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Gratitude at the Core
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Thanksgiving is a pivotal moment in the annual calendar of our country. Our multi-faith society is a beautiful, colorful tapestry. But that tapestry could easily unravel. The diverse array of cultures, communities and traditions in America provides us with so many perspectives on life's over-arching questions. These teachings represent almost an overabundance of opportunity - opportunity for great confusion or for great learning. With coherence and dialogue we can harvest the learning. Fear and mutual alienation will lead to confusion - or worse.
The fragility of a multi-cultural society demands attention. Shared learning, celebration and service are what will knit us more closely together. Thanksgiving is one annual season - perhaps the most significant season - when we come together in celebration. This season - with gratitude at its core - allows us all to celebrate fully together, because each of us can participate as fully ourselves. With gratitude at the core, we each touch in the fullest way what is essential to all of us. Each of us as individual persons in individual communities can be fully present in gratitude, because we all share a common humanity. In a word, we all can be thankful together and really mean it. The common recognition of this subtle but sublime truth is what will inevitably hold our society together. If so, this time of year, when we celebrate that truth together, becomes the centerpiece of the entire endeavor.
Remembering this truth, and living it out across the rest of the year, is at the core of the work of The Interfaith Alliance of Pennsylvania and our sister effort, The Religion and Society Center. The Interfaith Alliance of Pennsylvania gathers together louder voices of faith in support of a multi-faith society. The Religion and Society Center explores the theological ideas in various traditions which can help or hinder that work. Together these efforts seek to strengthen our multi-faith society through shared learning, celebration and cooperative service.
By example, just in the past month we have:
- helped bring about a founding meeting for the establishment of a Pennsylvania chapter of Interfaith Power and Light, a national interfaith group seeking to address issues around climate change;
- brought together a group of Jewish and Christian scholars and clergy in study-dialogue, which will continue to guide our larger public Jewish-Christian text-based dialogues;
- testified as part of a clergy panel before a committee of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in an effort to reduce illegal gun violence;
- sponsored for the second year a set of structured interfaith dinner-dialogues, connected with a national dialogue effort initiated by the Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston;
- hosted a local religious studies professor to talk about his recent book in which he argues that those characterizing America as a Christian country seriously distort the meaning of Christianity.
This month also we have begun planning for events to include:
- dialogue with and among teachers from the Islamic community;
- cooperative service events to continue our efforts to connect suburbanite people of faith with inner-city people of faith;
- an examination of the interplay of religion and government around the laws of marriage;
- a celebration of the ever-growing list of faith communities which practice marriage-equality;
- continued Jewish-Christian dialogue;
- a second annual Commonwealth Interfaith Service of Prayers (held in a house of worship in Harrisburg) to illustrate to political leaders who are insisting otherwise that we are indeed a society of many faiths;
- more efforts yet to be imagined.
To do this, we need your help.
Working out of a small office in Harrisburg, we have a thousand contacts across the state. Please help us gather more contacts. Everywhere we turn there are more people who want to connect with us. We need only to get the word out. You can help us very much in that regard.
You can also help by considering a financial contribution before the end of the year.
(See the information below.)
Each of you are a part of this work. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we are grateful for your support and involvement. I am sure you also understand how efforts such as these can be as fragile as the society we are trying to strengthen. They cannot be sustained alone.
I must add, we are constantly looking for ways to expand our presence beyond the area of Greater Harrisburg. As Harrisburg is the state capital, there is no better place to be when we want to make the point to leadership that the Religious Right is wrong in saying we are a Christian country. The irony we face, however, is that our greatest potential sources of support are to be found in other parts of the state. Wherever you are, if you know of people with whom we could make common cause, please put us in touch.
In the meantime, we will continue to forge along in strengthening our beautiful shared tapestry for the benefit of all. And on behalf of all of us at The Interfaith Alliance of Pennsylvania, I wish you a Happy and Inspiring Season of Thanksgiving.
Rabbi Carl Choper,
Chair, The Interfaith Alliance of Pennsylvania
Harrisburg
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You can support the Interfaith Alliance of PA
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The Interfaith Alliance of Pennsylvania needs your support. Many of you have contributed financially in the 2009 year, and we are most thankful for your support. As important as financial numbers are for the operation of our effort (and don't get me wrong - they are) our most fervent wish is 100% participation at whatever level you can help.
Rather than setting a flat "dues" rate for everyone, we are asking everyone to set their own dues rate. Please fill out the form below and send us a check - or you can contribute on-line. Thanksgiving is certainly an appropriate time of year to make your gift. Today, it has become very much the interfaith holiday, when individuals from different cultures come together to give thanks for the earth's bounty and our tolerant society. It is most appropriate for all of us who support religious liberty to mark that commitment through a financial contribution.
We also request your volunteer assistance. Send a note of your interest with your check and we will get back to you.
PLEASE BECOME A MEMBER OF THE INTERFAITH ALLIANCE-PENNSYLVANIA
Gold Membership $1,000
Silver Membership 500
Bronze Membership 100
General Membership 25
Any Other Amount ____
Name __________________________________________________
Address _________________________________________________
City, State, Zip ____________________________________________
E-mail address _____________________ Phone ( )___________________
[ ] We will list your membership category in our publicity unless you check here.
Check enclosed for ______________
(made out to The Interfaith Alliance-Pennsylvania)
Mail to:
The Interfaith Alliance of Pennsylvania 3211 N. Front Street, Suite 104 Harrisburg PA, 17110 E-Mail:
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TIA-PA is tax exempt under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code so your dues payment is tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. DONATE ONLINE Each of us plays an important part in this work. Together we can make a great difference across this state and throughout the country. We know that not all people can give at the same level - but the most important thing is total participation. As a supporter of TIA-PA, and a member of the constituency for which we speak, please select a level appropriate to you as a form of "annual dues." We have provided a way for online donations. https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8124595 Alternatively, you'll find one of the options across the top of the TIA website--DONATE. Either way, an internet browser window will open, allowing you to use Pay Pal to donate to TIA-PA. If you do not have a PayPal account, you will be able to create one. Thank you so much in advance. Together we can further the cause of religious liberty and build a stronger, more vibrant interfaith society.
Michael Sand, Chair of Fundraising
The Interfaith Alliance of Pennsylvania
Harrisburg
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