The Interfaith Council of Greater Richmond and InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington are the hosts for this Connect held during America's 400^th Anniversary Celebration for the first English settlement in Jamestown.

Richmond is also the location of the first reading of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom authored by Thomas Jefferson. Religious freedom was thus established as a precedent for all of the New World.

Religious freedom is a concept dear to all of our NAIN connections in Canada, the US and Mexico.

NAINews Committee

° Judy Trautman, Editor

° Dr. Tarunjit Singh Butalia

° Rev. Paul Chaffee

° Sharon Clayton

° Midge Falconer

° Dr. Hal French

° Mr. Michael Goggin, M.A.

° Bettina Gray

° Rev. Robert Hankinson

° Rev. Charles White, D.Min.

° Dr. Jim Wiggins

NAINConnect Information

COMPLETE CONFERENCE PACKAGE

includes 4 nights double occupancy lodging July 12-15, all meals & conference fees $460.00

DOES NOT INCLUDE JAMESTOWN

A LA CARTE REGISTRATION

per diem conference fee / no meals $35.00

per night lodging $57.50

breakfast $10.00

lunch $14.00

dinner $16.00

Sunday banquet $20.00

Jamestown tour $69.00

registration after June 10

- add 5% to conference pkg;

-add 10% to each a la carte item

Local sales, lodging tax and convenience fees ARE included in these fees. Register online at www.nain.org / www.icgr.org

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Young Adult Scholarships

NAIN especially supports the attendance of youth aged 18 – 35 at our NAIN Connect with a scholarship of $300 (U.S.) towards the cost of lodging and travel. Youth who are passionate about interfaith work are encouraged to apply whether or not they are part of a NAIN membership organization. Details and the scholarship application are found at www.nain.org. Application deadline: May 15, 2007. For more information, you may also contact April Kunze, Young Adult Chairperson, at 312-573-8826 or april@ifyc.org.

Gian Tej Young Adult Scholarship

This year an additional opportunity for Sikh youth has been provided by a generous donation by Dr. Teja Singh of Edmonton, Alberta, who has donated sufficient funds to the Young Adult Committee of NAIN to provide a scholarship for a Sikh youth to attend the Connect.

The scholarship is named after the parents of Dr. Singh, originally from Pakistan, from whom he learned to share with people of the other religions. These personal experiences gave him a greater understanding of the ways in which people of different religions and cultures can cooperate in spite of their faith differences. Dr. Singh especially wants to encourage other Sikh youth to share interreligious experiences at NAIN Connects.

Young Sikhs and young adults of all faith traditions between the ages of 18 and 35 are invited to apply for a young adult scholarship to attend NAINConnect 2007 in Richmond, Virginia July 12-16.

NAINConnect 2007 Program Update

Submitted by Midge Falconer

THE NAINConnect IS LESS THAN FOUR MONTHS AWAY – July 12^th – 16^th

Everywhere I look there is a reminder that spring is finally here. Migrating birds are frequenting my feeder; the robins are in full force, standing tall and proud as if to say they are glad to see the seasons change. The gold finches are turning their beautiful summer yellow. The trees are in bloom, turning the dark dread of winter in into bright hope that is the promise of summer fun, warmth and a trip to Richmond Virginia to come Celebrate Religious Freedom at the 2007 NAINConnect!!

The NAINConnect planning team has been working very diligently for the past few months on the prolific response we received to our call for workshop presentations on Religious Freedom. We received over 20 submissions from a wide variety of expressions, understanding and commitment to Religious Freedom. We are also working very closely with Mike Goggin and the IFC to bring you several panel discussions on the topic of Religious Freedom.

Workshop Selections

We plan to offer these workshop presentations throughout the weekend, giving participants ample opportunity to pick and choose from the list. A small selection of highlights from this esteemed list is:

* Hal French, retired Professor of Religion at University of South Carolina will offer a workshop on Freedom from Terrorism and Tyranny “This workshop will examine the language that we employ to define these two terms.”

* Richard Kellaway, North American Coordinator for the International Association for Religious Freedom, will offer Religious Freedom What? Where? For Whom?

* Emile Lester, Assistant Professor, Univ. of Mary Washington, will offer The Required World Religion Course. A look at the model of teaching the world religions to all 9^th grade students in Modesto CA.

* Arron Emmel, Human Rights Officer, Office of External Affairs/ Bahá’ís of the United States, will offer Defending Religious Freedom – The plight of the Bahá’ís in Egypt and Iran

* Rev. Earl Smith will offer Religious Freedom Issues in Canada and Europe.

* Dr. Joy Rnis-Deri, will offer a workshop on Creating a Culture of Peace.

* Rev. Prem Anjali, Co-Director of The Lotus Center for World Peace, will offer Sacred Spaces: Fostering Religious Freedom through Permanent Sites of Interfaith Harmony.

These are just a few of the many workshop and program highlights in which you may partake at the NAINConnect, at the beautiful Roslyn Conference Center overlooking the James River. Roslyn is the perfect setting to visit, connect and share the interfaith development over the past year.

If you have submitted a workshop, but did not see your name in this article it dose not mean your proposal is not accepted. The NAIN Connect2007 Planning Team is organizing the workshops and everyone who so generously submitted a proposal will be hearing from us.

Other Program Highlights

Charles Haynes, Sr. Director, Education Program of the First Amendment Center, is our Keynote Speaker on Saturday. His topic is Separation of Church and State in Public Schools

Isabell Kinard, Director, Council of America’s First Freedom, will be speaking on CAFF’S work to promote the Statute for Religious Freedom, which was conceived in Richmond Virginia and penned by Thomas Jefferson.

Thomas Jefferson Reenactor who, during the opening ceremony, will reenact the reading of the Statute for Religious Freedom.

On Sunday night there will be a banquet, followed by an interfaith concert that will be open to the public.

For those who can stay into Monday, don’t forget the optional Bus Trip to Jamestown to see the actual settlement of the first English who landed here 400 years ago. Lunch will be provided plus a narrator who will tell the story of Jamestown and a tour of the Jamestown settlement. There is an additional charge – see above for details.

Service Project

This year as part of the NAINConnect, participants have the unique opportunity to join in a service project called Operation Iraqi Children. This is a program that supplies Iraqi children with school supplies. The project is preparing these school kits with the supplies the children need for school. We will be sending the details of this service project very soon.

Thank you NAIN members for all your commitment to the NAINConnect. We are truly grateful for the opportunity to host this annual summertime event and fill the campus of Roslyn with the goodwill of the interfaith community. We will be posting more details about the NAINConnect very soon.

Please register soon - the time clock to Richmond is fast approaching.

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Membership

New to NAIN?

NAIN’s membership is comprised of interfaith organizations and agencies, interfaith relations programs and offices of religious, denominational and other appropriate institutions in the United States, Mexico and Canada. It seeks to affirm humanity’s diverse and historic spiritual resources and bring these to bear on contemporary global, national, regional and local issues. Annual dues are:

Local and regional interfaith organizations – US$75

National and international groups – US$125.

Individual “Friends of NAIN” – US$35

Full details and criteria for organizational membership are posted on www.nain.org. Click the “Join NAIN” button on the home page. Prospective member organizations send no money until their membership is affirmed by the NAIN Board of Directors.

Renewal

Have you renewed your 2007 NAIN membership? The membership renewal form is available online at http://www.nain.org/Renewal.htm. You can complete and submit the renewal form online. Dues can be paid online, using Pay Pal. If you prefer to pay by check, send your payment to:

Canada:

Paul McKenna

Scarboro Missions

2685 Kingston Road

Scarborough, ON M1M 1M4

Phone: 416-261-7135

info@interfaithunity.ca

USA:

Kay Lindahl

5762 Campo Walk

Long Beach, CA 90803-5035

Phone: 562-987-5496

Kaylindahl@yahoo.com

Mexico:

Jonathan Rose

Consejo Interreligioso de Mejico

Calle Matamoros #4

Tapoztlan, Morelos

C.P. 62525 Mexico

Phone: 52-739-395-0210

jonrosemx@yahoo.com.mx

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A Family History: the Interfaith Movement

Edited from “Connect Globally, Act Locally”, originally presented by Kay Lindahl to the Greater Huntington Beach Interfaith Council on May 4, 2006

One of the blessings of being involved with the interfaith movement is the recognition that we are all part of the same family. It’s what connects us that is important.

Where did the interfaith movement come from? How is it growing? How do we stay connected? This is our story and it is in the telling and re-telling of our stories that we find out who we are.

“There’ll be no peace among nations until there’s peace among religions. There’ll be no peace among religions until there is dialogue among religions.” This statement shared by Hans Kung, a German theologian, electrified the 1993 Parliament of the World’s Religions. It has had a ripple effect on the modern interfaith movement as it inspired the creation of hundreds of interfaith groups around the world.

Our story begins long before that time. First in the 13^th Century with St. Francis, who objected to the crusades and made a trip to Egypt to talk with a sultan. The Franciscans have been in dialogue with Muslims ever since then. Another early manifestation of interfaith in Spain in the 15^th century when Muslims, Christians and Jews studied each other’s scriptures and met regularly. There’s a wonderful interfaith museum in Cordoba that documents the harmony among those religions. Unfortunately, it all ended in 1492 when the Muslims and Jews were exiled.

The next two to three hundred years was a time of exploration and settlement in many parts of the world. The early settlers to what is now the US came with the vision of religious freedom. Religious freedom always leads to religious diversity. Even in our earliest days we had diversity: Native spirituality was not all the same. In addition to many protestant Christian denominations, the colonists were Catholic, Quakers, Sephardic Jews, Dutch Reform. Many of the Africans in the slave trade were Muslims. Workers who built the transcontinental railroad and who worked the gold rush came from China and Japan and brought us Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. Russians brought Orthodox Christianity. We have continued to evolve in this manner until now we are the most religiously diverse nation on earth. One way we have come to know more about each other is through the interfaith movement.

The modern interfaith movement began in 1893 with the first Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago. It was also the first time that Eastern religions were publicly recognized as faith traditions and given the opportunity to present and speak. The possibility of interfaith dialogue was introduced and it became clear that it was important to listen and speak to those from traditions other than one’s own.

The movement developed slowly over the next seventy or so years. Several International Interfaith groups were born, including The International Association for Religious Freedom in 1900, The World Congress of Faiths in 1936, The Temple of Understanding in 1960, and The World Conference for Religious Peace in 1970. In the US interfaith councils and groups began to emerge, including the NCCJ in 1927. Many of them were ecumenical, devoted to one faith tradition. One of the oldest in SC is the South Coast Ecumenical Council, SCEC, formed in 1955, which became interfaith last year, SCIC.

How many of you know that the US Government issued a three cent postage stamp in 1948, the words on which were “Interfaith in Action”? The image on the stamp is one of four chaplains, a Rabbi, a Catholic priest, a Methodist minister and a Dutch Reform minister. On February 3, 1943, the Dorchester, a troop ship, was torpedoed by a U-boat. These four chaplains gave up their life jackets to soldiers and went down together, arm-in-arm, in common prayer - another part of our story.

Then several things happened in the decade beginning in 1959. 1. The exile of the Dalai Lama in 1959 opened up a study of Tibetan Buddhism. 2. Election of JFK, first Catholic President in 1960, 3. The Civil Rights movement of the early 60’s had participation by religious leaders of all faiths, 4. The Beatles manifested around the same time, with the study of Hinduism, the Maharishi and the sitar, and 5. Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1965. Prior to that time, about 80% of immigrants to the US came from Europe, and 20% from the rest of the world. This act turned that upside down. Many of the new immigrants were from Asia, Southeast Asia, Indonesia. When they arrived here, they brought their religious beliefs with them. How many of us are from immigrant or first generation families? So all of a sudden there were larger numbers of Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus and Baha’is in our communities. The environment for interfaith was ripe.

In the 1980's a number of independent interfaith councils had grown up around North America in small towns and cities. They began the process of finding each other and expressing the wish to connect. A number of the staff and leadership of these interfaith councils met and envisioned just how such a connection could be built, drafting the concept for a network of interfaith communities. By 1988 over 350 people from interfaith groups in North America attended a meeting in Wichita, Kansas, where the new organization's first governing board was elected, and the North American Interfaith Network was born, better known as NAIN.

In 1993 the second Parliament of the World’s Religions was held, again in Chicago. Over 8,000 people from all over the world and hundreds of faith traditions attended. In that same year, 1993, the seed for the United Religions Initiative was planted. Bishop William Swing, in San Francisco, was asked to host an interfaith gathering in 1995 at Grace Cathedral as part of the 50^th anniversary celebration of the signing of the UN Charter. He saw the possibility of something like a UN for religions. Today there are over 300 local URI groups in over 70 countries. The next Parliament of the World’s Religions gathering took place in 1999, this time in Cape Town, South Africa.

Here in Orange California, prior to the 90’s there were some ministerial associations, mostly all Christian, ecumenical groups and one or two interfaith groups. The Alliance for Spiritual Community was founded in 1991 and the Religious Diversity Forum in 1994 and since then several interfaith councils and groups have formed, including Huntington Beach in 1996. There are now more than 20 in Orange County that we know of.

Since 9/11 interest in interfaith has grown exponentially. Right afterwards, mayors of cities contacted religious leaders to be with them on the platform at events. This was the first time that many of them had met. Citizens all across the US found themselves exposed to faith traditions other than their own. The CA Council of Churches produced a six week study guide on six of the major faith traditions. The genie is out of the lamp! Interfaith has become a household word and is recognized as one of the pathways to peace in our society.

In 2004 the Parliament hosted another gathering, in Barcelona, Spain. This one was remarkable in many ways, and an outstanding memory is one of radical hospitality. Each day the Sikh Community fed lunch to at least 3 – 5,000 attendees. They had created their own Gurdwara and served Langar to the attendees. It became the heart of the Parliament – a place to be nurtured physically and spiritually, where we got to know each other through sharing a meal.

There is much work to be done and there is much work that is being done. Last week I was at a meeting of the International Interfaith Organizations Network in Oxford, England. Representatives from 10 organizations reported on their work as we discussed how we can collaborate and work together to promote peace in the world. Some of the exciting projects are creating an inter-religious council in Iraq, training Interfaith Youth Champions to promote interfaith cooperation in Europe, the formation of youth clubs in India to foster peace, a Peace Forum in Korea, the possibility of promoting a Decade of Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace in collaboration with the UN.

NAIN’s annual conference is an annual opportunity to participate in the interreligious movement,

When we look at interfaith in the 21^st Century we realize that religious diversity is a reality that won’t go away. It’s a resource, not a problem. The interfaith movement is coming of age. The energy and interest in our work is high. We, as people of faith, must learn how to talk to each other and interfaith offers that opportunity. We must now take action together – building habitat houses, sponsoring soup kitchens, hosting shelters, dealing with problems in our communities, such as domestic violence, alcohol and drug abuse – as interfaith.

The story of the interfaith movement is still unfolding. I hope that you read this article knowing that you are all part of a web of interfaith in action around the globe- that you have sisters and brothers all over the world, that we are connected globally as we act locally.

I’d like to close with a quote from Desmond Tutu:

“When will we learn, when will we the people of the world get up and say, enough is enough. God created us for fellowship. God created us so that we should form the human family, existing together because we were made for one another. We are not made for an exclusive self-sufficiency but for interdependence, and we break the law of our being at our peril.”

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Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize

Letter from Stuart Rabinowitz, President, Hofstra University

Beginning in 2008, Hofstra University will award the first Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize, a $50,000 biannual prize that will recognize people or organizations that facilitate the religious dialogue which is indispensable to reducing religious conflict. The prize is named for Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion, who taught that humans actually discover what is common to them by exploring their differences. As a leader of a distinguished organization, I encourage you to nominate individuals or organizations for this new prize.

The Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize was established through the generosity of the Kuljit Kaur Bindra Charitable Foundation and inspired by Sardarni Kuljit Kaur Bindra and Sardar Ishar Singh Bindra, prominent philanthropists and residents of Brookville, New York. Hofstra University has a strong commitment to liberal education and we think this is a most appropriate time for a prize recognizing efforts to promote interfaith harmony.

Award recipients will have demonstrated extraordinary leadership, courage, and a capacity for inspiring in others a willingness to embrace the vulnerability that is the key to true religious dialogue. A selection committee composed of religious leaders, academics, and individuals known for their commitment to interfaith dialogue will consider the recent and career accomplishments of nominees.

To date, several prominent individuals have agreed to serve as members of the Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize Honorary Committee. They include Nobel Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former Indian Prime Minister I.K. Gujral, prominent religion scholar Dr. Martin Marty, and United States Senators Norm Colemen and Charles Schumer. We believe this prize will stimulate people around the world to recognize the importance of interfaith activities. The award will be widely publicized, and presented in 2008 and every two years thereafter at a gala dinner to be held on the University campus in Hempstead, Long Island.

See http://www.hofstra.edu/Academics/Colleges/HCLAS/rel/nanak/index.html for more information. I invite you to make nominations of your own and to disseminate news of this award as widely as possible.

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Interfaith Academies for Religious Leaders

This summer there will be two opportunities for people from diverse religious traditions to learn about each other’s faiths with and from each other. The Interfaith Academy for Emerging Religious Leaders and the Interfaith Academy for Religious Professionals will involve lectures, seminars, and readings on a variety of religious traditions, as well as group visits to various places of religious observance. Most importantly, participants will have the opportunity to build relationships and learn from one another through conversation in the classroom, in dormitories, and at meals.

Two versions are available:

June 13-27 - The Interfaith Academy for Emerging Religious Leaders is a two-week course for people in the process of formation for leadership/ministry in their religious community. Applicants should be active in their religious community and known to the judicatories or administration of their community, either on the local or national level. While there is no age limit, this academy is intended for people in training for leadership, not for persons already ordained or otherwise recognized as leaders in their religious body (these individuals should apply to the Interfaith Academy for Religious Professionals). Participants will have all accommodation, meals, and local transportation covered by the Academy. Students need only pay for travel to Kansas City.

June 13-20 - The Interfaith Academy for Religious Professionals is a similarly-structured week-long course for people already active in religious leadership as clergy, professors, teachers, or in other vocations. Participants will pay a tuition cost of approximately $1500, plus travel to Kansas City.

Applications are available now! Application Deadline is April 20, 2007. For information go to http://www.rfpusa.org/interfaithacademy/ or email: interfaithacademy@rfpusa.org.

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Pre Parliament Event in Southern California

Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions (www.cpwr.org/) Southern California Chapter is hosting a pre-parliament event called The Challenge Of Respect: Celebrating Interfaith Commonality, Exploring Religious Differences on April 28, 2007, 9:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., at the Omar Center for Education, Culture and Community Outreach in Los Angeles, 1025 W. Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90007. Tickets ($36 general, $10 students, including lunch and dinner) will be sold at door and in advance by mailing a check payable to “Festival of Freedom” with name and contact information. Pre-registrations must be postmarked by April 10 and mailed to: Ruth Broyde-Sharone, 4219 Vinton Avenue, Culver City, CA 90232. You may contact Ruth at (310) 837-2294 or RABSHARONE@aol.com for more information.

Interfaith Summer Institute

At a time when local conflicts have global significance, religion is often blamed for division and violence but seldom recognized and studied as a factor in peace-making. There is an urgent need for a program that addresses the ways that religion and spirituality effect contemporary movements for social justice and peace. The Interfaith Summer Institute is a leadership development and support program for people of faith involved in social movements for justice and peace. It is the inaugural event in a larger project that will include a Masters program in Interfaith Justice, Peace, & Social Movements. The Interfaith Summer Institute on Justice, Peace, and Social Movements is for:

° Faith-based activists

° Students of religion

° Participants in social movements

° Spiritual leaders

° Communities of faith and action

° Individuals who want to act on the principles of their spiritual traditions

° Anyone who wants to explore the intersection of faith and social change

The Interfaith Summer Institute is advised by the Interfaith Community Consultative Committee. Members are from Indigenous, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Hindu, Jewish, and Buddhist traditions. www.interfaithjustpeace.org

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Play for Peace

Are game makers getting a conscience?

At last there is a video game for peacemakers. Players of this innovative game strive to win the Nobel Peace Prize through peace-making strategies. The game, created by a team of graduate students Eric Brown, and Asi Burak at Carnegie Mellon University, attempts to simulate the violence and political turbulence of the Israeli-Palestinian struggle. http://www.peacemakergame.com/

Nobelprize.org features, among other educational games, “The Peace Doves Game”. The goal is to use eight magical peace doves to disarm the eight nuclear countries. The trick is choosing the correct dove for each country. In the process, you learn facts about nuclear proliferation.

http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/peace/nuclear_weapons/index.html

In April 2005 the United Nations World Food Program released a free internet download video game in which players complete missions to deliver food aid to areas in crisis. http://www.food-force.com/. The game teaches young people about the problem of global hunger and what humanitarian organizations do to fight it. Exceeding all expectations, the game now has nearly 4 million players in nearly 200 countries. The Food Force game has been translated into English, Japanese, Italian, and Polish. Hungarian, Chinese, French, Greek, Hindi and Arabic are all planned to follow soon. The site also features a game about the crisis in Darfur http://www.darfurisdying.com/.

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Golden Rule and Business Ethics

Many of us have been impressed with the wonderful Golden Rule materials prepared by the Scarborough Missions. Recently they have added a section on the Golden Rule and business Ethics. What a concept! Danny Gillis has compiled resources and a collection of fifty websites on this timely subject. The materials explore the many moral issues associated with the practice of business in today's world.

http://www.scarboromissions.ca/Interfaith_dialogue/golden_rule_business_ethics.php

There is also a comprehensive and well-organized curriculum that can be used in public, religious and private schools as well as by Sunday school teachers, home-schooling parents, scout leaders and other youth educators. The authors, Brant Abrahamson and Fred Smith, encourage the reproduction of this Golden Rule lesson. Educators, instructors, teachers and youth leaders are free to forward, download and reprint it provided the following credit is given: Brant Abrahamson and Fred Smith, The Teachers' Press (Brookfield, Illinois) Copyright © Brant Abrahamson 2005.

http://www.scarboromissions.ca/Interfaith_dialogue/golden_rule_curriculum.php

Interfaith Briefs

Compiled by Dr. Tarunjit Singh Butalia, World Sikh Council – America Region & Vice-President NAIN

Buffalo, New York, US: More than 200 people from 20 organizations representing many different faiths attended the 18^th Annual Interfaith Community Seder at Temple Beth Zion (Buffalo News, 3/28/07)

Houston, Texas, US: The Islamic community of Houston hosted a ‘Getting to Know Thy Neighbor” gathering at the Stafford mosque which was attended by representatives of several faiths. The gathering was prompted by a recent incident of vandalism at the mosque by Dulles High School students, who offered an apology at the gathering. (Houston Chronicle, 3/26/07)

Boston, Massachusetts, US: The Interfaith Walk for Climate Rescue hosted a rally against global warming at Copley Square and was addressed by Rev. Bob Edgar, Secretary General of the National Council of Churches. The rally began its trek March 16 walking 10 miles each day and ending the march at Copley Square on March 24. (Boston Globe, 3/25/07)

Atlanta, Georgia, US: Nearly 600 persons of many faiths convened for an Annual Interfaith Luncheon on the theme of environmental preservation. The event affirmed that “interfaith campaign is inspiring and demonstrates moral urgency.” (Atlanta Journal- Constitution, 3/24/07)

Toronto, Canada: 35 Toronto area faith communities came together to form the Toronto Area Interfaith Council, culminating three years of work to set up a formal mechanism for the city’s diverse religious community groups to meet and understand one another. The Mayor of Toronto remarked, “Spirituality is important to people. Today is about starting a dialogue.” (Toronto Star, 3/24/07)

Newark, New Jersey, US: Members of the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faiths came together for the second consecutive year for a “Celebration of the Journey to Freedom.” Contributions were donated to the world-wide relief efforts in the Darfur region of Sudan. (The Star Ledger, 3/22/07)

Montreal, Canada: An interfaith coalition of women activists has been formed to fight sex slavery in the city of Montreal. United in horror at the social consequences of international sex trade, these women from many denominations and faith have banded together to raise awareness and lobby to strengthen laws that curb prostitution and halt human trafficking. (The Gazette, 3/20/07)

Long Island, New York, NY: Bishop William Murphy, Bishop of Rockville Center, has been appointed by the Vatican to the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. The Council promotes dialogue with non-Jewish and non-Christian religions. (Newsday, 3/20/07)

Columbus, Ohio, US: An interfaith prayer service was held at the Ohio Statehouse on the 4^th anniversary of the US war on Iraq. The contemplative prayer service titled “Tears of Mourning – Birthing Hope” was attended by over 150 persons of many faiths and was organized by Faith Communities Uniting for Peace (Columbus Dispatch, 3/16/07)

Sacramento, California, US: An interfaith emergency preparedness fair was held in the city to provide information for being prepared in case of an emergency or natural disaster. The local Interfaith Service Bureau helped to coordinate a regional plan for faith-based and volunteer groups. (Sacramento Bee, 3/10/07)

Seattle, Washington, US: Aziz Junejo, host of a local weekly cable show “Focus on Islam” wrote an article in The Seattle Times on 3/3/07 emphasizing that interfaith dialogue is an antidote to the poison of religious intolerance. He remarked, “Our country’s history of religious tolerance sets the standard worldwide, but it’s a standard that takes effort to maintain.” (Seattle Times, 3/3/07)

Minneapolis, Minnesota, US: Humor in interfaith encounters was the focus of an interesting article published by the Star Tribune. A Muslim interviewed in the article remarked, “We all are strangers in a strange land from time to time. It is no longer considered disloyal to gain spiritual insights from outside the tradition into which you were born. It’s considered sharing the world’s wisdom.” (Star Tribune, 2/24/07)

Mexico-US Border: Rev. Robin Hoover, founder of Human Borders, an interfaith group based in Tucson to provide help and comfort to those coming across the border illegally, was profiled in the Christian Science Monitor. He is commonly referred to as the canteen man of the US-Mexico border. Many see Rev. Hoover as a humanitarian who puts compassion over politics of illegal immigration. He claims to be a “passionate center” on an issue with no lack of voices on the extreme. (Christian Science Monitor, 1/22/07)

Ottawa, Canada: The Interfaith Ottawa and Capital Region Interfaith Council marked World Religion Day by joining together at the Atrium of City Hall with members of the city’s religious communities to celebrate their unity through spirited performances. The intent of the event was to encourage attendees to abandon their prejudices. (Ottawa Citizen, 1/22/07)

New Orleans, Mississippi, US: The city of New Orleans celebrated the MLK holiday with an Interfaith Prayer Breakfast. The event called for a renewal of decades-old call for justice and protection of civil rights. (Times-Picayune, 1/14/07)

Baltimore, Maryland, US: Hundreds of people gathered on New Year’s Eve for the 14^th Annual New Year’s Eve Interfaith Service at a local Catholic Church. The Arabic words, the Jewish Shofar, and Christian innovation all rang out in the sanctuary of the church. (Baltimore Sun, 1/1/07)

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Notes from the President

The final week of March found me on the road visiting three NAIN member organizations – Religions for Peace-USA, the Interfaith Center at the Presidio and UNIITE (Understanding the Need for Interfaith and Intercultural Togetherness and Education). I will focus here briefly on a couple of my experiences on the road.

I hope you will all make plans to join us July 25-29, 2008 in beautiful San Francisco for the 20^th anniversary NAINConnect. The Interfaith Center at the Presidio will be our host and the campus of the University of San Francisco our venue. Among a number of meetings in San Francisco that I was able to take part in during my three-day visit was the first planning meeting of the local host committee for this Connect. Rev. Paul Chaffee, Executive Director of the Interfaith Center at the Presidio, has convened a wonderful initial group of seven Bay Area residents to plan the event. Perhaps you are familiar with the Interfaith Center’s story of setting up shop in the Interfaith Chapel at this sprawling former military base that is now a public park offering great views of the Golden Gate Bridge. The Chapel itself is a popular location for weddings in the Bay Area, which gives the Center an important revenue stream.

In addition to planning to host the 2008 NAINConnect, the Interfaith Center at the Presidio is also planning to take on the road the McDonald Windows. This is a series of works of art that have been produced out of the shards of stained glass collected by Episcopalian priest and U.S. Army Chaplain Frederick McDonald during World War II. Rev. McDonald was disturbed by the destruction of so many houses of worship in Europe during the war and began mailing home the shards without any particular plan for their use. Many years later, not long before his death in 2002, he began talking about his experiences as a Chaplain and showing others the collection of shards. The eventual result has been this museum exhibit that is currently on display in the Officers’ Club at the Presidio, but only until April 15. After that time, the exhibit will be put into storage in the San Francisco area until it goes on tour around the country later this year or next. There are plans to bring the display to Washington National Cathedral in the first few months of 2009, and if you would also like to host the display during its tour please get in touch with Paul Chaffee at the Interfaith Center at the Presidio. You can find his contact information through NAINOnline.

The weekend of March 30 – April 1 found me in St. Cloud, Minnesota at UNIITE’s Cultural Healing Festival 2007. United Religions Initiative (URI) North America Region Co-Coordinator Stephen Fuqua joined me on the dais to officially open the event, which was hosted by the Catholic Campus Ministry Newman Center of St. Cloud State University. We were also treated to breakfast by several of UNIITE’s Board members. One highlight of the day was an erudite talk by physician and Hindu priest Dr. Sashikant Sane, who gave us a sense of the needs that immigrant Hindus have when they receive medical attention in this country. I also related the brief story of the death of my colleague Mona Ismail, an Egyptian-born Muslim. Islam teaches that the body should be buried after death “before the sun sets twice,” but Mona’s death on a Saturday afternoon around 2 p.m. put that stipulation in real jeopardy as the hospital’s morgue had just closed for the weekend. Fortunately, a compassionate technician agreed to work overtime that day so that Mona’s body could be released for burial. The story simply points out the need for religious people and medical personnel to continue the dialogue, and I am happy to report that the conversation is going on in St. Cloud.

I am always open to the possibility of visiting your city and taking part in your local programs. Just let me know how NAIN can be