Our May 17 Interfaith Architecture Tour Looks at Nature's Influence on Buddhist and Catholic Traditions

We're excited to announce the return of one of our most popular programs, our Annual Interfaith Architecture Tour on Sunday, May 17, 2009 from 1:30- 4:00 pm (check-in starts at 1:00 pm) at Mount Michael Benedictine Abbey located at 22520 Mount Michael Road in Elkhorn, Nebraska (just on the Northwest edge of Omaha). The theme of this year's tour is the "Influence of Nature on Buddhist and Catholic Religious Art and Architecture." The tour will feature speakers on this topic as well as a tour of a prime example of this: the beautiful buildings and grounds of Mount Michael Benedictine Abbey. The tour will be followed by a reception with light refreshments hosted by Mount Benedictine Abbey. Directions and registration details can be found at the event website: http://interfaitharchitecturetour2009.eventbrite.com

As we have done for past tours, we have teamed up with the Omaha chapter of the American Institute of Architects who will be offering learning units for members to attend. So if you are an architect this is a painless, even interesting way to get in your professional development credits.
We also are partnering with Tinh Tam (the Council of Buddhist Study) and the Archdiocese of Omaha to offer this great program. The cost is $5 per person and is non-refundable. Pre-registration is strongly suggested. Give us a ring (933-4647) or email us at info@projectinterfaithusa.com to register.

Register now for Project Interfaith's May 6, 2009 Religious Diversity Issues in Professional Care Giving Training

From accommodating dietary and modesty needs to performing a spiritual needs assessment, the ways in which religious diversity impacts professional care giving and health care today are extensive. So where can professionals go to get the resources, information, and tools they need to successfully serve and work with religiously and culturally diverse populations?

Enter Project Interfaith's "Religious Diversity Issues in Professional Care Giving: A Training for Professional Care Givers, Medical Personnel, and Social Service Providers in Facilities and In-Home Care." We at Project Interfaith have developed a full-day training designed to provide participants with the information, contacts, and resources to:

• Explore your views about religion and identity amd understand how these views may impact your interactions with clients and their families
• Learn about when and how religion and religious materials can be used in a care giving facility
  
• Find out how to assess the religious, spiritual, and cultural needs of your client religious and to determine what accommodations are needed and reasonable
• Receive information about the basic beliefs, demographics and organization of various religious communities
  
• Get connected with helpful, credible print and web-based resources and contacts

All this, plus meals and Continuing Education Units (CEUs) to boot. Register now to join us at our next training on Wednesday, May 6, 2009 from 7:45 am- 4:00 pm. This training will be held at the Visiting Nurse Association Offices at 12565 West Center Road in Omaha, Nebraska. Thanks to funding from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, the cost of this training has been greatly reduced to just $40 per participant. Four full scholarships are available for CNAs, home health aides, and student. Scholarships are first come, first serve.

To register or for more information, contact us at Project Interfaith by calling (402) 933-4647 or email info@projectinterfaithusa.org. Space is limited, so don't delay!

This program is held in partnership with the Respite Resource Center of Nebraska, the Creighton University Health Sciences Library, and the National Network of Libraries of Medicine.

Internationally Acclaimed Writer and Scholar Reza Aslan to Return to Speak on May 7

How To Win a Cosmic War: God, Globalization and the End of the War on Terror
A Community Conversation with Reza Aslan
Part of Project Interfaith's 2008-2009 Community Conversations Annual Speaker Series

Thursday, May 7, 2009
7:00 pm (Doors open at 6:30 pm)
Countryside Community Church
8787 Pacific Street
Omaha, Nebraska

Internationally acclaimed writer and scholar Reza Aslan returns to Omaha to discuss his newest book How to Win a Cosmic War: God, Globalization, and the End of the War on Terror (available in April 2009), an in-depth study of the ideology fueling al-Qa‘ida, the Taliban, and like-minded militants throughout the Muslim world, and an exploration of religious violence in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Surveying the global scene from Israel to Iraq and from New York to the Netherlands, Aslan argues that religion is a stronger force today than it has been in a century. At a time when religion and politics are increasingly sharing the same vocabulary and functioning in the same sphere, Aslan asserts that we must strip the conflicts of our world–in particular, the War on Terror–of their religious connotations and address the earthly grievances that always lie behind the cosmic impulse. Join us for this engaging evening with Reza Aslan.

This program is jointly presented by Project Interfaith, the Center for Faith Studies at Countryside Community Church, and the Islamic Center of Omaha. This program is open to the public and is offered at no charge by the three co-sponoring organizations. Space is limited. Pre-registration for this event is strongly suggested. For more information and to register, visit www.rezaaslanomaha.eventbrite.com. For questions or to register by phone, please contact Project Interfaith at (402) 933-4647 or by emailing info@projectinterfaithusa.org or you may contact Cyndi Kugler at the Center for Faith Studies, (402) 391-0350 x 121.

Project Interfaith to be featured on panel at UN Alliance of Civilizations' Istanbul Forum

Published Friday April 3, 2009
Omahan, Obama on U.N. forum's agenda
BY CHRISTOPHER BURBACH
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

The leader of Omaha's Project Interfaith has been invited to talk about the organization at a U.N. conference in Turkey that's also on President Barack Obama's schedule.

Beth Katz, executive director of Project Interfaith, is scheduled to appear on a panel during a forum organized by the Alliance of Civilizations, a U.N. initiative that is aimed at bridging differences between Muslim nations and the West.

Obama is expected to stop by the forum in Istanbul on Tuesday, during an official visit to Turkey.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon are on the schedule. Participants include business executives, journalists, diplomats, scholars, youth groups from several continents, religious leaders, philanthropic foundations and leaders of grass-roots organizations such as the one Katz heads.

Forum organizers want to bring together a cross section of people to learn about bridging cultural and religious divides, said Daanish Maasood, an Alliance of Civilizations spokesman.

Katz doesn't know if she'll rub elbows with heads of state. She is scheduled to be part of a break-out session titled "Learning About and Across Differences."

The invitation came after Katz happened to sit next to an Alliance of Civilizations official last fall in Chicago at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion. Katz told him about Project Interfaith's training programs for educators and health care workers. He recommended the organization for participation in the Istanbul forum.

Project Interfaith began in 2005 and provides education about different faiths through art exhibits, architectural tours, workshops and a speakers bureau, among other programs.

Katz said conference organizers were interested in the Omaha organization partly because they wouldn't have expected to find such an effort in this part of the United States.

She called the conference an exciting opportunity to introduce Project Interfaith to an international audience.

Said Katz, "I'm really looking forward not just to showing what we are doing in our community, but to see what people are doing in other communities."

For more information on the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAoc) and the UNAoC Istanbul Forum, visit www.unaoc.org.