The Tour of Faiths program is a great way to spark interfaith dialogue as various groups from the community travel to different faith establishments to learn and understand more about that religion. This is the first year we have done this program in Charleston area but Columbia and Greenville have been doing it for a couple of years and we are excited for everyone to have this experience.

 

 

Charleston, SC

Sunday, July 1, 2018, 9:00am at Charleston Tibetan Society (Buddhist) 

The Charleston Tibetan Society Dharma Center is located at 12 Parkwood Avenue, Charleston, SC 29403. (charlestontibetansociety.org)

• 9:00 AM—Doors open 30 minutes before each teaching. Please try and arrive at least 10 minutes before the class begins. 
• 9:30 AM---Geshela Topgyal will discuss the art of mediation
• 10:15-10:45 Participants will practice mediation 
• 10:45-11:15- Q&A and discussion optional

Dress comfortably and casually. Be prepared to remove shoes on the front porch in the racks provided before entering. Chairs and cushions are available to ensure visitors are comfortable during this session. Attendance for the entire class is required. Please do not leave before the entire mediation has finished.

 .........................................

 

Friday, July 13, 2018 1:00 at the Central Mosque of Charleston (Islam)

1082 King St. Charleston, SC 29403 (Charlestonmuslims.com)

• 1:00 PM Arrival and Introduction
• 1:30-2:30 PM Jumu’ah Prayer
• 2:30-3:00 PM Q&A and discussion Refreshments will be served.

Respectful attire requires men to wear long pants and a shirt. Proper dress for ladies is modest-covering the upper body, arms and legs with long dress, blouse and skirt, or pants. A head scarf is preferable. The mosque will kindly provide headscarves for women if they do not bring their own.

 .........................................

 

Saturday, July 14, 2018 1:00 at the Central Mosque of Charleston (Islam)

1082 King St. Charleston, SC 29403 (Charlestonmuslims.com)

• 1:00 PM Arrival and Introduction
• 1:30-2:30 PM Zuhr Prayer
• 2:30-3:00 PM Q&A and discussion Refreshments will be served.

Respectful attire requires men to wear long pants and a shirt. Proper dress for ladies is modest-covering the upper body, arms and legs with long dress, blouse and skirt, or pants. A head scarf is preferable. The mosque will kindly provide headscarves for women if they do not bring their own.

 .........................................

 

Sunday, July 15, 2018 10:00 at the Unitarian Church of Charleston

The Unitarian Church of Charleston is located at 4 Archdale Street, Charleston, SC 29405 (charlestonuu.org). The church building is famous for its ornate ceiling and stained glass windows. The congregation is a liberal community that passionately believes in strengthening the Lowcountry by seeking social justice for all persons, increasing literacy, and aiding homeless populations.

• 9:30 AM Arrival and Introduction

• 10:00 AM Service: “Toward a Theology of Placemaking” Stephanie Hunt explores the 7 Guiding Principles of Unitarianism and will shed light on how to embrace them and apply them to daily living. Join us as she helps us re-envision sacred space, and begin to broaden how we think about common ground. To bring further depth to the discussion, she will utilize works from urban visionary Jane Jacobs, as well as architect Michael Arad, the designer of the 9/11 Memorial in NYC and the forthcoming Emanuel AME 9 Memorial here in Charleston.
• 11:00 PM Q&A and discussion - Refreshments will be served.

Dress is casual. Parking is very limited at the church. Please park at the Queen St. garage. A barcode will be provided to ensure free parking for this event.

 .........................................

 

Sunday, July 29, 2018 9:30 at the Unity Church of Charleston

2535 Leeds Ave, North Charleston, SC 29401 (unitychs.org)

Unity is a progressive approach to Christianity and all the world’s spiritualties. We believe there are many paths to God and respect them all. There’s so much wisdom in all of the world’s traditions…how can we afford to ignore that rich trove of wisdom! We are more spiritual than religious.

• 9:00 AM Arrival and Introduction
• 9:30 AM Service
• 10:30 AM Q&A and discussion Refreshments will be served.

 

 

  

Columbia, SC

2020 Assembly St., Columbia, SC 29201, One story building with parking lot in back, open meeting room, children’s toy and play room, respectful to all religions and cultural groups. 

 

Greenville, SC

July 8, 2018 at Buddhist Vihara

Buddhism is a faith originating in ancient India. One of the oldest religions practiced today, Buddhism is more of a way of life and a way of thinking than it is a religion. The cycle of life death and rebirth is known to Buddhists as “Samsara,” and leaving behind all worldly desires to attain Nirvana allows one to escape this cycle. To achieve this, Buddhists practice meditation and following the teachings of the first person to break the cycle of rebirth: The Buddha. The essence of these teachings is the Four Noble Truths. In our visit with the Buddhist Vihara of Greenville, we learned about the Four Noble Truths: the Truth of Suffering, the Truth of the Cause of Suffering, the Truth of the End of Suffering, and The Truth of the Path to the End of Suffering (or the Eight Fold Path). We learned that the Buddha is more of a teacher than a deity, and how his teachings can make life more peaceful. We shared in knowledge and in a translated Buddhist chant. We would like to thank the Buddhist Vihara of Greenville for their generosity in allowing us to come and seek knowledge in their temple.

• 
• 
• 
•  

July 10, 2018 at Baha'i

The Bahá'í Faith (/bəˈhɑːiː, -ˈhaɪ/; Persian: بهائی‎ Bahā'i) is a religion teaching the essential worth of all religions, and the unity and equality of all people. Established by Bahá'u'lláh in 1863, it initially grew in Iran and parts of the Middle East, where it has faced ongoing persecution since its inception (Wikipedia, July 2018.) The Greenville Bahá'í warmly opened their hearts and their doors to the Upstate community through Atlantic Institutes, Upstate International and InterFaith Forum Tour of Faiths on Tuesday, July 10th. The special event was an Observance Commemorating the Martyrdom of the Báb. The Bab, whose name means "gate" in Arabic, had declared in 1844 that He was a messenger of God sent to prepare the way for the long-awaited promised one of all religions who would come to establish an age of universal peace. In 1863 Baha'u'llah announced publicly that He was that promised one. The Bab attracted tens of thousands of followers, and the unease and commotion created by His message led the authorities to put him to death on a charge of heresy. He and a disciple who begged to share His martyrdom were executed by a firing squad of 750 soldiers in a public square in Tabriz. The remains of the Bab are now entombed in Haifa, Israel, in a beautiful shrine on Mount Carmel (Bahai World News Service.)

July 13, 2018 at Wiccan/Paganism

The Greenville Pagans hosted an informational evening at their outdoor 'mystic' circle. After an introduction of the Pagan beliefs, including the positive energy that is sought, and Pagan symbols (such as the Pentacle) the 'circle' was closed with a greeting the directional spirits, earth, air, fire and water. Pagan is a term which refers to a variety of different religions ranging from Wicca, to that of ancient Egypt and even Hinduism, among many others. Some Pagans are of no specific religion, but rather are eclectic. In general Pagan religions have more than one deity, or many gods which are aspects of one. A common characteristic of Pagan religions are that they tend to be nature oriented. Paganism is best described as a group of religions and spiritual traditions based on a deep respect and honor for nature. Like Hinduism, there is no single founder, scripture or religious philosophy. Most Pagans, however, believe in the divine character of the natural world and Paganism is often described as an "Earth religion." A drink and biscuit were shared. It was a lovely evening.

• 
• 
• 
•  

July 17, 2018 at St. George Orthodox Greek Church

406 N Academy St, Greenville, SC 29601 7:00 PM

Father Zacharias, the Assistant Priest at St George Greek Orthodox Cathedral gave a wonderful explanation of the Greek Orthodox faith as well as led a very informative Question and Answer session. There is a lot to learn about the Orthodox faith and we were glad to have our own special evening. The ladies made some delicious treats for us to partake of as well.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•  

July 22, 2018 at Sikh Gurdwara

111 State Rd S-42-2845, Duncan, SC 29334 10-12 is service then there is lunch, go earlier there is also breakfast.

The Sikh Gurdwara was quite a new experience for us all! Learning about the different beliefs of Sikhism is not something that we can put into a paragraph, all we can say is GO...Pick a Sunday and go and enjoy the experience. You will get traditionally cooked Indian food for breakfast and for lunch and will have an opportunity to learn about a different faith and a different culture.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•  

 

July 23, 2018 at The Vedic Center

499 Bethel Dr, Mauldin, SC 29662 6:15

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•  

July 26, 2018 at Islamic Society of Greenville (ISG)

96 Meridian Ave, Taylors, SC 29687 7-9pm

August 3, 2018 at Congregation Beth Israel (CBI)

425 Summit Dr, Greenville, SC 29609 6:00 start, 6:45 service with Oneg (snacks) following