BAIC April 2018

The Interfaith Center at the Presidio links the power of interreligious cooperation by welcoming, serving, and celebrating the diverse wisdom and faith traditions of the Bay Area.

IN THIS ISSUE: Bay Area Wide Interfaith Conversation| Third Sunday Concerts |Presidio Chapel Tours | Girl Scout Sunday | Parliament Speakers Announced | The Interfaith Observer| Notes & Quotes | Support ICP | Send Us Your News | Bay Area Interreligious Calendar | Special Opportunities | Subscribe to BAIC
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BAY AREA WIDE INTERFAITH CONVERSATIONJoin the United Religions Initiative (URI) and the Interfaith Center at the Presidio on April 22nd from 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm at the Presidio Chapel (130 Fisher Loop, Presidio, San Francisco) to:

1. learn about our partnership & how we can serve you
2. share your vision for interfaith efforts in the Bay
3. experience a participatory design process towards deepening collaboration among interfaith orgs/councils

We are looking to draw the interfaith councils of the Bay Area more closely together in order to multiply our resources, increase our impact, and work more effectively toward interreligious understanding and cooperation. If you are a board member of one of our local councils, we encourage you to join this conversation. If you are just interested in exploring the connections, we welcome you.
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PLEASE RSVP HERE

​THIRD SUNDAY CONCERTS. April’s Third Sunday Concert features pianist Leyla Kabuli and Price Duo (piano and clarinet) on April 15 at 4:00 pm at the Presidio Chapel. 

The Third Sunday Concert Finale is slated for Sunday, May 20 at 4:00 pm at the Presidio Chapel, and will feature San Francisco State University Handbell Ensemble and San Francisco Third Baptist Organist.

These promise to be spectacular programs, so plan now to be with us!

PRESIDIO CHAPEL TOURS. Guided tours of the home of the Interfaith Center will be available on Sundays through September 30. Visit the historic Spanish Mission Revival style Presidio Chapel, built by the Army in 1931, with a breathtaking view of San Francisco Bay. It is home to a 33 foot mural by Victor Arnautoff, a protégé of Diego Rivera, and stained glass windows by Willemina Ogterop, the first woman stained glass artist west of the Mississippi to be inducted into the Stained Glass Artists Guild.

GIRL SCOUT SUNDAY.  For several years, the local Girl Scouts have met at the Presidio Chapel to celebrate those girls who had earned their religious badges. Sponsored by religious communities, these badges help girls learn and grow in their specific religious commitments, while recognizing the differences among groups and traditions. This year’s gathering included a presentation from Islamic Networks Group co-founder Ameena Jandali. Congratulations to the young women who earned this distinction!

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​The Parliament of the World’s Religions has announced some of the keynote speakers to inspire and challenge attendees in Toronto this November. They include Armene Modi, who founded Ashta No Kai (ANK), a non-profit organization to educate and empower rural women and girls in India. Professor Payam Akhavan, teacher and international lawyer who specializes in confronting genocide. Christiana Figueres, an internationally recognized leader on global climate change. Ms. Habiba Dahir, is a program officer for the Women in international Security –Horn of Africa (HoA).She focuses on the research and programming related activities on Countering Violent Extremism particularly in countries in the Greater Horn of Africa. And more. For listings and descriptions, go to the Parliament website.

THE INTERFAITH OBSERVER. The Interfaith Observer (TIO) is an independent internet journal about all things interfaith. While dialogue is highly valuable in the interfaith movement, artistic expression touches us on level beyond words. It can be a transformative experience that brings us to a new level of community. This issue explores both art’s restorative qualities and the ways it can be used to inspire social action. Enjoy! –TIO Team

• An Artful Approach to Interfaith Chaplaincy  by Jenifer Miller
• An Artist’s Journey Beyond the Walls of Division  by Andre van Zijl
• Epiphany at the Altar of a Sand Mandala by Billy Doidge Kilgore
• Reimagining Religion: New Stories, New Communities by Bud Heckman
• Groundbreaking Interfaith Curriculum Being Published  by Paul Chaffee
• How Stories Can Smash Stereotypes  An INTER Interview
• ‘Music Unites, Where Words Divide’  by Marcus Braybrooke
• Sacred Sound & Music  by Todd Glacy
• Of Music and Martyrdom  by Zola Jesus
• Where Does the Interfaith Muse Reside? by Ruth Broyde Sharone
• Exploring the Inner Journey of Kahlil Gibran  by Paul-Gordon Chandler
• Igniting the Sacred Power of the Arts: Interview of Ahmane’ Glover and Erik W. Martínez Resly by Eleanor Goldfield

NOTES & QUOTES:  “My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together” – Desmond Tutu…

SUPPORT ICP!  To be able to provide the services to the interfaith community in the Bay Area and to maintain our­ facility in a manner that guarantees both its safety and its beauty, we depend on friends like you to share our vision and support our ultimate cause: to bring peace and understanding to humankind, not only in San Francisco, but throughout the Bay Area and beyond. Please join us in our efforts to continue the dialogue with those who are different from us to help lead the way in bringing harmony and peace to our world.


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 calendar@interfaith-presidio.org. 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 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

INTERFAITH MARCH. On April 29, 2018, people across America will be participating in a coordinated event called the Interfaith March for Peace & Justice – a non-partisan, positive re-assertion of the principles of equal justice and religious liberty. This event was initiated by the Safe Alliance for Interfaith Leaders in Columbus, OH (an aspiring URI Cooperation Circle) and it has the support of a number of organizations including the Interfaith Association of Central Ohio and the Unitarian Universalist Peace Ministry Network. We would love for other groups to join in this effort and we invite you to check out our website at interfaithmarch.com or follow us on facebook at facebook.com/interfaithmarch.

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN FOCUS. The Civil Rights Division of the US Department of Jusicts has released the March 2018 issue of Religious Freedom in Focus, a periodic email update about the Civil Rights Division’s ongoing efforts to protect religious freedom.

WOMEN RELIGIOUS LEADERS HIGHLIGHTED. The December issue of Nob Hill Gazette featured an interview with four women who are religious leaders in the San Francisco Bay Area. Writer Janet Reilly interviewed the Reverend Dr. Ellen Clark-King of Grace Cathedral, the Reverend Elizabeth Ekdale of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Rabbi Beth Singer of Congregation Emanu-El and Maha Elgenaidi, executive director of Islamic Networks Group, You can read the article here.

MULTI-RELIGIOUS COOPERATION. Dr. William Vendley, Secretary General of Religions for Peace International, was invited by Global Connections Television (GCTV) at the United Nations to discuss how multi-religious cooperation among the world’s religions is a unique and powerful way to address urgent challenges. Religions for Peace is the world’s largest and most representative multi-religious coalition dedicated to advancing common action among the world religious communities for peace. You can watch the video interview 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 calendar@interfaith-presidio.org. 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.