Interfaith Center at the Presidio: Annual Meeting of Sponsoring Organizations

The Interfaith Center at the Presidio (www.interfaith-presidio.org) is a consortium of interfaith councils, interfaith seminaries, and other interfaith organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area who work together to maintain a site for ongoing interfaith work in the Main Base Chapel of SF’s Presidio (www.presidio.gov).  The Covenant of the Goddess has been involved with the ICP since its early planning stages.  I was elected to the ICP Board of Directors in 2000 and CoG’s Northern California Local Council has been an ICP Affiliate for over a year now.

This week, the ICP held its annual meeting of Sponsoring Organizations.  It was an opportunity to catch-up with old friends and share stories of activities.  We got some crucial work done, including updating our list of Sponsoring Organizations (since some have become inactive).  The ICP’s Sponsors now include:

* Ahimsa (www.ahimsaberkeley.org)
* Expressing United Religions Initiative in Music and the Arts CC (www.interfaithdesign.org)
* Graduate Theological Union (www.gtu.edu)
* Ik Onkar Peace Fellowship (www.facebook.com/pages/Ik-Onkar-Peace-Foundation/370697642261?v=wall)
* Immortal Chaplains Foundation (immortalchaplains.org/home.htm)
* Institute for World Religions (www.drba.org/branches/iwr/)
* Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County (interfaithccc.org/)
* Japanese-American Religious Federation
* Marin Interfaith Council (www.marinifc.org/)
* Pacifica Institute (www.pacificainstitute.org/)
* Rossmoor Interfaith Council
* San Francisco Interfaith Council (www.sf-interfaith.org/)
* URI San Francisco Peninsula Circle (home.comcast.net/~okoechlin/uri1.html)
* Women’s Interfaith Circle of Service

The representatives of the Sponsoring Organizations elected our new Board of Directors:

Paul Andrews
Dr. Henry Baer (atheist)
Rev. Judith Fleenor (Religious Science)
Elder Don Frew (Wiccan)
Dr. Kathleen Hurty (Lutheran)
Fr. Gerry O’Rourke (Roman Catholic)
Fr. Michael Pappas (Greek Orthodox)
Rt. Rev. David Ponedel (Psychic Christian)  
Fr. David Rickey (Episcopalian)
Rita Semel (Jewish)
Camilla Smith (Latter Day Saint)
Rev. Susan Strouse (Lutheran)
John Young

The coming year will see the ICP expanding our web casting ability:
       * Live Chapel feed (www.interfaith-presidio.org/Media/vidder.html)
       * Saved webcasts (www.interfaith-presidio.org/webcasts.htm)
       * Spiritual Resources, including interviews from the 2009 Parliament of the World’s Religions (www.interfaith-presidio.org/spiritual_resources.htm)

We will be continuing with our campaign to raise $8 million to restore the Chapel and increase its ability to serve different faith traditions, including the creation of a large outdoor ritual circle with fire pit, oriented to the four directions.

In November of this year, the ICP will host the third “People of the Earth” conference, bringing together representatives of Neopagan, immigrant Pagan, and Indigenous traditions to learn about each other and work together for the common good.  I'll post more on this conference as it approaches.

Blessed Be,
Don Frew
National Interfaith Representative