Interfaith

Presence and Engagement, an Anglican phrase, is about Christians witnessing to their faith and relating to and working with people of different faiths. In Bradford there are significant numbers of people of different faiths, and so Presence and Engagement is of particular importance to us.

In the 2001 Census, 60% of the Bradford Metropolitan District population was Christian, 16% Muslim, 1% Hindu and 1% Sikh. The majority of Muslims have their family origins in South Asia, and most from Mirpur, a rural part of Pakistan. People continue to settle in Bradford, coming from Pakistan largely through marriages, and from Eastern Europe through the EU. It’s expected that the 2011 Census will look quite different to 2001.

As the Muslim community grows and their families move into different areas, more of us will have direct opportunity to meet and share with people of different faiths.

We are committed to being present amongst and actively engaged with people of other faiths, and we want to see:

• Increasing confidence in Christians to be Christ's witnesses among neighbours of different faiths.
• More cohesive local communities where people of different faiths meet and work together to deal with the challenges we all face (such as crime and safety) and the needs we share (eg, caring for families and especially children and older people).

There are lots of ways you can be part of Presence and Engagement through your parish church and local community, by linking with BCDD and Near Neighbours.