Interfaith of Topeka

Interfaith Thanksgiving Service 2009

admin — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:16:58 +0000

November 22, 2009
7:00 pm	to	9:00 pm

The Annual Community Thanksgiving Service will be held at 7:00 PM on Sunday, November 22 at Highland Park United Methodist Church (2914 SE Michigan Ave.).

The theme is “Grasping the Common Thread.” Instead of a single main speaker, the planning committee asked Rev. Lisa Schwartz (Unitarian Universalist Fellowship) to moderate a panel reflecting on the theme from the Pagan/Wiccan, Hindu, and Christian traditions.

The wonderful music of past years will return, as well as the many thoughtful prayers and devotional thoughts about thanksgiving.

Here is the link to the prayer that Rabbie Stiel will be using:

http://ajws.org/hunger/ftgu_thanksgiving_prayer.pdf?utm_source=ftgu&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=thanksgiving_rabbi_resources

Topekans in Support of Public Transit

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 03:09:38 +0000

July 1, 2009

On the March 24 Board Meeting Topekans in Support of Public Transit visited and asked for support. They have asked their petition be posted on our website. Those moved to do so are asked to sign the petition and return it to the City for evaluation. The petition is as follows:

Topekans in Support of Public Transit

Resolution in support of public transit services; opposing reductions to services

We, the undersigned, advocate the following:

Whereas Topeka is unique in being one of the smallest cities in the nation to have a fixed route, mainline public transit service and

Whereas public transit services are good for the economy, good for economic development, good for employment and good for the environment and

Whereas most recently during the economic crisis, more people relied on public transit services and ridership increased significantly

Whereas many people rely on public transit services to get to work, school, church, recreation, medical care, etc. and

Whereas people with disabilities, senior citizens, poor people and other minorities, in particular, rely on public transit, are known as “captive riders”, and will suffer a disparate impact resultant from reduction or elimination of public transit services and

Whereas fuel will certainly become scarcer and more expensive over time necessitating increased utilization of public transit

Whereas environmental degradation and the need to lessen the “carbon footprint” will necessitate increased utilization of public transit and

Whereas Topeka Metropolitan Transit Authority has been given a special franchise under color of state and local law to operate Topeka’s public transit services as a monopoly and

Whereas the special franchise creates a quasi-governmental entity with authority to condemn and acquire property, sell bonds and certificates and to receive a special mill levy and

Whereas the special franchise also creates certain obligations and duties including the duty to “as promptly as possible, to rehabilitate, reconstruct and modernize all portions of any transportation…and to maintain at all times an adequate and modern transportation system…and for safe, comfortable and convenient service .” and

Whereas planned public transit services reductions are in contravention to these duties outlined in state and municipal law and

Whereas the public and its diverse communities of affected individuals have been afforded neither the knowledge, nor the opportunity to provide input into any proposed reductions in public transit services and

Whereas less drastic alterations to public transit services such as route and time changes have already caused significant hardship to some individuals especially given the method and short timeframe used to enact the alterations and

Whereas there appears to have been insufficient community outreach to, and involvement in, the decision to reduce services and

Whereas the disability advisory committee was not afforded any opportunity to provide input into any of the proposed service reductions and

Whereas conflicting and contrary statements were made to advisory committee members as to the type and scope of any reductions or alterations to services and

Whereas advance planning, budgeting and financing aimed at mitigating or forestalling any service reductions do not appear to have been undertaken and

Whereas Topeka does not have a long range plan or vision for the future of public transit

Whereas planned reductions in public transit services will hurt many people in our community and will hurt the corporate community, itself and

Now therefore be it resolved:

That any reductions or alterations to public transit services including evening Saturday, Sunday, fixed route and paratransit services, be postponed until comprehensive community outreach and input occurs and

Be it further resolved that long range planning and visioning occur forthwith and such effort must include employers, members of the City Council, drivers, riders including people with disabilities, seniors and other minorities and

Be it further resolved that the city council undertake increased oversight into the planning, financing, public relations and community outreach and community involvement activities of the public transit authority and

Be it further resolved that public hearings be held as to any findings resultant from increased city council oversight and

Now be it resolved that a mill levy increase, or other local revenue source, be immediately provided for continuing operation of public transit services in order to forestall any reductions to services and that any alterations to services made after July 1, 2008 be restored.

Gender Identity and Our Faith Communities

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:00:34 +0000

April 4, 2009
1:00 pm	to	4:00 pm

presented by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation

Please join our community for an opportunity to explore the intersections
of gender identity, gender expression and our religious beliefs. This
educational workshop will help you demystify transgender experiences
and invoke the compassion for diversity we are called to show all god’s
children.

REV. MALCOLM HIMSCHOOT
Dr. Rev. Malcolm Himschoot completed his undergraduate study at Amherst
College and then went on to get his Masters of divinity from lliff School of
Theology in denver, Colorado. Malcolm was ordained into the United Church
of Christ in 2004, serving an inner-city ecumenical ministry in denver.
Presently he serves as Associate Minister for Outreach at plymouth
Congregational Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His work is focused on the
transformation and wholeness of Christian communities across society’s
dividing lines. Over the course of Malcolm’s final two years in seminary he
took part in filming the documentary Call Me Malcolm where he openly
discussed his transition from female to male along with his personal faith
journey.

WHERE
Metropolitan Community
Church of Topeka
4425 SW 19th St.
Topeka, KS 66604

Nancy Boyda Moment of Prayer

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:03:54 +0000

March 26, 2009
10:00 am	to	11:00 am

Dear Friends,

My prayer for the last 19 years has been to listen for God’s voice and learn to recognize it. For the past several months, that small voice has been at work. I feel God is calling our country to prayer. If you are getting this email, then you and I have talked about prayer.

We have made a royal mess of things in our country and in the world. Someone asked me last fall how I thought we could get out of the mess. My answer: prayer. I wasn’t kidding.

I feel led to gather a small group together to pray for God’s wisdom and guidance for our country. The world is a pretty big mess right now. Can we pull together for prayer in his presence and simply ask God what our “assignment” is, individually and collectively? We’re not responsible for world peace…..that’s God’s job. Our job is to make sure we’re listening to and believing his voice and continually asking what our assignment is today. “Seek ye first” just might mean that we need to put our own agendas aside and simply ask God what he would have us do. Can we truly pray without an agenda, no matter how worthy or noble those agendas are?

Someone asked me what I expecting or hoping for out of this prayer. I don’t mean to be flippant, but that’s God’s job. The outcome is not on my list of things to worry about.

Someone asked me who I wanted to have at this prayer time. Same answer……..God will have who he wants there. Not my job to worry about that either. If you are able and feel led to join us, that’s great. If you feel led to invite someone, great!

This is not going to be publicized. It’s a quiet time for earnest prayer with a few people I have shared my hopes and concerns with. You are one of them.

Matthew 6:6 calls us to prayer and tells us to go into a closet and shut the door. That’s what we’ll do. There’s a small chapel at Countryside UMC where we can gather quietly.

There will be no singing, preaching, not even any coffee and cookies. This is just a time for knee-to-knee prayer, so to speak.

I am a Christian and pray in the name of Jesus. That should shock no one. If you call God by a different name, I hope you will join us and pray as you are accustomed….no one will be shocked either. We are all God’s children, brothers and sisters.

So, here’s the where and when:

Countryside UMC
3221 SW Burlingame Rd
Topeka, KS 66611
(785) 266-7541
March 26, 2009
10:00 am

March Board Meeting

admin — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:19:25 +0000

March 24, 2009
6:00 pm	to	9:00 pm

The March Board Meeting will be held at :

World Church Service Office

5833 SW 29th Street

6:00 pm Thanksgiving Planning Group

7:00 pm Board Meeting

About Dr. Mattison

admin — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 16:56:33 +0000

April 20, 2008

Dr. Ingrid Mattson, President

Islamic Society of North America

Dr. Ingrid Mattson is the Director of Islamic Chaplaincy and Professor at the Macdonald Center for Islamic Studies & Christian-Muslim Relations at Hartford Seminary in Hartford, CT.

Dr. Mattson was born in Canada, where she studied Philosophy at the University of Waterloo, Ontario (B.A. ‘87). From 1987-1988 she lived in Pakistan where she worked with Afghan refugee women. In 1995 she served as advisor to the Afghan delegation to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

During her graduate studies in Chicago, Dr. Mattson was involved with the local Muslim community, serving on the board of directors of the Universal School in Bridgeview and as a member of the Interfaith Committee of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago.

Dr. Mattson earned her Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from the University of Chicago in 1999.

Her research is focused on Islamic law and society; among her articles are studies on slavery, poverty and Islamic legal theory.

In 2001 she was elected Vice-President of ISNA and in 2006 she was elected President of the organization.

Dr. Mattson lives in Connecticut with her husband and two children.

A Day with Dr.Ingrid Mattson

admin — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 20:23:12 +0000

April 20, 2008
2:00 pm	to	3:30 pm

Islamic Center of Topeka

Interfaith of Topeka

Washburn University

Islamic Society of North America

Presents

“A Day with Dr. Ingrid Mattson”

President of Islamic Society of North America

(ISNA)

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Conference 2:00 to 5:00 pm, Henderson Hall Rm 100

Speakers and Topics

Keith Allison: Representative US Congress

How Muslims get involved with political process in USA

Dr. Ingrid Mattson: President ISNA

Is Islam compatible with Modernity?

Dr. Muneer Fareed: Secretary General, ISNA

Islam and Terrorism–Roll of Muslim leaders

Guest Speakers

Congresswoman Nancy Boyda

Kansas Second Congressional District

Congresman Keith Ellison

Minnesota Fifth Congressional District

Banquet 6:00 to 9:00 pm, Memorial Union, Washburn Rm A&B

Washburn University

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Ingrid Mattson, President ISNA

Limited Ads will be available for program booklet

Childcare will be provided for children 12 and under.

Please contact:

Dr. Ashraf Sufi – 785-608-5879

Imam Omar Hazim – 785-271-0703

Rehan Reza – 785-554-0586

Banquet tickets $30.00

Registration for Conference is free

October 2007 Minutes

admin — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 20:13:01 +0000

Minutes Interfaith Board Meeting

First Congregational Church-UCC 17^th and Collins, Topeka

October 23^rd, 2007

6:00 pm

Faith Sharing: Meeting opened with prayer and Faith Sharing by Rev. Tobias Schlingensiepen. He provided a sweeping review of the history of the Congregational-United Church of Christ. His discussion made clear the commitment of the Congregational-UUC church to tolerance and social development.

Board Meeting: Started at 7:00 pm. Present were: Don Anderson, David Beale, Bill Gitchell, Christian Kramer, Jim Mosher, Father Norbert Licktieg, Jan Price, Sanford Pomerantz, Jerry Quiring, Ashraf Sufi, Phil Wilkes, Sallye Wilkinson, Joe Hendrixson. Also attending were Rev. Tobias Schlingensiepen and Rev. Kent Stone

Report was given to the board concerning the recovery of Jack Rardin. Jack was in an auto accident that, while not requiring surgery, severely limited his mobility. Jack’s guidance and vision for the development of the Thanksgiving service was felt throughout the Board Meeting. We wished him a speedy recovery.

The bulk of the meeting was dedicated to completing final planning for the Thanksgiving Service. The presence of the full Board at the site of the Service allowed for rapid clarification of outstanding issues. The support from First Congregational was exceptional as key members took the initiative to make sure the program would run smoothly.

Treasurers Report: $1,099.17 available in checking. Total from checking and invested funds $7,479.24 NexLynx fees paid to maintain website and Domain name for Interfaith.

Annual Meeting: The Islamic Center of Topeka has agreed to host the upcoming annual meeting. Unity agreed to be a backup location.

Interfaith Education:

Bill Gitchell will contact Bill Wagnon from the Kansas Board of Education. The hope of the Board is that we can meet with Dr Wagnon on our February meeting. We would like to discuss the state of religious education in Kansas public schools. We would like to gain a better understanding of the possibilities and the challenges.

Dr Mattson Visit to Topeka: Dr Sufi reports that Dr Mattson, President of the Islamic Association of North America, will be able to come to Topeka in April 2008. We should be able to have an Interfaith Meeting with her as the keynote speaker mid afternoon on Saturday or Sunday of her visit. The topic suggested for her address was “Trends in Islam”. Dr Sufi will be asking Interfaith to assist in the development of the public program and will report back to us concerning exact dates.

December Meeting: Request made to find location for Board Meeting December 18^th or January 8^th. Bill Gitchell will check on Library room availability and report back.

Faith Sharing next meeting will be by Christian Kramer.

Next meeting 6:45pm Topeka/Shawnee Library.

Submitted for approval by Wm Gitchell

September 2007 Minutes

admin — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 20:10:54 +0000

	Interfaith of Topeka Board Meeting		Date Time Location	Sept. 25, 2007 Topeka/Shawnee Public Library, 6:00 p.m. Thanksgiving Committee About 6:45 p.m. Faith sharing About 7:45 p.m. Business Meeting
			Recorder	Jackie Lakin
Interfaith of Topeka Mission		Interfaith of Topeka is comprised of people from a variety of faiths and religious traditions. We bring together individuals who are willing to put aside their prejudices and open their minds and hearts to new possibilities. We are willing to engage in the process of working together to build an active community, strong in its shared values of faith, compassion, human dignity, and mutual respect where the expression of love and peace replaces hate and violence.

Members (present at meeting X; absent at meeting left blank)

X		Don Anderson	X	David Beale			Joel Edwards
X		Bill Gitchell		Daljit Jawa			Christian Kramer
X		Jackie Lakin		Norbert Lickteig			C.R. Macchi
X		Jim Mosher	X	Deepak Parulkar			Jan Price
		Sanford Pomeranz	X	Jerry Quiring		X	Jack Rardin
		Karen Sessel	X	Ashraf Sufi		X	Phil Wilkes
		Sallye Wilkinson		Joe Hendrixson–Class of 2007		X	Barbara Karnowski
		Vacant Class of 2007		Vacant Class of 2009
Agenda Items					Objectives Key Points Discussed Action or Follow-up
1	Opening Prayer: Christian Kramer				Christian was not available. Bill Gitchell said a Baha’i prayer.
2	Faith Sharing: Christian Kramer, Healing Mother Earth				Christian was not available.
3	Addition of New Business				None
4	August 28, 2007 Interfaith of Topeka Board Meeting Minutes				Minutes were accepted. Jackie will be out of town during the October board meeting.
5	Treasure’s Report				Key Points Discussed: Phil Wilkes reported a Total Liquid Assets: $7,294.55. Dues received from Temple Beth Shalom and Westminster Presbyterian. Action: Bulk mail permit is due for $175. Discussion by IF members indicated e-mail is primarily used for communication. Consequently, the bulk permit will not be renewed at this time. If a need arises later for bulk permit, it could be renewed. Action: Domain name protection letter—did not seem reasonable offer. Nexlynx takes care of maintaining domain name. Offer from company not accepted. Action: Telephone costs of approximately $58 per month does not seem reasonable—is does not appear useful. Website meets need. IF board voted to drop land line telephone service. Phil Wilkes volunteered to use his cell phone numbers as the IF contact telephone number.
6	Update on IF Board Issues— Bill Gitchell:				NA
7	Bulletin Board Update—Don Jacobs				Don Jacobs sent the following e-mail to the board: Nexlynx has completed the Discussion Forum. New users must register and sign the following agreement before being able to post comments: I agree not to use hate speech or obscenity in posting comments to the Discussion Forum. I also agree not to use the Discussion Forum to post commercial messages or spam. Violation of this agreement will result in removal of the offensive posting and denial of future postings. New members will have their initial posts screened before being allowed unlimited posting access. While the administrators and moderators of this forum will attempt to remove or edit any generally objectionable material as quickly as possible, it is impossible to review every message. Therefore you acknowledge that all posts made to these forums express the views and opinions of the author and not the administrators, moderators or webmaster (except for posts by these people) and hence will not be held liable. You agree not to post any abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, sexually-oriented or any other material that may violate any applicable laws. Doing so may lead to you being immediately and permanently banned (and your service provider being informed). The IP address of all posts is recorded to aid in enforcing these conditions. You agree that the webmaster, administrator and moderators of this forum have the right to remove, edit, move or close any topic at any time should they see fit. As a user you agree to any information you have entered above being stored in a database. While this information will not be disclosed to any third party without your consent the webmaster, administrator and moderators cannot be held responsible for any hacking attempt that may lead to the data being compromised. This forum system uses cookies to store information on your local computer. These cookies do not contain any of the information you have entered above; they serve only to improve your viewing pleasure. The e-mail address is used only for confirming your registration details and password (and for sending new passwords should you forget your current one). By clicking Register below you agree to be bound by these conditions. I Agree to these terms and am over or exactly 13 years of age I Agree to these terms and am under 13 years of age I do not agree to these terms Also, I have the ability to remove posts or users who violate this agreement. However, Nexlynx is not able to provide the capability to put new users on "probation" for 2 or 3 posts to see if they will abide by our conditions. If we see this as critical to the functioning of the Forum, we should not go ahead. But if we can live with this limitation, then we are ready to proceed. I have a conflict for Tues night and will not be able to make the meeting. If you could read this at the meeting and let me know the feedback, I will know how to proceed. Board members reflected on Discussion Forum. Questions arose how it is to be managed. Don will be moderator. Jackie will help upon occasion. Bill encouraged members to keep an eye out for problems and let Don know of issues. If inappropriate items should appear, IF board members can delete—offensive post deletes and can bots?? be blocked. Threats can be addressed if they come up. Bill volunteered to meet with anyone on IF board who needs help in logging onto discussion board. It was decided that is best to try the Discussion Board to see what problems need to be addressed.
8	Spirituality Events—All				Not addressed.
9	Thanksgiving Program Committee Report—“Thankful for Nature’s Bounty” November 18^th–Jack Rardin, chair				Follow-up: The Thanksgiving Program Committee met. Jack announced Shawnee County Choral Society will not be participating at the service. Jim Mosher will contact Kevin Cullum at Washburn University and Jack Rardin will contact Steve Burke at Grace Episcopical. Photos of local Peace Poles might be shown during the announcement. Need to make copies. Sign language needs to be promoted. Rev. Cushingberry might a fourth presenter.
9	General Topics Peace Poles Interfaith Education				Key Points Discussed: Peace Poles will be featured at Thanksgiving Service. Key Points Discussed: Bill did not immediately contact Bill Wagnon on the Kansas State Board of Education. Instead Bill met with Chris Hamilton and they discussed how to go about this slowly. He suggested a pilot curriculum in one or two communities. Topeka West, Washburn Rural or even Lawrence. It was suggested to look at programs that already exist and see what worked or did not work. Another thought was to have Bill Wagnon meet with the IF board to just share ideas. Only school anyone knew of was in the news few months ago in Texas. Not sure about this event. It was asked if larger districts in other states with large, diverse populations address this issue. Models do exist outside the country. Again, it was suggested it is a good idea for Bill to meet with state board president Bill Wagnon. If a course of study is every allowed, teachers would need professional development to deliver the instruction and answer student questions. Also, it was mentioned that this nation is often perceived as a Christian nation. How would this belief impact studying non Christian religions? This course would be an elective. Promote respect and better understanding among students in the school and in the international marketplace. Action: Bill would talk to Bill Wagnon about meeting with IF board to discuss interfaith education. Also, talk to Barry Crawford at Washburn University. He might have some interesting ideas.
10	Next Meeting Date: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 at the Topeka/Shawnee Public Library Faith Sharing Schedule for October: TBA				TBA
11	Announcements				Iftar is being held at the mosque on Saturday on Sept. 29.

August 2007 Minutes

admin — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 20:05:34 +0000

	Interfaith of Topeka Board Meeting		Date Time Location	August 28, 2007 Topeka/Shawnee Public Library, 206 Menninger Room 6:00 p.m. Thanksgiving Committee About 6:45 p.m. Faith sharing About 7:45 p.m. Business Meeting
			Recorder	Jackie Lakin
Interfaith of Topeka Mission		Interfaith of Topeka is comprised of people from a variety of faiths and religious traditions. We bring together individuals who are willing to put aside their prejudices and open their minds and hearts to new possibilities. We are willing to engage in the process of working together to build an active community, strong in its shared values of faith, compassion, human dignity, and mutual respect where the expression of love and peace replaces hate and violence.

Members (present at meeting X; absent at meeting left blank)

X		Don Anderson	X	David Beale			Joel Edwards
X		Bill Gitchell		Daljit Jawa			Christian Kramer
X		Jackie Lakin		Norbert Lickteig			C.R. Macchi
X		Jim Mosher	X	Deepak Parulkar			Jan Price
X		Sanford Pomeranz	X	Jerry Quiring		X	Jack Rardin
X		Karen Sessel		Ashraf Sufi			Phil Wilkes
X		Sallye Winkinson	X	Joe Hendrixson–Class of 2007		X	Barbara Karnowski
		Vacant Class of 2007		Vacant Class of 2009
Agenda Items					Objectives Key Points Discussed Action or Follow-up
1	Opening Prayer: Jerry Quiring
2	Faith Sharing: Jerry Quiring, Progressive Christianity				Key Points Discussed: Jerry shared about anti-Baptist wing of the 1500’s Reformation. Anti-Baptist is to be baptized again–not at birth. The left wing or radical wing literally interpreted the Sermon on the Mount. Bases on The Complete Writings of Menno Simons 1146-1561. Menno is the name from which Mennonites is derived from. Amish still practice simplicity, turning the other check and live separately. They use the Bible and Martyrs Mirror showing that they come from a long line advocating peace. Mennonites also still believe in peace. Jerry read a children’s story about John Shrag from Peace Be With You by Cornelia Lehn. The story was about a pacifist in 1918. During the time of Katherine the Great, many changes occurred for Jerry’s ancestors. They moved to Russian with the promise of not serving in the military. After her death, much migration with finally settling in Henderson, Nebraska. Also, settlements in Kansas happened during this time period. Not working on Sundays set them apart. Also, not serving in the military was part of the culture. Movies, drinking, smoking and dancing were forbidden. Jerry had many discussions with a Lutheran girl friend about religion. Later, he went to Tabor College in 1963 and in 1965 read a professor’s paper on “New Wineskins for Old Wine”. The paper reminded him of Lutheran discussions during high school–difference between form and substance. His questioning caused a rift during his college years but later he reconciled those issues. Jerry attended a Mennonite seminary to try to find answers to his questions about life. After two years, transferred to Trinity Evengelical school. Popular place where he found out he did not want a systemic, doctrine of faith. In 1970’s, he studied faith as a process–based on work of Original Blessings by Matthew Fox. Later he traveled to Cairo, Egypt and discovered people are just people and missionary work is faith sharing. In 1982, when pasturing in small church, two new members did not want adult baptism. They felt Baptism as a baby was sufficient. The church leaders told him that the 1500’s rite was to be held. It was awful experience—form and substance locking heads. Fox’s work added a new dimension with creation spirituality with painting, sculpture, creative dance. Jerry took creative dance—three women, young priest and instructor—feelings came out with the dance. Gave a sense of freedom—cosmic Christ. In 1990’s, he read Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time by Marcus J. Borg. Led to Jesus seminars where they talked about what are the actual words of Jesus. Finally, his journey led to Progressive Christianity. Materials include: Westar Institute’s journal The Fourth R, The Progressive Christian journal, and Center for Progressive Christianity. Christians who have found an approach to God through the life and teachings of Jesus. The website is: The Center for Progressive Christianity www.tcpc.org. Last book was Christianity for the Rest of Us by Diane Butler Bass with its ten signposts of renewal: hospitality, discernment, healing, contemplation, testimony, diversity, justice, worship, reflection, and beauty. Faith Community Church is attempting Progressive Christian Church. His position is he still a Mennonite but believes change is still part of it. Harvey Cox was brought up—his name is associated with Progressive Christianity.
3	Addition of New Business website				Website was added.
4	July 24, 2007 Interfaith of Topeka Board Meeting Minutes				Bill took notes because Jackie had a meeting in Hutchinson. Very small group was present so Jerry Quiring’s presentation was postponed until August meeting. Also, Peace Poles were a discussion item moved forward to the August meeting.
5	Treasure’s Report				Phil was absent and share via telephone prior to the meeting that not much has changed.
6	Update on IF Board Issues— Bill Gitchell:				Key Points Discussed: Bill shared about the changes on IF website. Not dependent on Dreamweaver so easier for IF board to contribute. Site is interfaithoftopeka.org
7	Bulletin Board Update—Don Jacobs				Key Points Discussed: Don Jacobs gave an update about the Bulletin Board. To start the discussion, it is totally open for IF board use. When open to the public, they will register. Nexlynx is working on this. Only participants who fail to use the site properly will be blocked as a user. Very close to having discussion forum completed. Don will send us an e-mail when ready to use—about a month.
8	Spirituality Events—All Possibility for faith sharing and/or spirituality conference.				Key Points Discussed: Ashraf sent an e-mail asking if anyone has a meeting room/banquet space for a Dec. 1 event with Dr.Ingrid Mattson, President of ISNA (Islamic Society of North America) Need additional information but Karen will ask at the synagogue. Follow-up: Karen will contact her board and ask for permission for the event. She will write Ashraf.
8	Thanksgiving Program Committee Report—“Thankful for Nature’s Bounty” November 18^th–Jack Rardin, chair				Notes from committee held at 6 p.m. Key Points Discussed: Jack shared the arrangement of facilities. The choir section has fixed chairs. Sallye told Jim there is room for the harps. Also, the harps are committed to play. Jim said Aimee will not charge in interpret. Follow-up: Jackie is working up a draft program. Sallye will bring one or two hymnals for next meeting to look at songs. She will drop by them by Red Carpet Services since she is out of town. Bill will check with Ashraf, Karen, Deepak, and Christian about main speakers as well as prayer/readings. Also, Sallye shared they have a projection system if anyone wants to do a multi-media presentation. And, they could project songs. The system would be operated by First Congregation staff. Sallye is not sure how snack should be arranged with desserts and drinks. Additionally, Sallye shared art work and other informational displays might be placed in the fellowship hall. Jack added that Aletha Cushenberry, Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ might be a presenter. Action: During board meeting, Deepak shared that there will be a Hindu performance. Jim asked for help in promoting the use of a sign interpreter.
9	New Business Peace Poles Interfaith Education				Key Points Discussed: Sallye talked about Peace Poles founded in 1955 by Masahisa Goi (1916-1980) in Japan. 200,000 Peace Poles are located in 180 countries. She suggested IF promote placing Peace Poles in the community. She showed examples from a prototype created by her church First Congregation to creative ones located on the Internet. Follow-Up: During Thanksgiving Conference, seek partnership with groups to help promote Peace Poles being placed in schools, churches, and other prominent site in the community. Perhaps UUFT youth who just purchased a Peace Pole could share their experience at table. Also, Sallye can present during the program. Bill asked board members to think about places for placing peace poles. Key Points Discussed: Interfaith Education: Bill said would like to promote a formal religious program in the state of Kansas for use in public schools. Some religions are talked about in Social Studies textbooks. IF members shared that materials are available from a variety of resources. Bill is going to invite Bill Wagnon from the Kansas State Board of Education to discuss this issue. Jack shared that CNN’s program on about God’s Warriors.
10	Next Meeting Date: Tuesday, September 25 at the Topeka/Shawnee Public Library Faith Sharing Schedule: September: Christian Kramer, Healing Mother Earth
11	Announcements				Deepak—Indian Festival Sept. 9 from 10-3 in Gage Park to raise money for Habit for Humanity.