You Won't Want to Miss Our March 29 Faith and the Environment Community Conference- Register Now to Be a Part of this Amazing Event!

What's faith got to do with environmental stewardship? Register for our March 29 Faith and the Environment Community Conference and find out from some of the country's top speakers on this topic. Don't forget to stop by the Conference's information fair to see some of the best secular and faith-based examples of what people in our community are doing to sustain the environment and to find out some simple ways that you can go green. More details including registration info is below- we hope to see you there!

And remember- always use the buddy system when attending a Project Interfaith program- friends don't let friends miss high-quality Project Interfaith programs. Thanks...

A Community Conference on Faith and the Environment: Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Native American Ways of Approaching Environmental Issues
Part of Project Interfaith's 2008-2009 Community Conversations Annual Speaker Series

When: Sunday, March 29, 2009. 1:00-5:00 pm (Check-in begins at 12:30 pm)

Location: Harper Center Ballroom, Creighton University- 602 N. 20th Street (Free parking is available at the visitors lot adjacent to the Harper Center on 20th and California)

What: Join us as we explore how different religions and belief systems view the environment and our role in it -especially when it comes to caring for it. Hear from four scholars who are active in environmental issues as they speak on how their beliefs have shaped their attitudes and actions towards the environment. Participants also will have opportunities throughout the conference to dialogue with each other about these issues. Light refreshments will be served.

Featured Speakers:

• Dr. Terry Wimberley, A Christian Perspective
• Dr. Sandra Beth Lubarsky, A Jewish Perspective
• Dr. Safei-Eldin A. Hamed, A Muslim Perspective
• Dr. Rudi Mitchell, A Native American Perspective

Also, find ways to put your beliefs into action by connecting with local environmental initiatives and groups at our information fair. Groups include:

• Earth Day Omaha
• Energy Smart Company
• Omaha By Design
• Books and resources on this topic provided by Soul Desires Bookstore
• And many more!

Cost: This program is open to the public at no charge thanks to generous funding from the Kripke Center for the Study of Religion and Society and the Special Donor-Advised Fund at the Jewish Federation Foundation.

Space is limited and pre-registration is strongly suggested. To register, contact Fran Minear at the Kripke Center at (402) 280-2303 or email fminear@creighton.edu.

Faith and the Environment: We want to hear from you!

We're looking forward to hearing from four diverse and dynamic speakers about how their faiths and beliefs have shaped their actions when it comes to the environment at our upcoming Faith and the Environment Community Conference on March 29 (see the posting below for details). But that got us thinking about the many incredible stories that are out there by individuals such as yourself about how faith has affected their attitudes and actions about the environment and our planet.

So we want you to tell us your story by blogging it here:

What are your views about the environment and how has your faith or belief system shaped your views when it comes to this topic?

What are some concrete ways that live out your faith and views on an everyday basis when it comes to the environment?

We can't wait to hear from you...

Follow Project Interfaith on Twitter @projectintrf8th and check us out on Facebook

Do you hear that tweeting in the distance? It isn't a bird, it's Project Interfaith on Twitter! Follow us @projectintrf8th and encourage your friends to follow us as well.

Also, join our Project Interfaith Fan Page. Feeling generous? Contribute to the Project Interfaith Cause on Facebook. Whether it's a $5 or $5,000 donation, every dollar raised enables us to keep offering the programs and resources that you have come to expect from us.

Thanks for your interest and support and for the great work you are doing to create a community where people of all faiths and beliefs are valued and included!

Omaha World-Herald praises Project Interfaith's work and links us to building forward-thinking community

Check out the editorial that appeared in recently in the Omaha World-Herald praising Project Interfaith's unique approach to building understanding, respect, and relationships among people of all faiths and beliefs and thanks for your support and involvement with our mission and work...

Published Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Omaha World-Herald Editorial Page

PROJECT INTERFAITH: The benefits of dialogue

Project Interfaith, an Omaha-based organization, is doing thoughtful work in encouraging Omahans to promote religious diversity. That goal can benefit the entire metropolitan area.

The fellowship and exchange of information across religious lines can make Omaha an especially welcoming place — a prerequisite for an ambitious regional city in the 21st century.

And far from encouraging people to dilute their own religious beliefs, the dialogue is explicitly intended to help deepen people's spiritual understanding of their particular faith tradition.

The nonprofit organization, founded and run by Beth Katz, began in 2005 as an affiliate of the local Anti-Defamation League. Now an independent entity, it educates using workshops, a speakers' bureau, art exhibits and architectural tours. Representatives from a wide variety of faith traditions serve on the organization's board. A good example of the group's efforts can be found in its diversity workshop for professional caregivers, including people employed in nursing homes, home health care, hospitals and similar settings. The event illustrated how such dialogue can yield eminently practical benefits: Understanding the religious beliefs of different patients can help these professionals provide an improved quality of care for patients. For instance, different religions have differing dietary rules and worship practices. And Christian, Islamic, Jewish, Hindu and Buddhist traditions and others may define such common terms as "prayer" and even "religious diversity" quite differently. Understanding such considerations can help health professionals in treating Somali and Sudanese immigrants, for example. Project Interfaith, which also works with educators, will hold its next diversity workshop in May. The organization also holds less intensive, shorter diversity workshops for smaller groups.

This interfaith endeavor is making a major contribution to the awareness that can make Omaha stronger city well-positioned to prosper as a forward thinking community.