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: International VIsitors | Chapel Tours | Yezidi Gala | NAINConnect 2017 | Around the Bay| URI Internships | Parliament 2018 | The Interfaith Observer | Notes & Quotes | Send Us Your News | Bay Area Interreligious Calendar | Special Opportunities | Subscribe to BAIC Both because of the beauty of the Presidio Chapel and the uniqueness of the interfaith work that the Center enables, the Interfaith Center at the Presidio is often host to visiting delegations from around the world.That was the case recently when 13 emerging national leaders from 10 African nations were invited to participate in a United States Department of State International Leadership Program to learn about Diversity, Multiculturalism, and Interfaith Dialogue. Among those who visited ICP on July 26 were representatives from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Mauritania, and a newswoman from France. They were met by Rita Semel of the ICP Board, and Michael Pappas of the San Francisco Interfaith Council, whose office is in the Presidio Chapel. The International Leadership Program is the U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange program. Participants are nominated by the staff at U.S. Embassies around the world, and typically visit four U.S. communities over three weeks, meeting with local organizations related to their area of interest. DOCENT TOURS OF PRESIDIO CHAPEL. Summertime is a great time to enjoy 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.
INTERFAITH GALA FOR YEZIDI RELIEF. ICP has been a part of the coalition of interfaith groups around the Bay speaking out for the Yezidis, victims of genocide in Northern Iraq. There will be a Gala Dessert Reception to raise funds for relief efforts on Tuesday, August 29, 7:00 – 9:00 pm at Peninsula Sinai Congregation in Foster City. We will be honoring Rev. Victor Kazanjian, Jr., Director of the United Religions Initiative; Rabbi Marvin Goodman, Board of Rabbis of Northern California; and Fatih Ates, Pacifica Instititue. The keynote speaker will be Salem Daoud, head Yezidi religious leader for the United States and Canada. Come help the Yezidis! More information 2017 NAINCONNECT. ICP Board President Fred Fielding will be attending the 2017 NAINConnect, the annual gathering of the North American Interfaith Network. Representatives of interfaith groups from Canada, the United States, and Mexico will gather in San Diego from August 6-10. In addition to a distinguished lineup of speakers and workshop leaders, several young adults have been chosen to participate on the young adult panel. This year’s group, representing the upcoming generation of interfaith activists, includes Tavleen Kaur, Tahil Sharma, Farhana Nizam, Miranda Hovemeyer, Sara Rahim, and Megan Weiss. Find out more about these Young Adult Leaders at the NAIN website. AROUND THE BAY AREA:
URI INTERNSHIPS. United Religions Initiative North America is seeking exceptionally dynamic and self-motivated individuals to fill two remote internship positions for Fall 2017. Both positions are hands-on and provide practical work experience. There is a possibility of receiving academic credit. Applicants of any age and academic level are welcome. The two available positions are: Public Relations/Storytelling Intern and. Social Media Intern. They are accepting applications for these unpaid internships on a rolling basis with a priority deadline of August 13, 2017. For more information on these internships positions, click here. PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD”S RELIGIONS Toronto, Canada November 1-7, 2018 The Parliament is a unique opportunity to meet people engaged in interfaith work from around the world. Mark the dates now, and watch for more news to come! Find out more at the Parliament website. THE INTERFAITH OBSERVER No way to capture these articles with a single theme, and that tells you something about the state of interfaith affairs in the world. The past 50 years represent a sea change. We have gone from a time when pundits were still predicting the end of religion, when the word interfaith drew a blank stare from most people, to the current proliferation of stories of about religion and interreligion. In the meantime interfaith has entered the common lexicon. Enjoy the “Potpourri in the Midst of Disruption.” The Interfaith Observer (TIO) is an independent internet journal about all things interfaith. 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. NOTES & QUOTES: “Religious diversity in America is not just pluralism, but rather, pluralisms within pluralism. Religions and faith traditions should not just be simply understood as singular entities, but as countless spectra of varied beliefs and practices unto themselves. ” – Anthony Harrison…”God has given us many faiths but only one world in which to co-exist. May your work help all of us cherish our commonalities and feel enlarged by our differences.” Lord Jonathan Sacks… 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 KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS WEBINARS. Know Your Neighbors: Multifaith Encounters has launched a webinar series in an effort to share interfaith ideas and resources within and outside of the coalition. Past webinars and resources shared by the participants are available, as well as links to upcoming webinars that are available to join. Sessions now available include:
TAPPING INTO GOD. Debbie Belmessieri, author of Tapping Into God: Experiencing the Spiritual Spectrum, is raising funds to produce the second episode of a film series based on her book. The series features practitioners of diverse faith traditions (who were profiled in the book) coming together for a spontaneous dialogue in order to find commonalities. After completing the pilot episode, they were inspired to find that two people of different faiths could interact and support each other in a way where no one was made to feel right or wrong. Viewers will come away with a better understanding of how deeply our humanity unites us in spite of our apparent differences. More information and a chance to support the effort can be found at GoFundMe. 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.
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Know Your Neighbor (KYN) is an effort of compassionate resistance against increasing polarization in the country along political, religious, and cultural divisions. Decades of social science research have shown that personal contact with members of groups you are unfamiliar with is the most effective way to dispel prejudice, and the Know Your Neighbor campaign offers tips, tools, and guides, to help with that exchange. We can do better as a nation, and it begins with us!
From July 20th-27th, Know Your Neighbor’s “Share Your Story” campaign will bring diverse voices together to answer three important questions related to knowing our neighbors — and ourselves:
You can share your own posts and videos answering these questions on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with the hashtag #KnowYourNeighbor, or #KYN on Twitter. Share your story and get to know your neighbors, too! If you’re not comfortable with social media or this particular campaign, you can always utilize the resources on the main campaign page: www.ing.org/KYN 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: America’s Sacred Ground| Arnautoff Book | NAINConnect 2017 | Around the Bay| GTU Exhibits Vestments | Parliament 2018 | The Interfaith Observer | Notes & Quotes | Send Us Your News | Bay Area Interreligious Calendar | Special Opportunities | Subscribe to BAIC Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . . ~First Amendment, United States Constitution The Fourth of July is not only a time for picnics, barbecues, and fireworks. It is also a time when the people of the United States give thanks for the freedoms that we enjoy. Among those is the freedom to believe and worship freely. In these days, freedom of worship and the necessary respect for all religious traditions is being sorely tried. According to Barbara A. McGraw, what lies at the core of the American experience is freedom of conscience– she calls it “America’s Sacred Ground.” McGraw, director of the Center for Engaged Pluralism at St. Mary’s College in Moraga and a familiar participant in interfaith conversations in the Bay Area, writes in her book Rediscovering America’s Sacred Ground (SUNY Press, 2003): It is safe to say that freedom of conscience generally was considered by the founders to be the most important of the inalienable rights. In fact, freedom of conscience had been recognized as inalienable in the state constitutions and declarations of rights even before freedom of speech had been so recognized [81]. Some still argue that the Founders of this nation had only Christians in mind when securing religious liberty, but it is clear that many understood, like Richard Henry Lee, that “. . . we are not disposed to differ much, at present, about religion: but when we are making a constitution, it is to be hoped, for ages and millions yet unborn, why not establish the free exercise of religion, as a part of the national compact?” Such freedom “embraces the Mahomitan [Moslem] and the Gentoo [Hindu] as well as the Christian religion” [83]. So how ever you may celebrate this July 4th, take a moment to give thanks for the gift of religious freedom established by those whose vision was broad enough to enable us to seek our own consciences and to explore ways to work together for the good of all. VICTOR ARNAUTOFF BOOK A new book has been published about Victor Arnautoff, the artist who created the mural in the Post Chapel. Written by California historian Robert Cherney, Victor Arnautoff and the Politics of Art is not only a biography of the muralist who created many projects at the Presidio, Coit Tower and elswhere, but places his art in the context of the social and political tenor of the times. Commissioned in 1935, the Chapel mural shows an image of St. Francis, patron saint of San Francisco, flanked by panels devoted to the early history of California and activities of the Army of the day, along with development of the Golden Gate Bridge. Find out more about Arnautoff and the Chapel mural in this Brochure. 2017 NAINCONNECT The Local San Diego Planning Group has extended the $349 Registration fee for the 2017 NAIN Conference until July 14th. On July 15th, the price goes to $399. UCSD has also extended its apartment registration to that date! The conference takes place August 6-10 in San Diego, California. Over 80 speakers have been scheduled, along with trips to historic and faith-based locations in the San Diego area. They are expecting 200 attendees from across North America. Keynote speakers include Author Azim Khamisa, Catholic 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. The Temple Adat Shalom choir, directed by Cantor Lori Frank, will present songs from “INTERFAITH: The Musical,” created by Ruth Broyde Sharone, The conference will be held at the Price Center at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). Full details and registration can be found at powayinterfaithteam.com/nain/. AROUND THE BAY AREA:
GTU EXHIBIT OF ORTHODOX VESTMENTS. The Doug Adams Gallery at the Graduate Theological Union is offering a display of ten striking Orthodox Christian vestments, telling the story of Orthodoxy throughout the world. The exhibit highlights the questions of these garments as art, sacred items and functional clothing, while keeping their individual cultural contexts at the heart of the discussion. Come and learn about a two-thousand-year-old tradition, passed down from third century Byzantium and kept alive around the world to this day. Free & open to the public. Sacred Garments: Orthodox Christian Vestments from Around the World On view June 6 – August 18, 2017 Closing Reception: Thursday, August 17, 5-7pm Doug Adams Gallery, 2465 Le Conte Avenue, Berkeley PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD”S RELIGIONS Toronto, Canada November 1-7, 2018 The Parliament is a unique opportunity to meet people engaged in interfaith work from around the world. Mark the dates now, and watch for more news to come! Find out more at the Parliament website. THE INTERFAITH OBSERVER Vitality is necessary for interfaith work. We need a certain level of energy to face the joys and the challenges surrounding religion. The stories in this month’s issue represent instances of interfaith vitality across the spectrum. We hope they spark and invigorate your own! –TIO Team The Interfaith Observer (TIO) is an independent internet journal about all things interfaith. 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.
NOTES & QUOTES: “Everyone is contemplative, however not everyone knows it. We’ve all had mystical experiences although we may have failed to recognize them. The frequency and intensity of experiences may vary, but everyone has tasted life’s great mystery.” – Jeff Genung… ” I am not interested in compromising my relationship with my God, but rather believe that welcoming a friend from a different background is doing far more for the Gospel of Peace, than simply arguing a dogmatic position. In fact, I would dare to say, it is doing exactly what Jesus would want.” – Deborah-Ruth Ferber… “No leader is going to give us peace, no government, no army, no country. What will bring peace is inward transformation which will lead to outward action. ” – Jiddu Krishnamurti 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 KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS WEBINARS. Know Your Neighbors: Multifaith Encounters has launched a webinar series in an effort to share interfaith ideas and resources within and outside of the coalition. Past webinars and resources shared by the participants are available, as well as links to upcoming webinars that are available to join. Sessions now available include:
TAPPING INTO GOD. Debbie Belmessieri, author of Tapping Into God: Experiencing the Spiritual Spectrum, is raising funds to produce the second episode of a film series based on her book. The series features practitioners of diverse faith traditions (who were profiled in the book) coming together for a spontaneous dialogue in order to find commonalities. After completing the pilot episode, they were inspired to find that two people of different faiths could interact and support each other in a way where no one was made to feel right or wrong. Viewers will come away with a better understanding of how deeply our humanity unites us in spite of our apparent differences. More information and a chance to support the effort can be found at GoFundMe. 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 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. Residents of the San Francisco Bay Area benefit from both individuals and institutions whose faith motivates them to provide food to the hungry, shelter to the needy, inexpensive or free health care, and other humanitarian services.
Our history includes episodes of injustice and harmful conduct based on ethnicity, race, and nationality, but also a strong history of opposing bigotry and embracing all people of good conscience. We also value our history of embracing individuals’ right to practice the faith tradition of their choice. While some isolated individuals in our community may sometimes hold events designed to foster hatred and fear, those involved in legally expressing their political opinions must enjoy the protection of our nation’s laws. However, we similarly exercise our speech rights to reject and marginalize hate speech and attempts to divide our communities. Islamic societies, organizations, places of worship, and communities enrich and benefit the spiritual, moral and cultural life of our community. We find abhorrent all forms of discrimination, including those forms of discrimination targeting religion or belief. We oppose any expression of bigotry towards Muslims with the equal moral, legal and practical force that we oppose other forms of discrimination. We find abhorrent all forms of discrimination, including those forms of discrimination targeting religion or belief. We oppose any expression of bigotry towards Muslims with the same full moral, legal and practical force that we oppose other forms of discrimination. Interfaith Center at the Presidio Together with dozens of local religious and community groups See Facebook for updates 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: Memorial Day Service| Post Chapel Improvements | “Remembered Light” in Germany | Ramadan Begins | NAINConnect 2017 | Around the Bay| Parliament 2018 | The Interfaith Observer | Notes & Quotes | Send Us Your News | Bay Area Interreligious Calendar | Special Opportunities | Subscribe to BAIC MEMORIAL DAY SERVICE AT ICP. Since its founding in 1995, the Interfaith Center at the Presidio has been housed in the historic Main Post Chapel building. Continuing the tradition of interfaith religious celebrations in this space, ICP sponsored an interfaith Service on Memorial Day, May 29. Following ceremonies in the Presidio cemetery next to the chapel, the service opened with a greeting from Camilla Smith of the ICP Board, and included a statement from Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi’s office,. Then came a reading of Dylan Thomas’ “And Death Shall Have No Dominion” by Brian Voglass. A meditation by Sensei Elaine Donlin of the Buddhist Church of San Francisco was followed by the Kaddish prayer from the Jewish tradition, offered by Board Member Rita Semel. Music was provided by Erich Sylvester, a resident of the Presidio. Over the years, ICP has been honored to offer this sacred space to people of all religious backgrounds as a safe space for prayer, reflection, and renewal. Some photos from the service can be seen here. POST CHAPEL IMPROVEMENTS. The Presidio Trust, which is charged with the management of the buildings and grounds of the Presidio, is making some improvements to the chapel. They will be installing an interpretive wayside about the chapel outside the Mural Room and are making the memorial garden ADA compliant. Work began about 2 weeks ago on this project and is progressing. REMEMBERED LIGHT IN GERMANY. Another sort of memorial is represented by the “Remembered Light” collection of peace windows that were created from the shards of shattered stained glass gathered by Chaplain Frederick McDonald in the European ruins following World War II. You may remember that the windows were displayed at the Parliament of the World’s Religions held in Salt Lake City in 2015 (see below). ICP has also created a set of large-scale photographs of the windows which have been displayed in Germany. The traveling display of reproductions of the San Francisco originals has been displayed in Aachen, in the Peace Museum in Hürtgenwald, as an introduction for the “Peace Week” in Ahrweiler, and at the Ringhotel Haus Oberwinter in Remagen, in cooperation with the Remagen Bridge Peace Museum. RAMADAN BEGINS. The month of Ramadan in the Muslim calendar began this year at sundown on May 26. During the month, Muslims fast from food and water from sunup to sundown, join in special prayers, read through the Qur’an and carry out acts of mercy to others. It is traditional to break the fast each evening with a meal known as an iftar, and these meals provide an opportunity for inviting family, friends, and neighbors to join in. For many years, the mosques and Muslim associations in the Bay Area have invited the wider community to interfaith iftars, to meet their Muslim neighbors and to learn more about the observance and its meaning. Several interfaith iftars have already been scheduled in our area. Be sure to check the calendar at the ICP website for full details on these chances to meet and celebrate with your Muslim neighbors. ING (Islamic Networks Group) is offering a Ramadan Information Sheet with more information about the observances; also recommended is a recent article on VOX, “Ramadan 2017: 9 questions about the Muslim holy month you were too embarrassed to ask.“ The Parliament of the World’s Religions invites you to their Interfaith Ramadan series, where Muslim and non-Muslim leaders will be sharing reflections about how they are building solidarity along lines of division and connecting with the values of Ramadan. Ramadan mubarak (a blessed Ramadan) to all our Muslim friends! 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. The conference will be held at the Price Center at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). Full details and registration can be found at powayinterfaithteam.com/nain/.
AROUND THE BAY AREA:
PARLIAMENT SCHEDULED FOR TORONTO IN 2018. Toronto–acclaimed the most diverse city in the world and home to six million Canadians—has been chosen as the host city of the 7th Parliament of the World’s Religions, to be convened November 1-7, 2018. The Parliament is a unique opportunity to meet people engaged in interfaith work from around the world. PWR Executive Director Dr. Larry Greenfield noted, “We are especially encouraged by the Indigenous, women, and young people who will be featured among the international leaders coming from around the world to this Parliament.” Mark the dates now, and watch for more news to come! Find out more at the Parliament website. THE INTERFAITH OBSERVER What does it mean to live an interfaith life? It means intentionally learning about and respectfully engaging with the religious (or non-religious) “other.” This month’s issue gives you snapshots of interfaith living.
TIO is on YouTube! (and a few other things) by Megan Weiss (TIO) is an independent internet journal about all things interfaith. 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. NOTES & QUOTES: “Interreligious dialogue today must not look simply to shrines and temples, icons and festivals. It must find ways to approach a world of social media and selfies, celebrities and profit-making, with a conviction that in some way known but to God, the non-religious world in which so many of us live can ‘reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men'” – Father William Grimm, Tokyo… ” the moment people see a turban or our identity, they identify that with something which stands for anti-Americanism or violence against Americans or terrorism” – Dr. Rajwant Singh… “I pray that we are moving towards a world in which people are rooted in their own traditions but find dimensions to admire and learn from in others, that Ramadan is a time during which people from a variety of backgrounds come together in the common purpose of growing closer to God and one another” Eboo Patel. 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 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 TOOLKIT FOR MUSLIM SUPPORT. Shoulder to Shoulder, a nationwide coalition of 34 religious denominations and organizations committed to standing with American Muslims for American values has developed a “Toolkit for Mobilizing to Protect and Support American Muslims.” The resource is filled with suggestions for actions you can take, and is updated as new issues arise. GOLDEN RULE MEDITATIONS. Scarboro Missions in Canada has an extensive repository of materials for interfaith activity and learning, as well as an array of posters and other materials centered on the Golden Rule. This includes a list of 21 do-it-yourself meditation activities featuring texts of the Golden Rule from various religions that can be used with individuals or groups. You can find them listed here. TORTURE AWARENESS MONTH. The National Religious Campaign Against Torture has designated the month of June as “Torture Awareness Month.” They invite you, and your local church, synagogue, mosque, temple, or faith community, to join people of faith throughout the world in commemorating Torture Awareness Month. More information and resources can be found on the NRCAT website. THE CHARTER FOR COMPASSION EDUCATION INSTITUTE offers a variety of online classes, including “Compassion: Reflection and Practice,” “Emotional Intelligence for a Compassionate World,” “How to Bring Balance and Compassion to Life,” and “Practicing Spirituality with the Peacemakers.” Many classes allow you to set your own timing and pace. See more at Charter for Compassion Educational Institute. INTERFAITH PIONEER. The Rev. John T. Pawlikowski, is a familiar figure in Jewish/Christian relations. He served for six years as President of the International Council of Christians & Jews and its Abrahamic Forum and currently holds the title of Honorary Life President. He has authored/edited some fifteen books on Christian-Jewish Relations as well as on social issues such as economic justice, war and peace, and ecological sustainability. American Diversity Report recently featured a podcast interview with Dr. Pawlikowski 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. The Presidio Trust, which is charged with the management of the buildings and grounds of the Presidio, is making some improvements to the chapel. They will be installing an interpretive wayside about the chapel outside the Mural Room and are making the memorial garden ADA compliant. Work began about 2 weeks ago on this project and is progressing. The wayside installation includes some history of the chapel, along with pictures of the interior, the Ogterop stained glass windows, the Armautoff mural and a Jewish Shavout ceremony
On Monday, May 29, following the ceremonies at the Presidio cemetery, the Interfaith Center at the Presidio held an interfaith service of prayers and meditation for Memorial Day in the Post Chapel. The chapel has long represented a tradition of multifaith worship in the US military and continues that tradition as the home of the ICP. Thanks to participants Camilla Smith (ICP Board), Alex Lazar (Senior Congressional Aide – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi), Brian Vouglas (Actor, Musician, San Francisco Resident), Sensei Elaine Donlin (Buddhist Church of San Francisco), Rita Semel (ICP Board), and Rev. Gerald Caprio (ICP Board), and Erich Sylvester ( Musician and Presidio Resident). Special thanks to Gerry Caprio for planning the program. |
Memorial Day observances Monday, May 29, 2017:
- 10:30 am: Parade;
- 11:00 am: 149th Annual Ceremony
San Francisco National Cemetery (Presidio) - 1:00 pm Interfaith Prayer Service at the Presidio Chapel
130 Fisher Loop, Presidio, San Francisco (next to Cemetery)
Parking is free.
For additional information please call (415) 561-3930
Linda Crawford stepped down as the Executive Director of the Interfaith Center at the Presidio at the end of April. Over the past ten years Linda has helped ICP in supporting interfaith efforts in the Bay Area, and preserving the historic Presidio Chapel. She fostered strong relationships with the Presidio Trust, interfaith councils, and many community organizations to serve the ICP mission. She used her talents and shared her gifts in many ways to the benefit of our interfaith communities and beyond.
A few of the highlights include organizing the “Sounds of Peace” concert in celebration of the International Day of Peace in 2013, coordinating the display of McDonald Windows at the Parliament of the World’s Religions 2015 gathering in Salt Lake City, and most recently, playing a pivotal role in the formation of the Interfaith Council of Alameda County.
On behalf of the ICP Board, we thank her for her many years of service, and wish her much success and personal fulfillment in her next endeavors.
Blessings,
Fred Fielding, ICP Board President
INTRAFAITH PEACEBUILDING. How would a group of lawyers respond to an invitation to join the intrafaith conversation? We wondered if any of them actually show up for the session we had planned? How could this compete with workshops like “Ethical Problems That Arise In Arbitrations And Strategies For Dealing With Them” and Using Neuroscience to Adapt Community and Family Mediation Models”?
We needn’t have worried. About twenty people did show up and were thoroughly engaged in our presentations. I began my portion of the program on The INTRAfaith Conversation as I usually do by asking who was there, what religious traditions were represented. The group was diverse, including Roman Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, Quaker, and Unitarian Universalist. After explaining what I meant by intrafaith and sharing a few stories, I invited the group to share stories of their own. Hands went up right away. A Muslim woman started by saying, “I completely agree with you; intrafaith relations are harder than interfaith ones” and shared the difficulties of family gatherings when religious subjects arose. A Sikh man talked about being accused of not being a real Sikh because he trims his beard. A Quaker shared the story of a conflict that had divided the local conference. We also got into the question of whether the intrafaith conversation could help us in our inter-political conflicts. Moderator Peter Phillips asked if religion could be a platform from which we do peacemaking. My answer was a qualified “yes.” Religion can certainly be the basis for our engagement in social action. However, there is not always agreement in religious bodies on issues. Unless a group does its own internal work, it will be difficult and potentially divisive. After the session, several people came up to talk and share more stories. Several asked about the possibility of creating a center for conflict resolution in the Bay Area. I’m happy to say that I made some new friends in the interfaith and intrafaith network. And that’s always good for furthering the work of peace building.
Susan Strouse (ICP Board Member)
Susan and Fatih Ates of the Pacifica Institute presented a workshop at the American Bar Association’s Section of Dispute Resolution. Linda Crawford created a PowerPoint presentation on “Interfaith Peacebuilding” that provided an overview of the work.
GIRL SCOUT SUNDAY. More than 50 San Francisco families & friends attended the annual Girl Scout Sunday event at the Interfaith Center at the Presidio. This year, 4 girls received their religion awards – 2 Catholics, and 2 Buddhists. Our friend Rev. Ron Kobata’s Buddhist Church of San Francisco has one of the most active Girl Scout troops in the city. His congregant, Tara Mochizuki, leads the religion program, and we so enjoy working with her every year.
MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR IN SAN FRANCISCO. ICP connected the Islamic Networks Group with the Richmond Branch of the S.F. Public Library to present 3 programs. The April program was an interfaith panel discussing “Shared Values.” Speakers from the three Abrahamic faiths plus a Hindu each presented a brief overview of her faith tradition and took questions from the floor. The next program is scheduled for May 6 at 2:00 pm, “Getting to Know American Muslims and Their Faith.” The final program is June 3 at 1:00 pm: “Know Your Neighbors: Multifaith Encounters.” All three programs as well as other programs and seminars are offered by ING as requested and can be scheduled online at ing.org or by calling 408-296-7312.
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. The conference will be held at the Price Center at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). Full details and registration can be found at powayinterfaithteam.com/nain/.
AROUND THE BAY AREA:
SANTA CLARA COUNTY A “COMPASSIONATE COMMUNITY.” On April 25, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to sign the Charter for Compassion and declare the county a Compassionate Community. This action was part of the “Compassionate Silicon Valley” project developed by the Silicon Valley Interreligious Council (SiVIC).
ICCC STATEMENT ON SCIENCE. For Earth Day this year, the Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County published a statement, “Science, Not Silence,” noting “…modern Science has moved the scientific inquiry from a mechanistic understanding of the world to a holistic appreciation. We do not live on the surface of a great machine. The World is alive and the Divine is sensed, celebrated and encountered in the matrix of it all. This invites us to a sense of wonder that expresses itself in gratitude.” See the full statement.
MARIN INTERFAITH COUNCIL DIRECTOR SEARCH. The Council received a good response to the call for resumes and have now concluded this phase of the search. Interviews will take place over the next few weeks and recommendations will go to the Board of Directors at the May meeting. If all goes well, they hope to have an Executive Director for MIC by July 1.
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.
KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOR: MULTIFAITH ENCOUNTERS is a national grassroots campaign of the Know Your Neighbor Coalition, created and led by Islamic Networks Group (ING). Director Kate Chance has been conducting webinars on such topics as “Grounding, Re-Focusing, & Living the Best Expressions of Our Faiths: Interacting with the current political climate,” “‘Meet a Muslim’ and other ways to address Islamophobia in your community!,” and “Interfaith 101: First Steps in Building Interfaith Relations.” They have compiled a YouTube playlist of recorded webinars. For more information, see ING.
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.
Current Issue: The Interfaith Journey
Interfaith is a journey that extends through all stages of life and intertwines with multiple different areas. Each of us has our own journey and it is important to honor them. Therefore this month of TIO is dedicated to the interfaith journey. Just a few of the articles:
- An Unexpected Vocation by Kevin Singer
- Stepping Stones on My Interfaith Journey by Megan Weiss
- Trail of Thorns by Jim Burklo
- Bill and Jean Lesher’s Lifetime Interfaith Partnership by Ruth Broyde Sharone
- Where We’ve Been – Where We’re Going by Katherine Marshall
NOTES & QUOTES: “Tolerance, while important, is insufficient to guarantee peace and harmony, because it is merely a grudging acceptance that is devoid of respect, admiration and understanding.” –Syed Farid Alatas … “If you can at least begin to understand the different types of religion around the world, it helps us understand the people.” – Rosalyn R. LaPier… “A lot of the work that needs to happen in our country is soul work…. In terms of inspiring people and reminding them of their best selves, pricking the moral conscience of individuals and the nation, that’s religious work. That’s faith work.” – Rev. Katharine Henderson
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
REIGNITE. In this time of upheaval, with so many social and economic inequalities,
the need for resilient and skilled leadership is essential. The Ignite Institute, created by Pacific School of Religion, offers innovative leadership training programs, thought leadership, and events at the intersection of spirituality, community building, and social change. Registration is now open for the June retreat. See more information here.
THE CHARTER FOR COMPASSION EDUCATION INSTITUTE offers a variety of online classes, including “Compassion: Reflection and Practice,” “Emotional Intelligence for a Compassionate World,” “How to Bring Balance and Compassion to Life,” and “Practicing Spirituality with the Peacemakers.” Many classes allow you to set your own timing and pace. See more at Charter for Compassion Educational Institute.
INTERFAITH PIONEER. The Rev. John T. Pawlikowski, is a familiar figure in Jewish/Christian relations. He served for six years as President of the International Council of Christians & Jews and its Abrahamic Forum and currently holds the title of Honorary Life President. He has authored/edited some fifteen books on Christian-Jewish Relations as well as on social issues such as economic justice, war and peace, and ecological sustainability. American Diversity Report recently featured a podcast interview with Dr. Pawlikowski.
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 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.
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.
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:
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
- 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 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 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.
Newsletter
This is the archive for the Bay Area Interfaith Connect, the former newsletter for the Interfaith Center at the Presidio .
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