Bells of Peace: A World War I Remembrance
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the World War I Armistice congregations from throughout our County are invited to join citizens and organizations across the nation to ring bells in their communities 21 times at 11:00 am local time on Sunday, November 11, 2018 in remembrance of when fighting ceased.
Peace be with us all!
The Islamic Networks Group (ING) forwarded a link to SiVIC for an article in the LA Times regarding anti-Semitic flyers that went up at UC Davis. Some were also found at UC Berkeley. This type of hate speech is antithetical to everything that our Bay Area Interfaith groups stand for. We need to be vigilant and use our voices against such hate rhetoric.
SiVIC will always show our support for those religions that are the victims of hate speech and violence.
Here is the link to the LA Times article: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-ucdavis-flyers-20181009-story.html
The Silicon Valley Interreligious Council congratulates our own, Garth Pickett, SiVIC Treasurer as the
the recipient of the Hindu American Foundation 2018 HAF Mahatma Gandhi Award for the Advancement of Pluralism. This award is bestowed upon those individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to furthering the cause of pluralism and respect. Garth Pickett’s work in increasing interreligious understanding and strengthening interfaith relations is indicative of this commitment.
The HAF awards ceremony will be held in conjunction with HAF’s Annual Silicon Valley Gala. (See
the SiVIC Events page for more information.
As part of A Day of Jewish Learning event, Venerable JianHu, Abbot of Chung Tai Zen Center, and Rabbi Hugh Seid-Valencia, Community Engagement Director, Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center, had an dialogue on:
“When Bad Things Happen to Good People: Jewish and Buddhist Perspectives”
To view the transcription of this dialogue, click this link to a Dropbox entry: https://www.dropbox.com/s/68f0z7p957b2rdf/20180128%20Jewish%20Buddhist%20Dialogue%20v2.1.docx?dl=1
A Day of Jewish Learning is sponsored by Jewish Community Relations Council.
Obituary
Rev. D. Andrew Kille
January 6, 1950- June 30, 2018
The Rev. D. Andrew Kille, writer, teacher, editor, musician, preacher, biblical scholar, and interfaith activist passed away surrounded by his family on June 30, 2018, after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Born January 6, 1950, the eldest of three children of David and Ruth Kille, he grew up in Ventura until moving to Ojai in 1960. He attended the Ojai Valley School, where his grandparents worked, and the Thacher School, graduating in 1967. He attended Stanford University (A.B. ’71 in English Literature), where he met Pamela Bjorklund, the love of his life. They were married August 31, 1972, in a redwood glen at Portola State Park, and had two sons, Jabin and Russell.
Andy continued his education by attending the American Baptist Seminary of the West in Berkeley and was ordained by the American Baptist Churches USA in 1975. He served at First Baptist Church of Palo Alto as an intern, as Seminary Intern at Memorial Church at Stanford University, and then at Grace Baptist Church in San Jose as youth pastor and associate pastor, before becoming Senior pastor from 1979-1988. During his tenure, he was closely involved with the San Jose Urban Ministry, the San Jose State Campus Ministry, and the Pacific Southwest Conference on World Christian Mission, which met each Summer at Asilomar.
In 1989, he returned to study at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, where he received a Ph.D. in psychology and the Bible.He was part of a movement to renew psychologically- informed ways of reading the Bible and was credited with naming the new field: “psychological biblical criticism.” He was Chair of the Psychology and Biblical Studies unit of the Society of Biblical Studies for several years. In 2008, he became the Editor of The Bible Workbench (now Reading Between The Lines), a study resource for individuals and groups that uses open-ended questions to engage people deeply with scripture readings.
After teaching briefly at Santa Clara University and Holy Names College, he began a five-year stint at the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose, in the Office for Parish. Beginning as an office assistant for a short term, he eventually became Assistant, and helped guide demographic research as part of the diocesan planning for the future.
In 2003, he created Interfaith Space, developing opportunities for interfaith dialogue, shared sacred space and communications among interfaith groups in Santa Clara County and surrounding areas. Together with other interfaith projects, Interfaith Space gave rise to Santa Clara County being proclaimed a Partner City of the Parliament of the World’s Religions, and he was part of the delegation that traveled to Melbourne to receive that recognition. He then chaired the group that created Silicon Valley Interreligious Council (SiVIC) and served as the first Chair of SiVIC. Since 2007, he edited the Bay Area Interfaith Connect newsletter published by the Interfaith Center at the Presidio. He was well known in interfaith circles around the Bay Area and beyond.
Throughout his life, Andy cherished the outdoors. He grew up with weekend hikes and backpacking trips into the backcountry of the Sespe River, horseback expeditions, weeklong trips through the Sierras, the Cascades, the Trinity Alps and other high country. He and Pamela nearly always spent their wedding anniversary backpacking, camped beside a lake, and even when his health prevented longer trips, they would enjoy the open spaces at McArthur Burney Falls State Park. His last trip was into the Sespe with members of his high school class celebrating their 50th reunion just before his cancer was discovered.
He loved music. He played guitar, composed songs, and led congregational music at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church for 15 years. He sang with the Sunnyvale Singers Community Chorus for nearly 30 years (and delivered some memorable donor pitches at intermission).
Andy is survived by his wife, Pamela, his sons Jabin (Michelle) and Russell, grandson Hart, father David W. Kille, sisters Laurel Buhler (Michael), Shannon Frew (James), nieces Laurie and Beth Buhler and nephew Davey Frew (Rosie).
Andy’s memorial service will be on Sunday, September 9, 2018, at 2:00 pm at the Chung Tai Zen Center, 750 E. Arques Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94085.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to:
————————————
The Educational Center
P.O. Box 11892
Charlotte, N.C. 28220
(704) 375-1161
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Silicon Valley Interreligious Council (SiVIC)
c/o Joy-Ellen Lipsky
183 Goldenrain Dr.
San Jose, CA 95111
We were blessed to have Rev. Andrew Kille as a major leader in the interfaith movement in the S.F. Bay Area and founding Chairperson of SiVIC. He passed on July 1st, but we will remember him always. This is the link to the last video interview of Rev. Kille as filmed by Steve Herrera and facilitated by Diane Fisher:
Interview with Rev. Dr. D. Andrew Kille
– – – #NoMore
The Silicon Valley Interreligious Council joins with millions to voice our horror of the shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. We have said this so many times, along with our thoughts and prayers. People of faith or no faith need to come together to stop this senseless violence. High school students are beginning to rally. Religious communities and NGOs should do the same. With money being cut from social services programs, perhaps we can make our voices heard above the sound of bullets and cries. #NoMore deaths of innocent people, young or old, no matter what their race, color, creed, religion or no religion, sexual identity, or national origin. Make some noise!
SiVIC wishes to thank the Chung Tai Zen Center for hosting this event and all those who were in attendance.
In November, Islamist militants exploded a bomb at a Sufi mosque in Egypt, killing over 300 people, including women and children. In response to that attack, Bishop Patrick J. McGrath of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose wrote to the community:
Office of the Bishop
December 1,2017
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
With this letter, I wish to add my voice and the voice of the clergy and faithful of the Diocese of San Jose in an expression of deepest sorrow over the brutal act of violence directed at our Sufi brothers and sisters in Egypt.
We live in a time of brutality and undeniable disregard for human life, yet it is in times such as this that the measure of our faith is tried and tested. Although I am not unfamiliar with violence and its deep effect on the families of its victims, I cannot even imagine the anguish you are experiencing. At the same time, over the years my faith has helped me recognize the true power that comes to life when we are able to respond to hate with love and compassion.
The words of the poet, Rumi, came to mind, and have echoed in my heart for the past few days:
Sorrow prepares you for joy. It violently sweeps everything out of your house, so that new joy can find space to enter. It shakes the yellow leaves from the bough of your heart, so that fresh, green leaves can grow in their place. It pulls up the rotten roots, so that new roots hidden beneath have room to grow. Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart, far better things will take their place.
It is my prayer that we may stand in solidarity with the Sufi community to express our sorrow and acknowledge their – and our – pain. Be assured of my own renewed commitment to end intolerance. Be also assured that I will ask my priests to offer prayers for the Sufi community and for all religious minorities in Egypt so that through acts of solidarity and love, the Muslim, Christian, Jewish and Sufi communities might work together to end intolerance and violence, both here and abroad.
With every best wish and kind regard, I remain,
Sincerely yours,
Patrick J. McGrath
Bishop of San Jose
See original letter: McGrath letter re: Sufis
The Teen Interfaith Council learned about the Sikh tradition and helped serve at the langar, the meal that is offered to anyone who wishes to come to the Gurdwara. Thanks to Steve Herrera for the photos and video.
