by Jennifer Yi

Hospitality and welcoming the stranger are core values of Islam. In this spirit, the members of the Institute of Islamic and Turkish Studies (IITS) in Fairfax invited UUCF to join them in celebrating Iftar, the breaking of the Ramadan daily fast. Led by the UUCF Muslim Outreach Committee, almost 30 women and men from UUCF joined Imam Bilal Ankaya and his congregation on Jul. 27 for fellowship and learning from one another.  

It was a wonderful evening, as we got to know our hosts and other members of the UUCF community. After Imam Ankaya welcomed us, we began the evening by observing the IITS members during evening prayers. Our Muslim hosts shared a delicious Turkish dinner with us as we and learned about each other's faith, culture and customs. Afterward, Imam Ankaya gave us a short introduction to Islam, explaining the Five Pillars of Islam (which includes fasting during Ramadan), the six beliefs central to the religion and its close relationship to Judaism and Christianity. He then opened up the discussion and we asked about the meaning behind their rituals, their experiences as Muslims in America and the logistics required to observe Islamic practices in their daily lives.

Several of us had questions about the role of women in Islam. We learned that the reason women and men pray separately throughout the Muslim world is so that they won't be a distraction to each other when they should be focusing on prayer to Allah. However, how they are separated (whether men in front of the room and women in back, or one on the right and one on the left or some other configuration) is a result of the local culture and varies from place to place. Although women cannot be imams and lead prayers, they can serve as a mufti, a scholar who oversees imams. The women explained that they choose to wear headscarves and don't feel it's a requirement imposed on them.

Most of all, we came away from the evening with a greater appreciation of the kindness and generosity that is the foundation of many Islamic customs and beliefs. We learned these values underlie the Pillar of charity, the requirement to tithe 2.5% (of all assets) and the tradition of inviting the wider community for Iftar and other celebrations.

Our thanks to the UUCF Muslim Outreach Committee and Chairperson Furman Riley, who coordinated this and other recent events with IITS. Most of all, we thank the IITS families for their wonderful fellowship and hospitality in inviting us into their community to share their beliefs and traditions.

For more information about the UUCF Muslim Outreach Committee, please contact Furman Riley.

Before he left for his sabbatical last week, Music and Arts Director Mark Vogel stitched together a patchwork of supportive congregants and colleagues to take on the varied and important roles that make up his job. Until Mark returns in mid-October, our music program is in the hands of these fine folks (with support from the ministers and staff, of course):   

Interim Chorale Director Paul Heins

Mark's friend and colleague, C. Paul Heins, will be leading the Chorale while Mark is away. The Chorale will start practicing with Paul on Thu., Aug. 30,  and you will see him at services when the Chorale performs on Sun., Sep. 9. If you feel like you've seen Paul before, it's probably because he has played piano and flute during special music services at UUCF. 

Paul and Mark met in 2005 when Mark was hired as the accompanist for the Lesbian & Gay Chorus of Washington, an ensemble Paul conducted from 2002-2010.

Paul is currently a freelance musician working on a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting at the University of Maryland (UMD). Paul also serves as the accompanist for the Washington Men's Camerata, and he regularly plays piano for the contemporary worship service at Foundry United Methodist Church.

From 2002 through 2011, Paul was an adjunct instructor at Georgetown University. In his last five years at GU, he directed the GU Concert Choir. He also served as music director for the university's musical theater and opera productions.

Paul earned his B.Mus. from Bowling Green State University and his M.Mus. from UMD. He lives in Washington with his partner of 11 years, Matt.   

The following members and friends have stepped forward to accompany us during services through Oct. 7: Nancy Dalzell, Marsha Giusti, Paul Heins, Diane Pyles and Barbara Schelstrate.    

UUCF member Gail Ordun is preparing the Power Point slide presentations that support each service and include hymn lyrics and various other images. She also will be putting our sermon recordings on uucf.org.

Many thanks to everyone for your support.