April brings the showers of heaven in so many ways.  We think of additional rainfall; for which we are grateful. We see flowers blooming all about us; the grass is green...new growth on shrubs and trees is wonderful! School end for young people is on the horizon. How exciting for so many! We clean and sort and make way for the summer season when light and warmth dominate. The new beginnings brought on by springtime freshen us and re-fresh us mentally, emotionally and in our devotions.  In my childhood we took down curtains and took them outside to shake and clean. Rugs were hung on the clothes line to be cleaned and freshened up. Sometimes we even re-arranged the furniture in our rooms. Shakespeare wrote that "April hath put a spirit of youth in everything." And that is always good. We are hopeful that each of us will begin - or continue - steering in a worthwhile and spiritual direction in life. Dr. Seuss said it awfully well: "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer your direction any way that you choose."  Let April be a good month of steering in a good direction.

News programming is everywhere. New pricing is available to those who would like to get their worship services or church approaches on television.  Check the SacFaith TV web site for contact information. New equipment and good things also unfold to us via the Sacramento Cable Commission who helps us provide worshipful programming to hundreds of thousands in our community.

The new Friendship Park behind the Fire Station is springing up and growing every day. It opens in another couple of months. Plans for usage in the old Friendship Park are being discussed. The HERS Project is moving strongly once again as we try hard to provide dormitory living for women and children right there on-site.  There is a whole bunch of good works being accomplished to feed, shelter and protect the homeless.

Thank you to these Faith Groups/Organizations that either paid their ICGS membership dues or made donations to the ICGS in March:

Interfaith Council of Greater Sacramento
Annual Event Honors

Leaders in Our Community

or click on a link below for tickets online:

The Founding Fathers understood that the Exodus was the inspiration for the American struggle for freedom. Each spring, the Passover holiday reminds us of the universality of the longing for freedom and invites us to apply this message to our own times.
 
Freedom from Hunger is the first and foremost freedom of all. With your support, we can integrate the efforts of organizations engaging young leaders in making sure that every child goes to bed well-fed, and every adult too. Imagine next year celebrating universal access to healthier food throughout America's Farm to Fork Capital!
 
Please join us on Wednesday April 6 at 6 p.m. for a very special Fresher Passover Experience. Tickets are $50 for an amazing five course dinner, music by Roger Smith (Tower of Power) and Kevin Chokan (Diana Ross' lead guitarist for many years), and the knowledge that you are part of creating a Fresher Sacramento, free from hunger.

Taming Shame: An Important Life Skill for the Modern Family

Stories of Immigration

The Latino-Jewish Forum is cultivating greater
understanding of the immigrant experience and
value for this country's diverse people. Join us as
we explore the immigrant experiences of Latinos
and Jews in America through two films followed
by a community conversation.

Sunday, April 17, 2016
Program: 2:15-5:15pm
Reception: 5:30-6:15pm

Click here for more information and a flyer.

Location:
Sierra 2 Center for the Arts and Community
24th Street Theater
2791 24th St, Sacramento, CA 95818

Contact & Additional Information:
www.facebook.com/LatinoJewishForum
or contact Jessica Braverman Birch at
jbirch@jewishsac.org or 916-486-0906

  

United Advocates for Children and Families 1st Annual Driving for Change Golf Tournament

The golf tournament will be held at the private Catta Verdera Country Club on Monday, April 25, 2016 at 9:00 am. The tournament will begin with a four (4) person Shotgun Scramble, including 18 holes of golf with golf cart and range balls, lunch, appetizers, cash bar and an awards dinner with auction. Enjoy a day of golf on a premier, members only golf course while supporting children, youth and families working toward mental wellness.

The guest speaker of the event will be the Honorable Patrick J. Kennedy, a national champion on mental health and the author of the Mental Health Parity Act; Founder, Kennedy Forum on Community Mental Health; Co-Founder, One Mind. He will speak on the importance of mental wellness within families.

Awards Dinner and Auction

Monday, April 25, 2016 from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM

For more information and to register, click here.

Understanding:
The Native American Way
 
Knowing the spiritual path taken by our ancestors...
And followed in this day, as well.
 
May 2, 2016, 6:00-8:00pm

Admission is Free
Light Refreshments Served At 5:30pm

Sponsored By The Interfaith Council Of Greater Sacramento

Location:
Christ the King Retreat Center
6520 Van Maren Lane, Citrus Heights, CA 95621

  

"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 to work 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."