Auckland, New Zealand - For World Interfaith Harmony Week last year UPF invited leaders of diverse faith communities to the Peace Embassy to share readings from their holy scriptures on the theme of “interfaith harmony.” This year with the theme of “interfaith and peace” and also as a way of practicing the week’s motto, "Love of God and Love of the Neighbor,” UPF organizers decided to pay visits to their neighboring faith communities on Feb. 7.
Ambassadors for Peace were asked if they would like to invite UPF organizers and other Ambassadors for peace to make a courtesy call to their places of worship. This proved to be a very rich and rewarding experience. The delegation spent a day touring various sites. At each venue, an Ambassador for Peace welcomed the delegation, introduced their spiritual leaders and elders, and gave an overview of their teaching and a brief history of their local activities.
The delegation traveled in a convoy and lunched together at midday, visiting the Ahmadiyya Muslim mosque, the Ram Krishna Mandir Vedic center, the Pushien Buddhist temple, and the Bharatiya Mandir Hindu temple.
Everyone appreciated this opportunity to meet the Ambassadors for Peace in their spiritual home. The experienced forged a better understanding of each others' faith and offered opportunities to ask questions.
At each site, the delegation introduced UPF and the thought behind World Interfaith Harmony Week.