“Reading is an exercise in empathy; an exercise in walking in someone else’s shoes for a while” Marjorie Blackman.

We are excited to announce that this month marks a year since The Mecca Center initiated the interfaith book club. Here is a little background and a brief meander down Memory Lane. We recently met with a few staff members at a local library who were eager to assist with enhancing our interfaith book club which is slowly growing. They said they could provide themed booklists, a room to meet in if needed as well as multiple copies of the book. I shared the names of the religious institutions that form this collaboration.

“The Mecca Center?!” cried one of the volunteers. “I’ve seen a brick with the mosque’s name on it in our reading garden!” 

 We gathered around the little patio to view the bricks that have been embedded in the ground for well over a decade now. 

 ‘The Library is the Center of a community. The Mecca Center. ” Adjacent to it is the other brick we had ordered with my children’s names engraved there. It is fitting that my granddaughter was rolling around in that area looking for bugs and picking flowers.  Legacies.

 I recall placing the order on behalf of the masjid in order to establish ties with our local community while dreaming of one day having our own library . We were just renting a modest office space at that time but fundraising for the mosque had begun as well as the long process of getting planning permission. Years later, we are blessed that the mosque is thriving and indeed does have a new lending library of  its own, a pre-school,  classes for all ages and a state of the art playground. That is the blessing of staying in a neighborhood for an entire generation. We once took our children to Sunday school and now it’s time for our grandchildren to enroll there!  It is indeed satisfying to see a community grow and thrive. 

“…A book can lead to the pleasure of conversation…the solitary act of reading can actually be a part of the path to communion and community.” 

Back to today!  The book club was formed as a collaboration with the First Church of Lombard.The idea was to forge a long term bond that aimed to go beyond annual social events. Our inaugural book was   ‘As long as the Lemon Trees Grow’ about the conflict in Syria. Now thankfully, that war has ended. We have subsequently addressed such topics as child soldiers in Sierra Leone, the decolonization and liberation of Palestine as well as an outline of institutional racism. Sometimes we take a break and read lighter novels and mysteries too but the discussions are always lively and productive!

Around  twelve to fifteen people from all walks of life have attended consistently. There are professionals, students, a young married couple and all from various faiths. Each month we seek to learn from each other, expand our minds through the works we have been reading.  We have incorporated themed snacks and artefacts but have also formed strong connections through our literature circles and look forward to many more years of these gatherings.

The interfaith book club is open to all and is part of the Faith in Action Committee chaired by Irene Kapustina. Come and join us and help create more legacies!