June 2000

Thoughts from the Forward in Faith Conference

Some brief excerpts from the speeches and workshops in San Francisco.

“All of my experiences with people of other faiths, what it all boiled down to is that everything I had been taught to be the other the other side of the tracks, the people that we’re not like, the people who don’t believe the same things we do-all those people considered to be the other ended up to be just like me. To discover that is liberating. That’s when we can sit down together. And only when we sit down together can we solve this problem, really work to help people with AIDS.”

— David Smith

“In doing AIDS ministry, I came to teach and I was taught. I came to heal and I was healed. I came to bring God and God came to me.”

— Chris Sandoval

“Sharing in all of the different faith communities that I’m involved with, sometimes I’m Episcopal, I’m Methodist, I’m Baptist, I’m Jewish, I’m Wiccan- I’m confused. I’m on a journey. I don’t know where it’s going, but I’m having fun just with the diversity and variety of walking in many faith traditions.”

“For every human being, the awesome unknown, just to care, to be compassionate, to become present to the other, to listen, to hear, and to receive. If that gift would be set free, and made available, miracles would take place.”