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On Thursday 3 September 2015, the Brimbank and Maribyrnong Interfaith Network hosted a Tour to Places of Worship.

35 community members attended the tour, many of them from the Yarraville Community Centre. The tour took them around the suburbs of Footscray, Braybrook and Sunshine. The departure point was the Brimbank City Council Municipal Offices in Sunshine.

The first stop was the St Matthews Lutheran Church located in Footscray. The host for the tour guests was Rev Cecil Schmalkuche, Pastor, St Matthew's Lutheran Church, Footscray who gave a detailed explanation about the basic teachings and also discussed the symbols of the church, including the special attire worn by the clergy. An interesting article about the church was published in The Age which can be read here: http://www.theage.com.au/news/in-depth/old-church-new-church/2007/09/17/1189881425874.html

The second stop was the Vietnamese Quang Minh Buddhist Temple located in Braybrook. The temple was built in 1994, and Quang Minh can be translated to "Bright light". This visit included informal walk through the temple grounds, lunch and guests were also invited to participate in a guided meditation.

The final place of worship on the tour was the beautiful Sunshine Mosque which largely caters to the Cyprus Turkish Islamic Community of Victoria. The host for the tour guests was the president of the mosque Mustafa Ramadan who showed us around the mosque and answered several difficult questions.

It was a great day for all participants, who learned about the diversity of faiths in their city.

Report by: 
Petr Svoboda, Brimbank & Maribyrnong Interfaith Network (BMIN)