Heart of God Church (HOGC) and Khalid Mosque have partnered to run a joint interfaith tuition programme that helps secondary school students prepare for their major examinations.
Tutors and students from both HOGC and Khalid Mosque have been participating in the programme, which was started in 2016 and has run for two cycles, with another one happening later this year. To date, the programme has benefitted over 20 students.
The success of the tuition programme transcends the students’ academic progress. This partnership has resulted in a deeper understanding, mutual respect, and stronger friendship between members of HOGC and Khalid Mosque. Because the tuition sessions alternated between church and mosque premises, there were many opportunities for participants to dialogue and learn about each other’s faith and practices, on top of journeying together in their studies.
This week, HOGC spoke to News outlet Straits Times about our tuition programme, in celebration of the freshly signed Commitment to Safeguard Religious Harmony. Read the article(s) here.
When HOGC moved into our current church premises, one of our priorities was to get to know our neighbours from other religious and social groups. It was important to not isolate or insulate ourselves, and deliberately build a relationship of trust and cooperation with the community. Pastor How shared with us the importance of ‘building bridges, and not walls’.
To echo the recently signed Commitment to Safeguard Religious Harmony: We believe that strong bonds across faiths are key to religious harmony. While our faiths may be different, we share common values, such as charity, love, respect and empathy.
HOGC is proud to be part of this commitment. We will continue to embark on similar collaborations for the common good, and hope that we can inspire more religious organisations to embrace interfaith collaborations.
