​IN THIS ISSUE: Changes at ICP | NAINConnect 2017 | Around the Bay| GTU Art Exhibit| Historic Bible Display | The Interfaith Observer | Notes & Quotes | Send Us Your News | Bay Area Interreligious Calendar | Special Opportunities | Subscribe to BAIC

Changes at the Interfaith Center at the Presidio. As you can see, Bay Area Interfaith Connect has a new look. Our previous publication system was not keeping up with the proliferation of phones, pads, and other screens that required a more flexible layout. We hope that this new format will prove even more useful as we bring the news about interreligious cooperation around the Bay Area and beyond. Be sure to add “@” to your contact list so that you can enjoy all that the Connect offers.

ICP Executive Director to step down. Linda Crawford, who has served ICP in several capacities and most recently as Executive Director, has announced her intention to step down in June. Linda began ten years ago leading the Capital Campaign for the Chapel rehabilitation project. She was named Managing Director by the Board in February of 2012 and Executive Director in 2015. Linda says, “After 10 years at the Interfaith Center and with much soul-searching, I have decided that the time has come to move on to the next chapter in my life. It was a very difficult decision to make; I’ve loved what I’ve been doing. Finally, I listened to that “still small voice”. (1 Kings 19:12, Hebrew Bible)”


We are grateful for all Linda has done for ICP during her decade in leadership, and will cherish all the more these last months of working with her.

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2017 NAINCONNECT will take place August 6-10 in San Diego, California. This 4-day conference is filled with speakers, workshops, activities and celebrations to cause you to want to stay in San Diego longer. From the Sunday Experience filled with a Bridge for Peace Ceremony, City Proclamations for Interfaith Awareness Week, incredible food, an interfaith choir and being serenaded by Karl Anthony you will go to bed very happy. Keynote speakers include Author Azim Khamisa, Monsignor Dennis Mikulanis, Imam Taha Hassane and a surprise speaker. More than twelve workshops will complement tours of local religious sites and historic Old Town San Diego. Full details and registration can be found at powayinterfaithteam.com/nain/.


They have extended the deadline for program Proposals until April 14. Any proposal arriving on April 15th or after, will not be considered. Proposals will only be accepted from those Registered. www.powayinterfaithteam.com/nain-proposal
NAIN is offering a Young Adult Scholarship, open to anyone between the ages of 18 and 35 who is currently involved in some form of interfaith or other social justice work. Scholarship recipients receive a $500 stipend to attend the annual NAINConnect conference. The application deadline is Wednesday, April 5th; information and application are on the scholarship application page.


AROUND THE BAY AREA:
NEW INTERFAITH GROUP IN EDEN AREA. Nearly 50 guests attended the Eden Area Interfaith Council first annual meeting on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017. With formal ratification of the group’s new bylaws and of the new officers and Board of Directors, the Eden Area Interfaith Council was revitalized. The Eden Area includes Castro Valley, Hayward, San Leandro, and San Lorenzo. Find out more about the Council at edeninterfaith.weebly.com/


MUSLIMS AND JEWS UNITE. Over 300 Bay Area Muslims and Jews representing two dozen synagogues, mosques, and non-profits gathered on Sunday, February 26th at Peninsula Temple Sholom in Burlingame. They came to stand together against religious bigotry and, more importantly, stand up for each other in the face of rising Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.


INTERFAITH ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE. In the spirit of the Christian observance of Ash Wednesday, a service of confession and repentance at the San Jose City Hall featured readings from Baha’i, Christian, Muslim, Kriya Yoga, and Unitarian traditions, coupled with recognition of the ways the community has failed to be compassionate toward the poor, the homeless, the forgotten, and each other. After the prayers, the group processed across the street to the First Christian Church where those who wished to receive ashes were invited to do so.


HANDS AROUND THE MOSQUE. Some 500 or more people joined hands to circle around the Muslim Community Association mosque in Santa Clara as an expression of support for the Muslim community. Organized by Samina Sundas of American Muslim Voice with dozens of interfaith, religious, and community organizations co-sponsoring, the March 19th event included over 20 messages of support from AME Zion, Baptist, Buddhist, Catholic, Jewish, and Presbyterian leaders, as well as elected representatives from Santa Clara and Sacramento. You can get a sense of the circle from this video. For more, see:

• San Jose Mercury News
• KRON Channel 4
• KTVU Channel 2

MARIN INTERFAITH COUNCIL SEEKS DIRECTOR. Marin Interfaith Council (MIC) seeks a dynamic leader to serve as executive director.  MIC, established over 30 years ago, is a respectful collaborative that celebrates faith traditions, advocates justice, and builds community. The MIC executive director is responsible for outreach to the faith, non-profit and civic communities; overseeing MIC programs, education and development; and supervising a small staff.  To apply, send a cover letter and resume to @ by April 10, 2017. Anticipated start date is July 1. See full job description HERE.


GTU ART EXHIBIT. “Reverberating Echoes: Contemporary Art Inspired By Traditional Islamic Art” is a collection on display in the Doug Adams Gallery at 2465 Le Conte Avenue in Berkeley through May 26.. It features works from seven contemporary American artists inspired by traditional Islamic art. A full catalogue of the exposition is available from Zaytuna College at http://bookstore.zaytuna.edu. The Gallery is open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm.


HISTORIC ENGLISH BIBLES ON DISPLAY. The Oakland Latter-Day Saints Temple Visitors’ Center presents “Eight Centuries of God’s Word: The English Bible 1249-2017 A.D.” – an exclusive, much anticipated, one-time exhibit of rare Bibles and related texts. The exhibit offers a once in a lifetime opportunity to view original, rare, sacred texts, including examples from 1249, 1455, 1492, and 1560, a first-edition King James Bible from 1611, a Catholic Bible from 1825, J.R.R. Tolkien’s personal Bible, and a first edition Book of Mormon from 1830. On display from April 8-23. See details on the exhibit and associated lectures on the ICP Calendar.


THE INTERFAITH OBSERVER. (TIO) is an independent internet journal about all things interfaith. TIO was relaunched from a new website this September. Each month TIO goes to more than 12,000 faith and interfaith leaders, including about 2,300 outside the U.S. More than 350 writers have contributed articles. Download back issues. Subscribe for free.
In honor of Women’s History month and the contribution women have made to religion, interfaith, and social justice, this month’s issue highlights their stories:

• Finding Power in Ribbons A TIO Report
• Women Transforming the Globe from WEA and URI
• Teaching the Divine Feminine by Vicki Garlock

On another note, we are excited to announce our library is completely categorized!

• TIO’s Library –Catalogued and Ready for “Check-out” by Megan Weiss

NOTES & QUOTES: “It’s not time to join the fearful, but it is time to join the prayerful—and learn how to pray well with others.” – Rev. Will McGarvey, ICCCC…”I have one major rule: Everybody is right. More specifically, everybody — including me — has some important pieces of truth, and all of those pieces need to be honored, cherished, and included in a more gracious, spacious, and compassionate embrace.” – Ken Wilbur…”I believe the chief cause of violence on a large scale is individuals in, or seeking, political power using religion as a tool to demonize other groups and make them the enemy.” – Mark Denni…“[R]eligious preaching that encourages violence or pits one religion against another will not be tolerated in Singapore.” – Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam


SEND US YOUR NEWS! We at Bay Area Interfaith Connect make every effort to include upcoming interfaith events in our monthly calendar (which is always available on our website). Please be sure to send information about your upcoming events to [email protected] We’d also like to share what happened at your events or celebrations with the wider interfaith community. Got a story you’d like to share? Pictures from that latest gathering? Send them along and let everyone know what’s happening!

BAY AREA INTERRELIGIOUS CALENDAR
Our searchable new calendar page offers listings of interfaith opportunities for learning, celebration, taking action, and celebrating the diverse religious traditions of the Bay Area. The calendar can be viewed as a list, as a monthly calendar page, or by the week.

SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES
FAITH IN PUBLIC LIFE joined ReThink Media for a webinar on counter messaging and opportunities, “Standing with Refugees in Word and Deed.” If you missed it, the link to the recording is here. Please share with faith and community leaders that would benefit from hearing timely research and guidance on countering anti-Muslim attitudes and discrimination. Find out more about Faith In Public Life and its projects at www.faithinpubliclife.org/.

SPIRITUALITY AND PRACTICE offers a wealth of resources related to spiritual life in its many dimensions, including background information, films, books, quotes, art, and more. One of their online classes is “Practicing Spirituality With the Peacemakers,” sharing the teachings and inspirational practices of peacemakers such as Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Thich Nhat Hanh, Desmond Tutu, Joan Chittister, Bernie Glassman, Daniel Berrigan, John Dear, and many others. The 40 emails each include a short passage to contemplate and a related practice to try that day. Particpants can choose when to begin and how frequently to receive messages; cost is $49.95. See details at www.spiritualityandpractice.com/

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN FOCUS. The United States Department of Justice publishes a periodic email update about the Civil Rights Division’s religious liberty and religious discrimination cases. The March 2017 issue includes stories about dealing with opposition to a mosque and a church, legal action following the burning of a Catholic church, and anti-Muslim hate crimes. You can find it (and previous issues) at www.justice.gov/crt/religious-freedom-focus-volume-69-march2017

ARSON PREVENTION. Each year for Arson Awareness Week (AAW), the U.S. Fire Administration gathers and shares information to raise awareness of arson or youth firesetting and provide individuals with strategies to combat these problems in their community. This year, the week will be May 7-13, and will focus specifically on arson prevention at houses of worship. An average of 103 arson events a year happen at houses of worship. More information and resources can be found at www.usfa.fema.gov/

BAY AREA INTERFAITH CONNECT is sent each month to nearly 2,000 subscribers, and is available online at the Interfaith Center at the Presidio website.

Subscribe to BAIC
About the Editor: D. Andrew Kille is director of Interfaith Space in San Jose, working to develop and strengthen interfaith relations throughout the Bay Area. Send your calendar items, comments and suggestions to @. We try to keep the ICP Update and Calendar as current as we can, but if you want your item included in the monthly newsletter, it needs to be in our hands a week before the end of the month.

​IN THIS ISSUE: Regional Interfaith Response | Family Fun at ICP | INTRAFaith Book Study | Speaking Up: Rita Semel | East Bay Cooperation | NAINConnect 2017 | The Interfaith Observer | Notes & Quotes | Send Us Your News | Bay Area Interreligious Calendar | Special Opportunities | Subscription Info

Leaders of Interfaith Councils from Sonoma to San Jose convened at the Presidio on February 6 to consider ways that we might work together in the future to address the rising concerns about governmental policies and public opinion that seem to be creating an environment of hostility and anger directed at religious minorities, immigrant groups, and others. Convened by the Interfaith Center, the meeting was hosted at the United Religions Initiative headquarters to make use of their teleconferencing capabilities, allowing even more people to check in via phone and computer.


Out of that meeting came several strategies for moving forward. ICP will continue to connect and convene the Interfaith Executives group, setting up channels for sharing information more effectively and seeking coordination of efforts around the Bay Area. We are also improving our tools for sharing Calendar events (you’ll note some differences in this issue of BAIC) and sending out timely notices between our monthly newsletters.


Also from that meeting came a shared statement, “More People of Faith Need to Speak Up,” which points out the unique contributions that people of faith can make in these times: “Religious and ethical resources bearing on today’s contentious questions”; “Spiritual resources for self-care”; and “Hope”. (Click the title link to read the full statement.)
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A MESSAGE FROM RITA SEMEL. The desecration of the Jewish cemetery in St. Louis last week and yesterday in Philadelphia has brought cries of indignation, sorrow and despair. For me, it is a frightening reminder of the past – a past I thought was behind me; the past which brought on World War II and the murder of six million Jews. A vision of things to come happened in 1939 – Krystallnacht – wholesale destruction of Jewish homes, stores, synagogues and cemeteries.


I am not suggesting that the cemetery desecration last week and this week was the American version of that awful night, but I am suggesting it may be a wakeup call for those of us who value everything America has stood for since the signing of the Constitution those hundreds of years ago. Have we always lived up to that Constitution? No, we have not. The history of the African American community in our country provides ample proof of that. But during the last several decades we have proved that we have learned something. We have learned that prejudice against one group or another hurts us all. And the faith community has been at the forefront of that learning, marching with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Selma and in many other ways since then.
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And with Muslims under attack, the faith community is leading the way in support of their rights. So it must be with every incident which threatens any of us. The first amendment to the Constitution is our safeguard and we must remain vigilant and protect those rights which are guaranteed under it. And we must do it together – all religions, all races, all of us together. We must hold our government responsible – our City, our State and most important of all, our Federal government. We need to speak out loudly and respectfully, but speak out we must. The future of America is at stake.

— Rita R. Semel
Founder and Past Chair San Francisco Interfaith Council
Co-Founder of ICP

INTERFAITH COOPERATION IN THE EAST BAY. The Tri-City Interfaith Council welcomed some 150 people to their fourth annual World Interfaith Harmony Celebration in Fremont on February 4th. Randomly assigned to small groups, participants were asked to share what there was in their own tradition that offers comfort and peace and leads them to serve in the wider community. Read more and see some photos from the day’s event at the East Bay Times.
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At Friday prayers on February 10 at the Muslim Community Center – East Bay, while nearly 200 Muslims were inside praying, Christians and Jews held hands and formed a ring around the mosque. Organized by the Tri-Valley Clergy Association, more than 100 supporters and well-wishers stood with their Tri-Valley Muslim neighbors.

2017 NAINCONNECT will take place August 6-10 in San Diego, California. This 4-day conference is filled with speakers, workshops, activities and celebrations to cause you to want to stay in San Diego longer. From the Sunday Experience filled with a Bridge for Peace Ceremony, City Proclamations for Interfaith Awareness Week, incredible food, an interfaith choir and being serenaded by Karl Anthony you will go to bed very happy. Keynote speakers include Author Azim Khamisa, Monsignor Dennis Mikulanis, Imam Taha Hassane and a surprise speaker. More than twelve workshops will complement tours of local religious sites and historic Old Town San Diego. Full details and registration can be found at powayinterfaithteam.com/nain/.
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NAIN is offering a Young Adult Scholarship, open to anyone between the ages of 18 and 35 who is currently involved in some form of interfaith or other social justice work. Scholarship recipients receive a $500 stipend to attend the annual NAINConnect conference. The application deadline is Wednesday, April 5th; information and application are on the scholarship application page.

THE INTERFAITH OBSERVER. (TIO) is an independent internet journal about all things interfaith. TIO was relaunched from a new website this September. Each month TIO goes to more than 12,000 faith and interfaith leaders, including about 2,300 outside the U.S. More than 350 writers have contributed articles. Download back issues. Subscribe for free.


Food and Faith: how do both of these intersect with things such as poverty and sustainability?

• Sailing Through a Storm by Ameena Naqvi
• If There is No Bread, There is No Torah by Ruth Broyde Sharone
• The Underside of the Food Chain by Vicki Garlock
• Interfaith Perspectives on Food and Fasting from the Center of Christian-Muslim Relations of Sydney
• Sustainable Food and Faith by Janet McGarry
• Hunger Fighter Retires from Interfaith Food Shuttle from Interfaith Food Shuttle
• The Slow Food Movement –Revaluing What We Eat by Paul Chaffee
• The Unlikely Vegetarian by Charles P. Gibbs
• The Ten Commandments of Food a TIO Report

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And more interfaith news:

• All I have is a Voice by Marcus Braybrooke
• When Did “Interreligious Dialogue” Begin? by Thomas Albert Howard
• The Chaplaincy Institute: Pioneering Interfaith Ministry by John R. Mabry

SEND US YOUR NEWS! We at Bay Area Interfaith Connect make every effort to include upcoming interfaith events in our monthly calendar (which is always available on our website). Please be sure to send information about your upcoming events to [email protected]. We’d also like to share what happened at your events or celebrations with the wider interfaith community. Got a story you’d like to share? Pictures from that latest gathering? Send them along and let everyone know what’s happening!

SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES

FAITH IN PUBLIC LIFE joined ReThink Media for a webinar on counter messaging and opportunities, “Standing with Refugees in Word and Deed.” If you missed it, the link to the recording is here. Please share with faith and community leaders that would benefit from hearing timely research and guidance on countering anti-Muslim attitudes and discrimination. Find out more about Faith In Public Life and its projects at www.faithinpubliclife.org/.


GLOBAL SISTERHOOD MOVEMENT. Join the Unify Global Sisterhood Movement as we rise together on International Women’s Day! Gather in local Sister Circles world-wide to unite for a global synchronized meditation, prayer, and action to transform, uplift, and inspire the world! Join us for a special meditation and prayer audio broadcast livestreamed from our hub Sister Circle in Austin, Texas. Led by directors of the Global Sisterhood, Lauren Walsh and Emma Juniper, and special guest Mona Polacca, a Hopi elder of the International Council of the 13 indigenous grandmothers.


EARL LECTURES AND BOSWELL LECTURE. Under the theme of “Borders and Identity,” the Earl Lectures presented in partnership with our Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion‘s Boswell Lecture, will explore how migration across all kinds of borders—both physical and metaphorical—is reshaping our understanding of identity across boundaries of race, culture, religion, gender identity, and nationality. Within the first 100 days of Trump’s presidency, join us for an engaging weekend of workshops, worship, direct action, and networking in conjunction with Pacific School of Religion’s Alumni/ae Reunion Weekend. Information and registration here.

BAY AREA INTERFAITH CONNECT is sent each month to nearly 2,000 subscribers, and is available online at the Interfaith Center at the Presidio website.


SUBSCRIBE TO BAIC
About the Editor: D. Andrew Kille is director of Interfaith Space in San Jose, working to develop and strengthen interfaith relations throughout the Bay Area. Send your calendar items, comments and suggestions to [email protected]. We try to keep the ICP Update and Calendar as current as we can, but if you want your item included in the monthly newsletter, it needs to be in our hands a week before the end of the month.