BAIC November 2017

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: Veterans Day | Commemorating Internment | Joanna Brooks |  Chapel Tours  |Around the Bay |  Compassion in the City | The Interfaith Observer| Parliament 2018 | Notes & Quotes | Send Us Your News | Bay Area Interreligious Calendar | Special Opportunities | Subscribe to BAIC
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NOVEMBER AT THE PRESIDIO CHAPELREMEMBERING VETERANS: Fighting ceased at the end of World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” – when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars and became Veterans Day.
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Since 2011, the Interfaith Center at the Presidio has offered an Interfaith Service of Remembrance, with music, prayers, and silent reflection on Veterans through the years. This year the observance will take place on Saturday, November 11, 11:00 am at the Presidio Chapel, 130 Fisher Loop, Presidio, San Francisco [map].

COMMEMORATING THE INTERNMENT: Chika Inoue, saxophone, and Mary Au, piano, in Concert. Featured will be “Behind Barbed Wire,” composed by Presidio composer Deon Nielsen Price, in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the signing of EO9066, which led to the incarceration of 120,000 Japanese-Americans from 1942-1946. The story is told through music, narration of Haiku and Tanka poetry written by internees in the camps, and a documentary video with footage from the camps. Also music by Schubert, A. Waignein, Ryo Noda, & Komitas.
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Sunday November 19, 2017, 3:00 pm at the Presidio Chapel, 130 Fisher Loop, Presidio, San Francisco [map]. Free admission and ample parking. More information here.

SHOULDER TO THE WHEEL with Joanna Brooks. White Supremacy, Mormonism, and the 40th Anniversary of the End of the LDS Black Priesthood/ Temple Ban. An interactive Fireside with Joanna Brooks, award-winning scholar and author or editor of nine books about American culture, religion, and politics. She serves on the boards of several organizations for progressive people of faith.
Saturday, November 4, 7:00 pm at the Presidio Chapel, 130 Fisher Loop, Presidio, San Francisco [map]. Co-sponsored by the Interfaith Center and the Bay Area Mormon Studies Council.

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DOCENT TOURS OF PRESIDIO CHAPEL. The Open House/Docent Tours at the Presidio Chapel each Sunday from 11:00 am to 1:30 pm. Come and view the historic 33′ fresco painted by Victor Arnautoff, a protegé of Diego Rivera, and the stained glass windows created by Willemina Ogterop, the first woman stained glass artist west of the Mississippi to be inducted into the Stained Glass Artists Guild. Our docent, Daniel Johnson, serves to make your visit memorable and informative. The open house is listed on the Presidio Trust’s website with other guided tours. Learn more about the Presidio Chapel here and then plan to visit us and take a tour.

AROUND THE BAY:

• Communities across the nation were stunned by the news of the October 1 mass shooting in Las Vegas. Among the local councils sponsoring interfaith services of remembrance and calling for an end to the violence were the Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County and Marin Interfaith Council. The San Francisco Interfaith Council invited people to respond to the tragedy by joining with the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
• Later in the month, the devastating fires in the North Bay Area devastated communities, leaving many people homeless and traumatized. The Marin Interfaith Council and the San Francisco Interfaith Council especially played important roles in mobilizing assistance from the religious communities for the victims. Marin Interfaith Council has provided a list of useful ways to give or receive assistance following the fires. The Interfaith Council of Sonoma County held a special interfaith Healing Service in Santa Rosa on October 25.

COMPASSION IN THE CITY. A new online course from the Charter for Compassion aims to invite participants to explore all aspects of city life and to examine how by working with our attitudes and habits we can find countless ways to transform whatever we meet into an opportunity to become more free, happy and compassionate. “How to Be Compassionate in Urban Society” is led by Maureen Cooper, founding director of Awareness in Action, an organization dedicated to showing people how to combine well-being and excellence in the work environment. An accomplished practitioner of Buddhist meditation, Maureen is the author of The Compassionate Mind Guide to Reducing Stress that brings together the best of modern science and the wisdom of the world’s ancient contemplative traditions into a practical manual for thriving in today’s insanely fast-paced world. The course begins November 5; cost is $95.

THE INTERFAITH OBSERVER. The Interfaith Observer (TIO) is an independent internet journal about all things interfaith. Spirituality is beautiful. From within its diversity, it has the ability to touch the life of each person in some way. Given what we face today, we are in need of spirituality in our lives – moments to take a step back and marvel at the breathtaking aspects of nature and the unity present in the universe. Moments to remember our own interconnectedness with the universe and one another. This month’s issue of TIO offers a glimpse into the realm of spirituality. Enjoy! –TIO Team

• Spiritual Exploration in Tough Times by Paul Chaffee
• Embracing the “Full Catastrophe” by Patricia Adams Farmer
• Four Paradoxes on the Path of Yoga by Philip Goldberg
• The Wholeness of Nature by Katie Reis
• The Growing Edge of Interspirituality? by Kurt Johnson
• Dogma is a Danger to Us All by Ruth Broyde Sharone
• Bede Griffiths – Interfaith’s Interspiritual Pioneer by Marcus Braybrooke
• Encountering Mary Magdalene by Kathe Schaaf and Kay Lindahl
• Learning to Live in a Living Universe by Duane Elgin
• Spiritual Exploring with Kids by Vicki Garlock

PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD”S RELIGIONS
Toronto,  Canada
November 1-7, 2018
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“The Promise of Inclusion & the Power of Love: Pursuing Global Understanding, Reconciliation, and Change” will be the theme for the 125th anniversary gathering of the Parliament of the World’s Religions. The Parliament invites proposals for programs, presentations, and performances at the 2018 Parliament of the World’s Religions, to be held in November 1 – 7 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Why Toronto? Here’s a video tour of the religious diversity that Toronto enjoys:

NOTES & QUOTES:
A “deep ecumenism” “could be summed up as an exercise in acknowledging the Other, welcoming the Stranger and reconciling the Enemy. This is no wishy-washy liberalism or cheap ecumenism, soft on doctrine and willing to compromise. It is the ethical core of all genuine religion.” – Dr John D’Arcy May… “It’s not kumbaya, saying nice things about others’ religions. It’s painful and people wince a little, but an atmosphere is created where you can say what bothers you, and there is compassion and caring.” Rabbi Ron Kronish


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 @. 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
DEALING WITH DISASTERS. The recent hurricanes in the Southeast and the fires in the Bay Area have raised awareness of the role that religious communities may be called upon to play during times of disaster. Preparing for the impact of a disaster both on the religious community and its facilities and for the call on the community for relief and support for the wider population are things to consider before disaster strikes. Two resources with suggestions and resources for considering your own preparedness are the National Disaster Interfaiths Network (http://www.n-din.org/) and Disasters and Faith Based Organizations (https://disastersandfaith.com/).


NEW CONTEMPLATIVES SCHOLARSHIP. Applications are now available for the 2018 New Contemplatives, a scholarship and award from Spiritual Directors International that creates opportunities for spiritual guidance and contemplative formation for people in the first half of their lives.  New Contemplatives will receive a full scholarship plus hotel and a travel stipend for the Spiritual Directors International Seeking Connection conference in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, April 26-29, 2018. SDI seeks candidates that reflect the human diversity on our planet. Deadline for receiving applications is Friday, December 1, 2017. You must be a spiritual director (that we define broadly) with at least one year of experience to apply. Please see this post for a list of defining characteristics for an authentic spiritual director. http://www.sdiworld.org/blog/what-makes-good-spiritual-director  


COUNTERING THE “MUSLIM BAN.” The Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign, a national effort to stand against prejudice against Muslims has developed an Interfaith Toolkit with information and guidelines for groups that want to take action against the newest version of the Muslim ban. The toolkit can be found here.


FRANK v. GOD FILM: “Frank vs. God” is a comedy that asks the big questions with a light-hearted tone and an open mind. The film is an uplifting story of one man’s search for answers, by taking them to a higher court. “Great for interfaith discussions of all kinds. It sets a wonderful model for interfaith relations, as it shows leaders of all religious groups working together.” –Rabbi Mark Glickman, Congregation Kol Ami. Available on DVD and through streaming video; see details at www.frankvsgod.com/

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 BAICAbout 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.