An unexpected, but very pleasant, surprise for ten members of Lyon Anglican Church who visited Israel recently was an invitation to dinner with young people from Kids4Peace, a Jerusalem based organisation which attempts to break down the barriers of fear and mistrust between Christians, Muslims and Jews. 

Founded in 2002 by Dr Henry Ralph Carse, Kids4Peace invites children between the ages of 11 and 15 from different ethnic/faith backgrounds to meet together and enjoy various activities and games together, so they have an opportunity to get to know each other and begin to understand more about each other's cultures and faiths. The leaders also help the children engage in constructive discussions about their differences. Said one Muslim girl speaking about another member "She's my friend - it doesn't matter that she's Jewish".

"What will happen if a Muslim boy and Jewish girl take a fancy to each other?" asked someone.   "We have not had to face that one yet" answered Naomi, the Jewish co-director, "We'll have to deal with it when it comes up and build bridges with the young people's families".   But then, Kids4Peace is used to building bridges, and crossing them too! 

Contact for further information:

John McGregor, tel: 00 33 687786290; email:john.macgregor@orange.fr
Kids4peace website: http://www.k4p.org 

For general information about Lyon Anglican Chaplaincy: 
Keith B. Burrell (Reader) tel.  00 33 4 78 59 29 64.