6 July 2013
Rev. Yoshinobu Miyake, representing IARF’s president Most Rev. Mitsuo Miyake, visited Birmingham together with IARF Treasurer Jeff Teagle and British Chapter committee member Derek McAuley (Chief Officer of the Unitarian General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches), as guests of Shaykh Muhammad Amin-Evans, Chair of the Congress Host Committee.
They were given a broad overview of the prospective setting and hosting arrangements in Birmingham city centre and the University of Birmingham campus.
Since it was a Saturday most of the campus buildings and services were closed, but a walk around the grounds took in a visit the Chaplaincy Centre at St Francis Hall and the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, and a look over four-star accommodation at one of UoB’s conference buildings.
A small early-evening reception at the nearby Al-Mahdi Institute introduced Yoshinobu-sensei to some local faith representatives and supporters of Congress. Sensei made a short inspiring talk to introduce IARF and express the aims of Congress.
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