Join Us! June 30 is New Date for "My Recipe for Peace"

Friends,

Call in your reservation...then send your check ($25 per ticket) to


Interfaith Paths to Peace
425 South Second Street
Louisville, KY 40202


Here are the details:


Interfaith Paths to Peace Invites You to Attend


"My Recipe for Peace"

A Baker's Dozen of Louisville's
Outstanding Community Leaders
Sharing their personal "Recipes" for how they
go about Peacemaking in their daily lives


Wednesday, June 30th
6:30-8:30 p.m.

St. Matthew's Episcopal Church
330 N. Hubbards Lane, Louisville

This special fundraising dinner will feature delicious food prepared from recipes provided by the evening's presenters:



Christopher 2X ~ Louisville peace activist and youth leader, active in providing support to victims of violence and crime in our community

Morgan Atkinson ~ Filmmaker whose many credit's include: Soul Searching: The Journey of Thomas Merton and a forthcoming documentary about John Howard Griffin

Judge Angela Bisig ~ Jefferson Circuit Court Judge and President of the Board of Dare to Care Food Bank, deeply involved with a "Restorative Justice" project in Louisville

Gray Henry Blakemore ~ Publisher of Fons Vitae Press, the nation's premier scholarly interfaith press, who works closely with His Holiness The Dalai Lama and other international religious leaders

Rev. Jerry Cappel ~ Associate Rector for Justice Ministries at St. Matthews Episcopal Church and head of Kentuckiana Interfaith Community, involved with efforts to increase interfaith understanding

Rev. Susan EngPoole ~ Pastor of Unity Church of Louisville, active in interfaith education efforts

Cantor David Lipp ~ A leader of worship and transmitter of Jewish musical tradition at Congregation Adath Jeshurun

Camille Britt McManus ~ Publisher of Louisville's Natural Awakenings Magazine, active in promoting interfaith events in the community

Rev. Joe Mitchell, CP ~ Director of The Passionist Earth and Spirit Center, active in promoting an "ethics of life" recognizing the earth as a single sacred community

The Venerable Nanda ~ Theravadan Buddhist Monk and head of Bodhiraja Unity Temple, meditation teacher involved in relief work for refugees

Denise Vazquez Troutman ~ President and CEO of Louisville's Center for Women and Families, working to eliminate domestic violence and sexual assault


With a special "musical" recipe for peace provided by Zen teacher and Jazz master Richard Sisto

and a special guest presenter (to be announced!)

My final evening with peacemaker George Edwards

The Saturday evening before our friend, longtime peacemaker George Edwards, died I had the pleasure of spending the evening with him and his lovely wife, Jean.

George and Jean led the discussion at the May 29th "Film and Food" event hosted by Interfaith Paths to Peace at St. Matthews Episcopal Church.

The film we screened that evening had been suggested by George and Jean. It's a documentary called "Soldiers of Conscience." The film concerns soldiers who decide to become conscience objectors in our war in Iraq. Since George was a conscientious objector in WW II it seemed wonderfully appropriate that he and Jean would lead the discussion following the screening.

Things got off to a rocky start that evening and foreshadowed George's death the following week.

The event was supposed to start at 6:15, and my partner, Fran, and I arrived about 5:45 with pizza, salad and other dinner items.

A few minutes later I was working with IPP Board member Rhody Streeter (a member of the Church) putting out the food when I noticed that Fran had disappeared. I went looking for her and found her near the front door of the church with George and Jean. George was sitting on a bench trying to get his breath.

Fran had helped him walk up the drive from where he and Jean had parked their car. As George sat on the bench, we learned that he had had a pacemaker inserted in his chest about 10 days before, and things were not going well for him. Fran and I asked him if he wanted to go to the hospital or just go home, but typical of George, he said, "No." He wanted to stay and watch the film, but more importantly he wanted to be part of the conversation after the screening.

About 15 of us gathered in the small chapel at the Church to watch "Soldiers of Conscience." We broke for a minute afterward and then put our chairs in a circle to discuss what we had seen.

Before anyone else could speak, George riveted all of us with the story of what it was like to be a conscientious objector in what some people call "the good war." It was extremely unpopular to be against war during that conflict, but George didn't mention any problems. He talked about work that he and others (mainly Quakers) had done to repair portions of the Appalachian Trail and to complete other tasks that required strenuous physical labor.

He also told us, in a matter of fact tone, that he was one of a group of objectors who volunteered to be infected with malaria as part of a medical experiment. By my understanding, there is no cure for malaria. I also understand that it can be fatal.

But George decided to volunteer anyway. It's the kind of man he was. George was not only willing to risk his career by standing up for peace when it wasn't popular to speak out. He was willing to risk his life if it meant helping others.

After George shared the story of volunteering for the malaria experiment I kind of lost track of everything else that was said that evening. I will for ever be blessed with hearing what may have been the final public words of one of Louisville's most significant peacemakers, a man that I was honored to count as my friend.

Here's a link to a story about George done by Peter Smith of the Courier-Journal

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20106020416

and here's a link to a reflection about George in the Courier Journal

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20106040305

Upcoming special event: "My Recipe for Peace"

Interfaith Paths to Peace Invites You to Attend


"My Recipe for Peace"


email interfaithterry@gmail.com to make your reservation!

A Baker's Dozen of Louisville's

Outstanding Community Leaders

Sharing their personal "Recipes" for how they

go about Peacemaking in their daily lives


Tuesday, June 15th
6:30-8:30 p.m.

St. Matthew's Episcopal Church
330 N. Hubbards Lane, Louisville

This special fundraising dinner will feature delicious food prepared from recipes provided by the evening's presenters:



Christopher 2X ~ Louisville peace activist and youth leader, active in providing support to victims of violence and crime in our community



Morgan Atkinson ~ Filmmaker whose many credit's include: Soul Searching: The Journey of Thomas Merton and a forthcoming documentary about John Howard Griffin



Dr. Muhammad Babar ~ Pakistani Physician, active in interfaith relief work and peacemaking



Judge Angela Bisig ~ Jefferson Circuit Court Judge and President of the Board of Dare to Care Food Bank, deeply involved with a "Restorative Justice" project in Louisville



Gray Henry Blakemore ~ Publisher of Fons Vitae Press, the nation's premier scholarly interfaith press, who works closely with His Holiness The Dalai Lama and other international religious leaders



Rev. Jerry Cappel ~ Associate Rector for Justice Ministries at St. Matthews Episcopal Church and head of Kentuckiana Interfaith Community, involved with efforts to increase interfaith understanding



Rev. Susan EngPoole ~ Pastor of Unity Church of Louisville, active in interfaith education efforts



Cantor David Lipp ~ A leader of worship and transmitter of Jewish musical tradition at Congregation Adath Jeshurun



Camille Britt McManus ~ Publisher of Louisville's Natural Awakenings Magazine, active in promoting interfaith events in the community



Rev. Joe Mitchell, CP ~ Director of The Passionist Earth and Spirit Center, active in promoting an "ethics of life" recognizing the earth as a single sacred community



The Venerable Nanda ~ Theravadan Buddhist Monk and head of Bodhiraja Unity Temple, meditation teacher involved in relief work for refugees



Denise Vazquez Troutman ~ President and CEO of Louisville's Center for Women and Families, working to eliminate domestic violence and sexual assault


With a special "musical" recipe for peace provided by Zen teacher and Jazz master Richard Sisto

Details about Monday's Memorial Day Service

"Interfaith Paths to Peace in cooperation with a number of local groups will host a unique interfaith Memorial Day Service at 11 am on Monday May 31 at Christ Church Cathedral at 421 South Second Street in Louisville. What makes this Service unique is that it honors not only military dead but also civilian dead in all US wars."

This is the 26th annual Memorial Day Service and will include a special emphasis on youthful presenters (see list below).

This event is free and open to the public and will be followed by a reception at which those attending can meet and converse with the presenters.

Here are the program details:



Memorial Day Service



Reception Immediately Following in Bishops Hall



Prelude................................................................................... Micah and Nancy Harris

"American Trilogy"



Welcome and Opening Prayer.......................................... Elizabeth, Hannah and Sarah Bourlakas



Introduction......................................................................... Fiona Grant



Musical Reflection.............................................................. Desmond Anderson and Emanuel Potts

"Lift Every Voice and Sing"



Reading from the Baha'i Faith.......................................... Evan Mortazie



Prayers from Hinduism and Islam................................... Sepideh & Sharzaud Karimi and

Priya Matadar



Interpretive Dance.............................................................. Burmese, Caran and Thai Dancers



Reflection on International Peacemaking.................... Lyla Wasz-Piper



Litany of Battles................................................................. Mitzi Friedlander

Music by Nancy & Sam Harris



The Importance of Remembering the Holocaust......... Alyssa Fromeyer



Musical Reflection.............................................................. Andrea Davidson

"Natchez Trace"



The Importance of Non-violence Education................. Nathan Hagan



Candle Lighting for the Fallen........................................ Aaron Payne

Lighting of First Candle by Lee Thomas

"How Great Thou Art" performed by Anderson & Potts



Closing Remarks and Invitation...................................... Terry Taylor



Postlude................................................................................ The St. Clair String Quartet

Beethoven's Harp Quartet in E flat major



Please join us for a Reception in Bishops Hall

with music by Brendan Grant






Sponsors for the event includ:

Sponsors include:



The Kentucky Council of Churches



Baha'is of Louisville



Kentuckiana American Indian Advocates



Fellowship of Reconciliation, Louisville Chapter



Drepung Gomang Institute (Tibetan Buddhists)



U.S. Department of Peace Campaign



Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral

Friends Meeting (Quakers) of Louisville

Hindu Temple of Kentucky

Independent Muslims of Louisville

The Islamic Cultural Center of Louisville

St. William Catholic Church

St. Agnes Catholic Church

Speaker tomorrow at 11:30 am on resistance to war

Bill Galvin, Counseling Coordinator at the Center on Conscience & War in Washington, DC, will be the featured speaker at the Third Thursday Lunch at 11:30 am on May 20, 2010 at the Rudyard Kipling.

Through his work over many years beginning with the Vietnam War, Bill has counseled many soldiers and draft resisters. He travels widely, holds workshops and supports conscientious objectors (COs) who are speaking out and standing up in the ongoing effort to move this country to the day when conscience is respected and wars end. He worked directly with most of the COs interviewed for the new award-winning documentary

Soldiers of Conscience which is to be shown in Louisville on May 29 at St. Matthews Episcopal Church, 330 N. Hubbards Lane, 6:00 pm.

Everyone is invited to the buffet lunch ($6) beginning at 11:30 am at the Rudyard Kipling Restaurant, 422 West Oak Street. For reservations, call Jean Edwards, 458-8056.

Sad milestone: 1,000 US dead in Afghanistan

I just saw an article in the NY Times that says we have now reached 1,000 dead among US service men and women serving in the war in Afghanistan. I have yet to hear anyone explain how we would know if we have won (or lost) this war. How many more Americans and Afghanis will die before we take a deep breath and make the tough decision to end the war...not next year or the year after, but now.

Here's a link to the NY Times Story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/us/19dead.html?hp

Here's a link to images of the US service men and women who have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sadly, we have no images of the hundreds of thousands of of Afghanis and Iraqis who have died.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/us/faces-of-the-dead.html?ref=us#/rivers_thomas_e_jr

Dalai Lama, Rabbis, Klezmer, an Islamic Reformation and more

It was quite a busy weekend for the executive director of Interfaith Paths to Peace.

I'm not often this busy, but the following items illustrate what a rich variety of interfaith opportunities there are in Louisville (or within a short drive).

On Friday, I drove to Indianapolis for a public presentation by the Dalai Lama at Conseco Fieldhouse. As I said to someone after the event, I have heard the Dalai Lama speak a number of times, and I rarely hear anything new, or anything I didn't already know. But I do hear from him reminders of important spiritual matters to which I should be paying attention. Here's a link to the Dalai Lama's official web site so that you can explore his ideas for yourself.

http://www.dalailama.com/

On Saturday, I drove over to Lexington for that city's annual Peace and Global Citizenship Fair, an outdoor exposition of groups and vendors associated with peace or spirituality. I meant many wonderful people, one of whom reminded me of the words of someone who is not often thought of as a spiritual master. A woman approached my table, saw a copy of my book, A Spirituality for Brokenness, and said to me, "We grow stronger at the broken places." I said to her, "You know who is credited with saying that, don't you?" She didn't. "It was Ernest Hemingway. I am the only person I know who uses that quote citing Hemingway as a Spiritual Master."

Later that evening I had the opportunity to lead a book discussion for a local Jewish group that gathers once a month. We discussed a book by a friend of mine, Rabbi Irwin Kula, who is the head of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership. We explored his book called Yearnings: Exploring the Sacred Messiness of Life. In this powerful work Irwin shares an amazing array of stories, wise words, and interpretations that have really opened the eyes of my heart. In the book the Rabbi says that over the years his vision of the mission of his organization has evolved to the point where he now sees CLAL's major task as sharing Wisdom and Practice across religious lines. In many ways I see that as the mission of my own organization.

Here's a link to learn more about Rabbi Irwin and his book.

http://yearnings.irwinkula.com/index.html

The next morning I spoke to the Adult Sunday School Class at First Unitarian Church in Louisville. My topic was "An Emerging Velvet Reformation in Islam." That religion is beginning to undergo major changes that are reflective of a long hidden (or ignored) concern for values embraced by the mainstream of other world religions. A key figure in this Reformation is a Turkish spiritual leader named Fettulah Gulen who is like the Christian master Thomas Merton in that he embraces a deepening of spirituality, a concern for social justice, and a commitment to genuine interfaith dialogue. Here's a link to information about Gulen.

http://www.fethullahgulen.org/

Sunday afternoon I attended a wonderful "Klezmer Fest", a celebration of a Jewish style of music that has all of the liveliness of Dixieland Jazz. If you would like to hear a little, here's a link to a short performance by The Java Jews, one of the bands that performed on Sunday.


I finished my Sunday by attending a religious service at St. Agnes Catholic Church honoring the Louisville Association of Community Ministries on the occasion of their 40th anniversary. These ministries (that provide a wide array of social services in every area of Louisville) were the first in the nation and established a model that has been duplicated in cities across America.

http://www.louisvilleministries.org/

And then came Monday morning and a meeting with the visiting Abbot of the Drepung Gomang Monastery in India...