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National Interfaith Academies in Kansas City June 13-27
 

Text only Greetings to the Interfaith Academies from Elected Officials
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May 25, 2007
Dear Participants in the Interfaith Academies:
     Welcome to Kansas City! The greater Kansas City area is proud that the Harvard University Pluralism Project and the Religions for Peace-USA at the United Nations Plaza have chosen our heartland city for your June programs. I know Saint Paul School of Theology and the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council will be wonderful hosts for your activities, which will include some visits to worship sites in my congressional district, the Kansas side of the metropolitan area. 
     I have worked with the Interfaith Council on several programs, including a much-needed interfaith prayer service shortly after the September 11th attacks in 2001. The council often brings faiths from A to Z together (literally, from American Indian to Zoroastrian!) on programs and events to build mutual respect and understanding. We have learned in our local efforts that celebrating religious diversity can deepen each person's own faith. 
     Religious understanding is more important than ever. Congratulations on the important work you are doing, and best wishes for a productive and meaningful time in Kansas City. 
 Very truly yours,
 Dennis Moore
 Member of Congress.
June 6, 2007 
Dear Members of the Interfaith Academies:
 As an alumnus of The Saint Paul School of Theology, as a Senior Pastor, and as a Member of Congress who seeks every possible opportunity to promote interfaith understanding,  I am pleased to welcome you to the Heartland. You have selected wisely in Kansas City, placing your pilot Interfaith Academies here.
 You may be surprised to learn that here members of every faith, from A to Z, American Indian to Zoroastrian, have been working together for nearly two decades to promote interfaith relationships. I believe that we as a community and as a nation have a long way to go; which is why I am glad some of your schedule will be shared with the public.
 May your studies be fruitful, may your success be replicated, and may we come more deeply to appreciate each others’ search for the sacred. This apprecuation will grow from working  together as instruments of faith to address the environmental, personal, and social issues which call for attention today and in the future.
 Warmest regards,
 Emanuel Cleaver, II
 Member of Congress
June 2007
Greetings Interfaith Academies Participants:
     On behalf of the State of Kansas it is my pleasure to welcome you all to this gathering for the Interfaith Academies study here in Kansas City. I am pleased to pass along my warm wishes for what I hope will be a most memorable experience.
     The nation is growing in its awareness of religious pluralism, and I’m proud that our Great State has been included in that progress. Kansas is home to many different cultures, faiths and houses of worship, and we realize the importance of embracing our religious diversity. I’ve even begun my own inaugural observances with an interfaith service. We’d like to extend our hospitality and make you feel welcome as you all continue in your studies.
     I am proud that the Harvard University's Pluralism Project and Religions for Peace-USA at the United Nations Plaza have selected the Heartland for this pioneering pilot program. I commend the collaboration with the Saint Paul School of Theology and the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council to partner in this program, the first such training program in the nation. Thank you for your dedication to bring about awareness and understanding of the faiths that are now an integral part of our nation and the State of Kansas.
     Again welcome to the Interfaith Academies study and I hope you enjoy your stay. I applaud your efforts to encourage and convey the message of deepened respect for our various and individual spiritual paths, while enlarging the united heritage that we enjoy as Kansans and Americans. Best wishes for a successful and enjoyable event.
 Sincerely,
 Kathleen Sebelius
 Governor of the State of Kansas
June 5, 2007
Dear Participants in the Interfaith Academies:
     Welcome to Kansas, our nation’s Heartland. Here you will have the opportunity to visit several religious sites, including the Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center, the Sikh Gurdwara, and Temple B'nai Jehudah, as part of your study. I invite you to take advantage of all we have to offer and enjoy the Kansas hospitality.
     Your effort to understand the faiths that are now part of the American landscape, and to develop and deepen respectful relationships with those of all traditions, set a tremendous example for others that is particularly crucial during this time in world history. As former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and an advocate for engagement, I can assure you that taking the time to become better informed about culture and traditions of your fellow man is a worthy endeavor.
     Please accept my best wishes for successful study, and my earnest desire that your study may further enrich our American heritage of religious liberty.
     With every best wish, Sincerely,
     Pat Roberts
     United States Senate
June 6, 2007
Dear Reverend Barnet, Scholars and Students of the Interfaith Academies:
     I am very proud that Kansas City is the location of your first, pilot program, June 13-27, in cooperation with Harvard University's Pluralism Project, Religions for Peace-USA at the United Nations Plaza, the Saint Paul School of Theology, and the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council. Religious liberty is a central value in our nation, and respect for religious diversity is a beautiful element of design sewn into America's legal and social fabric.
     I understand your program combines classroom sessions with practical exposure to folks already involved in interfaith activity. As a life-long citizen of the Show-Me state, I am sure you will enjoy touring Kansas City and I am glad you will have an opportunity to meet people here who will show you why Kansas City has been repeatedly recognized nationally for its development of practices which bring folks from all faiths together. As you are aware CBS-TV featured the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council's work in its national coverage of the first anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in its “Open Hearts Open Minds” 30-minute special. The National Catholic Reporter did a full-page story on the Interfaith Passport developed from the Council's work, and Kansas City has been selected as the site for the 2009 international conference of the North America Interfaith Network.
     My own personal faith makes it important for me to recognize the faith of others. Your efforts to understand the religions of America are needed to strengthen our communities and our nation.
     Please accept my warm welcome to Missouri, and my best wishes for a successful study.
 Sincerely,
 Claire McCaskill
 United States Senator
Whereas the Kansas City region embraces folks from every faith, from A to Z — American Indian to Zoroastrian — with members of these faiths working together on the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council since 1989, and
     Whereas Kansas City has been recognized nationally in many ways for its interfaith work, including a half-hour CBS-TV special following the 9/11 terrorist attacks focusing on the work our citizens have done here to promote understanding among our citizens of all faiths, and
     Whereas the successful 2001 “Gifts of Pluralism” conference was a model for developing interfaith relationships, and
     Whereas a partnership among Harvard University’s Pluralism Project, Religions for Peace-USA at the United Nations Plaza, the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council, and the Saint Paul School of Theology, with funding from the Henry Luce Foundation, now makes possible a pilot training program for religious leaders and seminarians, called The Interfaith Academies, the pilot of which will be held in Kansas City June 13-27,
     Now therefore I, Mark Funkhouser, Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, proclaim June 13-27 an “Interfaith Fortnight” as an opportunity for citizens to celebrate the American tradition of religious liberty, and to welcome the participants from all over the country to our City as they study how interfaith understanding can be strengthened.
 Mayor Mark Funkhouser
WHEREAS, the Heartland embraces folks from every faith, A to Z - American Indian to Zoroastrian, with members of these faiths working together on the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council since 1989; and
     WHEREAS, our region has been recognized nationally in many ways for its interfaith activities and the work our citizens have done to promote understanding among citizens of all faiths; and
     WHEREAS, Jackson County commissioned a special task force to study interfaith relations in the five-county region following the 2001 terrorist attacks and the area has enjoyed benefits from this endeavor; and
     WHEREAS, a partnership among Harvard University’s Pluralism Project, Religions for Peace-USA at the United Nations Plaza, the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council, and Jackson County's Saint Paul School of Theology, with funding from the Henry Luce Foundation, now makes possible a pilot training program for religious leaders and seminarians, called “The Interfaith Academies,” to be held in Kansas City, June 13-27, 2007; and, 
     WHEREAS, the participants will visit numerous religious and cultural sites, including the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and a Royals game, and the public will be invited to special Academy events; now therefore, 
     IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE POWER VESTED IN ME BY THE HOME RULE CHARTER OF JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI, I, MICHAEL D. SANDERS, COUNTY EXECUTIVE, HEREBY PROCLAIM, JUNE 13 - JUNE 27, 2007, AN “INTERFAITH SEASON OF UNDERSTANDING” AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR CITIZENS TO CELEBRATE THE AMERICAN TRADITION OF RELIGIOUS LIBERTY, AND WELCOME THE PARTICIPANTS AS THEY STRIVE TO ENHANCE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG ALL FAITHS.
 OFFICIALLY SIGNED 
 THIS 24TH DAY OF MAY, 2007
 Michael D. Sanders
 Jackson County Executive