Mairim NEW header
Monthly Newsletter
SEPTEMBER 2009 (No. 30)
Dear Friend,

Everything that has life, changes.    
 
Religion has proven its ability to isolate and destroy.  Now is the time for religion to prove its ability to integrate and heal, create and nurture new changes.  Each religion needs a context and opportunity to learn to live in our newly interdependent world, finding strength within its own mysteries.

Tolerance and appreciation between religions is simply not enough. Change must go deeper. We all must dig further into our texts, traditions, and practices to find resources that can help us experience, understand and need one another. The earth itself demands this.

That's why we have Faith House, a place where we can experiment, learn, commit, and act together for the good of the world.  Faith House exists so that we can all learn to love and live with those who are different from us. We will discover ways of knowing each other more deeply and serving the world in synergy instead of competition.    
 
There are no clear footsteps on this journey we have taken. That's why we have embraced change as a way of life together. We are beginning this second year of Faith House with some courageous steps of change based on what we have learned.
 
So much of what we plan to do is new from our new fall Living Room schedule on a new night, Samir's upcoming book It's Really All About God, our new Social Justice Intern, and a new "look and feel" for this Newsletter and our website (in process!). Please take a minute to read our revised "Mission, Vision, Principles" posted on our website and let us know what you think!   
 
Welcome to Faith House Manhattan 2.0!  You our friends from New York City and around the world provide the strength, passion, and most of all, the support and love that sustain the heart of our adventure!
LIVING ROOM GATHERINGS
Begin again on 9/9/09!

Intersections Launch "Twice a month, Faith House hosts Living Room gatherings where we share holy days, learn new spiritual practices, and address current cultural and social issues. Each gathering has a specific theme and hands-on, participatory elements."  ~ from Mission, Vision, Principles

New Day & Time

WEDNESDAY Evenings this Fall
Doors @ 6 PM, Program @ 7 PM

Same location

INTERSECTIONS, 274 Fifth Ave, between 29th and 30th

Upcoming Programs

September 9     Banquet of Love: A Ramadan Feast with 
                           the
Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Community
 
This year we would like to invite you to a special opportunity to experience a Ramadan Iftar feast (fasting is optional) with the Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Community, as well as others. There will be delicious food, prayer, Quranic readings, poetry and music.  Special guest on Sitar, Dawoud.

Rabia is providing a vegetarian Iftar meal.  Beverages, fresh fruit and desserts are most welcome!  Please RSVP so we have a sense of how many people are coming.  Email [email protected] or sign up on our Facebook Event or Meetup Event online. 

September 23    Preparing for Yom Kippur with Jill Minkoff,
                           Amichai Lau-Lavie & Storahtelling guests
October 14         Spirit & the Creative Imagination
October 28         Paul Knitter on themes from his new book:  
                           "Without Buddha, I Could Not Be a Christian"
November 11      Marcia Kannry, from The Dialogue Project, &
                           Sam Aboela from the Progressive Muslim
                           Meetup, lead a session on Israel & Palestine
November 25     Interfaith Thanksgiving
December 9       TBA
December 23     Deconstructed Pre-Christmas Rummage Sale

All programs FREE.  Donations welcome.
It's Really All About God
Release Date:

September 22, 2009

Pre-order online or at
your local bookstore


It's Really All About God
is a very personal story and a thrilling exploration of a redeeming, dynamic, and radically different way of treasuring one's own religion while discovering God, goodness, and grace in others and in their traditions.

"Samir Selmanovic is asking the right questions at the right time, and refusing the consolations of certainty at a time when strident orthodoxies--atheist as well as religious--are perilously dividing us."
-Karen Armstrong, author, A History of God and The Great Transformation

"If atheists, agnostics, and non-religious people like myself want to gain understanding and improve the world ...we need to read not only the hard-line voices of ancient religions but also the freshest and wisest voices of modern progressive religion. Samir Selmanovic's is just such a fresh voice."
-Greg Epstein, Humanist Chaplain of Harvard University, and author, Good Without God: What a Billion Non-Religious People Do Believe

"Why are thousands not saying what this man is saying? Such obvious truth must be made even more obvious, and this is exactly what Samir Selmanovic is doing for all of us and for the future of humanity. After you read this wise book, you will say, 'Of course!' and 'Thank God!'"
-Fr. Richard Rohr, O.F.M., Center for Action and Contemplation, Albuquerque, New Mexico

"Samir Selmanovic offers a deeply personal reflection on faith, doubt, and ultimately, spiritual peace. . . . [He tells] a sophisticated and introspective story that simultaneously stirs the heart, challenges the intellect, and inspires the soul."
-Daisy Khan, executive director, American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA)
 
"In a world in which religious traditions are too often digging their heels into the tired sod of exclusionary self-righteousness, this love song to the God of all Existence is a much longed for work of hope and optimism."
-Rabbi Marcia Prager, author, The Path of Blessing: Experiencing the Energy and Abundance of the Divine

VIEW AUTHOR'S WEBSITE
JOIN FACEBOOK GROUP
HEAR AUDIO EXCERPTS OR GO TO (iTunes)
FOLLOW SAMIR ON
TWITTER
Finally, this email and our website have a new "look and feel."  But our re-design in still in progress! 

Please check out www.faithhousemanhattan.org and send us your feedback.  We will be completing our re-design this month and would love to hear from you!  Email all ideas and feedback to [email protected]

Our tremendous thanks to Mairim Pina, who designed the new banner. 
 
In Faith,
 
Bowie Snodgrass, Director
Juliet rabia Gentile, Islamic Co-Leader
Samir Selmanovic, Founder and Christian Co-Leader
Bara Levitt, Social Justice Intern
What's Happening?
Living Room Gatherings Begin Again
New Book by Samir Selmanovic, It's Really All About God
Ramadan Greetings from Rabia
Welcome Bara Levitt, Social Justice Intern
Find Us Online

Featured Article from
faithhousemanhattan.org
Ramadan Mubarak! Ramadan Karim!

rabia
A Ramadan Greeting from Faith House Islamic Co-Leader, Rabia Gentile
O blessed month of Ramadan, welcome... 
CLICK to read the rest
Featured Article from
faithhousemanhattan.org
Welcome Bara Levitt, Social Justice Intern!
Bara Slafkes Levitt is a Senior at List College, the Joint Program between Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she is majoring in Sociology and Jewish Women's Studies. Bara is looking forward to coordinating Social Justice opportunities with the Faith House community this academic year.
Featured Article from
faithhousemanhattan.org
Australian Catholic
Finds Path to Coexist and "Encounter Point"
in NYC

coexist
By Penny Elsley
Two years ago, as part of my role as Coordinator of World Youth Day for the Broken Bay Diocese in Sydney, Australia, I discovered that we were to be the host of a large 13 foot high wooden cross that has been traveling the world for 20 years.  I have to confess that my initial reaction to this news was "oh no!!!"
CLICK to read the rest

NEW Sabbath Poems
Posted this Summer on
faithhousemanhattan.org

Print Resources

Online Resources


We are an experiential inter-religious community that comes together to deepen our personal and communal journeys, share ritual life and devotional space, and foster a commitment to social justice and healing the world.