PRELUDE, January 2001



FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:

LESSONS FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM

Recently administrators in the Kings Park School District did something very wise: they invited local religious leaders to a discussion of how public schools should deal with holidays. They already knew most pastors, priests, and rabbis in their area, but they asked me to help them reach out to other faith communities, as well. I put them in touch with Arvind Vora, a Jain who chairs the Long Island Multi-Faith Forum, Sanaa Nadim, a Muslim Chaplain at SUNY Stony Brook, and Frank White Eagle Schaffer, a leader of Native American spirituality--all of whom live in Kings Park.

We had a wonderful, wide-ranging exchange. We dealt with everything from stereotyping in social studies to what sort of artwork should be displayed in the corridors during December. The educators gained a new appreciation of how secularizing a holiday such as Christmas can offend devout parents and why claiming all faiths are the same is misleading and infuriating. We religious leaders learned, I think, why public schools cannot easily bring parents into the classroom to teach their traditions.

With the help of an attorney from the Anti-Defamation League who specializes in church-state law, we crafted a consensus:

There are hope-filled lessons here for all of us:

Shalom,

Tom



IDEAS YOU CAN USE:

Bilingual worship--
It might add a great deal to ecumenical/interfaith worship in your community if you make use of languages other than English. In the Southold, for example, the Rev. Sarah Barber-Braun of First Universalist Church has sought Spanish-speaking singers and worship leaders for the local interfaith Thanksgiving service. You might ask a cantor to chant in Hebrew or invite an Orthodox priest to offer the Benediction in Greek or Russian. The LICC may be able to help you find multi- lingual clergy and laity in your area for a Martin Luther King Day service, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, World Day of Prayer, etc. Give our Executive Director a call if you'd like his help.

Interfaith Fundraising--
You might be able to broaden the appeal of your next fundraising event by co-sponsoring it with another congregation or faith community. The Jewish Centre of Bay Shroe and the United Methodist Church of Bay Shore have teamed up to present a concert with the professional harpist Nadine May. Their concert will be January 6 at 8 P.M. at the Jewish Centre, which is located at 26 North Clinton Avenue, between Union Blvd. and Montauk Highway. For further information, call Michael Dinh-Cohen at 631-665-1140.


DID YOU KNOW?



LOOKING FOR A SPEAKER? A PREACHER?

The rules governing Medicare, home health care, and hospice care are increasingly complex. Long-time LICC friend Grace Parker encourages you to invite Ginger Slionski of Empire Medicare Services to speak to your congregation or civic group. There is no charge for these presentations. You can reach Slionski at 631-244-5211 or 631-244-5130.

Jim Claffey coordinates the Fight for Families Coalition (to which the LICC belongs), a group which is working to protect the poor and needy as Nassau County struggles with its fiscal crisis. A former priest who has extensive experience with Catholic Charities, Jim is available to speak to church, synagogue, or community groups or to guest-preach, anywhere in the County. You can reach him at 516-483-1110, ext. 3.



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