The Dinner Dialogues will be held November 17, 2011 from 6:30-9:30. The dialogues provide a platform for people to discuss their personal thoughts about life, faith and spirituality over a simple vegetarian meal. Those involved have the option to either host or attend a dialogue. The dinners provide a great opportunity to bridge gaps and build relationships with those outside of your social circle. The following are people of diverse faith and religious backgrounds speaking on their experiences with the Amazing Faiths Dinner Dialogue program.
Jasmeeta Singh - Sikh Community
Rabbi Steve Gross - HCRJ
Pastor Rudy Rasmus - St. John's Downtown
Dina Abdelrahmen - Muslim Community
More information and registration is available here.
Showing posts with label Dinner Dialogues. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dinner Dialogues. Show all posts
October 19, 2011
Tuesday Memo - Finding Common Ground
| Greetings! One week from today (Tuesday, October 25th) many folks from IM will be on the radio all day long as part of "Meals on Wheels for Greater Houston" day at KUHF (and KUHA, the new all music public station). We are so proud and thankful to be part of such a great effort to raise money and awareness about the great public good that our very own Houston Public Radio stations provide our community. The KUHF/KUHA Fall campaign begins this Thursday and goes until next Friday, October 21st. Every day counts but if you want to forgo your "thank-you" gift and have the fine folks take the money they spend on mugs and such and purchase meals, next Tuesday is the day for you! As you will hear me say - "it's a double bang for your buck." Every time we are on the air, on average more than 8,000 meals are purchased because you love both of us! Let me add something really important: We are getting very close to our financial capacity to meet the need of hungry seniors in Houston. We now get about 200 requests each month for Meals on Wheels. We have almost reached 4,700 clients a day - and if you do the math you can see that we could easily be at 5,000 or more by next summer. Given the small (thankfully) cuts we've had in government funding; and the weak economy, it is getting harder to accept everyone who needs a meal. Bottom line, even though we DO NOT have a waiting list today, we might have one soon. Folks like you, your companies and congregations can step forward to help us feed every senior that qualifies. We are so thankful to those like Shell and Motiva Enterprises our lead corporate sponsor, who have stepped forward already. We are incredibly fortunate to have grown so much over the past five years to meet the need. To help us grow further, click here. |
| IM Dates to Remember
|
| A THOUGHT TO PONDER It seems that every time I venture into anything close to the political realm I get burned. But I feel compelled to take a chance one more time. There's been a lot of talk lately about the Mormon faith and whether or not Mitt Romney is fit to be president because he is a Mormon. I remember when Jack Kennedy ran there were all sorts of consternation about he being a Catholic. There were those who worried that his first loyalty would be to the pope. I also know that if a Jewish person was in the front of the pack, there would be those who would find this objectionable. It may not be nice to say that in public, but we know it would be true - no different than if a Muslim was closing in on the presidency. The great majority of Americans are Christian of one sort or another. It is natural for any majority to want to perpetuate what feels familiar. So much of America's roots come from Christian philosophy, ethics and culture. So why do so many, including many Christians, find all this posturing distasteful? Because it's disappointing! Instead of being inspired by those who seek to lead us to find common ground, religion, in this case, is used to divide us. Many of us see religion as a force for good - and hope that the common and shared values of honesty, integrity, fairness, respect, devotion, compassion, faith and humility can help unite a fractured nation. The sooner we realize the strength of shared beliefs, the sooner we can harness our energy to fix the many problems facing us. The debate over religion is just one more distraction keeping us from the important work we have yet to do. Elliot Gershenson President and CEO Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston |
October 5, 2011
Tuesday Memo - Becoming a Better Person
We are in the midst of our registration season for the Annual Amazing Faiths Dinner Dialogues which are scheduled for Thursday evening, November 17th. This is the sixth year that we are hosting these dinners and we hope that many of you will join again or take your first step towards breaking bread with new friends.
We've taped a short piece by Reverend Jim Bankston, one of IM's outstanding leaders - I think he captures the essence of the Dinner Dialogues especially well. Please give him your ear.
Dr. Bankston, St. Paul's United Methodist Church |
We are also happy to announce that our second annual For All Humanity Luncheon will be held on November 29th at the Junior League of Houston. The luncheon celebrates the work that IM does to help welcome refugees from around the world.
This year, Sultana Mangalji and Tehmina Masud chair the event with Lily and Charles Foster as Honorary Chairs. Susan and Dan Boggio will receive the 2011 Refugee Services Humanitarian Award for their service to the community. I encourage you to attend. For more information, click here.
A THOUGHT TO PONDER
We are in the midst of the Ten Days of Awe on the Jewish calendar - the days that began with Rosh Hashanah last Wednesday night and go through Yom Kippur which ends this coming Saturday evening. These are the holiest of days on the Jewish calendar and most practicing Jews find themselves in synagogue during these Holy Days.
Each of our traditions has inspiring days that call on us to return to our roots. Be it Easter, marking the end of Lent for Christians, Ramadan for Muslims or Diwali for Hindus, Jains or Sikhs, each of these faiths, and others, have special days that inspire us to be better human beings.
During these Ten Days of Awe, it is traditional for Jews to reach out to people in their circles; family, friends and co-workers, to seek forgiveness for the sins we have committed. It is not enough to ask God for forgiveness - for it is not God who we might have offended. In that spirit, please know that if I have made any mistakes or acted without sincerity or sensitivity with any of you; if my writing has missed the mark or offended you; please know that I seek your forgiveness and promise to do everything within my limited powers to do better.
Thank you for listening, and more importantly, thank you for teaching me how to be a better me.
Talk to you in two weeks.
Elliot Gershenson
President and CEO
Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston
September 20, 2011
Creating a Caring Community
Greetings,
There are a few quick IM notes I'd like to share with you:
· We have opened registration for this year's Amazing Faiths Dinner Dialogues, which are scheduled for Thursday, November 17th. This year we are planning two tracks; one for first-timers, and one for folks who have participated previously and want a different experience. We expect hundreds of folks to come together for meaningful talk and friendship. You really do help us when you register early - so please do! Click here to visit the registration page.
· We are very close to 4,700 seniors receiving Meals on Wheels. We will likely be adding another 75 or so this month - which means that they will cost IM about $100,000 over their first year. We are getting awfully close to our maximum capacity - unless lots of folks step up and sponsor seniors. Our Manna Group does just that - they sponsor one or more seniors at $1,200 a year. Manna Group members come in all types - corporations like Shell Oil Company and Motiva Enterprises, LLC. (our lead corporate sponsor); lots of congregations and organizations; and over a hundred individuals just like you and me. We anticipate adding 300 to 400 more clients this fiscal year - so we really need that number sponsored for us to keep going. Does this sound like something you'd like to consider? If so, click here to learn more.
· A special thank you to Scout's Honor Rescue, a non profit animal rescue organization, who collected more than 4,000 pounds of dog and cat food for our aniMeals on Wheels program this weekend. This food will go to seniors with pets so that they do not have to share their limited food and resources with their four legged friends! If you'd like to help this program, click here.
A THOUGHT TO PONDER
Each year at this time I write a note about the United Way campaign and why I believe it is such a critically important asset in our community. So aside from the fact that IM is a major recipient of United Way funds, I am passionate about community campaigns.
Here's my top three reasons why I hope you will contribute to the United Way, either through your company campaign or individually:
· We are blessed to live in a very charitable community. If you think about that, would you want to live in any other sort of place? Would you want to live in a community where people don't care about one another? The United Way is Houston's primary resource for showing how much we care about one another. That's important enough for me to give my money.
· The United Way touches the lives of more than one out of every two Houstonians through the organizations and programs it funds. I'll bet you know someone who has been touched by a United Way service. Do you know of any other organization, other than government, that has that reach?
· In difficult times the needs grow more urgent. The work that the United Way supports is being hit hard by the double effects of reduced government funding and a difficult economy. So this year, and likely more to come, the United Way will be looked to as the best resource to help fill the many gaps that are widening. It's a hard job, made necessary by the needs that are growing.
In these fragmented times, we need great examples of unity. United Way is one great way to show that not only do YOU care, but that WE all do. It's just that plain simple. It's time to help those in need and United Way is Houston's best way to act together.
Talk to you in two weeks.
Elliot Gershenson
President and CEO
Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston
December 15, 2010
Dinner Dialogues Tuesday Memo
November 9, 2010
Greetings!
Greetings!
Let me begin by thanking all of the hosts, moderators and participants that made this past week's 4th Annual Amazing Faiths Dinner Dialogues such a great success. I bumped into folks this weekend that participated and based on what I heard it seems that we have had another fine experience. We've had many thousands of people participate over the years and we do hope that there are now many new friendships. We believe that through the simple act of breaking bread with folks we don't know that there is hope that we can come to know one another in new and deeply meaningful ways. We owe a special debt of gratitude to IM's Manager of Interfaith Relations, Lauren Santerre, and to Iesa Galloway, IM's IR Program Coordinator, for their tenacity, flexibility and just plain hard work to make sure everyone had a great home to visit.
As we come to the close of another year, there are many things that still need to be done. Here's a quick look at some of them:
- Next week's For All Humanity Luncheon honoring Charles Foster in support of IM's Refugee Services Department is fast approaching. There's still just a bit of room if you'd like to come. The event is set for Monday, November 15th at Noon at the Junior League. If you'd like to attend, please click here.
- Most of you who receive this bi-weekly email have received one of our year-end fundraising pieces (and may receive some more!). Please respond - because we cannot feed 4,400 seniors each weekday; serve more than 550 refugees each year; be ready for the next disaster; and provide meaningful interfaith dialogue programming and services without your help. Each year more than 4,000 folks have been donating to IM - we need every one of you to do so again this year. My commitment is that we will use those dollars well - and play our distinct and unique role right here in Greater Houston. If you have not received one of these pieces and want to make your year-end donation, all you need to do is click here.
- We also need continuing volunteer support. On Thanksgiving Day we will be delivering a turkey dinner to about 2,800 seniors. This has been a long tradition at IM - and a great family opportunity to make your holiday a bit more special. It takes about two to three hours of your time and is perfect for folks of all ages. Click here to register as a Thanksgiving Volunteer. Also, we need your help providing holiday gifts to our seniors and refugees. You can help by adopting a family and buying gifts from their wish list or by donating needed items such as toiletries, hats, blankets and scarves. Click here for more information.
- Lastly, a big thank you to board member Fatima Mawji for volunteering her time earlier this month and providing flu shots to our staff.
Let me end with special greetings to all of our friends from India and that region of the world with our warm wishes for a good Diwali which began this past Friday. Diwali, popularly known as the festival of lights, is an important five-day festival in Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism, occurring between mid-October and mid-November. For Hindus, Diwali is the most important festival of the year and is celebrated in families by performing traditional activities together in their homes. Happy Diwali!
A THOUGHT TO PONDER
I was going to talk a bit about this past week's elections. I think you all know that I am frustrated by the anger and partisanship has become a hallmark of each electoral season. But I've decided not to do so. Why?
Well, it's finally fall here in Houston and the weather is just too darn nice to do anything but smile. I've been told as a relative newcomer to Houston (it's only been about 8 years) that there are two seasons here - summer and February! Well this week is proving the skeptics wrong. The change in weather just might make our spirits glow - and it is my hope that we take this pause from the heat to reflect on the many blessings we have. We've come through another hurricane season unscathed! We are turning the corner and the economy is coming back, ever so slowly. And, it looks like this is going to be a mild flu season to boot. I am not pressing my luck, just reflecting on our good fortune to be alive here in Houston. No matter what our disagreements may be, it seems to me that on a beautiful fall day, we should just sit back and be thankful. Not a bad way to welcome in the season of Thanksgiving and Joy.
Talk to you in two weeks.
Elliot Gershenson
President and CEO
Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)