| Annual Membership Meeting for ICGS - June 3 |
Tuesday, June 3, 6:30-8:30 pm
Location: Sacramento Central Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 6045 Camellia Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95819
Please join us for the Annual Membership Meeting & Potluck on Tuesday evening, June 3! The meeting provides a review of the work of the ICGS and Sacramento Faith TV over the past year, plans for the future, as well as election by the ICGS membership of the members of the Board of Trustees. The meeting is an opportunity to celebrate the positive achievements of interfaith cooperation, and to plan for the many challenges we face in seeking to build a more caring, compassionate and just community. All people of faith are welcome, members or not.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
6:30pm, supper via potluck
7:00-7:15pm, Business meeting
8:00pm, Adjournment
Please spread the word ASAP to all you know. Invite others in your own faith who might be interested in attending.
Thanks,
Jon
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| New Membership Campaign | |
 We invite you to join the Interfaith Council of Greater Sacramento! Or, please renew your membership.
Your support will help us continue our work to build trust and support among all faiths. To learn more, go to:
http://sacramentointerfaith.org/membership-2/
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| What's New at ICGS? |  They are not new, but they're coming up in the next few months...so they're new in 2014. The Interfaith Night of Music and the Spoken Word unfolds in the next quarter in the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. We have Day of Dialogue next week and another one to follow in September. Our Lunch With Clergy is forthcoming as are plans for a variety of circumstances that help with poverty, trafficking, homelessness and educational help.
The Sacramento area congregations in all their forms and places reach out to touch and help so many of our brothers and sisters - and you can be involved in these things as well. Just contact us and we'll find a place for you to help. We're always looking for more opportunities at SacFaith TV - more opportunity in those things that begin to unfold when the holidays approach, too. If you're putting your last half calendar for 2014 together now, we can use your help. Contact president@sacramentointerfaith.org and we'll get you going... |
| New Members & Donations |
Thank you to these Faith Groups/Organizations that either paid their ICGS membership dues or made donations to the ICGS in May:
Jewish Federation
St Johns Lutheran
Sacramento Central Seventh-Day Adventist Church
We thank these donors and other individual donors for their kindness and generosity.
We invite you to become involved in helping fund our approaches and events. It is through your support of the ICGS that we can continue to grow and expand our interfaith work!
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| News from The Village on North C Street - Mustard Seed School |  Did you see that NBA great, Charles Barkley, donated $10,000 to Mustard Seed School last week during the showing of a prime time NBA playoff game? That is great news for so many involved. Mustard Seed is a free, private school for children 3-15 years old which provides a safe, nurturing and structured environment, a positive learning experience, happy memories, survival resources of food, clothing and shelter referrals, medical and dental screenings, immunization updates, counseling for children and their parents, and assistance entering or reentering public schools. Mustard Seed School was established in 1989 to help meet the needs of homeless children. Many school age children do not attend school because of their homelessness; some lack immunizations, birth certificates, or other documents, some are in transit, and almost all lack a support system. In spite of their situations these children are eager to learn and to be accepted. Many homeless children are not enrolled in school because the places their families find to sleep are often not near a child's school and the family only plans to be there a short time. Sometimes the school needs an address or updated immunizations which homeless families cannot provide. From 15 to 35 children may attend our school each day, and an average stay is just three to four weeks. Some children have been out of school for a long time and need help to go back. A major goal of the Program is to prepare and enroll homeless children into public schools, and preschool for younger children, when families have found housing stability. |
ICGS Supports Religious Freedom in India
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The Interfaith Council has signed onto a letter to US Representatives regarding religious freedom in India and calling on Congress to reaffirm the need to protect the rights and freedoms of religious minorities. Below are parts of the letter:
"The Interfaith Council of Greater Sacramento is pleased to announce its support for U.S. House Resolution 417, entitled: "Praising India's rich religious diversity and commitment to tolerance and equality, and reaffirming the need to protect the rights and freedoms of religious minorities."
"India is one the most populous -- as well as one of the most religiously and ethnically diverse -- countries in the world. As the birthplace of four major world religions - Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism - and home to millions of adherents of other major world religions such as the Bahá'í faith, Christianity, and Islam, India is a place of deep concern to interfaith efforts. Consequently, we endorse House Resolution 417 as a way for U.S. citizens of faith, through their Congress, to speak on behalf of religious freedom and human rights in India ..."
"We are persuaded of the importance of House Resolution 417 (known hereafter as H.Res.417) because it will equitably uplift people of all faiths, while specifically calling for justice for minority communities victimized by religiously-motivated violence. Because it is a bipartisan issue, it suggests standards of morality acceptable to all civilized people."
For more information on this resolution, please search for H.Res.417 on Thomas' Library of Congress website. If your US Representative has not signed onto H.Res.417, please consider calling his/her Washington office and let them know your thoughts about this issue.
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| Day of Dialogue - June 11 |
DAY OF DIALOGUE: XII
Sponsored By: The Interfaith Council of Greater Sacramento "All faiths. All people. All the time."
The Day of Dialogue is a gathering every 3-4 months of Greater Sacramento area faith and community leaders - and all who want to attend - to listen and learn, and to discuss with others the topics pertinent to our days, times, congregations and homes.
Our Theme For This Night:
"Climate"
Wednesday, June 11, 6:00pm
6:00-6:30pm - Finger foods, coffee, water and conversation
6:30-7:30pm - Questions and Answers
Hosted By: Center for Spiritual Awareness
1275 Starboard Drive
West Sacramento , CA 95691
Rev. Georgia Prescott, Senior Minister
Moderated By: Jon Fish
Directions, etc., please contact host: Rev. Ramona J. Goodge, Staff Minister @ cellphone #916-662-5602
Flyer: Day of Dialogue XII
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| Disaster Preparedness Training - June 11, 12, 13 |
This is an excellent free training opportunity to equip yourself, your family, friends and congregation with the basics of emergency preparedness.
The Sacramento Regional Office of Homeland Security is rolling out a "train the trainers" course on NET, Neighborhood Emergency Training. NET is a basic disaster preparedness workshop designed to assist community members to develop, practice and maintain personal emergency plans before, during and after a disaster.
Participants are asked to attend one 4-hour training session. The training is available on June 11th, 12th and 13th. There is a morning (8am-12pm) and an afternoon (1pm-5pm) session available for individuals to attend on each day -- whatever is best for your individual schedule. Location TBD.
If you want to attend or if you have any questions, please contact Linda Smith at sacramentoresponds@gmail.com by June 2nd.
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| Weekend Retreat - Skillful Compassion - June 13-15 |
June 13-14-15, 2014
Presenters
Barbara Lawrence
Thomas P. Bonacci, C.P.
Based on Karen Armstrong's work, as reflected in her Compassion Project, this weekend retreat will explore the dynamic of compassion from an interfaith perspective. We will have ample opportunities to explore the spirituality of compassion as we become aware of our own personal need for compassion. In fact, the more compassionate we are to ourselves, the more compassionate we become in the presence of others. Through directed meditation, deep study, honest reflection, and the practice of mindfulness, we will rejoice together in the development of our personal practice of skillful compassion. Karen Armstrong's book, The Twelve Steps of Compassion, will serve as a major guide for our weekend retreat.
For more information and to register, contact:
Christ the King Passionist Retreat Center
6520 Van Maren Ln, Citrus Heights, CA 95621
(916)725-4720
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| Human Trafficking Discussion - June 19 | |
FRANCISCAN PATHWAYS OF JUSTICE
Presents Part Two Of:
Sacred All Life: Recognizing Human Trafficking In Our Community
Why this is important to us:
* Sacramento: A national hub for human trafficking
* Oakland: National hub for commercial exploitation of children
Human trafficking has been identified as the largest human rights violation in the history of mankind, and is the second largest criminal enterprise in the world behind drug smuggling and arms dealing. Worldwide there are nearly 20 million victims, and they are children, teenagers, women and men. Human trafficking flourishes from a lack of community awareness and you can help change that by learning more about this terrible crime against humanity.
Join us on Thursday, June 19, 2014 to learn how you can recognize human trafficking in our community, and what you can do.
When: Thursday, June 19, 2014
Where: Brunsman Hall at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, 1112 26th St., Sacramento, CA 95816
Time: 7 to 9 pm
Presenters:
Rebekah Bills: FBI Special Agent, Civil Rights Investigations
Paul Durenberger: Assistant Chief Deputy District Attorney
Leah Albright-Byrd: Founder/Executive Director of Bridget's
Dream. (Survivor-activist in the fight against human
trafficking)
Join us in taking a strong stand for justice. Learn more about human trafficking, how we can recognize it, and what we can do to help shed light on this dark human injustice.
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| Abraham's Tent Forum - June 24 |
Abraham's Tent Outreach (a committee attached to the ICGS) is a series of forums lasting six months. We will discuss the common heritage of various Abrahamic faiths, i.e., Judaism, and Islam and Christianity.
We will also discuss important topics and work on community projects that will touch the lives of many.
Next Forum:
June 24
7:00-8:30pm
Topic: Judaism
Speaker: A Rabbi of Sacramento
Venue: SALAM Mosque
4545 College Oak Dr. Sacramento , CA 95841
Dress: Casual attire-modest.
We have three Forums scheduled. They are free of charge. Please see our flyer for details.
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| Sacramento Faith TV | |
A great way to spread the good news of your church or congregation! Call Ron Hermann at 916.519.0577
Sacramento Faith TV (formerly the Religious Coalition for Cable Television - RCCTV) provides faith and values programming from both local and national sources 24 hours a day on Cable Channels 20 (Comcast) and 19 (SureWest) in Sacramento County. The local programming is also available through simulcasting on sacramentofaithtv.org.
"30 Minutes of Faith" show interviews with faith leaders throughout our region and the topics of discussion between Jon Fish and his guests is enlightening and informative. Please note the following schedule changes: Monday 7am and 7:30pm / Wed. 9pm / Fri. 6pm / Sun. 9pm
You can also watch "30 Minutes of Faith" on YouTube. |
| ICGS Mission Statement |
"The mission of the Interfaith Council of Greater Sacramento is to promote respect for all faiths and religious human rights for all, to encourage faiths working together for better understanding and acceptance of all faiths and their people, to encourage a cohesive hand of all faiths in social services, to implement programs for the basic needs in the community and to help protect religious freedom as an element of human rights for all." |
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Items for the July ICGS Newsletter should be sent via email to newsletter@sacramentointerfaith.org no later than Wednesday, June 25. The July Newsletter will be sent out on Monday, June 30. For questions, please contact us at the email address above.
Sincerely,
Interfaith Council of Greater Sacramento
Interfaith Council of Greater Sacramento and Sacramento Faith TV are part of the Interfaith Service Bureau
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| From the President's Desk |  | |
ICGS President Jon Fish writes:
We have several board members stepping down (term limits) and several new members coming onto the board. We are grateful for those who have given of their time, talents and energies to help us move our work along. We are anxious for new voices and new faces to step up to help. There is always enough to do. The team play we feel at the Interfaith Council provides solutions and insight to many issues of the day. Louisa May Alcott wrote, "It takes two flints to make a fire" and that's how it works on our Council board. Many are involved in many aspects and we are so pleased to work with one another. Hoping it's a great summer for all, we wish you a safe and sheltered June 2014. Keep up the good work you're doing in your faith-based centers. We're grateful for your efforts.
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