My prayers go to all without power as a result of the storms

Link to Washington Post Blog on Our Conference on the Impact of Fear on American Public Life

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/georgetown/2010/03/stephen_heinz_president_of_the.html

Four Resources on Simplicity I Mentioned at Yesterday's Adult Education Class

1. Making Space for the Spirit - Kathleen Bostrom

2. Voluntary Simplicity - Duane Elgin

3. Your Money or Your Life - Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez

4. Hurry Less, Worry Less - Judy Christie

What a Conference

Today's Managing Fear Through Faith conference at Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church brought together Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders from across the country for a frank discussion of the impact of fear in American public life. Leaders such a David Myers, Department of Homeland Security; Stephen Heintz, President, Rockefeller Brothers Fund; Daisy Khan, Executive Director, American Society for Muslim Advancement; Peter Stearns, Provost and Professor of History, George Mason University; Priscilla Lewis, U.S. in the World; Chloe Breyer, Interfaith Center of New York; Arthur Waskow, Shalom Center; Clark Lobenstine, InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington; Sayyid Syeed, Islamic Society of North America, and many others addressed various aspects of the impact of fear on our society and how our interfaith dialogue can do something about it.

I felt the substance today on this important topic was first rate and I hope all who heard it were as moved as I was. I hope together we were able to plant seeds of dialogue and collaboration to help counter the fear that is too often part of our national public thinking.

Tomorrow We Are Hosting An Interesting Interfaith Conference - come join us!

I wanted to invite you to what should be a fascinating conference on The Impact of Fear on American Public Life called "Managing Fear Through Faith."

Fear of change and anxieties about economic and cultural disruption in America are contributing to gridlock and polarization in our public life at a time when civil discourse, creative solutions, and bipartisan action are needed to address national problems. The media feed our anxieties and some have decided it is in their interests to fan public fears. Is there a role for religion and interfaith dialogue in countering the negative effects of fear in the public square?

Americans are also fearful about the possibility of a terrorist attack - and here, too, fear is having a negative impact on the quality of public debate and problem solving. If there is another terrorist attack for which religious justification is claimed, what would be the social and policy consequences for our nation? As we confront our terrorism-related fears, how can Americans, particularly people of faith, work together to strengthen America's resilience and encourage constructive responses to future national crises?

Join us for a provocative half-day interfaith conference that takes on hard questions about fear and faith, and be part of the visioning process for a new kind of community response to fear.

The event will take place next Tuesday, March 23, 2010 from 9:00pm to 6:00pm at Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church.Sponsored by Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church, U.S. in the World Initiative and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Co-hosted by Bethesda Jewish Congregation, Idara e Jaferia Mosque, the Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue, the InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington and the New America Foundation.

Agenda

8:30-9:00 Food and sign in. Gathering Space

9:00-9:15 Welcome, Overview of Day and Introductions

9:15-9:45 - The Impact of Fear on Public Thinking

9:45-10:20 - Discussion of How Fear Impacts Public Discourse in America and possible Faith Response

10:30-noon – Terrorism: How Faith Leaders Can Strengthen the Social Fabric and Encourage Constructive Dialogue

12:00-12:45Working lunch, prep morning participants for their roles as facilitators of afternoon table discussions (Lounge)

1:00 - 1:10: Welcome and Introductions
David Gray, Pastor, Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church

1:10 - 1:40: Impact of Fear on Public Thinking
Priscilla Lewis and Sue Veres Royal, Co-Directors, U.S. in the World Initiative

1:40 - 1:50: Remarks
David Myers, Director, Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, Department of Homeland Security

2:00 - 2:30: Impact of Fear on Culture
Peter Stearns, Provost and Professor of History, George Mason University

2:30 - 3:15: The Impact of Fear on Democracy, Citizenship and Leadership
Stephen Heintz, President, Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Daisy Khan, Executive Director, American Society for Muslim Advancement

3:30 - 4:20: Importance of Interfaith Dialogue in the Response to Fear Inducing Events
Clark Lobenstine, InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington
Chloe Breyer, Interfaith Center of New York
Arthur Waskow, The Shalom Center
Sayyid Syeed, Islamic Society of North America

4:30 - 5:30: Participants Visioning a Community Response Infrastructure and reporting back

5:30 - 5:50: Discussion of Commissioned Papers on How Faith Helps People Respond to Fear
Joshua Stanton, Founder, Journal of InterReligious Dialogue
Tyler Zoanni, Harvard University

5:50 - 6:00: Wrap up

PCUSA prayer for Haiti

We pray for Haiti

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As the eyes of the world turn to Haiti, let us join our hearts in prayer:

God of compassion
Please watch over the people of Haiti,
And weave out of these terrible happenings
wonders of goodness and grace.
Surround those who have been affected by tragedy
With a sense of your present love,
And hold them in faith.
Though they are lost in grief,
May they find you and be comforted;
Guide us as a church
To find ways of providing assistance
that heals wounds and provides hope
Help us to remember that when one of your children suffer
We all suffer
Through Jesus Christ who was dead, but lives
and rules this world with you. Amen.
(Adapted from Book of Common Worship)

-Bruce Reyes-Chow, Gradye Parsons and Linda Valentine