Pastor says sorry
Marcia Downham, The Times
Published: Friday, June 27, 2008
Christian and Sikh community leaders gathered on Sunday to build friendships between the two communities and to address the city's homelessness and crime issues.
"It is felt that, if these communities can work together, they will have a lot of power to effect change," said Dan Bue, an ordained Abbotsford pastor who has been working with Surjit Atwal to connect the two faith groups.
Both Bue and Atwal are in the running for Abbotsford city council this year, but "this initiative is not a political one - it is about the interaction and support between the people who call Abbotsford home," said Bue.
"After almost 100 years of [Sikhs] being in the community, they still feel somewhat discriminated against by the Christian population," he said.
On behalf of the Christian leaders who attended the meeting, Pastor Bindu Sidhu of The Life Centre, a Mennonite Brethren church that meets at Rick Hansen Secondary School, expressed profound regrets and asked for forgiveness from the Sikh community for any discrimination they have felt in Abbotsford, said Bue.
This was the second meeting held between the two faith-based communities.
"The main focus for these meetings is to break the discriminatory walls down and provide positive interaction," Bue said.
The second focus is to combine each groups' resources to come up with some concrete ideas on what to do about the city's homelessness and crime.
"Think about the difference that could be made with two of the city's biggest religious groups working together," said Atwal.
Another meeting is planned for September at Sevenoaks Alliance Church.
