For years interfaith in the Santa Clara Valley has been fragmented with an ecumenical Council of Churches and various groups focused on peace, labor issues, feeding the hungry, etc. Since the early 1970s there was also been a clergy dialog group, most recently sponsored by Silicon Valley Faces. As SVFaces is now bowing out, the Interfaith Steering Committee that grew out of the dialog group and which spearheaded the efforts to become a Partner City of the Parliament of the World's Religions, felt the time was ripe for a new organization to emerge.
On September 28, 2010 at Temple Emanu-El in San Jose, a meeting of about 50 interfaith reps from all over the Santa Clara Valley got together and voted that we would create SiVIC, the Silicon Valley Interreligious Council to be a new networking hub for engaging all local faith communities, civic organizations, nonprofits, and educational institutions of the Silicon Valley, California.
Our work is cut out for us! There are about six committees roughing out bylaws and incorporation, outreach and advertising, fundraising and infrastructure. An inaugural board will be nominated and take office at the first Assembly to be held in February 2011.
Rowan Fairgrove, of Covenant of the Goddess, has been a member of the Steering Committee for several years and is now on the infrastructure committee helping with social networking and web outreach.
Information on SiVIC can be found at http://www.sivicouncil.org/ and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/South-Bay-Interfaith/
Bright blessings,
Rowan Fairgrove
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