Tri-City Interfaith Council - Event Announcements

Interfaith Thanksgiving Service

10/11/2023

SAVE THE DATE!!! You are invited to the 62nd annual Tri-City Interfaith Thanksgiving Service on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, at 7:30 pm. The service will be held in person at Niles Discovery Church, 36600 Niles Blvd., Fremont, 94536, and streamed to a Zoom meeting. To attend via Zoom, register in advance at: https://bit.ly/TCIC-ITS2023.

The theme, "Sharing our Abundance in Gratitude," was selected by the Tri-City Interfaith Council as a reminder of the many gifts we have received and the importance of sharing those gifts with others. The service will include prayers from diverse local faith communities. A highlight of the service will be a ritual passing of sacred traditions to the next generation.

Each year, the Council collects voluntary donations at this service. This year’s recipients are United Nations programs providing food (www.wfp.org) and clean water (www.purewaterfortheworld.org) to those most in need globally. The service typically runs 1 to 1 ½ hours. All are welcome!

Movie Night and Discussion About Youth Mental Health

10/6/2023

October 28th, 7 p.m.
As part of her mental health ministry, The Rev. Barbara Myers is hosting a movie night about teen suicide, titled "What I Wish My Parents Knew." The movie includes interviews with teenagers discussing their experiences with suicidal ideation, and how they were able to move beyond it. The project was created by a father who lost his 14-year-old son to suicide.

The film is 45 minutes long, and there will be a facilitated discussion afterward for those with questions. Childcare is available upon request with an RSVP.

International Day of Prayer for Peace

9/11/2023

Join us Thursday Sept. 21st for our annual walk and prayer for Peace! This is an opportunity for community, interfaith prayer, and support for actions for Peace in our world.

Fall Fest and Refugia Equinox Interfaith Service

9/11/2023

Join us 1-3p.m. at Mission Peak Unitarian/Universalist Church at 2950 Washington Blvd. in Fremont for a celebration of the Fall Equinox, the change of seasons, and then join us from 3-4p.m. for Refugia, a service addressing our relationship to the changing climate of our planet.

Interreligious Panel: How to be a Good Guest at Your Neighbor’s House of Worship

1/8/2023

Islamic Networks Group and the Tri-City Interfaith Council are cosponsoring this interreligious panel to coincide with World Interfaith Harmony Month. This event will be held on Zoom on Saturday, February 25, 3:00-5:00 p.m.

Panelists from major world religions will discuss how to be a good guest at your neighbor’s house of worship, how to be a good host when welcoming people of other faiths into your house or worship, and teachings and traditions of hospitality from their religions. The program will include break-out groups for the audience to discuss and reflect upon these themes based upon their own experiences. Throughout the event the panelists will entertain questions and have a discussion with the audience.

If you would like to attend this event, please email ING’s Education Director Zachary Markwith at zachary@ing.org. You will receive the Zoom meeting link from him.

Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service goes hybrid

10/29/2022

The 61st Annual Tri-City Interfaith Thanksgiving Service will be held on Monday, November 21, 7:30 p.m., at Niles Discovery Church, 36600 Niles Blvd., Fremont. The program is sponsored by the Tri-City Interfaith Council (TCIC). This year's theme, “Embracing Hope, Expressing Gratitude,” focuses on hope for our fractured society and gratitude for our opportunities, freedoms, families, and faith. You may attend in person or on Zoom.

The liturgical fabric of the service is rich in readings from sacred text, prayers, songs, traditional costumes, dances, and music from many of the various faith and spiritual traditions represented in the Tri-Cities. There will be an interfaith choir composed of local singers. The importance of passing our sacred traditions to the next generation is highlighted at the conclusion of the service when a symbol is passed from an adult to a younger member of many of the Tri-City’s faith traditions.

The focus of this year’s offering is Safe Alternatives to Violent Environments, better known as SAVE; you can learn more about this important community organization at the service. TCIC President Joy Barnitz will share a Thanksgiving reflection.

Parents are encouraged to bring children and youth for this inspiring and educational program. The Thanksgiving service provides a unique opportunity to become acquainted with the varied cultural and religious traditions that are such a valuable part of our community.

Since 1962, when three Protestant Christian churches gathered for Thanksgiving worship, this holiday service has evolved to reflect dramatic historical changes and diversity in the Bay Area. Vatican II encouraged interfaith dialogue between Catholics, Protestants, and the Jewish community. Then in the late 1980s representatives from other faith traditions joined in the celebration. Now, it is common to have members of the Hindu, Muslim, Ohlone Indian, Unitarian Universalist, Baha’i, Buddhist, and Sikh communities share in the Thanksgiving Service.

Registration is required for people attending on Zoom; register at bit.ly/TCICThanksgiving2022. People who plan to attend in person are strongly encouraged to pre-register at bit.ly/ITS2022InPerson. Details about COVID-19 protocols are available at that registration link.

This year, the Interfaith Thanksgiving Service is part of Bay Area United Against Hate Week, a movement supported by governments and non-governmental organizations around the Bay Area in November. You can learn more about it at unitedagainsthateweek.org.

Community gathers to remember homeless dead

10/19/2021

Living on the streets is hard. Life expectancy of homeless people is much shorter than the population at large. And each year, unhoused neighbors die.

On Monday, November 29, 6:00-7:00 p.m., the community is invited join an in-person, outdoor interfaith candlelight vigil to memorialize those in our community who have died while experiencing homelessness at St. James’ Episcopal Church, 37051 Cabrillo Terrace, Fremont, CA 94536 (at Thorton Ave). Abode Services, St. James’ Episcopal Church, and Tri-City Interfaith Council will co-host the evening. For more information, please contact Amber Beeson at abeeson@abodeservices.org.

Masks will be required for all attendees regardless of vaccination status. Please bring canned goods to donate to the food drive. For those unable to attend in person, a video of the ceremony will be made available shortly after the conclusion of the event. It will be available for viewing at saintj.com/AbodeVigil.

“Compassion begins with recognizing the humanity in each person and gaining awareness that there are those who suffer on our streets because they lack the most basic needs,” Reverend Lori Walton Walton, Rector of St. James’ Episcopal Church said. “This ceremony aims to honor each of those lives and highlight the need of our community to care for all of our citizens.”

Interfaith Thanksgiving Service moves online

10/19/2021

“Making a Home Together” is the theme for the 60th annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service, sponsored by the Tri-City Interfaith Council (tcicouncil.weebly.com). Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 60th annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service will be held online. It will still be held on the Monday before Thanksgiving – which this year is November 22, 2021 – at 7:30 p.m., on the Zoom platform. To register for the service – advanced registration is required – go to bit.ly/interfaiththanksgiving2021.

The service will include prayers, readings, recorded music, and dance offered by several different faith and spiritual communities in the Tri-Cities, and brief remarks by the President of the Tri-City Interfaith Council, Joy Barnitz. The Tri-City Interfaith Council is the sponsor of this event, co-hosted by Niles Discovery Church. Joy is a member of Niles Discovery Church and a longtime member of the Tri-City Interfaith Council.

The service is expected to last about one hour. It remains a time for our whole community, regardless of faith or religious tradition, to come together to share the joys of a diverse community and to focus on a common practice and value: gratitude.

Since 1962, when three Protestant Christian churches gathered for Thanksgiving worship, this holiday service has evolved to reflect dramatic historical changes and the spiritual diversity of the Bay Area. Vatican II encouraged interfaith dialogue between Catholics, Protestants, and the Jewish community. Then in the late 1980s representatives from other faith traditions joined in the celebration. Now, it is common to have people representing the Hindu, Muslim, Ohlone Indian, Unitarian Universalist, Sikh, Baha’i, Christian, Jewish, Jain, and Buddhist communities share in the Thanksgiving Service.

Bystander Intervention Training Follow-up

5/26/2021

On Tuesday, May 25, the Tri-City Interfaith Council hosted a wonderful training on how to help build safety, support, and solidarity if you're a bystander who witnesses some form of harassment in public. Our workshop leader, Courtney Mangus, from CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations), taught us five steps to take as a bystander, reminding us that we want to stay safe ourselves as we create safety for the person targeted with harassment, offer our support, and stand in solidarity.

After sharing this basic information, Courtney asked us to discuss in small groups several scenarios to brainstorm ways to effectively intervene as a bystander. While the training is much more effective than just reading through the slide deck, Ms. Mangus is allowing us to share her slide deck.

If you attended the training, you're invited to complete this post-training survey.

TCIC offer Bystander Intervention Training

4/21/2021

Have you ever wondered what you would do if you witnessed someone being harassed for wearing a hijab, speaking a foreign language, the color of their skin, having a disability, or their sexual identity? Then this training is for you! Learn how to safely provide protection within your own comfort level. With this training you will not have to leave the scene of a negative encounter wishing you had just done something to help.

This free training, provided by CAIR (the Council on American-Islamic Relations) is free and on Zoom. It will be held on Tuesday, May 25, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Advanced registration is required. Do so at http://bit.ly/BIT2105.