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 [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 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 [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.

The Third Sunday Concert on March18 featured Mary Lou Newmark- electric violinist, composer, poet/playwright. Her music combines live electric violin and vocal performance, original poetry, electronically processed sounds, beats, and noisy toys. She creates unique compositions that inhabit their own musical ecosystems.
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March 18, Mary Lou Newmark Program

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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!
​

REGIONAL INTERFAITH COOPERATIONOn February 28, ICP hosted a gathering of the leaders of interfaith organizations around the Bay at the Presidio Chapel as part of our ongoing efforts to serve the diverse traditions of the Bay Area.

The leaders had the opportunity to meet Jaya Reinhalter, a new staffer for the United Religions Initiative, who will be devoting half-time to working with Cooperating Circles in the area. Most of the interfaith organizations in our area are Cooperating Circles of the URI, and so Jaya will be working together with ICP to explore ways to improve communication and cooperation between our several groups to make interfaith collaboration more visible and effective in the Bay Area.

Attendees at the meeting included leaders from Marin Interfaith Council, San Francisco Interfaith Council, Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County, Eden Area Interfaith Council, TriCities Interfaith Council, and the SIlicon Valley Interreligious Council, as well as Islamic Networks Group, a nation-wide educational organization based in San Jose.
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THIRD SUNDAY CONCERTS. 
The Third Sunday Concert for February presented a showcase of musical talent, spirituals, songs, and instrumental music from African-American composers of yesterday and today. 


The March concert features Electric Violinist-Composer and Poet

Mary Lou Newmark to celebrate Women’s History Month with “Room to Breathe.”  Sunday, March 18th, 4:00 pm at the Presidio Chapel.


A BUSY YEAR FOR INTERFAITH. 2018 is shaping up to be a notable year for interfaith gatherings. Among the upcoming national and international events are:
URI North America Assembly:  July 27-29, 2018, Baltimore, MD

Each United Religions Initiative North America Cooperation Circle and Affiliate is invited to send one representative to this weekend-long retreat for interfaith peacebuilders. It will provide an opportunity for URI people in the US and Canada to meet one another, share skills, learn new ways of doing things, find inspiration and get refreshed. Registration for the gathering includes food, lodging, programming and transportation to/from the airport (if necessary). Each URI North America Cooperation Circle and Affiliate is invited to send one representative on a “pay what you can” model. Need-based financial assistance for travel is also available. Participants should be able to stay for the entire event (late afternoon of July 27 through 1:00 pm on July 29, 2018).  If more than one person from your group would like to attend the gathering, they can add their name to the waiting list. (Please note that financial assistance will not be available for additional representatives.) Registration is due by April 1; see details and registration info here.

Re-Imagining Interfaith: 
July 29-August 1, 2018, Washington, D.C.
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Interfaith work has traditionally been all about bridge building but what are the bridges that we haven’t been so great at building? This gathering will focus not on the academic side of this question but on the practical side. All of our tracks will be focused on equipping and empowering activists working across lines of difference with the skills they need to get us there. Training will be offered in 6 Program Tracks: Cultivating Inclusive Communities in the Face of Religious Discrimination; Community Organizing: Initiating and Sustaining Social Change Movements; Staying “Woke”: Recognizing Privilege, Challenging Systemic Oppression; Interfaith Organizing in a Changing Spiritual Landscape; Making a Movement: Building Skills to Bring Interfaith to the Next Level. Co-sponsored by numerous diverse organizations, including Religions for Peace-USA, Shoulder-to-Shoulder, World Congress of Faith, the Interfaith Funders Group, the International Association for Religious Freedom and multiple faith communities. See details and registration at www.reimagineinterfaith.org/

NAINConnect: 2018 July 31–August 3, Edmonton, Canada
Make a pilgrimage to a 10,000-year-old Indigenous Peoples’ sacred meeting site for the annual gathering of the North American Interfaith Network. This year’s theme is ” Pilgrimage: Journeys of Discovery.”  Check out the keynote speakers and program as they are announced at nain2018edmonton.ca/ . Interested young adults, aged 18-35, are encouraged to apply for a Young Adult Summit that will be held the first day of the conference. Details and application here; apply by March 15. Early bird registration for the full conference is available until the end of March.
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Parliament of the World’s Religions: November 1-7. 2018, Toronto, Canada
The Parliament will once again bring together from all around the world aiming to cultivate harmony among the world’s religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its guiding institutions in order to achieve a just, peaceful and sustainable world. The theme this time is “The Promise of Inclusion: The Power of Love,” and the Parliament promises to be a memorable mix of more than 500 programs, workshops, and dialogues, alongside music, dance, art and photography exhibitions, and related events presented by the world’s religious communities and cultural institutions. Program proposals still being accepted through April 1; see Call for Proposals. Early bird registration is available until March 31; registration and details are available at parliamentofreligions.org/

​PRESIDIO CHAPEL TOURS. Guided tours of the home of the Interfaith Center are again available. 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. SundayMarch 25, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm.

COMPASSION FILM. The film Risking Light will have its World Premiere in Competition at the 2018 Cinequest Film & VR Festival on March 3, 5, and 9, with screenings in San Jose and Redwood City. The film highlights stories of 3 people from diverse religious backgrounds as they struggle with the question of forgiveness. From the streets of Minneapolis, the aboriginal lands of Australia, and the killing fields of Cambodia come the powerful stories of three people who had the courage to step out of the haunting, tragic darkness of the past, risking everything to reach the light of their own compassion.

Risking Light is a thought-provoking documentary that explores resilience, and the painful process of moving from grief to compassion and forgiveness. Through the unforgettable stories of Mary Johnson, who grieves a murdered son; Debra Hocking, a victim of government-sanctioned genocide; and Kilong Ung, who survived the terror of the Khmer Rouge, Risking Light challenges us to examine our own beliefs about forgiveness and ask “What would the world look like if we could learn to forgive one another?” View trailer here.

The director Dawn Mikkelson, producer Miranda Wilson, and storyteller Kilong Ung will be in attendance at the festival. More information on tickets, screening times, etc. can be found here.

SCARBORO MISSIONS INTERFAITH OFFICE CLOSES. For twenty years, the Interfaith Department of Scarboro MIssions, based in Ontario, Canada is a Society of Canadian Catholics, has sponsored an archive of valuable materials for interfaith relations. The faithful hand behind their Interfaith Office over the years has been Paul McKenna. Sadly, the Interfaith Office was closed at the end of 2017.

In the spring of 2018, their interfaith and golden rule web resources will be transferred to Regis College, a Jesuit theological college in Toronto, Canada. All existing links to their interfaith web resources will remain valid and will be redirected to Regis College.

• Principles and guidelines for interfaith dialogue:  explores the goals, types and stages of dialogue and touches on issues such as interfaith etiquette, listening, peace-building, hospitality, respectful presence and dialogue-versus-debate. These principles and guidelines are useful for those who are new to interfaith as well as for veterans of interfaith work.
• Interfaith curriculum and educational resources:   online courses, toolkits, best practices, do-it-yourself workshops, activities, multifaith prayer services, how-to-manuals, guidelines, games, starter kits, meditations, slideshows, etc.
• Golden Rule education resources:    interactive resources, meditation exercises, videos, multilingual posters, art activities, do-it-yourself workshops, slide programs, discussion questions, Golden Rule websites, books, toolkits, best practices, and school & youth group curricula:
• Church and Dialogue:   This collection of resources chronicles the Catholic Church’s 50-year journey of dialogue with other religions, a journey that began with the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s.

Our heartfelt thanks to Scarboro Missions and Paul for their significant contribution to interfaith cooperation!

THE INTERFAITH OBSERVER. The Interfaith Observer (TIO) is an independent internet journal about all things interfaith. This month TIO is taking time to review 2017. Below you will find a few of the “best” articles from the past year. They encourage and challenge us, and broaden our perspective. In addition, you will find a tribute to the late bold interfaith visionary Bill Lesher, who died in February, and the most inspiring videos from the year. –TIO Team

• A Tribute to Bill Lesher  by Joseph Prabhu
• Best of TIO Videos 2017  by Megan Anderson
• Ethics in the Swamp: The Rot of Corruption by Katherine Marshall
• All I Have Is a Voice by Marcus Braybrooke
• Slow Food Movement – Revaluing What We Eat  by Paul Chaffee
• What if Animals Believe in God?  by Andrew Aghapour
• An Excerpt from “The Hundred-Year Walk” – An Armenian Odyssey” by Dawn Anahid MacKeen
• On Discovering and Re-Imagining Interfaith  by Bud Heckman
• Seizing an Alternative  by Philip Clayton
• Spiritual Exploring with Kids  by Vicki Garlock
• Dogma is a Danger to Us All by Ruth Broyde Sharone
• Despina Namwembe and Grassroots Interfaith in Africa – A TIO Interview

NOTES & QUOTES: “from a spiritual perspective—and this is in line with the teachings of most of the world’s religions—a threat of violence should be a last resort, not a first response. – Gudjon Bergmann… [If I had a magic wand, I would …] “Remove assault and automatic weapons from the hands of our citizens.” – Rabbi Beth Singer...”All our faiths are grounded in the common value of compassion. We affirm fair treatment for all and the centrality of “loving our neighbors as ourselves.” Prejudice, animosity, or violence against any group of people is completely antithetical to our religious principles. We promote our national values which declare that we are one nation with ‘liberty and justice for all.’” – TriCities Interfaith Council…
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 [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 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.

INTERFAITH CALENDAR. The San Francisco Interfaith Council has made a 2018 Interfaith Calendar available with listings of religious observances from many traditions. They offer the calendar as an aid to scheduling and avoiding potential conflicts, with apologies for any omissions or oversights that might have occurred. You can find the calendar in .pdf form here.

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 [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.

The Third Sunday Concert on February 18 featured several musicians from the African-American Composers Initiative singing and playing music from African-American Composers.

Performers included the Picasso Ensemble (Susan C. Brown, Victoria Ehrlich, and  Josephine Gandolfi), LaDoris Cordell, Josephine Gandolfi, Othello Jefferson, and Deanne Tucker. They shared spirituals, the blues, and other compositions from  Undine Smith Moore, William Grant Still, Joshua McGhee, Valerie Capers, and more.

African-American Concert Program
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​IN THIS ISSUE: Happy World Interfaith Harmony Week | Interim ICP Director | Four Chaplains Sunday | Third Sunday Concerts | Presidio Chapel Tours | Interfaith Calendar | Farewell, Bill Lesher | The Interfaith Observer| Notes & Quotes | Support ICP | Send Us Your News | Bay Area Interreligious Calendar | Special Opportunities | Subscribe to BAIC
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HAPPY WORLD INTERFAITH HARMONY WEEK!

This first week of February is World Interfaith Harmony Week, offering a time for interfaith groups around the world to showcase and celebrate the power of interreligious cooperation. So much interfaith cooperation goes on quietly, beneath the notice of many in their own communities, but makes significant contributions to the peace and well-being of those communities.

In a declaration on November 2010, the UN General Assembly noted “the imperative need for dialogue among different faiths and religions to enhance mutual understanding, harmony and cooperation among people,” and that “the moral imperatives of all religions, convictions and beliefs call for peace, tolerance and mutual understanding.” They reaffirmed that “mutual understanding and interreligious dialogue constitute important dimensions of a culture of peace,” and proclaimed “the first week of February every year the World Interfaith Harmony Week between all religions, faiths and beliefs.” You can find out more about the initiative, learn how people around the world plan to honor the Week, or register your own event at worldinterfaithharmonyweek.com/

The Four Chaplains were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and Purple Heart posthumously, and received a Special Medal for Heroism (equivalent of the Medal of Honor) in 1961. They were honored with a US stamp in 1948, and Congress proclaimed the Sunday closest to February 4 as Four Chaplains Day in 1988. You can find out more about them online at the Four Chaplains Memorial Foundation, and Wikipedia.

THIRD SUNDAY CONCERTS. The Amaranth Quartet of San Francisco, including violinists Emily Botel and Abigail Shiman, violist Julie Michael, and cellist Helen Newby, shared a moving afternoon of chamber music at the Presidio Chapel as part of the Third Sunday Concert Series. See some photos here.
The next concert in the series will be  a showcase of musical talent, spirituals, songs, and instrumental music from African-American composers of yesterday and today. Sunday, February 18 at 4:00 pm at the ICP Chapel. See details here.

PRESIDIO CHAPEL TOURS. Guided tours of the home of the Interfaith Center are again available. 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. Sundays, February 25 and March 25, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm.
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INTERFAITH CALENDAR. The San Francisco Interfaith Council has made a 2018 Interfaith Calendar available with listings of religious observances from many traditions. They offer the calendar as an aid to scheduling and avoiding potential conflicts, with apologies for any omissions or oversights that might have occurred. You can find the calendar in .pdf form here.

FAREWELL TO BILL LESHER. We were saddened to learn of the death last month of Rev. Bill Lesher, Chair Emeritus of the Parliament of the World’s Religions, a significant champion of the global interfaith movement. A tribute from the Parliament quotes Bill as saying:

“I think of the inter-religious movement as the spiritual expression of the globalized world. The very existence of the interreligious movement is a massive change in the religious landscape of the world, brought about by the technological advances that have created this age of globalization. The movement itself is a necessary response to the “marbleization” of the religions (to use an expression coined by Diana Eck) in a world where the different religions are not neatly separated on different continents, but flow together like the colors in a polished piece of marble. The interreligious movement is providing the occasions for believers of various religious traditions to engage one another, to respect and better understand each other. Out of these encounters, friendships are being formed and common action is being undertaken to address local and global needs. The movement is an essential force for good that is helping humanity meet the challenges of the modern world.”

See tributes to Bill at the Parliament website; an article about Bill, his wife Jean, and their work together appeared in The Interfaith Observer in April of last year. He will be greatly missed.

​THE INTERFAITH OBSERVER. The Interfaith Observer (TIO) is an independent internet journal about all things interfaith. This month’s issue highlights the thoughts and experiences of some of our young interfaith leaders. These articles challenge our assumptions about interfaith and demand that we work harder to be more inclusive and intentional in our work. While not always easy to hear, their messages are necessary ones. How lucky we are to have such fiery spirits providing leadership in our movement! –TIO Team

• Why Religious Diversity is the Pathway to Peace by Victor Kazanjian
• Spirituality & Practice – Part 2  by Paul Chaffee
• God With(in) the World by Diana Butler Bass
• Reimagining the Interfaith Movement by Tahil Sharma and Megan Anderson
• Relinquishing Taboos by Miranda Hovemeyer 
• Courage from the Other Side  by Johnny Martin
• Fardosa Hassan: Creating Space for Questions by Ibrahim Hirsi
• Interspiritual Fraternity in Mexico City by Elías González
• Transforming Our Differences  by Tahil Sharma
• Interreligious Wherewithal  by Hans Gustafson
• Model Programs for Teens/Tweens/Young Adults by Vicki Garlock
• An Interfaith Vision for the Future of Faith  by Jennifer Bailey
• A Letter to Myself Seven Generations Into Our Future by Ta’Kaiya Blaney

NOTES & QUOTES: “Diversity of any kind — whether it be religious, cultural or ideological — comes with a degree of disagreement and tension. Recognizing that this tension, and even resulting conflict, are necessary and healthy parts of a diverse democracy seems to be particularly difficult for those who view difference as a threat to their own identity.” – Victor Kazanjian…  “Bad as things may be at times, fear really is our greatest enemy. It’s still a wonderful life, a wonderful creation, full of possibilities and potential.” – Bill Lesher…“If the religious community is going to make an impact, they need to do it together. The Christian community can’t do it by themselves, because of the number of faith traditions that are out there.” – Rev. Dr. Alvin Edwards…

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 [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
​
Information about the Parliament
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.

RE-IMAGINING INTERFAITH. A conference in Washington, D.C., July 29-August 1, 2018, Re-Imagining Interfaith is a global gathering for grassroots activists and interfaith peacebuilders focused on skill-building, networking, and organizing.  Training will be offered in 6 Program Tracks: Cultivating Inclusive Communities in the Face of Religious Discrimination; Community Organizing: Initiating and Sustaining Social Change Movements; Staying “Woke”: Recognizing Privilege, Challenging Systemic Oppression; Interfaith Organizing in a Changing Spiritual Landscape; Making a Movement: Building Skills to Bring Interfaith to the Next Level. Co-sponsored by numerous diverse organizations, including Religions for Peace-USA, Shoulder-to-Shoulder, World Congress of Faith, the Interfaith Funders Group, the International Association for Religious Freedom and multiple faith communities. See details and registration at www.reimagineinterfaith.org/

MULTIFAITH CALENDAR. The 2018 Multifaith Calendar offers a quick and accurate reference to dates and descriptions of approx 240 culturally relevant observances and holidays for 14 world religions (including religious accommodation references), plus many additional public holidays, UN events, etc. The MFC also includes a carefully selected collection of stunning original art. It’s available from the Interfaith Marketplace for $14.95 plus shipping.

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.

This entry was posted in BAIC and tagged newsletter on January 31, 2018.
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The January 3rd Sunday Concert featured the the Amaranth Quartet, which has been playing in the Bay Area  since 2013. They performed music by Felix Mendelssohn, Fodé Lassana Diabaté, Garth Knox, Rhiannon Giddens.
The Amaranth Quartet includes violinists Emily Botel and Abigail Shiman, violist Julie Michael, and cellist Helen Newby.
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!
At least according to the Gregorian Calendar, we are entering a new year, with all the hopes and potentials that new beginnings offer. The name of this month, January, takes its name from the Roman god Janus, the patron of thresholds. Janus is represented with two faces- one looking back at the past and one turned toward the future. Thresholds have long been deemed holy places, marking the transition from inside to outside, from darkness to light, from past to future. What will this new year hold?

Here’s one vision, from Margari Aziza Hill

2018 will be the year that churches, mosques, temples, synagogues, Gurdwaras and sacred spaces will work together to protect the most vulnerable. I see more people of faith coming together motivated to heal the divides and ugliness not just in their societies, but in their neighborhoods. 2018 will be the year that faith-based organizing will no longer be an aberration. I see faith leaders reaching across the aisle, pushing back against the nativism, xenophobia and partisanship. 2018 will be more investment in faith-based organizing, moving policies, healing on a city-wide, county-wide, state-wide and national level.

As we enter this new year together, may we commit ourselves even more deeply to the ongoing work of celebrating our diverse religious traditions and working together to unleash the power of interreligious cooperation to building a better world for all!
SUPPORT ICP!  This is the time of year when it seems that every organization doing worthy work is asking for your support, and ICP is no different. 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.
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HOLIDAY MUSIC AT ICP. The December offering of our Third Sunday Concerts featured several performers: Kokomon and Ayeeshah Clottey shared the meaning of Kwanzaa through music and story in a most captivating way. Cantor Brian Reich sang about Hanukkah with warmth and humor. Deon Neilson Price, Linda Baird and Josephine Gandolfi played beautiful Christmas music, including some of Deon’s original work.

Among the 80 attendees were four members of the Coexister Interfaith Tour from France, who are traveling around the world, learning about interfaith cooperation in many countries. They interviewed our ICP staff for a future video report.

Our next Third Sunday Concert will feature Chamber Music and the Amaranth String Quartet playing music from several composers. Sunday, January 21, 2018, 4:00 pm. Free concert. 

WORLD INTERFAITH HARMONY WEEK is coming soon! Celebrated the first week of February every year, World Interfaith Harmony Week “provides a platform—one week in a year—when all interfaith groups and other groups of goodwill can show the world what a powerful movement they are. The thousands of events organized by these groups often go unnoticed not only by the general public, but also by other groups themselves. This week will allow for these groups to become aware of each other and strengthen the movement by building ties and avoiding duplicating each others’ efforts.” Groups are invited to schedule events celebrating interfaith cooperation and share them on an international calendar. See more at worldinterfaithharmonyweek.com/

UN DECLARATION ON INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE. In December, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a draft resolution affirming the importance of interreligious dialogue in developing cultures of peace. The proposed resolution “Recognizes the importance of interreligious and intercultural dialogue and its valuable contribution to promoting social cohesion, peace and development, and calls upon Member States to consider, as appropriate and where applicable, interreligious and intercultural dialogue as an important tool in efforts aimed at achieving peace and social stability and the full realization of internationally agreed development goals” and further “Condemns any advocacy of religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence, whether it involves the use of print, audiovisual or electronic media or any other means.” Full text of the resolution is available here.

THE INTERFAITH OBSERVER. The Interfaith Observer (TIO) is an independent internet journal about all things interfaith. This month’s issue explores a variety of different roads one can travel to foster trust. –TIO Team

• Differences & Disagreements: Crossing the Final Bridge by Paul Chaffee
• Breaking Down the Walls of Our Hearts by Marcus Braybrooke
• A Surprising Surge of Hope by Paul B. Raushenbush
• Interfaith Holiday Books for Kids by Vicki Garlock
• Review: Learning to Live Well Together by Paul Chaffee
• A Bold Flagship Experiment in Living Well Together by Bud Heckman
• Aziza Hasan: Breaking New Ground  by Ruth Broyde Sharone
• Meeting People Where They Are by Rev. Andrea Goodman
• Recognizing the Secret Community by Deborah Moldow
• 7 Myths About Raising Interfaith Kids by Suzan Katz Miller
• A Call to Professionalize Interfaith in Higher Education by Cody Nielsen
• Coming to Grips with Christian Normativity by Kevin Singer

NOTES & QUOTES: “When we seek what is truest in our own tradition, we discover we are one with those who seek what is truest in their tradition.” – James Finley…”[U]nderneath the very real differences between religions and peoples lies a unifying foundation.” – Fr. Richard Rohr…”If we are to have peace on earth, our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional. Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective. – Martin Luther King, Jr.…”Different religious traditions can engage in dialogue with one another in a true spirit of ecumenism. Dialogue can be fruitful and enriching if both sides are truly open. . . . Peace will be a beautiful flower blooming on this field of practice.”  – Thich Nhat Hanh (with thanks to Richard Rohr’s reflections on “Interfaith Friendship.”

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
RE-IMAGINING INTERFAITH. A conference in Washington, D.C., July 29-August 1, 2018, Re-Imagining Interfaith is a global gathering for grassroots activists and interfaith peacebuilders focused on skill-building, networking, and organizing.  Training will be offered in 6 Program Tracks: Cultivating Inclusive Communities in the Face of Religious Discrimination; Community Organizing: Initiating and Sustaining Social Change Movements; Staying “Woke”: Recognizing Privilege, Challenging Systemic Oppression; Interfaith Organizing in a Changing Spiritual Landscape; Making a Movement: Building Skills to Bring Interfaith to the Next Level. Co-sponsored by numerous diverse organizations, including Religions for Peace-USA, Shoulder-to-Shoulder, World Congress of Faith, the Interfaith Funders Group, the International Association for Religious Freedom and multiple faith communities. See details and registration at www.reimagineinterfaith.org/

MULTIFAITH CALENDAR. The 2018 Multifaith Calendar offers a quick and accurate reference to dates and descriptions of approx 240 culturally relevant observances and holidays for 14 world religions (including religious accommodation references), plus many additional public holidays, UN events, etc. The MFC also includes a carefully selected collection of stunning original art. It’s available from the Interfaith Marketplace for $14.95 plus shipping.

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.

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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.

The holiday concert on December 17 was a great success. Nearly 80 people attended the event.  All of the musicians gave wonderful performances.  Kokomon and Ayeeshah Clottey shared the meaning of Kwanzaa through music and story in a most captivating way.  Cantor Brian Reich sang about Hanukkah with warmth and humor. Deon Neilson Price, Linda Baird and Josephine Gandolfi played beautiful Christmas music, including some of Deon’s original work.

The Coexister Interfaith Tour group from France attended the concert as well.  It was exciting to have them as guests for the evening.  They interviewed a few of us for their video project after the concert.
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The concert took place at the same time of the Memorial Service for San Francisco Mayor Lee.  We remembered him with a moment of silence as we began.  He and his administration worked closely with San Francisco Interfaith Council on many important issues.  His first Pre-Inaugural Interfaith Service was held at the Chapel.  He will be missed.