Welcome to our Winterfaith page!
Our inaugural Winterfaith festival was a two month long interfaith celebration of the many religious and secular holidays that occur during the winter months. The purpose of Winterfaith was to encourage the growth of interfaith activity in the Mt. Vernon area, to celebrate the diversity of religious beliefs found in the community, and to create an atmosphere of collegiality and universality among all people of faith. The fellowship welcomed speakers and musicians from many faith traditions at regular Sunday services and at special events. Winterfaith services took place each Sunday in December 2007 and January 2008, beginning December 2nd and ending January 27th. There was one special evening service celebrating the Winter Solstice on December 21st, and there was a potluck at the fellowship on New Year's Day. All services and activities took place at our fellowship building at 1600 Isabella Avenue in Mt. Vernon. Childcare was provided at no cost for all Winterfaith services and activities for those children who were comfortable leaving their parents for a short while. In addition to our special Winterfaith services, our fellowship collected financial donations for First United Methodist Church's Angels on Assignment food ministry program. A special offering basket was placed in the sanctuary during Winterfaith for our donations. The Winterfaith schedule of events was as follows:
Sunday, December 2: Rabbi Joshua Taub, of the Temple Emanuel (Reform) of Creve Coeur, Missouri, visited to discuss the Jewish religious custom of lighting the nine-branched Hanukkah menorah, also known as a hanukkiah, and shared the traditional candle lighting blessing and lit a menorah for us. His sermon was based on Zachariah 4:6 and was entitled "'Not by Might, nor by Power, but by My Spirit,' Says Adonai Our God." It centered on the themes of Hanukkah. We also recognized the first Sunday of Advent, the Christian season of penitence in preparation for Christmas, and held a ceremony lighting the first candle in the Advent wreath. Also of note because of its namesake's mutation into a secular American and European cultural icon is the Feast of St. Nicholas on December 6. The original saint had worthy qualities that had nothing to do with consumerism.
Sunday, December 9: The Shawnee Dharma Group, a Sangha from Carbondale, joined us for a service in recognition of Bodhi Day, a Buddhist holiday. Yolan Presley, a founding member of the Shawnee Dharma Group and a lifelong Unitarian and member of the Carbondale Unitarian Fellowship, spoke with us about Bodhi Day. Scott Rodgers, a long-time member of the Shawnee Dharma Group, a student of Varasak Varadhammo, and a photographer, gave a short Dharma talk about self-reliance. Randy Osborn, also a long-time member of the Shawnee Dharma Group, a student of Thich Nhat Hahn, and director of the Boy's and Girl's Club in Carbondale, led the congregation in a brief meditation. This service also marked the third day of Hanukkah, and the second Sunday of Advent. We held candle lighting ceremonies for both of these events.
Sunday, December 16: This service recognized the Muslim holidays of Hajj and Eid al Adha, the Catholic Holiday of Posadas Navidenas, and the third Sunday of Advent. Members of our fellowship presented a sermon by British Imam Arshad Gamiet, delivered a year ago at the University of London. His topic was "Reflections on the Hajj," the pilgrimage to Mecca required of all Muslims who can afford it. This year the Hajj begins on December 18 and ends with Eid al Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice, on December 20. Imam Gamiet's sermon explored the layers of meaning in the experience of the Hajj, focusing on it foremost as a spiritual journey. Another event we recognized at this service, also centered on the idea of spiritual journey, was Posadas Navidenas, the Feast of Lodgings, the Mexican reenactment of Mary and Joseph's unsuccessful search for an inn in Bethlehem. As this Sunday was the third Sunday of Advent, we held a ceremony lighting the first three candles of our Advent wreath.
Friday, December 21: This special evening service celebrated the Winter Solstice. We learned exactly what the Solstice is, and what it has meant to different ethnic and religious groups. We celebrated with some interesting ceremonies from the past, and a very nice group meditation. We polished it off with a fabulous drumming party and some great food and beverages!
Sunday, December 23: On the final Sunday of Advent, we celebrated the Christian holiday of Christmas with a selection of hymns connected to the holiday, music from Handel's "Messiah," and a sermon entitled "Re-encountering Jesus," which was originally presented by Rev. Kathleen McTigue on December 5, 2004, at the Unitarian Society of New Haven, in Connecticut.
Sunday, December 30: We held an interactive service in honor of the upcoming New Year’s Day. With a guided meditation and an imaginative visualizing process, those attending considered what they wanted to leave with 2007 and what they wanted to look for in 2008.
Tuesday, January 1: We hosted our 3rd Annual New Year’s Day potluck dinner. Attendees brought food, beverages, good cheer and great conversation, as we brought in the new year together!
Sunday, January 6: We recognized many holidays at this service. January 5 was the birthday of Guru Gobind Singh, the last guru of the Sikh faith. Guru Gobind Singh instituted several of the Sikh symbols and customs with which the Sikh are identified today. January 6 hosts many Christian holy days, which differ in importance, depending on the branch of Christianity: Epiphany, the Feast of the Three Kings, Theophany, the Feast of the Nativity (also known as Armenian Christmas), and this year Ethiopian Christmas too. One of the important rituals of the Eastern Orthodox holiday of Theophany is the Great Blessing of the Waters, in which the holy water for each church's use through the coming year is blessed. We had a different, yet related, water ceremony at our service. One of our members read the sermon "We Are Transmitters," by Rev. Robert V. Thompson of Lake Street Church of Evanston, Illinois (American Baptist Church, USA). His title comes from a quote from D.H. Lawrence: "As we live we are transmitters of life, and when we fail to transmit life, life fails to flow through us."
Sunday, January 13: Swami Chetanananda joined us for a talk on "The Harmony of All Religions." Swami Chetanananda is a monk of the Ramakrishna Order and has served at the Vedanta Society of St. Louis since 1978. The three aims of the Vedanta Society of St. Louis are: (1) to relate the spiritual wisdom of Vedanta and to provide the spiritual basis so greatly needed for modern life and progress; (2) to help and encourage men and women to realize their innate divinity by methods and practices best suited to their individual capacities and conditions of life; and (3) to establish religious harmony by cultivating the comprehensive vision that all religions are paths leading to the realization of God. This week also hosted the days of the Hindu Lohri Bonfire Festival, Pongal (Hindu Thanksgiving), and the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Sunday, January 20: On World Religion Day, a Baha’i holiday, we welcomed five members of a Baha’i group in Edwardsville, Illinois. Roger Lutley, of the Baha'i group, spoke about visions of unity at this service.
Sunday, January 27: The final day of Winterfaith celebrated the birthdays of author Lewis Carroll and musician Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Musicians Campbell, Darwin, and Tori Walters played wonderful selections from the music of Mozart for us, while we interspersed readings by Lewis Carroll. The last service of Winterfaith was followed by the celebration of National Chocolate Cake Day during social hour after the service.
Open Minds Discussion Group:
Wednesday, January 16, 6:30 p.m.: In honor of Winterfaith, we held a discussion entitled "Interfaith Work in Southern Illinois." Rev. Bill Sasso from the Carbondale Unitarian Fellowship discussed his experiences with interfaith work in Southern Illinois as a member, and current President, of the Carbondale Interfaith Council. Pastor Rob Dyer from the First Presbyterian Church in Mt. Vernon discussed his experiences with interfaith work in Jefferson County.
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