Not In Our Town: Bloomington/Normal is sponsoring an interfaith, community solidarity event at 6 p.m. Wednesday, December 16, on the east side of the Old Courthouse, 200 N. Main Street, downtown Bloomington.
Co-sponsoring are First Christian Church, New Covenant Community, the Presbytery of Great Rivers interfaith group, and Moses Montefiore Temple, in collaboration with the Islamic Center of Bloomington-Normal and Masjid Ibrahim Mosque.
In case of inclement weather, the event will move to Major Hall, First Christian Church, 401 W. Jefferson, Bloomington.
"With the sad facts of terrorist attacks and murders this past month, we need the spirit of religion to rekindle our commitment to living peacefully," said Rev. Kelley Becker of First Christian Church, Bloomington.
"Particularly our Islamic brothers and sisters are being targeted. We hope that all faiths can come together in the spirit of human togetherness and peaceful recognition of the freedom of religion and expression in the United States. Stigmatizing a whole religious faith because of the actions of a few can cloud our recognition of the message of peace that all religions proclaim."
“We are diverse yet equal in our world: Jewish, Christian, Moslem, Hindi, Buddhist, Sikh, Humanist and so many more,” said Interim Rabbi Rebecca Dubowe of Moses Montefiore Temple. “At times of darkness, instead of walking away in fear, we must stand united as one family of humanity seeking peace, compassion and harmony among each other.”
People of all faiths, or of no particular religious belief, are encouraged to come stand together to show that stereotyping of groups within our community is not acceptable.
Not In Our Town is an active, 20-year-old effort in Bloomington-Normal to "stop hate, address bullying and build a safe, inclusive community." Not In Our Town is a grass-roots efforts that has hosted numerous events through the years to address community concerns and build an atmosphere of mutual recognition and support for all people. You can learn more at www.niotbn.org.
The national Not In Our Town movement began in Billings, Montana in 1993, when a series of hate crimes by white supremacists were directed against Native Americans, African-American and Jewish residents. The community banded together to say "Not In Our Town" and sparked a national movement. More information is available at www.niot.org.
For more information, contact Rev. Kelley Becker of First Christian Church at 309-829-9327 or Michael Gizzi, 309-831-6840, mgizzi@me.com, moderator-elect, Presbytery of Great Rivers, or Mike Matejka at 309-208-1120.