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SAMPLE PROGRAMS
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World Religions Series (5 parts)
"He who knows one religion knows none," it
has been said. So to better understand our own faith journey, we examine
the world's religions as they ask and answer the key question, "What gives
meaning to your life?" By comparing and contrasting the various traditions,
our own paths may be deepened and enriched.
1: Pieces or Pattern? -- Three Sacred Dimensions
The confusing details of the world's faiths
can fit into a rough and ready scheme which suggests wisdom for our environmental,
personal, and social troubles.
2 Primal Faiths -- The Sacred in Nature
Ancient and still-living traditions have honored
and ceremonialized the world in which humans participate, rather
than seeking to change it. From ancient Egyptians to American Indians,
meaning emerges from the order in nature.
3 Asian Faiths -- The Sacred in Personhood
The great religions of India and China, with techniques
such as yoga and meditation, delved deeply into personal spiritual development.
Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism present "therapies"
to recover from the trance of selfishness.
4 Monotheistic Faiths -- The Sacred in Community
The Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam (and other monotheistic religions) find revealed in the history
of covenanted community a power moving toward justice. This involves a
critical view of society and a duty to improve it.
5 Comparative Methods and Questions -- The Sacred
in Mutual Encounter
What effects can mutual
encounter among the faiths have on each of them? What various attitudes
do folks bring to religions other than their own? And how can we as individuals
and a community apply the wisdom of the various faiths to solve the problems
that afflict our age?
The instructor is the Rev Vern Barnet, DMn, known to many in Kansas
City through his Wednesday "Faiths and Beliefs" column in The Star. He
founded the KC Interfaith Council in 1989 and does interfaith work through
his organization, CRES. He has taught world religions at Ottawa University,
Central Baptist Theological Seminary, Saint Paul School of Theology, and
elsewhere. He is a frequent lecturer in area churches and has received
honors from Jewish, Christian, Sikh, Muslim, Buddhist, and other organizations.
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Faith Figures Series (4 parts)
This survey of Muslim, Buddhist, Confucian, and Sikh figures presents
their lives and insights for their times and ours. They are not dusty figures
in history but speak to us today about the issues that perplex us.
1. Muhammad: Why He is Loved. How do we align ourselves with a power
moving in history toward justice? -- In the life of Muhammad is the discovery
of a transcendent Power which makes society work.
2. The Buddha: The Guy Who Woke Up. Why is there suffering and what
can be done about it? -- In the life of the Buddha there is compassion
and the wisdom to free ourselves from the trance that keeps us from seeing
reality as it is.
3. Confucius: Say What? How can society be ordered for peace and prosperity?
-- In the life of Confucius the argument between the Legalists and the
Idealists found resolution.
4. Guru Nanak: An Accountant's Truth. Do the differences in religion
really matter? In the life of the first Sikh Guru mysticism and monotheism
were joined. |
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Exploring Spirituality
Spirituality arises from experiences of the
Holy as we seek to understand, honor and share them. This class includes
readings from many sources and practical exercises for learning.
Week 1: What is spirituality? Learn how and why others have answered
and develop your own response.
Week 2: What is the holy and how do I find it? Bring a “sacred” object
to class, an object that has special significance to your personally because
it reminds you of an important occasion, power, connection, relationship,
peak experience or way of understanding.
Week 3: Looking for the holy: What is a pilgrimage? What is a ritual?
Bring to class a chart, map, or diagram of your life’s spiritual journey.
What are the steppingstones and the milestones? The guideposts? The crucial
crossings, the detours, the retracings? The heights and depths? In what
directions have you aimed?
Week 4: Talking about the holy: How do stories and scriptures reveal
their messages? Prepare to tell the class a story that reveals a spiritual
meaning for you (Cinderella, the Tortoise and the Hare, Davey Crockett,
Oedipus Rex, Star Wars, the Prodigal Son, Spider Woman, Hercules, etc).
Week 5: Understanding the unholy: What is the source of evil? Why is
there so much suffering? What does death mean? Describe the greatest evil,
injustice or suffering you know about personally.
Week 6: What is the nature of holy love? What is the spiritual dimension
of sexuality? Write a personal ad to attract or keep your ideal mate.
Week 7: What is the nature of God or the gods, if any? How do we know?
What is our life purpose? What is the destiny of the human race? Prepare
your obituary or write your funeral or memorial service.
Mondays 6:30-9:30 except Labor Day
Ottawa University - Kansas City 913.451.1431
4370 W 109 #200, Leawood, KS 66211
Call for audit or credit (four undergraduate
hours) fees.
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The World's Faiths:
Similarities and Differences
Whether there are more similarities than differences among the faiths depends
on your point of view and how you count. I'll explain. And I'll also say
we probably can learn more from differences than from how we might be alike.
We need to overcome our fear of differences because differences are real
and valuable and life-saving. |
Annual Programs
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The 23nd annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Sunday
Family Ritual Meal, always the Sunday before Thanksgiving
When: 2007 Nov 18 Sunday 6-8 pm
Where: Immanuel Lutheran Church Fellowship
Hall, 1700 Westport Rd, near State Line
Cost: $25 per adult, $20 child
For more information: 913-649-5114 or staff@cres.org
Reservations accepted after Nov 1. email
staff@cres.org
if
you wish to be on the waiting list.
FOR A POSTER-TYPE ANNOUNCEMENT, VISIT
www.cres.org/thanks
Members of more than a dozen faiths gather and
three local interfaith leaders will be honored at the 23nd annual Interfaith
Thanksgiving Sunday Family Ritual Meal Nov. 18. It is the region's oldest
continuing interfaith tradition.
HONOREES this year are the Rev David E Nelson,
DMin, past convener of the Interfaith Council, and Mahnaz Shabbir, a Kansas
City Muslim leader with national prominence.
The full Thanksgiving feast will begin with greetings
from American Indian, Bahá'í, Buddhist, Christian (Orthodox,
Protestant, Roman Catholic), Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Pagan, Sikh, Sufi,
Unitarian Universalist, Zoroastrian, and Freethinker participants. The
evening celebrates the American heritage and recognizes our shortcomings.
It demonstrates our commitment to expanding the American ideals to include
the religious adventure of the entire human family.
The ceremony was created by CRES (the Center for
Religious Experience and Study) and is hosted at different facilities each
year. This year the two-hour meal is held at B'nai Jehudah, 12320 Nall
Ave.
"The dinner commemorates the Pilgrims’ exodus
from religious tyranny with narrative, songs, prayers, readings, and feasting.
To their story is added repentance for the violence brought to this land
and to its native peoples, for importing enslaved peoples and denying them
freedom, and for the prejudices which still mar America," explained the
Rev. Vern Barnet, CRES minister emeritus, who created the ceremony.
Each participant receives a booklet with readings
for dinner participants. The children ask questions about the symbolic
foods that are part of the full dinner.
The most recent honorees are Gayle Krigel and
Nancy and Gordon Beaham (2006). Previous awards have gone to former Kansas
Attorney General, the Honorable Robert Stephan, and former Chancellor George
M Noonan of the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St Joseph (2005), Marc
Wilson, Director and CEO of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and Laurence
Sickman, his deceased predecessor, (2004), Congressman Dennis Moore (2003),
Mayor Pro Tem Alvin Brooks (2002), Arthur S Brisbane and Bill Tammeus ofThe
Kansas
City Star (2001), Mayor Kay Barnes (2000), and the Hindu and Muslim
members of the Kansas City Interfaith Council, Anand Bhattacharyya and
A Rauf Mir, MD (1999), who had served the decade from the Council’s beginnings
in 1989.
In addition to the foods of the traditional Thanksgiving
meal including (1) cranberry sauce and (2) turkey, which have become symbolic
of this holiday celebration — there are small portions of foods on each
table with special meaning: (3) salt water (4) bitter herbs (5) maize (6)
charoses (7) cheese and (8) bread. Their meanings are conveyed in the text
with the meal. The glasses of (9) wine or fruit juice are filled at intervals
during the service and sipped together after the blessing is said in one
voice. (10) A vegetarian option recognizes that some Americans choose not
to eat meat.
Over the years, the ceremony has been hosted by
the Grand Avenue Methodist Church, Rockhurst University, the Village (Presbyterian)
Church, All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, Saint James Lutheran Church,
Unity Temple on the Plaza, Shawnee Presbyterian Church, Grace and Holy
Trinity (Episcopal) Cathedral, Temple B’nai Jehudah, Central Baptist Theological
Seminary, Congregation Beth Shalom, the Community Christian Church, St
Monica Catholic Church, and St Andrew Christian Church, and the Rime Buddhist
Center and Monastery.
History of the Convocation.-- Dr John Hayward,
then professor at the Meadville Theological School at the University of
Chicago, wrote the original version of this service with the help of his
family. It was first used publicly in 1965. This version was arranged and
edited by Dr Vern Barnet, expands the number of children’s questions, and
places Thanksgiving in a world-wide religious context. It has been revised
and reprinted a dozen times from 1974 to 2004.
This Interfaith Convocation has been sponsored
by CRES since 1985. It has been hosted in the greater Kansas City area
by Grand Avenue Methodist Church, Rockhurst University, the Village (Presbyterian)
Church, All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, Saint James Lutheran Church,
Unity Temple on the Plaza, Shawnee Presbyterian Church, Grace and Holy
Trinity (Episcopal) Cathedral, Temple B’nai Jehudah, Central Baptist Theological
Seminary, Congregation Beth Shalom, Community Christian Church, St Monica
Catholic Church, St Andrew Christian Church, and the Rime Buddhist Center.
Awards were begun with the 1999 reorganization
of the CRES Board chaired by David Stallings.
The dinner begins at 6 and lasts two hours.
A PDF flier will be available for downloading
at http://www.cres.org/thanks.pdf
For reservations ($25 adults, $20 children)
mail your check (we cannot process credit cards)
to
CRES
Box 45414
Kansas City, MO 64171.
For questions, email contact staff@cres.org. |
VITAL CONVERSATIONS --
2nd Wed of the month, 1p
led by CRES associate minister David Nelson (humanagenda@juno.com)
at the Mid Continent Library, 6060 N Chestnut, Gladstone. Vital
– that which creates life and hope. Conversations – intentional
moments of listening and talking. A collaboration with the Greater
Kansas City Interfaith Council. "The purpose of a vital conversation is
not to win an argument, but to win a friend and advance civilization."
--Vern Barnet. |
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Barclay Martin Ensemble
music with spiritual depth
see listings below or visit
barclaymartin.com/
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2008 September
Sep 1 Mon 7p
Barclay Martin Ensemble
RecordBar, 1020 Westport
barclaymartin.com/
Sep 6 Sat 8-9:30a
MAINstream Voices of Faith Clergy Breakfast
Rob Boston
Colonial Church- Social Hall lower level
Sep 6 Sat 8p
Barclay Martin Ensemble
Crosstown Station, 1522 McGee
barclaymartin.com/
*Sep 10 Wed 1p
Vital Conversations: Discovering the
Real America: Toward a More Perfect Union by Lewis, W. Diuguid
Discovering the Real America examines the often-overlooked history
of white privilege, racism and discrimination in the United States. The
text explains how the media have played a big part in maintaining the status
quo. The book offers solutions to overcoming the obstacles of bigotry so
that people can finally discover that the richness in the real America
is in the long-overlooked diversity of this nation's multiethnic, multiracial,
multicultural, multinational, multitalented people. Lewis will be
present to assist in facilitating this conversation. |
Sep 10 Wed 6:30p - 8:30p
Spirit Circle
House of Menuha, 801 E. 77th St, KCMO 64113
(816) 444-2434, information@menuha.org, www.menuha.org
Offering $15-$25
Through silence, guided meditation, music
and simple ceremony women share learned wisdom as we honor each woman's
sacred tradition and unique spiritual path. We are a self-led group and
you will learn the topic for the session when you register.
Sep 11-21 Eleven Days of Global Unity -- A Season of Interfaith Celebration
Sep 11 Thu 7p
From Pain to Peace: Bringing Bread - Building Bridges:
Annual Interfaith Service of Remembrance, Healing, and Hope after the tragic
events of 9/11.
Community Christian Church, 4601 Main |
 Cordoba
Mezquita (Mosque) with plaque pledging interfaith cooperation (photo,
Vern Barnet) |
The Rev Dr Alvin Jackson is the keynote speaker,with local
Muslim, Jewish, and Christian leaders, City in Motion Children's Dance
Theater, and students from the UMKC Conservatory of Music.
Local Muslim, Jewish, and Christian
leaders will particpate in a creative service of remembrance patterned
after the Cordoba Bread Fest, transcending religious differences by drawing
upon the role of bread in the three Abrahamic religions and celebrating
the historic period of religious tolerance in Spain during the Middle Ages.
Participants from local faith groups are invited to bring breads to share
at the event. Under the artistic direction of Andrea Skowronek, dancers
from City in Motion Children's Dance Theater will distribute the variety
of breads to those present for the event. Students from the UMKC
Conservatory of Music will provide provide special choral selections.
The Rev Dr Alvin Jackson is
minister of Park Avenue Christian Church in New York City. After
graduating from Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana with a Bachelors
degree in sociology, he Jackson received his Master of Divinity degree
from Duke University School of Divinity. His Doctor of Ministry degree
was awarded by Unity Theological Seminary in in Dayton, Ohio. He has served
historic congregations including Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church
in Memphis, Tennnessee and National City Christian Church in the nation's
capital.
From Pain to Peace:
Bringing Bread - Building Bridges is sponsored by Disciples Peace Fellowship
(DPF), an independent organization within the Christian Church (Disciples
of Christ) that promotes peace and justice worldwide through educational
programs, nonviolent direct action, and collaboration with other
organizations. Founded in 1935, DPF is the oldest peace organization
of its type in any denomination. A freewill offering will benefit
interfaith projects to promote international peace and justice.
Contacts: the Rev Dr Ron Faust 816-468-1868 (ronfaust2@netzero.net),
the Rev Jeff Hon 816-550-0462 (sjhon@kc.rr.com), the Rev Helen Nelson 816-589-6860
(helenjnelson@juno.com). |
Sep 13 Sat 8p
Barclay Martin benefit for Jellybean Conspiracy
barclaymartin.com/
Sep 14 Sun 1:30p-3:30p
The Worlds of Religion with Dr Jill Carroll
Unity Church of Overland Park, 10300 Antioch Rd, Overland Park
913-649-1750, ucop@ucop.org, www.ucop.org
love offering
Have you ever wanted to get
a sense of the similarities and differences between various religions?
In this afternoon workshop you will learn the structural components present
in all world religions, allowing you to approach your own study or experience
of religious diversity with comfort and ease. She is vising Unity
Church of Overland Park as part of 11 Days of Global Unity.
Dr Carroll is a world renowned interfaith
expert who speaks internationally on issues of world religion, religion
and world politics, and the importance of religious diversity training
in an increasingly interconnected and diverse world.
Dr Carroll is the Executive
Director of the Boniuk Center for the Study and Advancement of Religious
Tolerance at Rice University. Through her own company and the Boniuk Center,
she has done religious diversity training for corporations, schools and
other groups.
Dr Carroll co-produces and co-hosts
“Peaceful Coexistence”, a radio show which airs on Houston’s Pacifica station
KPFT 90.1 FM and on podcast at www.boniukcenter.org.
Her most recent book is "A Dialogue
of Civilizations: Gulen's Islamic Ideals and Humanistic Discourse," |
Sep 16 Tue 6:30p-8:30p
Angelic Guidance & Support
House of Menuha, 801 E. 77th St
(816) 444-2434, information@menuha.org, www.menuha.org
Offering $15-$25
Do you have questions about angels? What are concerns for which you
would like greater clarity, healing, or guidance? Using her gifts of hearing
and seeing angels, Brenda will share what she perceives from the angels
in response. No questions? Come anyway - the angels may still have something
to share! Brenda Hafner, MSW, Soul Teachings¨
Sep 18 Thu -- time to be announced
Arun Gandhi speaks on “Lessons My Grandfather (Mohandas K Gandhi, the
Mahatma) Taught Me,” followed by an interfaith panel discussion on “Religion
and Nonviolence.”
Unity Village
2008 Sep 20 Sat 9:00a-1p
Resilience: An Essential Ingredient for a Fulfilled Life
First Lutheran Church, 6400 State Line Rd, Mission, KS 66208
(816) 444-2434, information@menuha.org, www.menuha.org
$55
This workshop is one of House of Menuha's Let My LIfe Speak Workshop
Series for Women. Workshop facilitator Moira Mulhern, Ph.D, is co-founder
and CEO of Turning Point, a nonprofit that offers resilience-building skills,
classes, and support programs to people managing chronic or serious physical
illness. In this highly interactive workshop, through poignant exercises,
small and large group discussions, and shared information from Dr. Mulhern,
you will learn: #What factors make a person resilient #Where
you fall on the resilience spectrum #What your resilience strengths
& weaknesses are #Skills and daily exercises to strengthen your resilience
and help you achieve ~ greater personal balance ~ enhanced creativity ~
increased work effectiveness ~ increased relationship effectiveness ~ and
better physical health.
Join us! Learn more about yourself .... from yourself,
from Dr. Mulhern, and from other soul-filled women on their journeys to
fulfill the passions of their lives.
Sep 20 Sat 10:30a-noon
Swami Paritushtananda will speaks on [Topic to be announced]
Vedanta Society, 8701 Ward Parkway
816-444-8045, info@vedantakc.org, www.vedantakc.org
No charge.
Swami Paritushtananda is a monk of the Ramakrishna Order of India.
He has been in the US since March 2008 and is assistant to Swami Tathagatananda
at the Vedanta Society of New York.
*Sep 21 Sun 10:30
"Ocean Sunday," sermon by guest preacher, Vern Barnet
Country Club Congregational United Church of Christ
205 W. 65th Street |
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 Sep
21 Sun 12-hours, time to be announced
Peace Vigil on UN Day of Peace.
The 12 hour vigil includes lighting a candle for peace each hour along
with prayer with music. On the half hour speakers share brief stories of
hope for peace.
LOCATION: The UN Peace Plaza is a small park in
Independence, Missouri, at Walnut and Lexington just west of the Independence
Square. In the center of the park is a round fountain with a lovely stature
reaching for a dove above it, and it is dedicated to peace. |
*Sep 22 Mon 2p
Vern speaks about Islam
Johnson County Central Library, 9875 West 87, free.
JCCC's Brown and Gold Club (membership over 4,300) provides special
programs designed to benefit persons over 55+ living in Johnson County.
"Dr. Barnet will enhance our
understanding of Islam, a religion of peace and surrender, and how it is
practiced by ordinary people in their daily lives. It is the fastest growing
religion today. This interactive lecture deals with the history, art, scripture,
theologies, and modern character of Islam." |
Sep 23 Tue 10:00a - 12:00p
Angelic Guidance & Support
House of Menuha, 801 E. 77th St, KCMO 64113
(816) 444-2434, information@menuha.org, www.menuha.org
Offering $15-$25
Do you have questions about angels? What are concerns for which you
would like greater clarity, healing, or guidance? Using her gifts of hearing
and seeing angels, Brenda will share what she perceives from the angels
in response. No questions? Come anyway - the angels may still have something
to share! Brenda Hafner, MSW, Soul Teachings¨ (House of Menuha programming
is designed for women participants)
Sep 23 Tu 8p
Barclay Martin Ensemble
JP Wine Bar, 1526 Walnut
barclaymartin.com/
Sep 25 Thu
55th Annual Harmony Humanitarian Awards Dinner
Honorees include CRES Board member Mahnaz Shabbir, Peter Levi and Sandra
Lawrence
Hyatt Regency Crown Center
Harmony: 816.333.5059
Sep 26 Fri 6:30
Annual Intercultural Friendship and Dialog Dinner
Instittue of Interfaith Dialogue
(UMKC University Center Pierson Auditorium)
By invitation only
Contact: kansascity@interfaithdialog.org
Sep 26 Fri 7p
Barclay Martin Ensemble dinner show
RecordBar, 1020 Westport
barclaymartin.com/
Sep 27 Sat 10:30a-12:00p
How to Feel God's Love by Swami Chetanananda.
Vedanta Society, 8701 Ward Parkway
816-444-8045, info@vedantakc.org, www.vedantakc.org
NO CHARGE
*Sep 27 Sat 10:00a - 4:00p
Independence Heritage Festival
McCoy Park, 24 Hwy at Spring Street, 64050
(816) 410-8348, josefwalk@aol.com,
independenceheritage.org
Free, Young children are welcome
The Independence Heritage Festival is a free event with
fun for everyone, especially families with younger children. The day features
music, dance, storytelling, food, games, and booths. The nationally-known
"Wild Women of Kansas City" bring their smooth sounds to the stage as one
of our featured performances. The festival celebrates the rich heritage
of Independence as well as the vibrant diversity we find in today’s neighborhoods.
The Mid-Continent Public Library and other organizations offer special
activities throughout the day. The Festival is held in McCoy Park, across
the street from the Truman Library. “Come on in, Neighbor!”
Sep 28 Sun 11:30 Cocktails & Conversation/ 12:30 Lunch & Program
MainStream Coalition 15th Birthday Celebration and 8th Annual Meneilly
Stand Up, Speak Out Award Luncheon (honoring three of MainStream's
founders: Nancy Brown, David Goldstein, Rabbi Mark Levin)
Sheraton Overland Park, 6100 College Boulevard
Details: mainstreamcoalition.com.
2008 October
Oct 3 Fri 5p through Oct 5
Breath of Earth, Breath of Life, a weekend residential mindfulness
retreat
Marillac Center, Leavenworth, KS
816 531 1272, lunerchild@hotmail.com, Mindfulnesskc.org
$210 per person double / $260 single occupancy.
The practice of mindfulness helps us develop
our capacity to dwell happily in the present moment and to find peace within
ourselves. This practice helps us weave mindfulness into all of life’s
daily activities. During this retreat we direct our practice to our
Mother, the Earth. She has suffered gravely from our lack of mindfulness.
Together we will look deeply into how we inter-are with the Earth, that
we live and die with her and water the seeds that give rise to a new relationship
with all beings, people, animals, plants and minerals.
We gather October 3–5 at the beautiful and serene Marillac
Center in Leavenworth, Kansas, just outside of Kansas City. Prepare to
be moved to a deeper practice of mindfulness by the laser-like precision,
solidity and humor of Brother Chan Huy, True Radiance. We will enjoy a
variety of mindfulness practices including sitting meditation, walking
meditation and deep relaxation. Br. Chan Huy will talk each day and
will transmit the Five Mindfulness Trainings. Periods of gentle silence
will nourish our mindfulness. Group discussions will help us connect
the teachings to our daily lives. This retreat is ideal for newcomers
as well as longtime practitioners.
Please register now for Breath of Earth, Breath
of Life! We look forward to this time of joyful practice together.
See Mindfulnesskc.org for registration form. Registrations are being
accepted through October 1st.
*Oct 8 Wed 1p
Vital Conversations: Mitakuye Oyasin
“We Are All Related” by Dr. A.C. Ross.
America before Columbus based on the oral history
of 33 tribes. During the past twenty years, American Indians have
experienced a renaissance of their language, culture, and religion.
Many tribes have become conscious of their original names which, when translated
into English, mean “The People.” The fact that we are all one people
is the wholistic view that is presented in this book. Adding to our
Vital Conversation will be Gayl Edmunds, the Native American Spiritual
guide for the Life Connections Program at United States Penitentiary at
Leavenworth, Kansas.
Oct 10-12 Fri-Sun
Leaders Retreat
St Benedict's Abbey, Atchison, KS
Wise Men's Retreats created by James L Fleming MD, sponsored by Prairie
Health Services Inc; jflemingmd@yahoo.com or 816.213.1885; $150.
*Oct 14 Tue 2p
Vern speaks about Buddhism
Johnson County Central Library, free.
JCCC's Brown and Gold Club (membership over 4,300) provides special
programs designed to benefit persons over 55+ living in Johnson County.
"Dr. Barnet will guide us to
an understanding one of the oldest religions in the world. Buddhism is
known as a religion of infinite compassion. A philosophy as well as a religion,
its practices have application to the dilemmas of modern life. Included
will be the art, ritual, and character of this ancient religion."
Oct 19 Sun 6:00p - 8:30p
An Evening With Connie Dover, Celtic Singer, Balladeer & Poet
Hillside Christian Church, 900 NE Vivion Rd, KCMO 64118
(816) 444-2434, information@menuha.org, www.menuha.org
$20 in Advance. $25 at Door
Acclaimed by the Boston Globe
as "the finest folk ballad singer America has produced since Joan Baez,"
Connie Dover is a singer, poet and Emmy Award-winning producer and composer.
Her soaring, crystal-clear voice and inspired arrangements of traditional
music of Scotland, Ireland and the American West display a depth and breadth
of range that have earned her a rightful place among the world's finest
traditional singers. We are honored to have Connie perform a benefit concert
for House of Menuha. Joining Connie for the October 19th concert is guitarist
and fiddler, Kelly Werts.
Born in Arkansas and raised
in Kansas City, Connie Dover is of English, Cherokee, Mexican and Scots/Irish
descent. She discovered the wealth of the Celtic music tradition as a teenager,
devoting her life to the collection, preservation and performance of traditional
songs and ballads. Her history degree, earned from William Jewell College,
and her undergraduate work at Oxford University have further enriched her
unique perspective of the cultural context of folk music. Connie’s insightful
interpretations bring ancient ballads to life.
For a part of each year, Connie
works as a ranch cook in the beautiful country between Wyoming's Wind River
and Absaroka Mountains where she can often be heard singing old-time songs
around a roaring campfire to the accompaniment of hoarse cowboys and lowing
cattle.
You won’t want to miss this
evening of authentic and passionate music and poetry.
Proceeds benefit House of Menuha, a spirituality
center for women.
*Oct 19 Sun 7-8:30p
Vern speaks on Art and the Spirit -- open to adults and teens
Good Shepherd Catholic Church, Shawnee
12800 W 75
2008 November
*Nov 2 Sun 9:30-10:30a
Local Sacred Sites
Sacred (but not religious) sites in metro Kansas City. Vern has been
asked to identify and describe places in our area with spiritual significance.
What characteristics make a space holy? What are some examples? Do you
agree? What would be on your list?
Village Presbyterian Church, 6641 Mission
2008 Nov 3 Mon 7p-8:30p
Interfaith Council Book Club
Christian Science Center, Red Bridge Shopping Center, south side, Red
Bridge and Holmes
913-268-8212, pcpeck99@hotmail.com, www.kcinterfaith.org
November selections by Lynne McTaggart: The Field: The Quest for
the Secret Force of the Universe and The Intention Experiment: Using
Your Thoughts to Change Your Life.
*Nov 3 Mon eve
"Is God a problem?" -- a dialogue about God with the Rev Paul Hasselbeck
and Vern, beginning "Lyceum 2008" with Bishop John Shelby Spong, Nancy
R Howell, and Bart D Ehrman
Unity Village, $299 all sessions, $249 through Aug 31. |
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*Nov 7-23 Festival
of Faiths, events as announced, concluding with the CRES Interfaith
Thanksgiving Sunday Family Ritual Meal, with a Signature Speaker Event
2009 Jan 26 with Newsweek editor John Meacham.
Nov 7 Fri 7:30p What Is Sacred? . . . A First Friday exhibit featuring
works of area artists, teen arts and an interfaith slide show; Rime Buddhist
Center, 700 West Pennway Festival
of Faiths
*Nov 7 Fri 7p
Academy of Welcome (2nd annual)
"For the Bible Tells Me So" film followed by an interfaith panel moderated
by Vern
First Lutheran Church, 6400 State Line Rd
*Nov 9 Sun 9:30-10:30a
The Sacred in Art
Whether art has a religious or secular subject, it can
reveal a spiritual reality too deep for mere words. We'll look at examples
from the plastic arts -- painting, sculpture, and architecture -- and hint
at some musical matters as well. We'll explore this statement by Pope Pius
XII: Art breaks through the narrow and tortuous enclosure of the finite
and provides us a window on the infinite.
Village Presbyterian Church, 6641 Mission
Nov 11 Tue 7p
Voicing the Spiritual Self: The Interfaith Language of Doubt and Belief,
writers read from their work at the Writers Place, 3607 Pennsylvania
Festival
of Faiths
 *Nov
12 Wed 1p Festival
of Faiths
Vital Conversations: Muhammad by
Karen Armstrong and “Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet” video.
In a meticulous quest for the historical Muhammad,
Armstrong first traces the West's long history of hostility toward Islam,
which it has stigmatized as a "religion of the sword." This sympathetic,
engrossing biography portrays Muhammad (ca. 570-632) as a passionate, complex,
fallible human being--a charismatic leader possessed of political as well
as spiritual gifts, and a prophet whose monotheistic vision intuitively
answered the deepest longings of his people. We will have in attendance
Murad Karriem and his daughter Ms. Khadijah. Karriem has been a part
of both the Nation of Islam and our Muslim community here in Kansas City. |
Nov 13 Thu 11:30a-1:30p (11a-2p) Festival of Faiths
event
4th annual Table of Faiths luncheon co-chaired by Carolyn Vellar and
Gail Mengel; honoring the Rev Bob Hill and Shawnee Mission Medical Center,
Hyatt Regency Downtown. Festival
of Faiths
Nov 16 Sun 6p
Annual Harmony Interfaith Choir Concert
Concord Fortress of Hope, 7710 East 102nd Street
Festival
of Faiths
Nov 17 time TBA
The Hindu and the Cowboy and
Other Kansas City Stories
a one hour play based on interviews with Kansas Citians of diverse
faith traditions.
Location TBA.
Festival
of Faiths
*Nov 20 Thu 2:30p
The Sacred in Asian Art, a lecture by Vern Barnet
Kansas City Art Institute - Anton Jacob's class
*Nov 23 Sun 6p Festival
of Faiths
CRES 24th annual Interfaith Thgvg Sunday Family
Ritual Meal
St Paul's Episcopal Church, 40th and Main
See Thanksgiving Sunday Interfaith
Liturgical Meal for information from last year's festivities (left
column, yellow, of this page)
2008 December
*Dec 10 Wed 1p
Vital Conversations: In Search of the
Miraculous by P.D. Ouspensky.
Since its original publication in 1949, In
Search of the Miraculous has been hailed as the most valuable and reliable
documentation of G. I. Gurdjieff's thoughts and universal view. This historic
and influential work is considered by many to be a primer of mystical thought
as expressed through the Work, a combination of Eastern philosophies that
had for centuries been passed on orally from teacher to student.
Gurdjieff's goal, to introduce the Work to the West, attracted many students,
among them Ouspensky, an established mathematician, journalist, and, with
the publication of In Search of the Miraculous, an eloquent and persuasive
proselyte. Ouspensky describes Gurdjieff's teachings in fascinating
and accessible detail, providing what has proven to be a stellar introduction
to the universal view of both student and teacher. A local student
of Gurdjieff, Mark Esping, will be present.
2009
2009 January
Jan 26 Signature Speaker Event: Newsweek editor John Meacham, author
of
American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation.Festival
of Faiths event
Thus is the culminating program of the 2008 Festival of Faiths. A valuable
post-election perspective by highly regarded journalist and author of American
Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers and the Making of a Nation. Meacham
has written and spoken extensively about religion and politics. He is co-moderator
with Sally Quinn of On Faith, an Internet conversation on religion.
Jon Meacham speaks on issues of responsible media in an age of religious
pluralism.
Location to be announced.
Jan 30-Feb 22
"The Arabian Nights" by Mary Zimmerman (of "Metamophoses")
Kansas City Reportory Theatre, Spencer Theatre
2009 February
*Feb 3-Mar 29
A Blessing to One Another: Pope John Paul II and the Jewish People
Union Station Arthur Stilwell Room, free
Feb 3 free lecture
This exhibit has been an overwhelming national success
since its inaugural opening in 2005. It has been exhibited in many major
cities, attracting thousands of visitors. Locations have been consistent
success, even in areas with minimal Catholic and Jewish populations.
This state-of-the-art exhibit
includes 105 free-standing wall panels with 350 secondary images and text
panels, 18 flat panel LCD monitors displaying historical footage, an 8-foot
replica of Krakow Ghetto gate and wall, 20-foot long replica of Jerusalem's
Western Wall and so much more.
Exhibit Web Site: http://www.blessingexhibit.org/
Arranged through Avila University, http://www.avila.edu/blessing/
*Feb 20 Fri - Feb 21 Sat
Vern lectures on world religions at the Sophia Center in Atchison for
those training to become spiritual directors.
2009 March
*Mar 21 Sat 6p
Diplomatic Ball invocation
Downtown Marriott
2009 April
*Apr 26 Fri 11a
Tour of the Nelson-Atkins
Private, for national ADL conference
2009 May
2009 June
tentative
June 18-22 NAIN conference
June 19 Fri eve -21 Sunday
Gifts of Pluralism II
Awaiting entry in the Calendar proper
| Topics-To-Go is delighted to announce two very exciting upcoming speakers,
Father Richard McBrien on Saturday, October 4, 2008, and Sister Joan Chittister
on Saturday, June 13, 2009.
Yes, these dates are a long-way off, but we hope that by giving you
lots of advance notice, you will be able to attend. Both events will be
held at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in Kansas City.
Richard Peter McBrien is the Crowley-O'Brien professor of Theology at
the University of Notre Dame. He is a priest of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese
of Hartford. He is the author of several books and articles discussing
Catholicism. His stated scholarly interests are ecclesiology, the relationship
between religion and politics, and the theological, doctrinal and spiritual
facets of the Catholic church. He has written a syndicated theological
column for the Catholic press. He also served as president of the Catholic
Theological Society of America from 1974-1975. He was the awarded the John
Courtney Murray Award for outstanding and distinguished accomplishments
in theology.
He has been a controversial figure in the American Church, and is often
considered to be a dissenter from Church teachings. His two volume work,
Catholicism, has been a source of this controversy. In Catholicism, however,
defenders argue that McBrien does not actually dissent from church teaching,
but rather presents both Church teaching and dissenting opinions in order
to teach students doctrine, the ideas of those who criticize some Church
doctrines, and the reasons why the Church maintains a certain theological
position.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
The Pocket Guide to the Popes, 2006
The Pocket Guide to the Saints, 2006
Lives of the Saints: From Mary and St. Francis of Assisi to John XXIII
and Mother Teresa, 2006
101 Questions & Answers on the Church, 2003
Lives of the Popes: The Pontiffs from Saint Peter to John Paul II, 2000
(revised in 2006)
Responses to 101 Questions on the Church, 1996
The HarperCollins Encyclopedia of Catholicism, 1995
Inside Catholicism (Signs of the Sacred), 1995
For the Inquiring Catholic: Questions and Answers for the 1970's, 1973
Who is a Catholic?, 197
Church: The Continuing Quest, 1970
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sister Joan D. Chittister, is a Benedictine nun, and an international
lecturer.
In her more than 50 years as a nun she has authored 35 books, including
recent books such as: Welcome to the Wisdom of the World; The Ten Commandments,
Laws of the Heart; The Tent of Abraham - Stories of Hope and Peace for
Jews, Christians and Muslims; In Search of Belief; Called to Question;
and The Friendship of Women: The Hidden Tradition of the Bible. She has
won seven Catholic Press Association Awards for her books. Her latest book,
The Gift of Years will be released in spring 2008.
She writes a weekly web column for the National Catholic Reporter called
From Where I Stand. In 2007, Sr. Joan appeared at the "First Emory Summit
of Religion, Conflict and Peacebuilding" at Emory University as a responder
to the Dalai Lama. She also spoke in Spain, Scotland and was on a two-week
lecture tour in New Zealand and Australia. In 2006 she was an invited panelist
on Meet the Press with Tim Russert. In 2004, she was a guest on Now with
Bill Moyers and during the funeral of Pope John Paul II and in April 2005
she was a commentator for the BBC from Rome for the election of Pope Benedict
XVI as John Paul II's successor.
She is a member of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, Pennsylvania, where
she served as prioress of the community for 12 years.
Sister Joan is the founder and current executive director of Benetvision,
a resource and research center for contemporary spirituality that is also
located in Erie. She is co-chair of the Global Peace Initiative of Women,
a UN-sponsored organization of women faith leaders, working for peace,
especially in the Middle East.
Sister Chittister earned her master's degree from the University of
Notre Dame and her doctorate in speech-communication theory from Penn State
University. She also served a year as an invited-fellow at Cambridge University.
In 2007, Chittister received the Hans Küng Award from the ARCC
and the Outstanding Leadership Award from the LCWR. She has also received
eleven honorary doctorates and numerous awards, including the US Catholic
magazine award for Furthering the Cause of Women in the Church, the Thomas
Merton Award by the Merton Center, the Distinguished Alumni Award from
Penn State University, and the Thomas Dooley Award from the alumni association
of the University of Notre Dame. |
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