Inter-Religious Council Holds Annual Meeting
Prayers from our Traditions
Thanks to State Representative Todd Taylor
Committee Reports
State of Officers
Slate of Board Members
Cards of Thanks
Photos
Minutes
of Annual Meeting
The Inter-Religious Council of Linn
County held its Annual Meeting Monday, December 11 at 7:30 p.m.,
at the Community of Christ Church, 1500 Blairs Ferry Road in
Hiawatha.
The meeting included reports on the year’s activities from each committee; discussion and voting on proposed by-law changes; election of new officers and Board members; and approval of the 2007 budget.
By-law changes removed the restriction preventing an
officer from serving more than one consecutive term in a
particular office, and allow an extension of the terms of
President and Treasurer for one additional year at this time in
order to stagger the election of officers rather than electing a
new slate of officers every two years. A new Secretary (Ms. Linda
Laugen) and
Vice-President (Imam Ahmed Elkhaldy) were elected to two-year
terms beginning in 2007. The Rev. Larry McGuire remains President;
the Rev. Cedric Lofdahl remains Treasurer; and the Rev. Harold
Mincey remains Immediate Past President.
President Larry McGuire opened with
this devotional thought and these prayers:
In Parker J. Palmer's book, A Hidden Wholeness, he identifies the following in his chapter Being Alone Together. "If we are to hold solitude and community together as a true paradox, we need to deepen our understanding of both poles. Solitude does not necessarily mean living apart from others; rather, it means never living apart from one's self. It is not about the absence of other people-it is about being fully present to ourselves, whether or not we are with others. Community does not necessarily mean living face-to-face with others; rather, it means never losing the awareness that we are connected to each other. It is not about the presence of other people-it is about being fully open to the reality of relationship, whether or not we are alone." Pg. 55 Often I represent the Community of Christ and the IRC; two sacred communities in my life. For me, the IRCLC has become a sacred community of friends and fellow disciples on a journey of faith, in faith. I do not serve alone, but always serve with you in mind. Solitude and community are two things that our culture longs to experience and yet, is afraid to stretch to experience. Tonight, let us take a moment and be fully aware of one another's presence as well as the blessing being present with one another means in our lives. And in solitude, remember what it means to be present in this sacred community.
Baha'i
Prayer for Kindness
Be generous in
prosperity, and thankful in adversity.
Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech.
Be a lamp unto those who walk in darkness, and a home to the
stranger.
Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the
erring.
Be a breath of life to the body of humankind, a dew to the soil of
the human heart, and a fruit upon the tree of humility.
Baha'u'llah
Hindu
Prayer for Peace
Oh God, lead us from the unreal to the Real.
Oh God, lead us from darkness to light. Oh God, lead us from death
to immortality.
Shanti, Shanti, Shanti unto all.
Oh Lord God almighty, may there be peace in celestial regions.
May there be peace on earth.
May the waters be appeasing.
May herbs be wholesome, and may trees and plants bring peace to
all.
May all beneficent beings bring peace to us.
May thy Vedic Law propagate peace all through the world.
May all things be a source of peace to us.
And may thy peace itself, bestow peace on all, and may that peace
come to me also.
Source: The Peace Abbey
Buddhism
Traditional Blessing and Healing Chant
Just as the soft rains fill the streams, pour into the rivers, and
join together in the oceans, so may the power of every moment of
your goodness flow forth to awaken and heal all beings— those here
now, those gone before, those yet to come. By the power of every
moment of your goodness, may your heart's wishes be soon fulfilled
as completely shining as the bright full moon, as magically as by
a wish-fulfilling gem. By the power of every moment of your
goodness, may all dangers be averted and all disease be gone. May
no obstacle come across your way. May you enjoy fulfillment and
long life. For all in whose heart dwells respect, who follow the
wisdom and compassion, of the Way, may your life prosper in the
four blessings of old age, beauty, happiness and strength.
Source: Holistic Living
Native
American
Let Us Know Peace
Let us know peace.
For as long as the moon shall rise,
For as long as the rivers shall flow,
For as long as the sun will shine,
For as long as the grass shall grow,
Let us know peace.
Islam
Prayer for Healing
Get rid of the hardship and heal, 0 Lord of the People, you are
the Healer, and there is no healing of disease like Yours. Let it
be healing that is not betrayed by sickness.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
Judaism
My Help Cometh From HaShem
I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains: from whence shall my
help come?
My help cometh from HaShem, who made heaven and earth.
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved; He that keepeth thee will
not slumber.
Behold, He that keepeth Israel doth neither slumber nor sleep.
HaShem is thy keeper; HaShem is thy shade upon thy right hand.
The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
HaShem shall keep thee from all evil; He shall keep thy soul.
HaShem shall guard thy going out and thy coming in, from this time
forth and for ever.
-Psalms 121: 1-8
Christian
Make Me an
Instrument of Your Peace
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love,
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light,
Where there is sadness, joy.
0 Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled
as to console,
not so much to be understood as to understand,
not so much to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
it is in dying that we awake to eternal life.
St. Francis of Assisi
Thanks to State Representative Todd Taylor
With much appreciation for the work Rep. Taylor did in order to have the International Day of Peace proclaimed in Iowa, as pictured here, he was presented with a poster featuring sayings from the world's religions.
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Committee Reports
Minutes from Previous Year's Meeting
President's Report
Community Relations Committee Report
Ethical Perspectives on the News
Program Committee
Web Site
Minutes from Previous Year's Meeting
ANNUAL MEETING
1NTER-RELIGIOUS COUNCIL OF LINN COUNTY
DECEMBER 19, 2005, HOLY REDEEMER LUTHERAN CHURCH
The Annual General Assembly of the Inter-Religious Council of Linn County was held on December 19, 2005 at the Holy Redeemer Lutheran Church. Dinner was served at 6:00 p.m. and the meeting was opened by President, Larry McGuire at 7:10 p.m.
The minutes of the Annual Meeting of 2004 were approved unanimously.
The Financial Report for 2005 was presented by Treasurer, Cedric Lofdahl and was approved unanimously.
Larry presented a report of his activities through 2005 on behalf of the Inter-Religious Council. The Committee Chairs presented reports of activities during 2005. These reports were all included in the Packet of Information presented to those attending the meeting.
Cedric presented the proposed budget for the coming year. Helen Elsbemd moved the proposed budget be approved; seconded an approved unanimously.
Al Fletcher presented the proposed By-laws update. Following discussion with no proposed changes the updated By-laws were approved unanimously.
There have been two resignations from the Board of Directors: Barbara Feller, Temple Judah and Miriam Amer, Islamic Community. Zuiko Redding. Buddhist, will not be able to fill her term on the Program Committee but will remain on the membership list.
The following were presented for nomination for new and/or renewed membership as Directors of the Board to serve until 2008:
Thelma Hembroff, Unity
Al Fisher, Christian
Brian Daugherty, Bahai
Helen Elsbemd, Christian
Linda Laugen, Jewish
Cedric moved acceptance, there was a second and unanimous approval
Larry
thanked all the members for their membership and services and
especially the chairpersons of the
committees for their valuable and important services. He also
thanked the volunteers from holy Redeemer for
their
loving service with dinner.
The
next Board meeting of the Council will be on January 23, 2006
at 7:30 p.m. at the Ecumenical Center. Com-mittee meetings
will be at 6:45 p.m.
The
meeting was adjourned at 8:00 p.m.
Submitted by Joanne Jordan, Secretary
Rufus Jones
is quoted in a book written by Parker J. Palmer entitled, A
Hidden Wholeness. In
Palmer's book he
quotes Jones with the following: "pin my hopes to quiet
processes and small
circles in which vital and
transforming events take place."
Over the last year
as I have served a$ President of the Inter-Religious Council
of Linn County, I
have been blessed by those
small circles and I have found great hope in the relationships
I
have been able to nurture
and in the relationships which have nurtured me. It has been a
year
of great activity; a year
in which we have learned together some things about forming
community and how we
have an impact on community. This year I have been privileged
to
serve on many councils and
on many boards as your representative and I trust that my time
with those
organizations has provided a fruitful help and, in fact, that
we have in some way
been able to experience a
transformation in those events.
This past year I
have had the privilege of serving on the following boards in
our community:
a I am the representative
for the council on the Linn County Community Services Advisory
where we meet
together and review programs and the impact that many county
agencies have in our
community dealing with issues of funding, but also helping
support
those who give care for
mentally ill, childcare, health care, and those kinds of
things.
a I am also a
representative on the Community Indigent and Low Income
Services Committee where we are working on developing a
resource directory as well as trying to
improve access to
services for the indigent and low-income families.
a I am also serving
as a representative of the council with Continuum of Care
where this
year I again served as Vice
Chair. Continuum of Care is responsible for addressing the
issues of
homelessness and ways in which providers in our community can
work
together in order to meet
the needs of those who experience homelessness at a variety
of levels.
a Connected to that,
I have been chairing the committee on addressing the issue of
ending chronic
homelessness in our community, which is a project with Housing
and Urban Development. We are thrilled that HACAP will be
opening a new agency
dedicated to helping the
chronically homeless sometime in 2007.
a I have been part
of a conversation to establish a local housing trust fund in
our
community and have been
invited to serve on the inaugural board of directors for that
organization. The
local housing trust fund is dedicated to helping establish a
fund
where providers and
contractors and so forth can seek funding to be able to
construct
housing that people can
afford.
a I've had a short term on
the Mid America Housing Partnership board, but as you are well
aware, this last
year there have been significant changes in the operation of
MAHP and
so I anticipate for 2007
there will no longer be membership or any representation from
the IRC with MAHP.
a I also have been
privileged to begin serving on a committee at the state level
for
reviewing policies in terms
of developing ethical principles for the distribution of
vaccines
should an epidemic outbreak
occur in the state of Iowa. I am one of several members of a
committee comprised of doctors and ethicists from around the
state of Iowa to
begin to construct an
ethical framework.
a I have continued to serve
on a number of other committees within our community such
as Partnership for
Safe Families. I will no longer be serving on the Partnership
for Safe Families Advisory Board in 2007.
a I have continued
to be a representative on Healthy Linn Care Network where we
look at
health policies and
cooperation for health issues in Linn County.
a I have been part
of the Faith & Justice Task Force where we work with Churches
United
and other agencies, like
Department of Corrections, to address issues of restorative
justice in our
community and have enjoyed the association with many folks
across the
spectrum in helping support
the development of circles of support and accountability.
This year we had the major project of beginning to address
issues of poverty in Linn County and I was honored to support
the efforts of many people to develop and host a
symposium on ending
poverty in our community. I look forward to continued action
on
that topic for 2007 as we
establish a framework for addressing issues of poverty.
a I have also been
part of the organizing of the Inter-Faith Workers Justice
Center where
we want to begin to address
the rights of workers as well as begin to re-establish the
relationship between
communities of faith and labor. In 2007 we will be developing
an
event in which we will work
toward helping faith communities and labor come together
on particular issues
we are facing in the state of Iowa. This will open many
opportunities for us
in the coming year and I look forward to being able to serve
in this
capacity.
a I've also had the
opportunity to continue helping in the process of finalizing
our report
on the audit of domestic
violence and domestic abuse in our community and the
protection of
children. We are hoping our report of the issues we've learned
will be
released early in 2007 and
then we will begin to organize ourselves in a way where we
can collaborate on
addressing the particular gaps in services we have experienced
as a
result of conducting this
particular audit.
a The Coalition Against
Abusive Lending continues to be active and we are hopeful that
in 2007 the state legislature will begin to take steps to
address the issue of predatory
lending and abusive
mortgage lending practices and I am committed to continuing to
restore hope as well
as working to establish safe parameters for people who are
being
taken advantage of in our
community with lending practices.
a It has been my joy
to be able to support the efforts of many in our community as
part of
the Jewish, Christian,
Muslim dialogue, also known as the Children of Abraham. What a
rich gift it has
been to our community to engage in thoughtful dialogue as well
as
organizing ways which our
community at large can experience the blessings of learning
from each other by
listening and working together to establish peace in our
community.
And so I return, once
again, to the thoughts of Rufus Jones, "Where I pin my hopes
to quiet
processes and small circles
in which vital and transforming events take place." It has
been my
humble privilege to serve
as an ambassador and President of the Inter-Religious Council
in
2006. I look forward to
being a part of the IRCLC in 2007 and pray that God's spirit
will
continue to guide us on our
journey of outreach and ministry to the community.
Shalom, Salaam,
Shanti, Peace,
Larry McGuire
Community Relations Committee Report
As in past years, the Community Relations Committee has continued to provide programs for the benefit of the community. The most significant of these programs is the Ethical Perspectives on the News, a weekly TV program on KCRG sponsored by IRCLC. The planning and coordination of these weekly programs is carried out by Cedric Lofdahl and a subcommittee. They choose the topics for discussion and identify the moderators, and panelists. More details are given in a separate report. The Inter-Religious Council again participated in the Diversity Day at Linn Mar Schools on April 12, 2006. In addition to a display board showing places of worship, we had an interactive display focused on the symbols of faith traditions present in Linn County. Student involvement was significantly greater than in the previous year. On June 24 as part of the Festi-Fest during the annual Freedom Festival, IRCLC provided a geography/map trivia activity. Questions related to many religious traditions had been formulated for which the answers could be found on a world map. Children were invited to choose a question and point out the answer on the map. This was a fun activity enjoyed by children—and some adults. A University of Religions course was offered on four Sunday afternoons starting October 29. Chris Seeman, a professor at Coe College, taught the course. The Beginning of the End: Biblical Roots of Dispensationalist Thought, which had twelve participants. The course showed how history came to be understood as being divided into stages or dispensations, the culmination being the Day of the Lord, a theme common to most traditions. IRCLC sponsored a three-part lecture series entitled Reconciling the Children of Abraham last November as a memorial to Rabbi Chesman. An outgrowth of that event has been the formation of a fellowship group called "The Children of Abraham". This group has provided an educational program on each of the Abrahamic religions: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Recently they offered a program "One God, Three Faiths" for the public, along^with a Tent of Abraham which consisted of educational displays on the three religions.
Ethical Perspectives on the News
Sundays, 9:00 a.m., KCRG-TV, Channel 9
Annual
Report, December 11, 2006
Ethical Perspectives on the News is now well into its
seventh year of programming. The first show aired on April
11, 1999. Episode 390 of Ethical Perspectives on the News
will be aired on December 31 2006. During 2006 48 new
programs were produced and aired, 3 shows were repeated,
and the program was pre-empted on 2 Sundays by ABC
national programs. 144 panel members were recruited for
those shows, and seven people served as moderators during
the year. Early in the year Ethical Perspectives on the
News faced a new challenge. The Federal Communication
Commission regulations required that closed captioning be
added to the program. The cost of closed captioning by
professional companies was beyond our means, so with the
assistance of KCRG-TV another lower cost method was
developed. Through the efforts of Linda Laugen, a
transcriber was located and hired. Larry McGuire donated a
transcription machine. KCRG-TV offered a 30 second
commercial to anyone who would sponsor the closed
captioning. Mount Mercy College stepped forward to become
the sponsor for the 2006-07 fiscal year with a grant of
$2,250.00. The system has been working well. A planning
group, consisting of the moderators, producers, and Linda
Laugen, meets monthly to assign moderators, choose program
topics, and suggest potential panel members. The
producers, myself, and Miriam Amer, recruit the panel
members for each program. The moderators are Amy Johnson
Boyle (2), Mary Ducey (8), Larry McGuire (4), Peter Welch
(12), Marcella David (6), Scott Samuelson (9), and
Charlotte Fallon (7). (The numbers in parentheses are the
number of programs moderated by each person in 2006.) We
are deeply indebted to the moderators for sharing so
generously of their time and talents with us. We are
thankful to KGAN-TV for providing us with a recording
studio, operational personnel and free airtime for the
program. Cedric J. Lofdahl Executive Producer Ethical
Perspectives on the News
Program Committee
December 11,2006
The focus of the program committee during 2006 has been to put the Network of Faith on solid footing. In the spring, a presentation was made to the Social Concerns Committee of St. Paul's Methodist Church to answer questions about the program and ensure their continued support. Christ Episcopal made the request to partner with another faith group on their commitment to Waypoint Domestic Violence Shelter. Al Fisher enlisted First Presbyterian Church to be that partner. The program committee has been acting as intermediary between shelters and faith groups in order to renew commitments and to ensure that contacts are made. Ten faith groups belonging to the IRC are currently participating in the Network of Faith. The Annual IRC Potluck Picnic at Noelridge Park, held this year on June 18th, was attended by approximately 30 members and friends. Bob Ballentyne entertained with folk music. Ashok Chalwa shared a religious site geography quiz he developed as an IRC Freedom Festival activity. With Tim Hyatt acting as game show host, picnickers vied to place among the most geographically precocious to win prizes. Program committee members participated in the Service of Prayer for Peace and Healing on August 23rd at St. Paul's United Methodist Church. The service, planned by the Executive Committee in response to hostilities between Israel and Lebanon, was well attended and well received. The Fourteenth Annual Thanksgiving Service was held on Nov. 22 at Temple Judah. The plight of the poor and homeless was highlighted. Those attending were invited to bring canned goods to donate to the Hacap Food Reservoir. As a result, three hundred eighty pounds of food were collected. Nine faith groups offered thanksgiving prayers and an inter-religious choir provided music. Libby Jensen and Ray Krug, directors of two local emergency shelters, spoke briefly. Financial contributions collected during the service came to approximately $1,500 and were shared among local homeless shelters. Thanks to Rabbi Aaron Sherman, Linda Laugen and Barbara Feller for making the 200 in attendance feel welcomed and thanks to Penny Binger for producing the seven page order of service. The Annual Meeting is being held at Community of Christ Church. A spagetti dinner is being planned for 23 guests with a brief meeting to follow the dinner. A personal note: In my three years on the IRC Board, it has been an honor to serve and a pleasure to get to know the extraordinary people who make up this organization. I have learned a great deal. Thanks to everyone for their friendship, their inspiration and their dedication. Peg Maher Program Chair
Web Site
The
revised web site went live in May after careful
consideration of a logo and design, with weekly updates
sent
to all Board members, all member communities, and 41
communities of faith and faith-based
organizations. The web site is now hosted by a different
server which costs a significant amount less than
the
previous site. Costs for the site include an annual renewal
of the domain name ($10) and a yearly fee
for
hosting ($30).
Below
are the numbers of a) visitors; b) pages viewed; and c) hits
to the site for each month and through
November 2006. It is good to note that individual visitors
view more than one page on a visit. However,
the
true test of the site's success will be in comparing these
figures to those of future years on a month-by-month basis.
May 2006 175 404 1045 13.65
Jun 2006 135 422 938 10.53
Jul 2006 142 393 949 11.08
Aug 2006 227 506 1296 17.71
Sep 2006 197 493 1650 15.37
Oct2006 177 377 1359 13.81
Nov 2006 228 415 1363 17.78
Total 1282 3014 8613
100.00
Joy! Diane John-Smith, web minister
State of Officers
President: The Rev. Larry McGuire (Christian)
Immediate Past President: The Rev. Harold Mincey (Christian)
Vice-President: Imam Ahmed Elkhaldy (Muslim)
Secretary: Ms. Linda Laugen (Jewish)
Treasurer: The Rev. Cedric Lofdahl (Christian)
Slate of Board Members
Members At-Large:
The Rev. Thelma Hembroff, Unity (08)
Sr. Helen Elsbernd, Catholic Christian (08)
Mr. Allen Fisher, Christian (08)
Mr. Jesse Martinez, Hispanic Christian (09)
Ms. Nancy Rhodes, Native American (09)
Ms. Joanne Jordan, Baha'i (09)
The Rev. Ted Miller, Christian (07 -- serving remainder
of another's term; eligible for
re-election in 2007 for a full three-year term)
Mr. Al Fletcher, Christian (07)
Imam Ahmed Elkhaldy, Muslim American Society (09)
Members Representing Specific
Faiths
Mr. Brian Douherty, Baha'i (08)
The Rev. Dr. Bill Pugliese, Christian (07)
Mr. Tim Hyatt, Muslim (09)
Imam Taha Tawil, Muslim (09)
Rabbi Aaron Sherman, Jewish (09)
Ms. Linda Laugen, Jewish (08)
Mr. Bob Ballantyne, Unitarian Universalist (07 --
serving remainder of another's term;
eligible for re-election in 2007 for a full three-year term)
One or two members of the Zen Center representing
Buddhism will be sought for
three-year terms.
Mr. Ashok Chawla, Hindu (07)
Ms. Peg Maher is leaving the Board after countless hours of dedicated service, for which we are all grateful.
Dear Inter-Religious
Council--Thank you for your generous gift in support of the
Poverty Symposium. We had about 95 people attending and about 60
people signing up to be more involved in eliminating poverty in
Linn County. This could not have happened without your generous
help.
Thank you, Ellen Bruckner
Dear Inter-Religious Council--Thank you so much for your
donation of 38 pounds of food. It will serve
many needy families this holiday season--handwritten message:
Our continued success depends on people like you. Thank you for
your help. --printed message.
Keep caring and sharing, Barb Elsasser
Dear Cedric--Thank you for your donation to Madge Phillips
Center for homeless women and children. Your support is greatly
apppreciated. Thanks again!
Sincerely, Carrie Slagle, Program Director, Madge Phillips
Center
Typed message--
Dear Friends--Thank you for your donation of $363.51 to the
Willis Dady Emergency Shelter. Without the help of generous
donors like you, our couples with children, single fathers with
children and single men would not achieve such a high level of
success in overcoming the trauma and other difficulties of being
homeless. Your kind gif will go towards daily operations of the
shelter.
All donations to the shelter, with the exception of those
needed to facilitate operations, are left for the families and
men in a common area where they may be going through on a first
come, first serve basis.
Thank you again for your support in our endeavor to help
those less fortunate.
Sincerely, Libby Jensen, Executive Director.
Hand written message--Thank you for allowing me to thank those
involved with the Network of Faith at your Thanksgiving Service.
I was happy to do so!
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