Programs

Previous Programs

June 3rd, 2010, at 6:30 PM at Rogers International School, 202 Blachley Road, Stamford, for a "Report to the Community" on the Initiative to Bring Neighbors Link to Stamford. The evening will feature a screening of the Award Winning documentary film, "La Americana" www.la-americana.com. This film is a moving documentary following the journey of an undocumented immigrant from Bolivia to New York City and back, as she struggles to save the life of her ailing daughter. Her story puts a human face on this timely issue. The film is appropriate for adults, middle school and high school age students.

May 13, 2010, please join the InterFaith Council for "To Whom I May Concern," a drama written and performed by people suffering with memory loss. This drama, conceived and directed by Maureen Matthews, RN, PhD, harnesses and expresses the determination, fear, humor and hope experienced by a growing number of people who know they have Alzheimer's disease.

Our next Living Water for Dry Times gathering is coming up on Thursday, May 6th, 2010 at the First United Methodist Church, 42 Cross Road in Stamford. We will enjoy festive food, interfaith worship, words of encouragement from Joe McGee, President for Policy and Program of the Business Council of Fairfield County, and hear from our four Action Groups in Housing, Employment, Health and Education, how they are progressing with their Action Plans

Sunday, April 25, 2010 at 4:00pm: Political Action to Stop Genocide, Mark Hanis, Executive Director of Genocide Intervention Network. St. Lukes Church, 1864 Post Road, Darien, CT.

April 15, 2010 A celebration of the Virginia Schroeder Fund, its donor, and the people and families it has helped will be held on April 15, 2010 at St. John's Lutheran Church in Stamford.

Sunday, November 8^th, 2009, 2-5 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 42 Cross Road, in Stamford .LIVING WATER FOR DRY TIMES; Faith Communities Meeting the Needs of Stamford. Religious communities from all over Stamford will come together to be inspired by one of America’s greatest preachers, and address how they might work together to meet the increased needs of this city during hard times. LIVING WATER FOR DRY TIMES is the brainchild of the Rev. Doug McArthur, senior pastor the First United Methodist Church, and is sponsored by the InterFaith Council of Southwestern Connecticut. The keynote speaker will be the Rev. James Forbes, Senior Pastor Emeritus of Riverside Church in New York City, and founder of the Healing of the Nations Foundation.

Participants will gather to hear Rev. Forbes speak, and then break into sessions dealing with health, education, housing and employment. The design team has invited Stamford experts in each of these fields to serve on panels and help guide the discussion toward practical actions that faith communities can help undertake. Participants will choose one break-out session to attend, and will be invited to be part of “solution roundtables” after hearing from the panelists.

The Housing panel will include Congressman Jim Himes (4^th CD), Joan Carty (Housing Development Fund) and Ross Burkhardt (New Neighborhoods). The Employment panel comprises Kip Bergstrom (Urban Development League), Jack Condlin (Stamford Chamber of Commerce) and Tom Failla (Norwalk Community College). Education will be addressed by Eileen Swerdlick (Stamford Public Schools, ret), Michael Duggan (Domus) and Peggy Sarkela (Reach Prep), and Mary Judge.

Birth and Beyond: Life Transition Rites in Various Religious Traditions Thursday, May 21, 2009 7-9 P at First Presbyterian ("Fish") Church in Stamford, 1101 Bedford Street.
Birth and Beyond will feature workshops exploring how various religions honor major life transitions – birth, adolescence, marriage and death. Each workshop focusing on one of these transitions will be co-led by clergy or leaders from four different religious groups, including Muslim, Sikh, Jewish, Baha'i, Hindu and Christian (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant). Participants can attend two different workshops during the program. This program is particularly well suited to youth and youth groups.

The Rev. Canon Alan Dennis gives a timely speech on "Religion, Race and Politics within a Global and National Context" Monday, October 20, 2008 7:30-9:00 PM in the General Re Auditorium at UConn, Stamford. Rev. Dennis worked closely with Archbishop Desmond Tutu in dismantling apartheid in South Africa. He was the first person of color to be appointed to the diocese of Capetown. Currently he is Sub Dean of St. John the Divine in New York City. We are honored to have such a distinguished speaker. His talk will be followed by a Q&A session moderated by Joe Pankowski.

Bestselling author Russell Shorto will be discussing his latest book Descartes' Bones: A Skeletal History of the Conflict Between Faith and Reason Monday evening, October 27, 2008 7:15-8:30 at the First Congregational Church in Darien. Shorto is also the author of The Island at the Center of the World and a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine. In his newest book this masterful storyteller and intellectual historian brilliantly explores how the current angry debate between faith and reason first got started. By revealing a world too wild for glib categorization, Shorto helps us find ways to talk to, rather than yell at, one another. This event is co-sponsored by the InterFaith Council and Darien's Barrett Bookstore

Thursday, May 15, 2008 : Spring General Assembly featuring Dr. Stephen P. Cohen and Mustafa Zein on the very important topic, "Seeking Light not Heat: A Basic Historical Understanding of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict." Solutions to this conflict continue to elude us, but we know they can only begin with more and more people historically understanding the roots of the conflict. Also, we will also honor Ann Sadowsky for her years of service to interfaith efforts in lower Fairfield County. She truly embodies what the InterFaith Council stands for: creating justice, compassion and peace through mutual understanding. And she worked untiringly for our interfaith future, whether as Secretary of the Board, or organizer of the Ten Thousand Villages Fair Trade Sale or adminstrator of the Virginia Schroeder Respite Care Trust Fund. In every way, she was a passionate advocate for all of us working together across the religious divides that too often regrettably separate us. When finally we create a world more just and peaceful, it will be because of amazing people like Ann Sadowsky. Also as part of this evening, we'll be taking just a moment to elect and in some cases re-elect members to the board of the InterFaith Council.

New York Times bestselling author and journalist Bruce Feiler will speak on "Reclaiming Religion from Extremists" at the Round Hill Community Church, Saturday, January 26, 2008 at 7:00 PM. His lecture will be followed by a response from an interfaith panel which will consist of local religious leaders Rabbi Mitch Hurvitz of Temple Shalom, Rev. Cynthia Knapp of St. Barnabas Church and Dr. Kareem Adeeb from the American Institute for Islamic and Arabic Studies in Stamford. Mr. Feiler will then field questions from the audience. A reception will follow with opportunities to have Mr. Feiler sign his books Abraham, Walking the Bible and Where God Was Born. First Congregational Church of Old Greenwich and First Christ Church, Scientist join the Round Hill Community Church in sponsoring this event.

We invite you to sit in with us, get to know us, and get some sense of all the hard work that goes into maintaining and strengthening our interfaith voice in southwestern Connecticut. This meeting will be held in the downstairs community room of the Stamford Church of Christ on Thursday evening, November 15, 2007. We'll begin at 7:00 PM and end, if past meetings are indicators, promptly at 8:30.

Darfur Sunday afternoon, October 21, 2007, at 5:00 pm at the Stamford Church of Christ. We at the InterFaith Council bring this to you as part of The Darfur Support Coalition of Fairfield County's DAYS of DARFUR, October 12Please join us for an InterFaith Service of Prayer: A Call to Conscience for the Refugees of -24, a series of outstanding events meant to increase awareness about the violence in Darfur and show us ways to take meaningful action.

The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew--Three Women Search for Understanding. Thursday, October 18, 2007, at 7:15 pm., at Stamford's UConn campus. Three mothers--Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver and Priscilla Warner--and now authors of a fabulous new interfaith book called The Faith Club will discuss how in the shadow of 9/11 they came together to explore their respective faiths, at first so they might try to understand and answer their own children's questions, and then how after hours of soul-searching over the issues that divided them they grew close enough to discover what united them. A fascinating panel discussion followed by a wide-open Q&A session.

How can Jews, Christians and Muslims live together? Sunday, May 20, 1970, at the Norwalk United Methodist Church, 4:00-6:00 PM (followed by dinner). The conversationalists include three distinguished speakers associated (in various ways) with the Hartford Seminary.

Spring General Assembly: Thursday, May 17, 2007, at 7:30pm. at the Bethel A.M.E. Church, 150 Fairfield Ave.,Stamford. There will be a panel discussion focused on "Changing Perspectives on God in an Age of Terrorism" with Christian, Muslim and Jewish panelists--Rev. Elizabeth Krentz-Wee of St. Michael's Lutheran Church in New Canaan, Dr. Kareem Adeeb, President and Imam of the American Institute for Islamic and Arabic Studies, and Rabbi Josh Hammerman of Temple Beth El in Stamford--will address this topic with Q&A to follow. Also Reverends Ron Evans and Gary Brown will be presented with Interfaith Council Distinguished Service Awards for years of valuable interfaith contributions to our region. Some very brief Council business will also be conducted.

An Earth Day Service of Evening Prayer on Sunday, April 22, 2007 at 4:30 pm at St. Francis Episcopal, 2810 Long Ridge Rd., Stamford. This service will be a contemplative service of song, chant, reading, collective prayer and open prayer. In the time of open prayer, all who attend will be given opportunity to pray in whatever ways their traditions suggest in celebration of and intercession for the sanctity and preservation of God's creation.

November 2, 2006, Thursday 12:00-1:30pm. Lunch and learn, Reproductive Justice & Women's Reproductive Rights: The View from Religion, a panel moderated by the Rev. Dr. Blaine Edele at UConn, Stamford. Co-hosted by the Center for Judaic and Middle Eastern Studies, Uconn, Stamford and the the Center for Women's Studies. The program is endorsed by the Interfaith Council of Southwestern Connecticut. Free, including lunch. RSVP is required.

Thursday evening, October 19, 2006, Torture in an Age of Terrorism. Where: General auditorium at UConn, Stamford.

Sunday evening, August 13, 2006, An Interfaith Service of Evening Prayer for Peace in the Middle East. This service will be a meditative, Taizé-type service with simple songs of peace, readings, collective prayers, silence and a time of open prayer when all are welcomed to express their hopes and concerns. Where: Stamford Church of Christ, 1264 High Ridge Road, Stamford, CT 06903. Directions

Monday, June 12, 2006 at the Union Baptist Church, 805 Newfield Avenue, Stamford, An Evening Celebration: Two Years of Interfaith Rebirth. Honoring: Rev. Blair Moffett and Deborah Goldberg. A new slate of board members will be presented for board approval. Meet Leadership

Wednesday, April 5, 2006, Ties that Divide: Religious perspectives on same sex Unions. Where: Temple Sholom, 300 East Putnam Avenue, Greenwich, CT. Panelists Include: Rev. Christopher Leighton, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Darien; Rev. Ron Evans, First Congregational Church, Darien; Rabbi Emily Korzenik, Fellowship for Jewish Learning; Dr. Kareem Adeeb, American Institute for Islamic and Arabic Studies; Joseph Pankowski, Esq., Moderator.

November 17, 2005, Thursday Escape From Chaos: Homelessness and Affordable Housing on the Gold Coast. Panelists include: Rev. Dick Schuster, Executive Director of St. Luke’s Lifeworks, Ric Meyer, Executive Director of Shelter for the Homeless, Anne Lynn, Local Activist and Advocate for Affordable Housing. The program was at the First Congregational Church, 14 Brookside Road, Darien, CT.

November 1, 2005, Tuesday 12:15-1:15pm. Lunch and learn, Sexuality and Religion, a panel moderated by the Rev. Dr. Blaine Edele at UConn, Stamford. Co-hosted by the Center for Judaic and Middle Eastern Studies, Uconn, Stamford and the Student Government Assn. The program is endorsed by the Interfaith Council of Southwestern Connecticut. Free, including lunch.

October 20, 2005, Thursday at 7:00pm. Escape from Chaos: Illegal Aliens in Fairfield County. Featuring Rev. Juan Paniagua, Outreach worker; William Callion, Director, Public Safety, Health and Welfare City of Stamford; Myra Oliver, Executive Director International Institute. The program was at the First Congregational Church, Walton Place, Stamford.

August 11, 2005, Thursday, a special meeting with Jigme Norbu, a nephew of the Dali Lama. The meeting was held at 7:30 pm in the Chapel of the First Congregational Church at One Walton Place in downtown Stamford.

InterFaith Assembly met on Thursday, May 19, 2005 at the First Presbyterian Church, 1101 Bedford St., Stamford. The evening program was about an emerging tradition in our area and throughout the world: Sikhism.

An Interfaith Tribute to Pope John Paul II was held on April 14, 2005 at the Union Memorial Church. Prayers were offered Rev. Mark Lingle, Lutheran clergy and President of the InterFaith Council of Southwestern CT, and by leaders of Christian, Jewish, Greek Orthodox, Muslim, and Sikh traditions.