Regular meeting,
NOTE: We started EARLY at
Buddhist – Debbie, OBT Pure Land; Kim and Roz, SGI Nichiren
Jewish – Frieda, Rabbi
Sherwood
Muslim – Ferial
Unitarian Universalist - Kellen
Devotional: Teri
– “Advice for Hectic Times” by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Review
of Minutes: (we may have skipped this)
Upcoming events in our communities:
Feb.
24,
invitations.
Feb. 25, Sun.,
Core team members had been notified by email.
Mar. 24, Sat,
Apr. 1, Sun, 10 am, at
Apr. 19, Thurs,
Campus Interfaith.
Apr. 21, Sat,
will follow.
Upcoming VCIC PLANNED VISITS:
Mar. 11, Sun. Hindu
Monthly Worship,
Visitors meet for brief
introduction,
listen
in separate room where interpreter can translate and answer questions.),
VCIC visitors are invited for all or part of the event, including dinner. NOTE: SHOES must
be left outside, NO LEATHER allowed inside.
DISCUSSION
with Rabbi Sherwood (Rabbi’s
electronic notes that he spoke from will be added to the minutes)
VCIC minutes page 2 of 2,
Rabbi Sherwood shared his
experiences from the beginnings of the Valley Interfaith Council, which grew
from a small group of about 30 into one of the largest local interfaith
organizations in the country.
Valley Interfaith sponsors
all kinds of events and programs for the community. They received a grant for senior lunch
centers and meals-on-wheels. A recent
Martin Luther King event was attended by 1500 people. VIC holds fundraising banquets honoring individuals
from the community at large.
Some points relevant to VCIC’s
desire to offer interfaith panel and dialogue events:
VIC held panel discussions
with clergy or qualified representatives of religious groups moderated
by a university professor or other qualified person. Rabbi felt it was important to have people
qualified to speak officially with authority on each religion’s doctrines.
Four presenters plus a
moderator seemed to be ideal. After a 5-minute presentation by each
panelist, open discussion followed.
Some topics required more
than one session to allow more religious groups to participate—2 or 3
sessions a month apart, for example.
VIC used the facilities of
participating faith communities to eliminate facility use fees.
VCIC member’s ideas and reactions: (paraphrased)
Frequency of events: Ferial monthly, Kim bi-monthly, Roz quarterly (most agreement)
Use of local access TV, “Eye
on the Issues”; Debbie has taken the course to be qualified to use equipment.
Topics for future
events: What my faith means to me...What
my faith tells me about (topic)...Paths to Peace...Angels..
Coordinate with sponsoring
church/organization—get them involved in event rather than just using their
facility. Ferial suggested that we get
other organizations to help us.
“Wrap the World’s Children in Love” Quilting Project, a service opportunity for VCIC, was presented by
Diane Bell, President of the Camarillo LDS Women’s Auxilliary. The goal is 500 quilts by
VCIC Message Board – Debbie announced that the message has been improved;
everyone should visit and try it out so a final decision can be made.
Next meeting will be March 15
with devotional by Frieda.