Wilshire Baptist Church is known for breaking the mold. In 1991, the church voted to ordain women ministers, diverting from fundamentalist Biblical interpretation that says only men can be pastors or elders at a church.
Twenty-five years later the church again made headlines when it voted to offer full membership to gay, lesbian and transgender congregants. Both votes were contentious, with consequences in both membership and finances (read our detailed coverage here).
Wilshire made recent Dallas Observer headlines when they became a host of Dialogue Institute Dallas’ Ramadan dinners, which are taking place all over the metroplex.
“The Dialogue Institute of the Southwest is a group of moderate Muslim immigrants, primarily from Turkey, inspired by the work of Fetullah Gülen, who believes in peace through education and understanding,” Wilshire Senior Pastor Rev. George Mason told the Observer. “I have attended numerous events they have sponsored through the years, spoken at some of them, hosted an Iftar [Ramadan] dinner at church in one form or another twice before, and was hosted for one such dinner in the home of a Turkish family.”
Muslims usually observe the month of Ramadan by spending the day in fasting and prayer, breaking the fast at night. This year, Ramadan is from May 15 to June 14. Wilshire’s menu will include bulgur pilaf, ground beef roast, green salad, rice pudding and baklava.
Check out the entire story here.
