Gifts of Pluralism: Conference Participants

Friday, October 27, 2001 Pre-Conference
    Youth Caucus, Open Houses at varous religious sites around the metro area

Saturday, October 27, 2001

     Music: Thomas M Nelson, guitar; Stephanie Hoffman, viola
    Opening: Vern Barnet, conference president
     Welcome: Carolyn Sullivan, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Pembroke Hill on behalf of Dick Hibschman, headmaster, whose letter of welcome is included in the Conference Notebook.
     Greetings: Congressman Dennis Moore (Kansas Third District); Congresswoman Karen McCarthy (Missouri, Fifth District). Also Proclamations by Kansas Governor Bill Graves, Missouri Governor Bob Holden; Mayors Kay Barnes (KCMO), Carol Marinovich (KCKS), Ed Eilert (Overland Park), Peggy J Dunn (Leawood), and Rondell Stewart (Independence); letter from US Senator Pat Roberts; Kansas Senate Resolution sponsored by David Adkins.
     Plenary Sessions: Discovering Our Gifts / Appreciative Inquiry: David Nelson. The Three Families of Faith: Vern Barnet. Prizes and Pitfalls: Gene Flanery, Barnet, Nelson.
     Workshops: American Indian Spirituality: Kara Hawkins and Stumbling Deer; Bahá'í: Mark Johnson; Buddhist: Lama Chuck Stanford; Christian: Roman Catholic: Biagio Mazza; Hinduism: Arvind Khetia; Jainism: Gulab Kothari; Judaism: Stuart Lewis; Islam: Rushdy El-Ghussein; Sikhism: Dr Narinder Singh; Sufism: Larry Sousley; Unitarian Universalism: Ted Otteson; Wicca: Mike Nichols; Youth Caucus: Melissa Robinson.

     Environmental Crisis Panel: American Indian Spirituality: Kara Hawkins; Bahá'í, Dr Chris Hamilton; Unitarian Universalist: Bruce Wiggins; Wiccan: Mike Nichols; youth rep: Margeret Hansbrough; moderator: Dr Hub Hubbard.
     Personal Identity Crisis Panel: Hindu: Arvind Khetia; Buddhist: Lama Chuck Stanford; Sufi: Connie Rahimah Sweeney; Sikh: Charanjit Hundal; youth: Tess Grafton; moderator: Dr Harold Raser.
     Social Cohesion Crisis Panel: Catholic: Bro Louie Rodemann, FSC; Jewish: Pamela Barr; Muslim: Mohamed Al-Hilali; youth: Chris Carr; moderator: Rodger Kube.

   “Mosaic in Motion” — Readers: Sharon Connors and Lama Chuck Stanford — American Indian: Kara Hawkins and Stumbling Deer — Sikh: Bhai Naranjan Singh, harmonium; Jaswinder S Sidhu, tabla; Ajeet Kaur and Satinder K Hundal, accompanying singers — Hindu: Hema Sharma and her students: Mitu Bhattatiry, Nimi Bhattatiry, Anu Dharod, Anita Galler, Kavita Jayakumar, Juhi Madan, Pragna Madhusudhan, Sruti Madhusudhan, Priyanka Nath, Kisha Patel, Priyanka Patel, Hill Robison, Auatumn Ryan, and Archana Warrier —   Sufi: Barry Bernstein, Clark Jamison, Sorenne, and Misti Bernard — Christian: Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church’s Praise Dancers, Constance McNeal, Christina McNeal, Caira Young, Fantaysia Brown, Camilla White, Alona Spikes, Danisia Spikes, Samantha Spikes, Leigha McKeithen, Leesia McKeithen, and Ibony Bright, directed by Kimberlea P Joyner-Wortman. “Mosaic in Motion” planners: Kathy Reigelman and Donna Ziegenhorn — Baha'i: Anne Biswell, Jan Cohick: piano, Terry Foster, Micahel Hegge, Kathy Johnson, Mark Johnson: guitar, Melissa Ramsey, and Nikolai Kolarov: cello

Sunday, October 28, 2001

     Acknowledgement of Donors: Suzanne Dotson
     Interfaith Worship: Judaism: Brita Horowitz; Wicca: Robin Murphy; Unitarian Universalism: Kathy Riegelman; Vedanta: Linda “Uma” Prugh; Sufism: Larry Sousley; Sikhism: Karta Purkh S. and Sat Inder Khalsa; Christian - Roman Catholic: George Noonan; Jain: Gulab Kothari; Christian – Protestant: David Nelson; Hinduism: Anand Bhattacharyya; Buddhist: Lama Chuck Stanford; Bahá'í: Simeon Kohlman Rabbani and Sharam Fattaahi; Muslim: Bilal Muhammed; American Indian: Kara Hawkins and Stumbling Deer; led by Vern Barnet.
     Community Panel: Clyde F Wendel, president, Bank of America, KC region; Bill Tammeus, columnist, KC Star; Alvin Brooks, Mayor Pro-Tem, KCMO; Andres M Dominguez, senior program officer, Kauffman Foundation; moderator: W Grant McMurray, president, Community of Christ.
     Next Steps Panel: Hindu Temple president Sara Shanker; Sikh Charanjit Singh; Muslim Ahmed El-Sherif; moderator: Roger Kube.
     Water from the fountains of Kansas City: collected by Laura Conley of A Peaceful Place; Dana Rodenbaugh arranged for the pourers.
     Concluding Conference Declaration: Fred Schuele, editor.

     Conference President: Vern Barnet; Assistant: Thomas Nelson; Conference Coordinator: Gene Flanery, Conference Floor Manager: David Stallings; Conference Photographers: David Stallings, Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa; Notebook chair: Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa; Registrars: Dan Velicer, Diane Hershberger, Kristy Stallings, Joe Archias, John van Keppel, Suzanne Dotson, Natanha Howe, Candice Harrison; Additional assistance: Juan Rangel. Evaluation summaries: Laura Notley.
     Youth Arrangements: Melissa Robinson, Gene Flanery.
     Planning Committee: Larry Guillot, George Noonan, Vern Barnet, Rauf Mir, Jonathan Bickham, David Nelson, Diane Hershberger (Harmony), Rodger Kube (Spirit of Service), Juan Rangel (NCCJ).
      Focus groups facilitator: Sharon Riedel, PhD.
      Interfaith Council and CRES Board:  see section 2 of the Notebook.
      IFC planning observers: W Grant McMurray, Community of Christ; William Miller, Church of the Nazarene; Sharon Connors, Unity.
      Major Donors: The Kauffman Fund, DST, the Bank of Blue Valley, Norman and Elaine Polsky Fund, Community Christian Church.
      Additional scholarship providers: list in preparation.
      In-kind Facility contribution: Pembroke Hill School
      Conference Advisors: Kansas State Senator David Adkins, Kansas City business leaders Gordon and Nancy Beaham, architect Bob Berkebile, Kansas City Mayor Pro-Tem Alvin L Brooks, Shepherd Centers founder Elbert C Cole, ThD, Johnson County businessman Ben Craig, SuEllen Fried, Kansas City businessman Barnett Helzberg, the Rev Robert Hill, DST Human Resources chief Joan Horan, the Rev Bob Meneilly, Congressman Dennis Moore, United Way official Mike Moors, Johnson County civic leader Carol Sader, civic leader Beth K Smith, former Kansas Attorney General Bob Stephan, former Kansas City Mayor Charles Wheeler.

       Logo: Terry Clause, Jay Boothby