Making a difference this September!
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Greetings!
It's September again in NYC and we are launching our third year with an exciting line-up of events and programs!
If you are in New York join us this Sunday, September 12 for the Liberty Walk, a peaceful interfaith rally for religious freedom and in support of community center Park51. Then, next Saturday, September 18 Faith House is partnering with GreenFaith, 350.org and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine to present SUSTAIN: An Interfaith Evening for the Climate with Bill McKibben!
On Wednesday, September 22, our fall Living Room season begins with exciting themes, dynamic content, and diverse guest hosts:
Sept 22 "LGBT = Let's Get Beyond Tolerance: An ordinary religious community breaks through the barrier to love" with Rev. Stephen Phelps Oct 13 "Samhain: A Season of Harvest, a Circle of Remembrance" with Temple of the Spiral Path
Oct
27 "Bible, Interrupted: Can the oldest tool for transmission of sacred
scriptures serve as a bridge between religions?" with Amichai Lau-Lavie, Founder and Executive Director of Storahtelling
Nov 10 "Interbeing: Experience the Heart of Islam" with Khabir McGeehan,
Juliet rabia Gentile and the Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order
Dec 8 Creating Sacred Objects (Title and Hosts TBA) We started our Summer fund-drive knowing We Can Do It Together, and then pledging to Risk More and Sooner, asking for your help as we together struggle for interdependence and seek our own transformation. In order to press on with our mission we need to raise $18k by the end of September.
You have heard us and contributed $10k! A generous donor has pledged a matching dollar for every dollar we raise after $10k, so we only need $4k in new contributions to finish the campaign! Here is our ticker. For each dollar you send, the ticker will leap two!

You can also sponsor one of our Living Room gatherings this fall with a donation of $250 or $500 (Living Room sponsorships will also be matched!). See Sponsorship details in sidebar below. Visit our Donate page for all giving options!
The city is bustling with people this September carrying difficult memories and great hopes. Thank you for contributing and helping us use every ounce of our energy to make a difference in New York City!
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SPECIAL EVENT The Liberty Walk: An Interfaith Rally Supporting Religious Freedom
Sunday, Sept.12 at 3PM Meeting at St. Peter's Church 22 Barclay St (at Church St)
Our partner and friend, Religious Freedom USA, invites all to join them on Sept.12 for The Liberty Walk: Interfaith Rally for Religious Freedom in support of Park51.
RSVP on the Facebook EventJoin Faith House for lunch! Prior to the rally, we will be meeting at nearby Au Bon Pain (222 Broadway) at 1:30pm. Come and make friends. The organizers ask: "Please be respectful and mindful. We won't allow any signs at this demonstration. Rather, we ask everyone to bring a flag to the demonstration as a reminder of religious freedom."
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SPECIAL EVENT SUSTAIN: An Interfaith Evening for the Climate with Bill McKibben

Saturday, September 18 6:30 - 9:30 PM The Cathedral of St. John the Divine 1047 Amsterdam Avenue at 112th Street
SUSTAIN will gather ordained and lay leaders from diverse religious traditions, environmental leaders and concerned citizens for reflection, inspiration and a call to action related to climate change. SUSTAIN's centerpiece will be a 45-minute address by world famous author and activist Bill McKibben, who will focus on the relationship between spirituality, climate change, social justice and sustainability. The event will take place at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, one of the world's pre-eminent settings for religiously-based environmental action. Find out more on the event webpage or join our Facebook event The event's partners - GreenFaith, Faith House, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and 350.org - invite you to join us in making this event successful. Please spread the word! |
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LIVING ROOM GATHERING LGBT = Let's Get Beyond Tolerance: An ordinary religious community breaks through the barrier to love
(c) Hal Weiner 917.957.8244  | Wednesday, Sept 22, 2010
6 pm Doors, 7 pm Program
Intersections, 274 5th Ave Btwn 29th and 30th Sts
With Rev. Stephen Phelps
In our first Living Room this fall, Stephen Phelps will tell the story of how a small town congregation he pastored in upstate New York developed into a spiritual community through ministry and fellowship with once-unseen and feared lesbian and gay members of the area. In small groups, Steve will then guide our reflection on the experience of being "other," asking us to tether our visions of a horizon far beyond tolerance to action steps.
Raised in the Hudson Valley, Stephen Phelps worked on nationally recognized community-development projects before entering seminary. He has served as pastor to Presbyterian congregations since 1986. Though a willing servant and leader in the mainline church, his work has been most yeasty at the edges of traditional religious space, which he approaches as a kind of dialogue with all comers on the question, "What really matters?" Contemplative practice, prison ministries, community development, and interfaith dialogue have given particular shape to his commitment to personal and social transformations. Rev. Phelps moved to New York City early in 2009 to engage more fully with his vision of multi-faith and multicultural spiritual communities. He has taken an active role with Faith House and teaches in New York Theological Seminary's Master's Program at Sing Sing Prison while serving as interim senior pastor at the First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn.
RSVPs welcome, but not required, on Facebook or Meetup
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LIVING ROOM GATHERING Samhain: A Season of Harvest, a Circle of Remembrance
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
6 pm Doors, 7 pm Program
Intersections, 274 5th Ave Btwn 29th and 30th Sts
With Temple of the Spiral Path
This Fall we will be exploring how to cross boundaries into new spaces and meet "the other." In the US, Wiccans have been an example of a "minority" religion, often met with misunderstanding and at times with hostility. We want to learn about and from them and are welcoming them to Faith House!
This October, the Temple of the Spiral path will lead us in a celebration of Samhain (pronounced Sow-en, from the Irish for "Summer's end") a sacred time of remembrance and harvest, one of the Eight Holidays known to modern Neo-Pagan witches as the Wheel of the Year. At Samhain, people gather the last fruits of the growing season and pause to reflect on all what has been reaped during the light half of the year. The veil between the worlds is said to be thinnest at this time and so Wiccans take comfort in the closeness of the spirits of Nature, Gods and Goddesses, and especially our Ancestors as we all face the changing season and shorter days.
The Temple of the Spiral Path represents the family of covens practicing the Shadowfolk Tradition of Witchcraft, which was founded in 1995, and includes Strangers' Gate, Shadowfolk, and North Wyldewood Covens. For fifteen years, they have produced a series of open and public Wheel of the Year rituals, as well as study groups and workshops exploring many aspects of Wicca. A special focus on the bardic arts and Celtic and Norse contributions to modern Witchcraft inform their work; however, they are not limited by these influences and anchor their tradition within the rich tapestry of the Western Mystery Tradition.
RSVPs welcome, but not required, on Facebook or Meetup
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Sponsor SUSTAIN & Meet Bill McKibben
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Individual and Organizational sponsors are making this event possible.... plus sponsors can receive: · VIP seating · An invitation to an exclusive pre-event
reception with Bill McKibbin · Recognition in the event bulletin · A table
at the public fair
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Sponsor a Living Room
|  | Sponsor a Living Room event for a donation of $500 or Co-Sponsor by giving $250. You can see our full list of upcoming Living Rooms online or can suggest a topic you would like to sponsor in the future.
Individuals and organizations are welcome to sponsor, and have the options of dedicating their sponsorship in someone's honor. Sponsors will also be included in all our Living Rooms emails and listings and will receive signed copies of Samir Selmanovic's book It's Really All About God.
To find out more, Email us or visit our Donations page.
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