Representatives of 3 faiths will talk at gathering

9/13/2003

Representatives of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian faiths will speak from 3 to 5 p.m. tomorrow at Interfaith Gathering 2003, an event formerly known as the Interfaith Tea, at the Temple-Congregation Shomer Emunim, 6453 Sylvania Ave., Sylvania.

The theme is “Sharing Our Faith through Stories and Legends,” with speakers Rickie Rubin on the Jewish tradition, Dr. Samina Z. Hasan on the Muslim tradition, and Dr. Shannon Schrein on the Christian tradition. The moderator will be Elaine Hershman.

Sponsors of the Interfaith Gathering are Church Women United, Ladies' Auxiliary of the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo, Toledo Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, and United Jewish Council of Greater Toledo.

Registration is $2 in advance and $3 at the door.

The 13th annual “See You at the Pole” is set for Wednesday, with students, faculty, and parents gathering around the flagpoles at their junior and senior high schools to pray before classes begin.

Last year, an estimated 3,000 students in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan took part in SYATP, which attracted more than 3 million participants nationwide. The participants are urged to pray for the schools' students, faculty, and staff, as well as government leaders and other concerns.

On Wednesday evening, a free “See You After the Pole” rally will be held at 7 p.m. at Calvary Assembly of God, 5025 Glendale Ave., featuring Gotee Records' singer Sarah Kelly.

Video highlights of the Dalai Lama's visit to New York's Central Park and Boston's Fleet Center, part of his 16-day U.S. visit that began Sept. 5, will be available online at www.beliefnet.com starting Wednesday for his Boston talk and Sept. 24 for his New York speech.

Beliefnet, a multifaith spirituality Web site, also is establishing Web pages devoted to information about Buddhism and the Dalai Lama, with message boards for discussions.

Bibleway Temple, 2335 Collingwood Blvd., will conclude a week of events honoring the retirement of its founding pastor, Bishop Carl Eddie Mitchell, with special speakers and musical guests at tomorrow's 11 a.m. service.

Bishop Mitchell, 75, was born in Myrtle Grove Sound, N.C., and moved to Toledo in 1951. He earned a doctorate of divinity degree from Eastern University in Cleveland in 1980 and began serving as pastor in Toledo in 1960.

A district elder of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Bishop Mitchell oversaw the relocation of the Apostolic Household of Faith and Bibleway Christian Academy to their present location.

MoMENtum (Michigan-Ohio Men of God Together in Mission) will hold a nondenominational gathering at 7 p.m. Thursday at Bedford Christian Community Assembly of God, 8970 Jackman Rd., Temperance, Mich.

Speakers will include the Rev. Wes Blood of Faith Baptist and the Rev. Bob Hines of Bedford Alliance Church, with worship led by the Rev. Mike Hardy of Bedford Christian Community.

All men from the greater Toledo area are invited to attend.

A shrine to Saints Isidore and Maria, a married couple who are patrons of farmers and farm workers, will be dedicated at Sorrowful Mother Shrine in Bellevue, Ohio, beginning with a Mass at 4 p.m. today.

The Mass will be followed by a procession and the blessing of a commissioned sculpture depicting the saints. A potluck dinner and a dance with music by Saw Buck will follow.

Rhema Word Christian Fellowship is celebrating the dedication of its new church building, 2340 North Holland-Sylvania Rd., with a series of special events this month.

The Rev. Ronald McCraney, founder and pastor, said the nondenominational church is a place “where members will not only be hearers of the word, but doers of the word.”

Among the special guest speakers: the Rev. Marc Neal of Akron's Jerusalem Baptist Church at 4 p.m. tomorrow and the Rev. Floyd Smith of Calvary Baptist Church of Toledo at 7 p.m. Friday.