Six members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, including Imam Shamshad A. Nasir of the Baitul Hameed Mosque in Chino, attended the 18th annual Upland Interfaith Prayer Breakfast on Oct. 23rd. The event, as in past years, was held from 7:00 am to 8:00 am at the Upland Fire Station at Arrow Hwy and 2nd Ave. The yearly prayer breakfast is sponsored by the Upland Interfaith Council, the City of Upland, its Mayor Ray Musser and the City Council. The theme this year was “One nation – All Faiths.”

Almost all tables were filled as the invited speakers — Ahmadi and Sunni Muslims, Bahai, Jewish, Mormon, Catholics and Protestants — gave their remarks. Most expressed their thanks and appreciation for the blessing of having religious freedom in America, which allows and protects our diversity of beliefs.

Imam Shamshad echoed this sentiment when he said, “Thank God in America we are free to worship God as we please. In Muslim countries this freedom is not allowed. We must all pray for everyone’s right to freedom of faith.” He also cited the need for teaching young people about the reality of God and the power of prayer to cope with life’s problems, especially in light of the recent senseless and tragic suicide of a 12-year-old girl in Florida who was bullied at school and on social media by some of her classmates.

The keynote address was given by LaVerne University chaplain Dr. Zandra Wagoner, who spoke on “Building Unity among Diversity.” She highlighted the need to go beyond dialog within the interfaith community and work together to produce positive works for the community.

She is also an ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren, one of only three historic “Peace” churches dedicated to complete pacifism and non-violence. As the University of LaVerne’s chaplain for the past three years, she has worked to foster an interfaith environment at the school that is more inclusive of the beliefs of its diverse student body – even to the point of accepting atheists.

Closing remarks were delivered by Rev. Jan Chase of Unity Church in Pomona and vice-president of the Upland Interfaith Council. She said that, over the years, those of us who regularly attend the annual Interfaith Prayer Breakfast are demonstrating the idea of inter-religious harmony by not just sitting with our fellow faith members at one table – one group over here, another group over there – but we are now freely mixing together, with each table hosting a variety of faith members. She noted, “As we do this interfaith work over the years, we are becoming one family working together for a common goal and a common good.”