Police Host Liverpool Walk of Faith

By Declan McSweeney From The Guardian A ‘Walk of Faith’, linking a church, mosque and synagogue in the Toxteth area of Liverpool, has been under the auspices of Merseyside Police in an effort to increase links between people holding different religious beliefs. Bill McAdam, the community engagement sergeant, who heads the force’s interfaith group, says: “It’s all about community cohesion.” Toxteth is one of the most diverse parts of Liverpool and the Walk of Faith included representatives of Everton FC’s community programme, as well as people from many local agencies. First, Rev Alan Fretwell welcomed visitors to his Methodist church at Princes’ Park, where he outlined how he became a Christian in Zambia at the age of 31, and gave a summary of the main tenets of Christianity. Next, Adam Kelwick, a senior member of the local Muslim community, invited guests into the nearby mosque, where he gave a summary of the history of Merseyside’s Muslim community, which has been in existence since the early 19th century. Unlike many other parts of England where the Muslim population mainly consists of people with roots in the Indian subcontinent, Liverpool’s Muslims include many with family backgrounds originally in Yemen and Somalia, as well as white converts. Click here to read the full article