Fifteen young people aged 16 to 25 have been successfully accepted onto Leicester’s first Multi Faith Leadership Residential Programme. The experience is being run by the Leicester Interfaith Youth Hub as part of St Philip’s Centre.

The young men and women were selected for their dedication to community service and passion for global causes. The diverse group come from five different religious backgrounds and are from across Leicester and Leicestershire.

Seeking to equip, inspire and empower the next generation of young leaders across the different communities in Leicester, the leadership programme has been put together by Bilal Hassam and Michael Tweed, Faiths Act Fellows for the Tony Blair Faith Foundation who are working in conjunction with Raheema Caratella, Engagement Worker at St Philips Centre, Leicester.

The weekend residential, from the 26^th to the 28^th of March 2010 will include training in communicating personal change, which has been drawn from Barack Obama’s Presidential Campaign. There will be a Dragon’s Den style session, presentations and workshops planned with the Interfaith Youth Core based in Chicago, USA.

Those who graduate from the programme will be offered the opportunity to be leaders of the Leicester Interfaith Youth Hub over the next year. The ‘Hub’ is the place for young people aged 16-26 to explore what it means to live in a multi-faith city and plan out local community service. With the motto “Think Global, Act Local”, the ‘Hub’ is mobilising the communities of Leicester to raise awareness and funds to help end deaths caused by Malaria, Africa’s biggest killer.

Harsha Taylor is a Hub member of Hindu faith and has been selected onto the leadership course. She said, “I am excited to be part of this programme and keen on demonstrating how people of different religious backgrounds can work together for the greater good. Malaria kills someone every thirty seconds. I don’t think this is acceptable. We here in Leicester can make a change”.

Faiths Act Fellow and organiser of the leadership programme, Bilal Hassam added, “I am moved to see such a diverse group of young people dedicated to serving the world around them. These young people are inspired by their faith in God and their faith in humanity. It is through initiatives like the Leicester Interfaith Youth Hub that people from all walks of life can come together and work towards the moral, spiritual and intellectual development of a united community”

Canon Dr Andrew Wingate retired as the founding Director of the St. Philip’s Centre at the end of January. Several gatherings paid tribute to his skills of inspirational leadership and committed ministry.

On Saturday evening, 30 January, there was a happy gathering at St. Philip’s Church Hall, with many friends from different faith communities in the city, to celebrate the achievements of St. Philip’s Centre and Staff under Andrew’s leadership. The party atmosphere was alive with warm affection for someone whose skills at making friends and building bridges between people is well-recognised.

Andrew with Rashmikant Joshi at the Saturday evening celebration

Andrew was appointed Director of St. Philip’s Centre in 2004.  The Archdeacon of Leicester, the Venerable Richard Atkinson, was Chair of the Steering Group in 2005 and then of the ecumenical body of Trustees in 2006. The Archbishop of Canterbury became the Patron and the Centre was formally opened in 2006. Since then it has gone from strength to strength with new projects and appointments, sparking interest far and wide, and all with Andrew’s enthusiasm in the driving seat.

Prior to the Saturday evening party, the staff and trustees of the Centre had said their own farewells, with a moving moment which saw the unveiling of The Wingate Library plaque on the door of the library. 

Andrew & Angela outside the 'Wingate Library'

Angela Wingate has been the Centre’s librarian and has established a professionally organised library system of specialised books, mainly in the field of inter faith relations.

On the Sunday morning St. Philip’s Church congregation, together with guests from St. Denys Church, Evington, and the Evington Rd United Reformed Church, marked the retirement with a special Holy Eucharist at which Andrew presided and preached, and which was followed by lunch.

It was the Sunday evening service in the Cathedral which paid the golden tribute to Andrew’s ministry which has stretched over many years and encompassed appointments in the West Midlands and India before coming to Leicester. All this ministry has been in the fields of theological training and education, yet spiced with a pastoral heart. In loving reminders, different speakers remarked on Andrew’s gifts for ‘friendship, hospitality, warmth and care’, which have left their mark on all who have come into contact with him.

Retirement will be far from inactive for the Wingates. They will be spending some time in Sweden after Easter, where Andrew will be involved with the Dioceses of Gothenberg, Lund and Linkoping, in training and education work in the Christian response to other faiths, and particularly helping with preparations for a Porvoo (Scandinavian) inter faith consultation in March 2011. An agreement between the Diocese of Gothenberg and St. Philip’s Centre was signed during the Saturday evening farewell and this strengthens the partnership with the Centre.

Andrew has left the future of St. Philip’s Centre with a strong sense of the need both to consolidate what has been achieved and to reach out for new opportunities for building relationships of trust and understanding between the churches and different faith communities. The Church - local, national, European and beyond - has much to be grateful for in the ministry of Andrew Wingate and so much was evident during this weekend of farewells. The Centre sends its best wishes to Andrew and Angela as they step out on the next phase of their journey together.

Alan Race
on behalf of St. Philip’s Centre Staff

National Interfaith week will take place from Sunday 21st November to Saturday 27th November 2010.

One of the week’s events will be a Muslim/Christian Dinner, on the evening of Friday 26th November in St. Philip’s Church Community Hall .
Details of further events in Interfaith Week to follow.