unwrapped the wealth of experience that enriches our country today.
For myself it has been the photographs and poems that have been particularly significant. Long may Faith Initiative continue in this vital work.”
- Malcolm Stonestreet
First Chair of The United Religions Initiative UK
The beauty of the contents and of the production of Faith Initiative reflects the beautiful spirits of those who contribute, edit and design the journal. The growing co-operation of people of all faiths in addressing the urgent problems that face our world today needs to be sustained by a sharing of the spiritual resources of the path we have chosen, Faith Initiative is invaluable in doing this and has created a fellowship of the spirit which energises the reader in the particular contribution she or he is making to change the world for the better
- Marcus Braybrooke
President of the World Congress of Faiths,
Co-Founder of the Three Faiths Forum
