Tri-Faith News and Updates

Where there is a picnic table…

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 16:44:36 +0000

From the earliest days of discussing the possibility of the Tri-Faith vision, to have a religious “park” or neighborhood that would include a synagogue, a church, a mosque and an interfaith center, we have said that if all we had was a picnic table to gather around, our committment to interfaith dialogue would continute.

The reason was clear once again as people of the Tri-Faith community shared a picnic hosted by Temple Israel this year on July 25. Temple provided kosher hot dogs and a great site. Thanks to our sponsors listed below. Because of their generosity we had fun activities for the kids and a great set-up for an afternoon of great food and great conversations.

Picnics and other social events allow people to relate as people — as families. It is also a safe place to talk about religious traditions — what we share and what is different as we practice our faiths.

Thanks to everyone who attended and those who helped — Dennis DePorte and Wendy Goldberg of Temple Israel, Kimberly Fretz of Interplay, our children’s interfaith program who designed activities for the children, Doug Halvorson of Olsson Associates who brought the maps and contour model of the Sterling Ridge development, Camille Culp who kept the popcorn and sno cone machines humming along through the day, Shanna Ray who provided security, and the many other board and volunteers who helped make the event a success.

Thanks to our sponsors:

The American Institute of Islamic Studies and Culture

Fraser-Stryker

Pam Hernandez

Infiniti of Omaha

Itex (Barter America)

Omaha Mitsubishi

Great food, great fellowship, great faith

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:31:24 +0000

On July 25 members of the Tri-Faith community representing Temple Israel, the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska, the American Institute of Islamic Studies and Culture and additional friends, family and supporters gathered at Temple Israel for the annual Tri-Faith picnic. It was a great time with wonderful food from many cultures.

Our thanks to the Board and Staff of Temple Israel for their tremendous hospitality. Dennis DePorte and Wendy Goldberg made the planning and set up very easy for all of us.

Thanks to our great sponsors:

We’d also like to thank Doug Halvorson of Olsson Associates, the planner for the Sterling Ridge (formerly Ironwood Country Club) development. Doug brought the map and land contour model showing the planned locations for Temple Israel, a new Episcopal church of the Diocese of Nebraska, and a home for the American Institute of Islamic Studies and Culture. A fourth building, the Tri-Faith Center, is also planned to offer interfaith education programs, conferences and workshops to serve the Omaha community and beyond.

The four buildings surround a green space which will provide a park-like setting. If you would like a presentation on the planned development for your community organization or faith group, call Nancy Kirk at the Tri-Faith office (402) 934-2955.

Food, Fun and Faith

admin — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:11:30 +0000

Mark your calendar for July 25 rain or shine — The Tri-Faith picnic will be held at Temple Israel, 7023 Cass St., from 12:30 to 3:30. We’ll provide kosher hot dogs for those who want them. Bring a dish to share. Beverages will be provided. Some ideas for things everyone can eat;

Fruit Salad
Rice with meat and vegetables
Hummus with pita bread or pita chips
Corn chips with salsa
Fresh vegetables trays with dips or dressing on the side
Vegetarian lasagna
Samosas
Cookies, cakes, pastries

Things that many cannot eat:

Pork and pork products (bacon, ham, pepperoni, sausages)
Shellfish — shrimp, clams, mussels, oysters, lobster, crawfish, langostinos
Gelatin based products — Jello, aspic, marshmallows
Foods made with alcohol
Foods made with aged/molded cheeses — blue cheese, gorgonzola

Fresh foods that grew from the ground are always safe — think fruits and vegetables.

Look for kosher and halal labels for meats.

Bread in almost any form you can imagine is safe.

We’ll have a bounce house and games for the kids. Kimberly Fretz, our coordinator for Interplay, the Tri-Faith Toddler Program, is organizing activities for the 2-6 year olds.

Creighton Medical School is providing their Health Fair and staff again — free blood pressure screenings and the chance to talk with a health professional about wellness and healthy living.

Invite a friend or friends who haven’t experienced a Tri-Faith event yet. It’s a great way to build relationships among the faith partners.

For planning it helps to know how many are attending. Take a minute to send an email to nancykirk@trifaith.org and let her know your name and the number in your party so we can make sure to have enough tables and chairs.

In case of rain, we will move indoors. So make plans to come, no matter what the weather.

A Clash of Ideologies or a Profound Kinship?

admin — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 02:11:34 +0000

Islamic scholar Steve Scholl of Oregon will present a lecture called A Clash of Theologies or a Profound Kinship: Where Judaism, Christianity and Islam Meet on March 25 at 7 p.m. at St. Martha’s Church in Papillion (72nd St. just north of Giles Rd.).

Jewish, Muslim and Christian leaders meet in Jerusalem

Scholl will identify areas of theological convergence and common concerns between the Abrahamic faiths while noting their diverse approaches to major theological questions.

But the heart of this presentation is to highlight the work taking place in Jerusalem, sacred ground zero for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. It is in Jerusalem that a courageous interfaith band - women and men; Jews, Muslims and Christians, known as the Abrahamic Reunion - share their lives and work together to bring peace, shalom, salaam, to the divided and war torn Holy Land.

This is a provocative and inspiring presentation that reveals a side of interfaith relations and the Middle East conflict that is often overlooked by the media in this country.

Steve Scholl is an independent scholar of Islam and comparative religion and mysticism. He has lived and traveled extensively in the Middle East after doing his graduate studies in Islamic philosophy and history at McGillUniversity. Steve was the founding publisher of White Cloud Press and is the editor of several books including The Peace Bible: Words from the Great Traditions and Common Era: Best New Writings on Religion. He writes on religion and culture for newspapers and magazines and is a contributor to the Encyclopedia of Religion (ed. by Mircea Eliade).

Through his company, Imagine Adventures, Steve leads trips to Morocco and the World Sacred Music Festival every June and is launching tours to Turkey and the Holy Land (Israel and Palestine) in 2010 and 2011. For more on this work, visit www.imagine-adventures.com.

Steve has presented lectures and workshops around the world on Islam, Sufism, “Rumi and the Religion of Love,” interfaith dialogue, the intellectual and spiritual problems posed by religious fundamentalism and the new atheists (Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens). He can be contacted by email at: steve@imagine-adventures.com

This program is sponsored by the Islamic Studies Center of the University of Nebraska-Omaha, The Tri-Faith Initiative, the Center for Faith Studies at CountrysideCommunityChurch, and hosted by St. Martha’s Episcopal Church.

Suggested donation $10. Students free.

Presiding Bishop brings Prophetic Voice to Omaha

admin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:16:15 +0000

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori of The Episcopal Church will be speaking at a luncheon Saturday, March 27, at St. Martha’s Episcopal Church on 72nd St. between Giles and Cornhusker. Enter off Cornhusker just west of 72nd on Magnolia and use the west parking lot.

Trained as an oceanographer, Bishop Jefferts Schori became Primate of the Church in 2006. She has presided over the Episcopal Church which includes the United States and several other countries including Haiti during a period of change and renewal.

Bishop Jefferts Schori’s career as an oceanographer preceded her studies for the priesthood, to which she was ordained in 1994. She holds a B.S. degree in biology from Stanford University, an M.S. and Ph.D. in oceanography from Oregon State University, an M.Div. from Church Divinity School of the Pacific, and several honorary doctoral degrees.

She remains an active, instrument-rated pilot, a skill she applied when traveling between the congregations of the Diocese of Nevada, where she was elected bishop in 2000 and ordained to the episcopate February 24, 2001. At the time of her election as bishop of Nevada, she was a priest, university lecturer, and hospice chaplain in Oregon.

Last year she spoke in Omaha at the Tri-Faith Dinner in Abraham’s Tent at the Qwest Center, and has spoken about the Tri-Faith Initiative in speeches around the country.

Considered one of the prophetic voices of this generation, she will speak at the noon luncheon after a two-day visit to the state including visits to Grand Island, Seward and a youth rally that morning. Tickets for the luncheon are $25 and must be ordered in advance, either on-line at www.pbnebraska.com or by calling Kate Baxley for phone registration at 402-321-4824 or 402-321-4824. Seating is limited so early registration is encouraged.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori

Last year she spoke in Omaha at the Tri-Faith Dinner in Abraham’s Tent at the Qwest Center, and has spoken about the Tri-Faith Initiative in speeches around the country.

Managing Business in a Pluralistic Society

admin — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 02:14:32 +0000

Wendy Goldberg, Bilal Khaleeq and Nancy Kirk from The Tri-Faith Initiative spoke March 4 to The Young Professionals Summit at the Qwest Center.

The session invited the attendees to consider three cases where religious diversity could impact business. One group discussed how to develop what used to be called the office “Christmas party” in a religiously diverse workplace.

Another group discussed the case of a Dunkin Donuts franchise in L.A. owned by a Muslim who lost the franchise because he refused to serve the chain’s pork breakfast sandwiches. The third group looked at a case of employee uniforms that didn’t meet the modesty needs of some employees.

They came up with interesting approaches after examining the issues from all sides. For some it was the first time they realized there were issues of religious diversity which could affect their companies, their customers and their work as managers.

Also presenting at this event was Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS Shoes, as Keynote Speaker; and William Taylor, founding editor of Fast Company, as the Closing Speaker.

Blake Mycoskie, founder and chief shoe giver of Tom’s Shoes.

Episcopal Executive Council Applauds Tri-faith

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:13:12 +0000

The Episcopal News Service published the following coverage after the Executive Council meeting:

Sunday evening, Feb. 21, Executive Council of The Episcopal Church hosted an evening with members of the Diocese of Nebraska, including their deputies to General Convention and their bishop, the Rt. Rev. Joe Burnett, as well as the leaders of the Tri-Faith Initiative, a Jewish, Christian and Islamic effort to honor the witness of each faith community to the God of Abraham and to find new ways to work and pray with one another and serve the wider community.

The Tri-Faith Initiative provided us a powerful image of renewing and redemptive faith that overcomes barriers of prejudice and fear.

A Taste of Tri-Faith

admin — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:52:03 +0000

Four Wednesdays in January

Whether you follow Judaism, Christianity or Islam, you probably have questions about the other Abrahamic faiths.

The Tri-Faith Initiative is holding a four-session Taste of Tri-Faith series at Temple Israel at 6:30 p.m. on the first four Wednesdays in January.

Tri-Faith 101: Who Are We?

Wednesday, January 6, 6:30 - 8 p.m.
Learn the basics of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam from sacred books and ritual practice to traditions and customs. Learn about the role of the Torah, the New Testament and the Qur’an in each of these three ancient religious traditions.

God Talk
Wednesday,

January 13,

6:30 - 8 p.m.
Each of the Abrahamic faiths emphasizes praising, thanking and worshiping God through prayer. This session will expose us to ancient and modern encounters with God and the prayers that resulted. After exploring many of the common themes of prayer, there will be an opportunity to study some of the specific prayers from each faith.

Values That Guide Our Lives
Wednesday, January 20, 6:30 - 8 p.m.
The rich traditions of all three faiths place a strong emphasis on helping those less fortunate. In this session, we will look at how religious ethical teachings can guide our life, determine how we interact with others and shape life in our community.

Hospitality
Wednesday, January 27, 6:30 - 8 p.m.
The Abrahamic tradition of hospitality and welcoming people of all nations, all cultures and all faiths weave through our scriptures and today continues to inspire us and serve as a model. This evening will offer a chance for us to discuss our unique rituals and traditions and to sample each others cultural culinary delicacies.

Register by sending an email to info@trifaith.org with the name and email of each person attending. Suggested donation of $10 for the series payable at the door. No charge for students.

Three Clergymen, Three Faiths, One Friendship

admin — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:11:17 +0000

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.

Holidays are coming

admin — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:29:39 +0000

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.