JACKSON, Tenn. — April 7, 2010 — To promote cross-cultural communication and to celebrate cultural diversity, 51社区 will hold its first CultureFest April 14.
鈥淭he foundational idea is that God鈥檚 people come from a variety of cultures, those cultures should be celebrated and God鈥檚 people should be skilled at cross-cultural communication,鈥� said George Guthrie, the Benjamin W. Perry Professor of Bible at Union and a member of the Intercultural Community Council sponsoring the day-long series of events.
鈥淚t is important that we are able to communicate well with those who come from cultures other than our own, for the good of others and the advancement of God鈥檚 kingdom among us.鈥�
The day鈥檚 activities will begin with a 10 a.m. chapel service featuring reports from the 12 Global Outreach mission teams that traveled to various places around the world during spring break. The service will include prayers in various languages and songs from Union鈥檚 Mosaic Gospel Choir.
A CultureFest fair, with booths featuring cultural displays and art from around the world, will be held in the main Penick hallway from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., and lunch in Coburn Dining Hall will feature Brazilian and Kenyan food along with regular menu selections.
Music professor Shawn Okpebholo will lecture at 3 p.m. in Harvey Auditorium on Nigerian music and culture, and the fair will continue in the Barefoot Student Union Building hallway from 4:30-6 p.m. Dinner in Coburn will feature Southeast Asian, French and Greek food.
The day鈥檚 activities will conclude with performances from around the world in Barefoot鈥檚 Joe from 7-9 p.m.