Observing World Religion Day--January 16

Sunday, January 16th at 3 p.m.
New Garden Friends Meeting

"What do you value about your faith that enhances your feeling of kinship with everyone?"

Representatives from the Baha’í, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions in our community will share their answers to this question.

Music from One Human Family, Triad Tapestry Children’s Chorus, and Hinshaw United Methodist Choir.

Reception to follow.

Our partner in sponsoring this observance is FaithAction International House.

Upcoming Events

The Triad Tapestry Children's Chorus will begin rehearsals for the new year on January 4. Open to all children ages seven to eleven, the Chorus charges no fees and has no auditions. Rehearsals are held Tuesday evenings at 7:00, at First Baptist Church of Greensboro. The Chorus accepts invitations from the community to sing, usually three times a semester.

It's Not Us!

The News and Record recently published a notice that the Triad Interfaith Council is having a fundraising sale--of pork butts!

We know that pork is forbidden to both Jews and Muslims, and that many Buddhists and Hindus, as well as all Jains, are vegetarians. We would never sponsor such an event.

At the same, we depend on your generosity to support our activities in the community, and would welcome a donation!

Looking toward September 11

The PIC Board of Directors has submitted the following letter to the Editor of the News and Record. We invite you to join us as we call for respect and understanding of our neighbors.

The Piedmont Interfaith Council deplores the rising tide of religious prejudice, currently directed against Muslims, but directed at other groups at different times in our history. As persons of faith and as Americans we publicly and emphatically affirm the value of respect for the diverse members of our community and for the faith traditions that support and nourish them.

Millions of Americans—many of our ancestors—came to this country seeking freedom from religious persecution, and our nation's First Amendment guarantees the right of each person to worship freely.  As Sept.11 approaches we call on all of us to honor those who died and their families by affirming this American heritage, and working to replace hatred with understanding, distrust with respect, bigotry with knowledge, and division with connection.

When church and state collide Conference to examine how faith and law connect in a multicultural society

By Kim McGrath
Office of Communications and External Relations
Published March 20, 2010

Window on Wake Forest

Home to more than 30 Islamic centers and the longest-serving Muslim elected official in the U.S. (state Senator Larry Shaw), North Carolina is a microcosm of the challenges faced by the 300 million Muslims worldwide who live in countries where Islam is not the majority religion.

Although those challenges have become even greater in the wake of the September 11 attacks and the Iraq War, Muslims are not the only religious group coping with the complicated relationship between law and religion. To some extent, all Western societies are struggling to find ways to accommodate non-Christian cultural practices.

Religious and legal scholars, along with a policy advisor from the Department of Homeland Security, will address the conflicts that can sometimes arise between religion and law during a conference on campus on March 23. "The Rule of Law and the Rule of God: A Symposium on Ethics, Religion & Law" will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Benson University Center's Pugh Auditorium. The conference is free and open to the public, although advance registration is suggested through the conference Web site.

"It is important for people to understand that religion and state are not disconnected and to fruitfully engage in discussions about how law and religion can make distinct contributions to the welfare of humanity," says Simeon Ilesanmi, Washington M. Wingate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in Religion, who organized the conference.

"That the United States is immune to issues of religious fanaticism is untrue," Ilesanmi added. "We need to cultivate an attitude of tolerance and speak honestly about how religious texts can be exploited by extremists of all faiths for political gain."

The conference also will explore how other countries are grappling with issues of church and state. For example, in France and Germany, head coverings have brought Islamic gender issues and terrorism fears to the forefront. Meanwhile, Britain is struggling with allowing traditional Islamic Shari's law to coexist with secular law.

Quarters for Compassion

The Greensboro Interfaith Learning and Dialogue Partnership is planning a Stop Hunger Now meal packaging event on Sunday, March 7, at Beth David Synagogue, 804 Winview Terrace,Greensboro NC 27410. Members of various congregations and religious organizations will be gathering from 3-5 pm to work together to feed the hungry:

Al-Ummil Ummat Islamic Center
Beth David Synagogue
First Friends Meeting
Greensboro Jewish Federation
Hindu Society of North Carolina - Greensboro
The Islamic Center of the Triad
St. Francis Episcopal Church
Piedmont Interfaith Council

The partnership is committing to packaging 20,000 meals to be sent around the world to people suffering from severe hunger. Each meal costs only 25 cents, and the group has pledged $2,500 towards the first 10,000 meals. An appeal will go to the member's congregations, organizations, and schools to contribute to Quarters for Compassion to raise money for the additional meals.

Donations will be accepted at the door.

Registration is limited! So please register now by clicking on this link.

Voices of Faith and Belief--a series at Wake Forest

Beginning Monday, February 1, 2010
Time: 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Location: Room 407, Benson Center
Description: Voices of Faith and Belief: Associate Chaplain Khalid Griggs is part of a 10-week series providing students opportunities for intentional engagement and dialogue with people of various faiths and beliefs.

This is not a debate or class, but rather a time for respectful and authentic conversation with a different speaker each Monday evening. The emphasis is not to completely understand facts about the world's religions, but to hear people from our community talk about what their faith and beliefs mean to them. It is a great opportunity to ask questions you may have about various traditions.

Other speakers will include Rabbi Josh Brown, Manjunath Sumanna, Fr. Jude DeAngelo,
Jamin Rowan.

Faith Communities respond to Haiti's needs

This site lists many agencies who are providing relief to Haitians and will accept contributions; among them you'll find groups representing a diverse range of faith traditions: Interaction.org

"Loving God--Loving Neighbors"

The Annual Observance of World Religion Day

Theme: "Loving God - Loving Neighbors"

Enjoy the Celebration of Faith and Culture with:

Triad Native American United Methodist Church Dancers
Triad Tapestry Children's Chorus
Hindu Chanting
Singer Pedro Castoreno
Music from the d'église Roche d'Eagles (Rock of Eagles Church)
One Human Family Choir
and much more!

Sunday, January 17

3:00 p.m.

Presbyterian Church of the Covenant
501 S. Mendenhall Street
Greensboro, NC 27403

Sponsored by

FaithAction International House
and Piedmont Interfaith Council

Can you believe it's already time?

DOES YOUR CHILD LOVE TO SING???

THE PIEDMONT INTERFAITH COUNCIL

ANNOUNCES THE WINTER/SPRING SEMESTER OF THE

THE TRIAD TAPESTRY CHILDREN’S CHORUS

Rehearsals each Tuesday, beginning January 5^th, 2010

1st Baptist Church, 1000 W. Friendly Avenue

~ No Auditions ~ No Fees ~

All children ages 7-11 are invited and NEW MEMBERS WELCOMED ANYTIME!

The TTCC brings together area children from various races, cultures and faith traditions.

We perform several times during the school-year for community groups and local events.

Through music, we weave a beautiful tapestry of friendship and fun!

For more info, please visit www.piedmontinterfaithcouncil.org or call 317-4673.