Form IV visit Places of Worship

Form IV visited two places of worship to support their learning about how, why and where people of various religions choose to worship.

They headed to Leamington first where they learnt that ‘Gurdwara’ means House of the Guru/Place of Learning. Their host, Myjinder Braich Singh, told them stories of Guru Nanak who founded Sikhism on the concept of one Universal God (Ik Onkar), and Guru Gobind Shing who introduced Khalsa (Sikh Baptism). He told them that it takes 48 hours to read the Sikh holy book (Guru Granth Sahib) from cover to cover, and that this is done regularly. Resham Singh and Jusbir Singh gave a demonstration of how to wear a turban, one of the outward signs of Sikh baptism.

After sampling some of the food in the Langar Hall where the Sikh community provides free food for any visitors, the children headed down to Oxford.

At the Oxford Jewish Centre in Jericho, they were greeted by Sarah Montagu. Sarah spoke to them about Abraham and Moses introducing the idea of ‘Only One God’ and explained the importance of Sabbath (Shabbat) and following God’s commandments.

They saw the stunning Torah scrolls inside the Ark and the 10 commandments displayed above it in Hebrew. They also saw the special kitchens where kosher food is prepared for community events. They ended their visit by learning the definition of synagogue - it is derived from the Greek language and means place to learn together.

This informative and interesting trip has developed the children's knowledge of these two religions tremendously.

Jan Price
Head of Theology, Philosophy and Religion