Brookings Interfaith Council

The Brookings Interfaith Council will next gather at 6:30pm on Thursday, January 8, at the Brookings Public Library. Our customary potluck will be followed by a broad-ranging discussion regarding "end of life" issues.

As people of different faiths approach the end of their lives, they and their families commonly face a variety of difficult tasks and decisions. Examples include:

• how to provide caregiving
• how one can die with dignity
• how to deal with wills, living wills and durable powers of attorney
• how to relate to medical professionals and others who aren't familiar with one's religious tradition
• how to go through pre-death rituals (e.g., confession of sins, preparation to "meet one's maker," asking forgiveness from those who may have been wronged)
• how to conduct after-death rituals (e.g., care of the body, mourning)
• how death, and talking about death, is viewed by those involved

Please bring a potluck dish to pass, if you're able, or just show up for the evening. All are welcome. Invite a friend. Please be aware that many in our interfaith community do not eat pork or may be vegetarian.

BIC will next gather at 6:30pm on December 11, 2014, at the Brookings United Church of Christ, 828 8th Street South.

Our evening will begin with a potluck. We will then move into a discussion of religion and economic justice, with a special focus on what is being done locally to alleviate suffering due to hunger and other symptoms of economic disparity.

Please bring a dish to pass, if you're able, or just show up. All are welcome. Invite a friend. Please be aware that many in our interfaith community do not eat pork or may be vegetarian.

Please join us for one of these presentations by Dr. Jeff Halper. The BIC dialogue with Dr. Halper will be held at 7pm on Thursday, November 6, at the Brookings Public Library. Please note: There will be no potluck at this event.

Halper is an Israeli anthropologist, a human rights activist, and the coordinating director of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD), an organization dedicated to ending Israel's occupation of the West Bank and demolition of Palestinian homes.

He has become a major voice against Israel's policies against Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.

Help us welcome Dr. Halper to our community as together we struggle to understand a very difficult situation in the Middle East that has implications around the world.

At 7pm on Thursday, November 6, the Brookings Interfaith Council will host Jeff Halper at the Brookings Public Library.

Halper is an Israeli anthropologist, a human rights activist, and the coordinating director of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD), an organization dedicated to ending Israel's occupation of the West Bank and demolition of Palestinian homes.

He has become a major voice against Israel's policies against Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.

In anticipation of this visit, First United Methodist Church of Brookings has provided BIC planning team member James Murphy a venue to speak about the modern history of this conflict. Murphy teaches religion at South Dakota State University.

At 10am each Sunday from October 5 to November 23, in the Community Life Center, Murphy's forums will look at formative moments in the emergence of the modern conflict. The series will center on an autobiography of a Palestinian Christian who grew up in Galilee during the years of the formation of the modern state of Israel.

Jeff Halper

The Brookings Hindu Community will host the next BIC event on Thursday, October 9, 2014, at 6:30pm. It will be held at the Brookings Islamic Center, 724 11th Avenue.

Yes, that's right, our Muslim friends will provide the venue for this celebratory evening being hosted by our Hindu friends. BIC is grateful for this interreligious cooperation.

The evening will start with a Hindu prayer, followed by a vegetarian dinner cooked by local Hindu families, a presentation highlighting various Hindu festivals in October, and small group discussions. It will conclude with Shanti Path (Hindu Prayer for Universal Peace).

All are cordially invited and welcome to attend this event. We hope to see you on October 9th!

Join us on September 11th for our first interfaith potluck of 2014-2015. It will be held at 6:30pm at the Brookings Islamic Center, 724 11th Ave.

Our Muslim friends will lead us in a discussion of self-discipline, based on their practice of "jihad," frequently misunderstood by non-Muslims. Come add your perspective on self-discipline from your own faith tradition.

Please bring a dish to pass, if you're able, or just show up. All are welcome. Invite a friend. Please be aware that many in our interfaith community do not eat pork or may be vegetarian.

Also, please mark your calendars! With some exceptions, we plan to meet at 6:30pm on the second Thursday of each month during the school year. Below are the dates and locations for this fall. Additional details will be forthcoming.

September 11, 2014
Brookings Islamic Center

October 16, 2014 (Note: 3rd Thursday)
Brookings Public Library

November 13, 2014
Ag Heritage Museum (to be confirmed)

December 11, 2014
United Church of Christ

The Brookings United Church of Christ invites the Brookings Interfaith Council to share in a program of its “fifth Sunday” series that will deal with poverty and what we can do to respond to immediate need, as well as overcome some of its root causes. The presenters will be Patty Bacon and Lisa Marotz, both of whom have extensive experience in working with the causes and the impact of poverty. The program will be held on September 14th beginning at 12:00 noon at the Church, 828 8th St. South. Participants are invited to bring a bag lunch. Coffee and water for tea will be available.

Note: If you can't see the viewer above, click here to watch the trailer. You may also watch the first episode in its entirety here.

Last night the Brookings Interfaith Council gathered at the Brookings Islamic Center to celebrate with members of the Hindu community their New Year (Vikram Samvat 2017) and Lord Rama's birthday. After a splendid meal prepared by our Hindu friends, the significance of these holidays was explained briefly by Dr. Chandradhar Dwivedi. Then Dr. Sanjeev Anand delivered a short Powerpoint presentation that offered additional insight into Vikram Samat and the Hindu calendar.

You may view the Powerpoint presentation here.

Following some discussion of the presentation, the gathering adjourned so that individuals might either participate in or observe the Muslim community's evening prayers, being held at the Center. The invitation to non-Muslims to attend was received with gratitude by the Council, and many members were heard to say afterwards how moved they had been, witnessing the prayers.

It isn't often that a Muslim community hosts a Hindu celebration, especially with Jews, Christians, Baha'is, Buddhists and agnostics also present. The evening was a remarkable time of sharing across religious and cultural divides. BIC warmly thanks the Brookings Islamic Center for its hospitality and the Hindu community for both the incredible feast and the informative presentations it prepared for the gathering.

Happy Vikram Samvat, everyone! And may the blessings of Lord Rama be upon us all.

Our celebration with the local Hindu community of Lord Rama's birthday as well as New Year 2071, postponed tonight due to a winter storm, has been rescheduled. It will take place at 6:30 pm next Tuesday, April 8th, at the Brookings Islamic Center. The Brookings Interfaith Council is very grateful to the Muslim community for this expression of good will and hospitality.

The Brookings Islamic Center is located at 724 11th Avenue. We hope to see you there Tuesday night!

We regret that tomorrow night's celebration with the local Hindu community of Lord Rama's birthday as well as New Year 2071 must be postponed due to a winter storm. We hope to reschedule soon. Details will be announced as soon as we have them. Be warm and safe, everyone!

The next BIC dialogue will be held at 6:30 pm on Thursday, April 3, in the Cooper Room of the Brookings Public Library. It will be hosted by the Hindu community, whose members invite the public to celebrate with them the birthday of Lord Rama as well as New Year 2071, both of which fall around this time.

Members of the Hindu community will describe the significance of these holidays and also answer questions about their faith. The discussion will take place after a vegetarian meal they have prepared.

Dr. Chandradhar Dwivedi, priest of the local Hindu community and member of the BIC planning team, explains that "Lord Rama was the seventh incarnation (or avatar) of Lord Vishnu, the God for preservation in the Hindu Trinity. Lord Vishnu incarnated as Rama to destroy the demon Ravan and his evil forces at that time."

Hindus worship for eight days leading up to Lord Rama's birthday, known as Ramanavami. They then celebrate Ramanavami with special festivities "on the ninth day of the bright fortnight of the Hindu month Chaitra" (March-April).

On April 3 BIC will also help celebrate the Hindu New Year, which is based on the lunar calendar Vikram Samvat. That calendar was established in 57 BCE by King Vikramaditya of Ujjain. Though there are regional differences within India, many Hindus mark the start of the New Year "on the first day of the bright fortnight of the Hindu month Chaitra" (March-April).

Vikram Samvat 2071 will be March 31, 2014, on the Western calendar.

Both of these celebrations--Ramanavami and the Hindu New Year--are usually observed with special prayers and feasting with family, relatives and friends.

Please share in this auspicious celebration and learn more about the Hindu faith. Once again, a vegetarian meal will be provided by the Hindu community. Bring your good will, kindly heart, listening ears, and questions!

Our next event, co-sponsored by the Brookings Interfaith Council, SDSU Interfaith Council, and the Office of the Dean of Students, will be held February 19, 2014, at South Dakota State University. Details are in the poster below. This will be an important opportunity for students to share their perspectives and experiences as persons either of faith or non-faith on campus.

Despite our usual custom, this event will not include a potluck meal, due to factors beyond our control. Please eat dinner before you come.