Faith

A GREEK church featuring traditional Byzantine architecture is under construction in Kenton - the first of its kind in the UK for more than 100 years.
Building work on the new St Panteleimon Church in Kenton Road, which will look like a smaller version of St Paul's Cathedral, began in August once its predecessor had been demolished.

People met at Harrow Civic Centre on Sunday to pray for peace.

Councillor Navin Shah, (Labour) member for Brent and Harrow, jointly organised the meeting with the Middlesex New Synagogue, Muslim Council of Britain and Harrow Interfaith Council.

They prayed for all those who had lost their lives or have suffered during recent conflicts in the Middle East. The climax of the meeting was the signing of a peace declaration by almost 100 people.

Mr Shah said: "The gathering was a true reflection of the unity and harmony enshrined in Harrow's diverse community".

Representatives from nine faiths including Hinduism, Judaism and Sikhism read prayers as well as committed to maintaining peace and harmony amongst Harrow's diverse communities.

The fire brigade and police commander for Harrow are also to sign the declaration. Mr Shah is hoping to conduct regular meetings to reflect upon global crisis.

When asked what was gained from the meeting he said: "At a local level we saw the will to continue working for piece and solidarity. It is great to see the desire to live in Harmony."

Kenton's Ghanshyam Education Centre - which backs onto the Shri Kutch Satsang Swaminarayan Temple - is looking to expand.

Leaders at the school, in Kenton Lane, have submitted a planning application to Harrow Council for first, second and third floor extensions that will physically link the school to
the mandir in Westfield Lane, where worshippers follow a modern form of Hinduism known as the Swaminarayan faith.

The three existing classrooms would be supplemented by an extra five, a large activity hall and disabled toilets.

If the proposals are approved, students will enjoy a creche, language classes, computer classes, dance training, indoor sports, community seminars, and computer training.

Ghanshyam Education Centre opens from 8am to 9pm Monday to Thursday, from 8am to 8pm Friday and Saturday and from 10.30am to 8pm Sunday.

A summer sale is being held in aid of St Luke's hospice.
The event starts from 10.30am-12pm on Saturday (19) at the South Harrow Baptist church, in Northolt Road, South Harrow.
There will be greeting cards, preserves, gifts and book stalls and entry is free.

By Elaine Okyere

Emigrating to new country is a big step and one Stanmore man is making it a journey of a lifetime by driving 2,500 miles to his new home in Israel.
Aly Singer, of London Road, is taking part in a charity car rally from London to Jerusalem, but instead of returning home with the other participants he will be starting a new life in the country.
The 28-year-old said: "It's quite an interesting way to do it, I didn't choose for it to happen like this, but it's a great opportunity.
"From a personal perspective I think a lot of Jewish people my age want to live there. I see Israel as my spirtual and historical homeland and somewhere that I want to take my life."
Mr Singer set off on the epic journey on May 18 with his friend Yaniv Cohen, from Manchester, as part of the JNF car rally. The rally started at 7am in Waterloo Place, in London, before venturing to France, Switzerland, Italy, Greece and finally Israel. JNF is a humanitarian charity, which helps support communities in Israel by building reservoirs, recycling schemes, housing and healthcare centres.
The Stanmore and Canons Park synagogue member will be completing his journey in a 1948 Rolls Royce silver racer in 18 days. Living abroad will not be a new experience for Mr Singer who previously lived in New York for a year, however Mr Singer feels that this move will be permanent.
He said: "I have visited Israel a number of times and my brother lives out there, but apart from that I don't have any other close family in the country, but a lot of my friends are living there already.
"My family has been really supportive and I will miss my parents, but this will give them the chance to visit me abroad."
The pair are sponsored by Nefesh B'Nefesh, an organisation which helps British immigrants start new lives in Israel.
The trip will end with Mr Singer and Mr Cohen being presented with Israeli identity cards at the Israeli Parliament by the Head of State and other dignitaries.

Visitors are invited to join Stanmore Baptist Church's House Group, which meets fortnightly for social evenings.

The group is due to meet on Wednesday (21) at 8pm. For details of the location call the church office on 020 8954 2250.