Piedmont Interfaith Council

World Religion Day Observance in Greensboro

2012-01-11T10:17:00.002-05:00

World Religion Day in Greensboro
Sunday, January 15, 2012
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Beth David Synagogue

When I Find Myself in Times of Trouble:
How My Faith Offers Comfort and Teaches Me to Serve Others

Music, readings, and reflections from members of several faith traditions--learn about your neighbors and about beliefs we hold in common.

Join us for refreshments and a service project following the presentations!
Bring granola bars, packaged crackers, instant breakfast mix and we'll pack them up for the children served by the Out of the Garden Project.

Sponsored by Piedmont Interfaith Council and FaithAction International House.

Music and Dance

2012-01-07T12:55:00.008-05:00

Sinai Mountain Ramblers

Billy Two Rivers

Classical Indian Dance

Triad Tapestry Children's Chorus at Thanksgiving 2011

2012-01-07T12:51:00.004-05:00

Thanksgiving Celebration--more!

2012-01-07T12:49:00.004-05:00

2012 Ecumenical Celebration of Thanksgiving!

2012-01-07T12:47:00.002-05:00

World Religion Day Observance in Greensboro

2012-01-07T12:04:00.013-05:00

World Religion Day in Greensboro

Sunday January 15
3:00-4:00
Beth David Synagogue

Celebrate the tremendous religious diversity in our region!

Meet new neighbors and learn about other faith traditions!
Participate in an interfaith service project after the service to help children in need! Please bring instant breakfast packets, granola bars, lunch-box size packs of crackers.

For more information contact
Rev. David Fraccaro - dfraccaro@faihouse.org,
Mary Pendergraft - pender@wfu.edu,
or Beth Socol - BSocol@bethdavidsynagogue.org

A Collaboration of Piedmont Interfaith Council and FaithAction International House.

Yes! Weekly Interview with Mustafa Abdullah

2011-02-22T23:38:00.001-05:00

"Mustafa Abdullah: An Egyptian-American community organizer looks to his roots"

http://npaper-wehaa.com/yes-weekly/2011/02/23/#?article=1177801

Religious Pluralism and the Egyptian Revolution

2011-02-22T14:02:00.004-05:00

In addition to myself speaking, Zachary Bailes (a WFU Divinity School Student) will join me in my shaping a thought provoking talk on Egypt's Revolution, Religious Pluralism, and the Promise of peace using an interfaith framework.

Caring For Our Dead : Muslim & Jewish Perspectives

2011-02-07T20:57:00.001-05:00

Caring For Our Dead
Muslim & Jewish Perspectives
Thursday, February 10th
7:00 – 8:30 pm Beth David Chapel

Panel Members
Imam Khalid Griggs, Community Mosque of Winston-Salem
Rabbi Eliezer Havivi, Beth David Synagogue
Beth David & Temple Emanuel Chevra Kadisha Societies

Muslim and Jewish Practices
Burial
Preparing the body for burial
Laws regarding organ donations, autopsies, and more
Funeral services and burials customs
Significant prayers
Customs that vary between different communities

Mourning
Mourners & Mourning rituals
The community’s role in response to death and the comforting of mourners

All Are Welcome!

804 Winview Drive ~ Greensboro ~ 336.294.0007 ~ www.bethdavidsynagogue.org

A Prayer from Pax Christi USA

2011-02-07T20:49:00.003-05:00

By Dom Helder Camara

I will not believe in the law of the strongest,

In the language of guns,

In the power of the powerful.

I want to believe in the right of all,

In the open hand,

In the strength of the non-violent.

I will not believe in race or riches.

In privileges,

In the established order.

I want to believe that all human beings

Are human beings

And that the order of force and of injustice

Is a disorder.

I will not believe that I don't have to concern myself

With what happens far from here.

I want to believe that the whole world

Is my home, the field that I sow,

And that all reap what all have sown.

I will not believe that I can combat oppression out there

If I tolerate injustice here.

I want to believe that what is right

Is the same here and there

And that I will not be free

While even one human being is excluded.

I will not believe that war and hunger are inevitable

And that peace is inaccessible.

I want to believe in the love of bare hands,

In peace on earth.

I will not believe that any effort is in vain.

I will not believe that the dream of human beings

Continues being only a dream

And that death is the end.

But I dare to believe in the dream of God:

A new heaven, a new earth

Where justice reigns.

From Selma to Montgomery; From Alexandria to Cairo

2011-02-07T20:38:00.002-05:00

PIC Board Member Mustafa Abdullah shares with us his perspectives on the situation in Egypt:

Observing World Religion Day--January 16

2010-12-23T14:45:00.003-05:00

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

2010-12-23T14:37:00.004-05:00

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!

2010-12-23T14:06:00.002-05:00

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

2010-09-09T11:32:00.005-04:00

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

2010-03-22T21:07:00.001-04:00

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

2010-02-14T18:37:00.002-05:00

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

2010-01-28T15:19:00.002-05:00

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

2010-01-14T18:52:00.007-05:00

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"

2010-01-04T15:21:00.002-05:00

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?

2010-01-04T15:17:00.001-05:00

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.

2009-11-03T12:19:00.002-05:00

PERU SWEATER SALE!

2009-10-30T15:21:00.011-04:00

Beautiful handmade sweaters and other items from Artesania Pachamama, a woman’s cooperative in Mañazo, Peru.

St. Pius X Parish Center

2210 N. Elm St.

Friday, Nov. 6, 5:00 - 9:00

Saturday, Nov. 7, 10:00 – 7:00

Sunday, Nov. 8, 10:00 – 2:00

www.perusweaters.org

The 27th Annual Ecumenical Celebration of Thanksgiving

2009-10-30T15:12:00.002-04:00

Sunday, November 22. 4:00 p.m. in Dana Auditorium on the Guilford College Campus.

This annual event brings the community together to celebrate the diversity of our community--our Community Kaleidoscope--and to give thanks for our unity as children of God.

Join us as we hear the music of the Triad Tapestry Children's Chorus, Louis Allen, Tangela Stanley, and others; as we watch the E. Gwynn Dancers and the Young First American Dancers, and as we listen to students from the Newcomers School share their experiences.

This special event is open to the public and free of charge.

A collaborative effort with the Greensboro Human Relations Commission, the Celebration is supported in part by a grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro.

Coming up Sunday!

2009-10-30T15:06:00.003-04:00

Come hear the Triad Tapestry Children's Chorus sing at 5:00 p.m. at the Ten Thousand Villages Shop. TTV will donate a percentage of all sales that take place between 5:00 & 7:00 to support the Chorus. There will be coffee, refreshments, beautiful fair trade items, and the chance to visit with friends.

Please come!

No Hate in Our Town

2009-09-13T11:44:00.001-04:00

PIC is a sponsor of the No Hate in Our Town resolution. You too can sign it here.

TRIAD TAPESTRY CHILDREN'S CHORUS

2009-08-23T14:27:00.003-04:00

DOES YOUR CHILD LOVE TO SING???

THE PIEDMONT INTERFAITH COUNCIL
ANNOUNCES THE 17th SEASON OF THE
THE TRIAD TAPESTRY CHILDREN’S CHORUS

Rehearsals each Tuesday, beginning September 15th, 2009
1st Baptist Church, 1000 W. Friendly Avenue
~ No Auditions ~ No Fees ~
All children ages 7-11 are invited and NEW MEMBERS WELCOME 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.

Prayers to Confront Hatred and Prejudice

2009-08-20T14:42:00.005-04:00

People of goodwill were appalled to read in Sunday's paper that the National Socialist Movement plans to hold a regional meeting in Greensboro this month. We were reminded that fear and hatred can be powerful forces for disruption in any community. The Piedmont Interfaith Council is committed to affirming the dignity and value of all human beings as creations of God and so we deplore the actions of those who encourage suspicion and division.

In the same edition of the paper, though, we found encouragement and a model of how to respond to evil. There a brief note describes how Liberian women, both Muslim and Christian, joined in prayer and witness to bring a measure of peace to their country. Similarly, PIC invites members of all faith traditions and all spiritual practitioners to join us as we pray for unity and healing not only in our community, but also in our nation and our world. Set aside time on August 29 to remember--and to voice--the beliefs we hold in common.

Prayers in the Face of Hatred and Prejudice

Many faith traditions remind us that as human beings we are all created by God to be part of one family. The prayers that follow are drawn from sacred writings of the Bahá’í, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Jain, Jewish and Sikh traditions. To see how much they have in common is indeed a source of blessing.

* May we come to realize that we are all brothers and sisters, all nourished from the same source of life.

* May we purify our eyes to be able to see that no one is different from ourselves.

* May we remember that we were created and divided into nations and tribes in order to come to know one another, not to despise one another.

* Let us pray, then, that we ourselves cease to be the cause of suffering to each other.

* May we share one goal in life and may our minds be united so as to bring life’s goodness to all.

* Let us not hate our sisters and brothers in our hearts, but love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

* Let us respond to evil actions with those that are better: in this way enmity will be replaced with friendship.

* May we remember that the most important victory is the one where no one is defeated, because it is through love that we reach God.

* May we learn to forgive and to seek reconciliation, for we will surely be rewarded by God.

* Let the whole universe be blessed;
let all beings be engaged in one another's well-being;
let all weakness, sickness and faults be diminished and vanish;
let everyone, everywhere be blissful and at peace.

The Greensboro Daily Photo

2009-08-19T10:37:00.002-04:00

Do you know this resource?
http://www.greensborodailyphoto.com/religion/

They have some beautiful photos of local houses of worship--and of other spots in Greensboro. Take a look, and feel free to suggest to them additional places to include.

Education for Peace: Empowerment of the Women of Afghanistan

2009-03-14T16:09:00.003-04:00

You Are Invited!The Greensboro Jewish FederationWomen's Philanthropy Cabinetinvites you to join us
for the amazing story ofThe work ofGINA BOWDENEducation for Peace: Empowerment of the Women of AfghanistanMonday, March 23, 2009
7:30pmGreensboro Jewish Federation
Desserts will be served
Admission is FREE
Please respond by March 20th to 852-5433

This is an OUTREACH event and is open to ALL women in the community.

"Education For Peace" Event Chairs
Sharon Segall & Janie Silvers

Gina Boden

During her years in Afghanistan, Gina Boden has helped build schools, teach teachers and improve education opportunities for Afghan girls living south of the capital of Kabul. Her emphasis is on peace through education and empowerment of women. Boden helped organize and found "Banu Silks", a cooperative of women in western Afghanistan who create beautiful silk scarves that are now marketed worldwide. Ms. Boden is currently researching a book called Leading Horses to Water: Empowerment of the Women of Afghanistan.

Banu Silks will be available for purchase the evening of the event.

This program is proudly sponsored by the Women’s Philanthropy Cabinet which represents women who make a minimum gift of $365 to the Annual Greensboro Jewish Federation Campaign.

Come to the Table--People of Faith ...Relieving Hunger

2009-02-27T14:46:00.001-05:00

Come to the Table - Feed the Hungry

Register Now for the Come to the Table Conferences: Three conferences on how people of faith can relieve hunger and support local agriculture in North Carolina. Register now or find more information by clicking here.

The Conferences will be held in three areas in North Carolina:

Eastern NC on Wednesday, February 25 at Garysburg, N.C., Roanoke Salem Missionary Baptist Church, 10am - 4pm

Western NC on Thursday, February 26 at Boone, N.C., Boone United Methodist Church, 9:30am - 4pm

Central NC on Friday, February 27 at Charlotte, N.C., Myers Park Baptist Church, 9am - 4:15 pm

Featuring speaker Michael Schut, author of Food and Faith: Justice, Joy and Daily Bread.

Workshops on topics including community gardening, reconciliation in the garden, land preservation, food security for the hungry, starting CSAs and farmers' markets, screenings of The Guestworker, and more.

Workshops vary at each site. Registration is $10 and includes a local lunch and a copy of Come to the Table's new guidebook. Scholarships are available.
For more information, contact Claire Hermann at claire@rafiusa.org, (919) 542-1396 x207

Video Screening

2009-02-27T14:41:00.002-05:00

Write Your Legislators about Persecution of Baha'is

2009-02-27T14:36:00.001-05:00

Former Board members, Nooshi and Rezvan Oskui, write from Atlanta:

"Please contact your representatives and your senators...theyshould be urged to support U.S. House Resolution 175, “Condemning the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Bahá’i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Right.” This resolution was introduced in the U.S. House of Representative on February 13,2009. If the Congressional Representative is not currently a co-sponsor of this resolution, please ask them to co-sponsor it. Also please write to your Senators and urge them to consider introducing a similar resolution in the Senate.

You may find the following websites useful in identifying the Congressional Representatives and Senators. www.house.gov and www.senate.gov.

Prayer Service for Baha'is in Iran

2009-02-20T13:56:00.002-05:00

Persecution of the Baha'i community in Iran has increased significantly recently. The US State Department has spoken out in protest; you can learn more here:
http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-02-14-voa19.cfm

Local prayer services of support have been scheduled. More details to follow.

Divan Cultural Center: Second Annual Dialogue Dinner

2009-02-20T13:48:00.000-05:00

We would like to invite you to Divan Cultural Center's 2 ^ndAnnual Dialogue Dinner which will be held on Saturday, March 7th at 7:00pm at Sheraton Greensboro - Koury Convention Center.

We are inviting distinguished people from different backgrounds including, academicians, religious leaders, public officers, local business people and politicians from the Triad area to promote dialogue and to contribute to the efforts for a more peaceful society.

Prof. Abdullah Antepli from Duke University - Divinity School, Prof. Jerry Pubantz from UNCG - Political Science and Prof. John R. Sopper from UNCG - Religious Studies will be speaking at this year's dinner. The theme of the event is "The Role of Religion in Establishing Peaceful Civilizations"

RSVP is necessary for this event and the invitation is for 2 people. Please kindly RSVP by March 4th via phone (919-386-3464) or e-mail (rsvp@divantriad.org). Please mention the names of the attendees, and your choice of meal, Chicken Parmesan or Grilled Vegetable Galette.

Please note that this is not a fundraising event, and the dinner will be hosted by Divan Cultural Center. For information on Divan's activities, please visit www.divantriad.org

Thanks,

Dialogue Dinner Committee

Divan Cultural Center

GROWING IN COMMUNITY --Gardening to Nourish Self and Neighbor

2009-02-16T14:11:00.002-05:00

PIC just received information from our colleague John Sopper at UNCG. He has planned an excellent program for Saturday, February 28, on community gardens. The speakers will look at these projects from many points of view, from the practical to the spiritual.

Letter to the Editor on Interfaith Understanding

2009-02-08T12:10:00.004-05:00

A bitter, war-torn world of clashing narratives

In Ramallah on our interfaith trip, a Jewish participant commented, “All my life I have been told Palestine was vacant until our people came. That’s not true, is it?”

I assured her she had not been lied to, but that her narrative was “true” for those telling it. But, no, it did not match the narrative of the Palestinians living there.

Recent contributors to these pages have cited their own narratives regarding Gaza, each claiming truth. One person’s “collateral damage” is another’s “family.” One person’s “suicide bomber” is another’s “martyr.”

A higher narrative exists.

Rabbi Hillel: “What is hateful to you, don’t do to your neighbor.”
Jesus: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Muhammad: “Not one of you believes until you wish for others what you wish for yourself.”

A visitor recently on our campus said he was willing to inflict tremendous violence on the “other side” to assure none on “his side.” Hillel, Jesus and Muhammad probably groaned. Yet such sentiments aren’t uncommon in recent contributions

Such an attitude is, unfortunately, part of the current narrative, and it falls woefully short of a higher truth.

Max Carter
Greensboro

The writer is director of Friends Center at Guilford College, and a member of the Board of Directors of Piedmont Interfaith Council.

Posted by News & Record on February 7, 2009 3:00 AM | Permalink

2009-01-05T16:03:00.009-05:00

We Are America, We are the World!

World Religion Day
Sunday, January 18th 3 p.m.
Unitarian Universalist Church of Greensboro
5603 Hilltop Road, Jamestown, NC

(near the intersection of Hilltop Road and Guilford College Road)

Join with your neighbors of many different religious traditions in our Annual World Religions Day Celebration. This year's theme is "We are America, We are the World." There will be music, prayers, and interactive elements drawn from a wide variety of traditions.

The Triad Tapestry Chorus will be among

those who will celebrate the
diversity of faiths through music.

We also will be treated to music by the Visions of Rapture Children's Choir from the All Nations Evangelical Church.

Traditional Native American flute music will be part of the program, as well as a dramatic interactive reading, a "Prayer for America," and other inspiring elements.

The aim of World Religion Day is to foster the establishment of interfaith understanding and harmony by emphasizing the common denominators underlying all religions. The message of World Religions Day is that mankind, which has stemmed from one origin, must now strive towards the reconciliation of that which has been split up. Human unity and true equality depend not on past origins, but on future goals, on what we are becoming and whither we are going.

World Religions Day is observed in more than 90 nations around the world. It is an official holiday in Canada and several other countries. In the United States, World Religion Day is being observed in more and more communities each year, most often organized by collaboration among faith communities. This is the third annual observance of World Religion Day in Greensboro organized by FaithAction and the Piedmont Interfaith Council.

Students from the Newcomers' School

2009-01-05T15:29:00.012-05:00

Many of us remember these presentations as the most moving part of this year's Ecumenical Celebration of Thanksgiving. They appeared in the News & Record on Saturday, December 27. Thanks to Leisa for organizing the presentations and sharing the essays and pictures.

My name is Deepak and I am from Bhutan. Bhutan is a small country between India and China. My family left this country because the government arrested and killed innocent people. They burned houses and people were forcefully asked to leave the country. We went to a refugee camp in Nepal and lived there in a thatched hut for 13 years. Faith helped us to reach safely to America in June, 2008. I am grateful to the people and government of the United States for accepting Bhutanese refugees in this big developed country.

My name is Joseph Lian and I’m from Burma. It is now called Myanmar. When I was a child there, my mother went to the farm every day. One day the army came and she gave them rice. This caused a problem for our family, so my mother had to escape to Malaysia. I joined her later and we lived in Malaysia for two years. Then the United Nations called us to come to America. My mother prayed to God and said, “Thank you, God”. Now my brother and I go to school and my mother works. Every Sunday we go to church and I play the guitar for God and the people. Now I say, “Thank you, God” for my new life in America.

My name is Jane and I’m from Sierra Leone. The conditions in my country were poor. We did not have good food and the food was very expensive. There were no jobs for people because of war. My family was lucky enough to win the immigration lottery, and we came to the United States this year. Here in the US I enjoy school, the environment, and the city, but I miss my friends and family in my homeland. I give thanks to God for giving me a new life here in Greensboro.

I am Tabeer and I’m from Pakistan. Why do people from many different countries come to America? They come for the dream that each man can create his own destiny. When I left my country the political conditions were very bad. My family came here for a better livelihood and the best education for me and my sisters. When I stepped into America for the first time, my first thought was that America is a really clean and beautiful country. The problem for my family is learning the new language and getting settled into a new country. I think we should always have fun in life and be prepared for our new journey.

My name is Leslie and I’m from Mexico. As with many Mexican families, my father first began working in the United States. My mother and I came to join him this year in search of a better job for my mom and a better education for me. Also, the security in Mexico is very bad and there is a group of people that kill and kidnap. This is scary, so the people live with fear. That’s why my parents decided to come to live here. I miss my friends and everything about Mexico, but my dream is to be something in life, and for the moment, I’m working toward that dream here in the United States.

My name is Meena and I’m from Iraq. I came here to the United States in August, 2008 to start a new life because my life was taken from me. Because of the bad situation in my country, I cannot go back because I am afraid. Have you ever known anyone who is afraid of his own country? I left my country with a tear in my eyes. I said good-bye to my home, friends, and family and went to Jordan. We felt free at last, and I made new friends. However, it was difficult living there for Iraqi people. I had to say good-bye again. Then I came here to the land of dreams to start and never stop. I will get a good education and I want to become a genetic engineer. However, I left half of my heart in Iraq and the other half in Jordan. I hope the day will come when I collect my heart again here in America, because no one can live without a heart.

Spring Semester for Triad Tapestry Children’s Chorus

2009-01-02T23:30:00.006-05:00

The spring semester will begin next week: our weekly rehearsals resume on Tuesday, Jan. 6th at 7:00 pm at 1st Baptist Church on Friendly Avenue. HOWEVER, we have been given a different room to use, since we have very obviously outgrown the room we've been in for the past several years!It's in the preschool building, and the entrance to that is just to the left of the entrance we've been using. The preschool building is the one with red doors and the circular drive right next to the handicapped parking lot on Guilford Ave. Just come in the red doors that are marked "Preschool," go about 12 ft down the hall to the large double doors on the left, which open to the stairs that will take you to the 2nd floor. Go to the 2nd floor. Once upstairs, you'll walk out of the stairwell, and room 225 is across the hall, slightly to the left.

Our first performance date of the semester is coming up very soon. It will be on Sunday, January 18th, and we will sing as part of the World Religions Day event being held at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greensboro on Hilltop Rd. The event is from 3-4pm. We'll have only 2 rehearsals to prepare for this performance, but we have plenty of songs we can quickly polish up and have ready!