Tri-Faith News and Updates

This article from the New York Times tells of a friendship between and Sufi sheik, a UCC pastor and a Rabbi in Washington State who are deeply examining their own and each other’s faiths, much as we are in the Tri-Faith Initiative.

Read more about their experiences here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/24/us/24amigos.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

While Thanksgiving in the United States is officially a secular holiday, for people of faith it is a time to express our gratitude to God for all the blessings in our lives.  It is celebrated on Thursday, November 26.

Immediately afterwards, the winter holidays of the Abrahamic faiths begin:

Eid al-Adha is celebrated on November 27 this year — although officially it starts at sundown on November 26. Christians start observing Advent on November 29.  This period of four+ weeks of waiting and anticipation leads to Christmas, observed on December 25.

Chanuka, the Jewish Festival of Lights, starts on Saturday, December 12 and is observed for eight days ending on Saturday, December 19.

Each of these holidays is marked by traditional celebrations, special foods, hospitality and religious worship.  A great way to get to know more about the faiths other than your own is to learn the meanings and traditions of their holidays (holy days). Consider attending a worship service of another faith to observe and learn.  As we do this “the others” become “the friends.”

One of the observations I hear often, is that learning more about another religion deepens our curiosity and commitment to learning about our own faith and its traditions.

Sukkot is a Jewish Festival being celebrated this week to mark the final harvest of the year.  This year the Union for Reform Judaism is urging everyone to spend some time learning more about our food supplies, to consider how we can live healthier and greener lives while being ever more appreciative of God’s bounty in our lives.

The Union for Reform Judiasm publishes a daily reflection called “Ten Minutes of Torah”, which covers Torah passages from a wide variety of perspectives.  To subscribe to the daily email go to http://www.URJ.org.  The Torah is the first five books of scriptures sometimes referred to as the Old Testament by Christians.  Because it is a fundamental scripture to Judaism, Christianity and Islam, studying Torah is something all people of the Tri-Faiths are called to do.

The World Council of Churches held a youth gathering outside Geneva.

The three-week course, which had the theme “Building an Interfaith Community”, was attended by young Christians, Jews and Muslims from all over the world.

 Students heard presentations on Christianity, Islam and Judaism, and on the contributions of each of the religions to peacemaking. Daily morning prayers were prepared alternately by the Christian, Jewish and Muslim participants, and the group attended services in a church, synagogue and mosque in Geneva.

 Religion is so often seen as a barrier to peace, but peace is a central theme across the religions and a good basis for discussions about interfaith community-building, says Rabbi Delphine Horvilleur.

Read the complete story here:

http://www.oikoumene.org/en/news/news-management/eng/a/article//theres-value-in-diversit.html

TRI-FAITH FAMILY PICNIC

Celebrating Health and Wellness

SUNDAY, AUGUST 2, 2009

12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Rain or Shine

All Saints Episcopal Church, East Lawn

93^rd and Blondo

Please RSVP by email to info@trifaith.org

Main dish and beverages will be provided.  Please bring a dish to share – salad, side dish or dessert.  Because our three faith groups have a variety of dietary restrictions, good choices are fresh and dried fruits, vegetables, salads with veggies, pasta and rice, breads, chips, salsa and any dishes you would serve on Jewish or Muslim holidays.We ask that you do not bring a dish with pork in it, or a dish which combines meat and dairy in one dish (a meat casserole with cheese, lasagna, etc.) 

Activities for children and adults

Sports, bounce castle, therapy dogs and more

Health fair provided by Creighton Medical School

Free blood pressure screenings, osteoporosis information.

The Undercroft will be available for those who need air conditioning as a respite from the heat.

From our friends at Common Tables:

 

The Religious Action Center wanted to publicize the Dinner in Abraham’s Tent, but was concerned about putting out information on the Sabbath.  They also wondered why we chose Friday night for the event which is the weekly Shabbat — Sabbath — in Jewish tradition.  We answered their questions and here is the link to their article:

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/rac/2009/03/interfaith-kickoff-conversatio.php?ref=reccafe

One of the hallmarks of the Omaha Tri-Faith Initiative is how the board and its committees find ways to work together without betraying any group’s traditions.  While there are compromises in the details, we never ask any of the faith groups to compromise on theology or major traditions.  But sometimes we creatively search through all the options available within the tradition to find a solution to a potential conflict.

To watch a replay of the Conversation on Peace during the Dinner in Abraham’s Tent click this link:

mms://209.200.118.182/tfi032709

To get a taste of what we experienced in Omaha on Friday, invite some interfaith friends over for dinner then watch the webcast together.

The Dinner in Abraham’s Tent: Conversations on Peace, was a remarkable night.  If you missed dinner, we have a solution for you — a replay of the live webcast that was on last night. 

To watch the webcast which runs just over an hour go to this link:

mms://209.200.118.182/tfi032709

We had an overflow crowd at the Qwest Center in Omaha — almost 1100, including 141 high school and college students who served as Tri-Faith Ambassadors — greeting people at the doors, stuffing and handing out programs, ushering people to the Worship Service and the Dinner in Abraham’s Tent.

There was so much energy in the room and there was a real sense of being in the presence of God.  Please share this experience by watching the replay of the webcast and let us know your response.

Volunteers are working full-speed to get ready for next Friday’s Dinner in Abraham’s Tent at the Qwest Center on March 27. 

Breaking News:  We have been able to make arrangements to webcast the “Conversation on Peace” live from the Qwest that night.  Just before 8 p.m. Central Time Friday night, log onto this website and you will be able to click through to the  webcast at mms://209.200.118.182/tfilive.  (If you try to go there now it will just come up as a Windows Media screen.)

If you can’t join us at the Qwest, consider organizing your own Dinner in Abraham’s Tent, inviting some interfaith friends over for dinner and to watch the webcast.

The deadline for reservations for the dinner and program at the Qwest Center is Monday, March 23.  If you haven’t signed up for the live event, click on the tab for the dinner and make your reservation now.