Interfaith Events – Fostering Interfaith Relationships on the Eastside

Save the NEW Date! Interfaith Dialogue on the Bahá’í Faith on November 6

The next FIRE interfaith dialogue has now been rescheduled and will be on Sunday, November 6, 2022, at 6:30PM. If you have it on your calendar on October 23, please update it to the new date and time. The topic will be the Bahá’í Faith. The dialogue will once again be available both in-person and online. More details will be provided as the event approaches including online registration, but for now please put this on your calendar! Please email info@fire-wa.org if you have any questions or comments.

Save the Date! Interfaith Dialogue on the Bahá’í Faith on October 23

The next FIRE interfaith dialogue is scheduled for Sunday, October 23, 2022, at 7PM. The topic will be the Bahá’í Faith. The dialogue will once again be available both in-person and online. More details will be provided as the event approaches including online registration, but for now please put this on your calendar! Please email info@fire-wa.org if you have any questions or comments.

Parade Lineup Information to Walk with FIRE in the Kirkland 4th of July Parade

The organizers of the Celebrate Kirkland 4th of July Parade have sent out the parade sequence and lineup locations! FIRE will be entry #51 in the parade (out of 70 entries). Our lineup position is approximately 400 feet west of Market Street on 5th Avenue W. That is just to the east of 2nd Street W, roughly in front of the home at 135 5th Ave W. The map below shows the approximate location. There will be small signs along the edge of the roadway showing the position numbers – just look for #51.

FIRE Parade Position for 2022 Celebrate Kirkland

The closest place with a significant amount of parking is Kirkland City Hall including the Wester Lot just to its south, but there’s also a lot of parking along Market Street and on surrounding neighborhood streets. You can find information on parking in downtown Kirkland at https://www.kirklandwa.gov/Government/Departments/Public-Works-Department/Transportation/Downtown-Parking-Information. You can also take King County Metro, although note that the 255 route will be modified because of the parade road closures (see the service advisory at https://kingcounty.gov/~/media/depts/metro/data/service-advisories/pdf/22-spe-136-rts234-255-celebrate-kirkland-4th-of-july-jul4.pdf).

As mentioned previously, the parade starts at Noon. However, being in position #51, there will be some waiting time before our group will start moving. Feel free to come whenever it works for you, to mingle and chat with folks in our group and others around. The earlier you come, the easier it is to find parking.

Participants in the parade are encouraged to wear clothing typical for their faith to help show the diversity of faiths participating in the FIRE group, t-shirts promoting peace and understanding, or other clothing of their choice. Those walking should wear sensible shoes; hats and sunscreen are advised (at least, let us hope they’re necessary!). Participants are welcome to carry signs and banners promoting peace, love, unity, and understanding.

You may also want to bring some water to stay hydrated. Earlier predictions of rain have given way to clouds in the morning and sun in the afternoon – the parade time forecast is 63 and cloudy, with rain ending by midnight on Sunday. But of course you never really know what’s going to happen in the Pacific Northwest!

If you have any questions, please email info@fire-wa.org or contact Toby at 206-790-6377. Hope to see you on Monday!

Walk with FIRE in the Kirkland 4th of July Parade!

Fostering Interfaith Relationships on the Eastside (FIRE) invites members of all faith traditions and communities to walk with them in the 2022 Kirkland 4th of July Parade. The theme for this year is “Celebrate Kirkland, Together Again”.

The parade starts at Noon. It follows a route through Marina Park and around the downtown core, a total walking distance of about one mile; see the map below. Participants are asked to line up at the designated point in the Market neighborhood north of Heritage Park by 11AM. The position in the parade and the exact location at which the FIRE group will assemble will be assigned around July 1, posted on the FIRE web site, and emailed to FIRE email lists and all who RSVP.

Those interested in participating in the parade should email rsvp@fire-wa.org. Information on the group’s position in the parade and assembly point will be sent as soon as they are known. We will also send recommended parking locations along with the line-up information; you can also consider taking King County Metro to the Kirkland Transit Center which is downtown near the parade route.

For more information on the parade, visit https://kirklanddowntown.org/events/celebrate-kirkland/. For further information on FIRE or our group in the parade, email info@fire-wa.org or contact Toby at 206-790-6377.

Interfaith Dialogue on Judaism – June 12, 2022

Fostering Interfaith Relationships on the Eastside (FIRE) invites you to our 19th Interfaith Dialogue on Sunday, June 12, 7:00-8:30PM. This Dialogue will be conducted as a “hybrid” meeting which you can attend in person at Northlake Unitarian Universalist Church (308 4th Avenue South, Kirkland) or online using Zoom conferencing. Please register for the Dialogue on EventBrite at https://fire-interfaith-dialogue-on-judaism.eventbrite.com; the Zoom link will be emailed before the event to everyone who has registered.

The topic for this Dialogue is “Judaism”. Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg of Congregation Kol Ami in Kirkland will share with us on a variety of topics such as the following:

What is the history of Judaism? How did it originate, and how has it evolved over time?
How is Judaism organized on both a local and worldwide basis? How are leaders selected?
What would the world miss if Judaism never existed? What are its unique teachings?
How does Judaism spread the faith to new adherents at this time?
What are common misconceptions about Judaism and how do you explain them?
How did you first learn of Judaism? What prompted you to follow that faith?
How does the practice of Judaism affect your life day-to-day in modern America?
If one wanted to learn more about Judaism, what are some introductory resources?

The presentation will be followed by open Q&A with the audience, both in the room and on Zoom. For those in the room, participants will be able to raise their hand to be recognized and then come to a microphone. For those on Zoom, the moderator will use the Zoom “Raise Hand” feature to identify who would like to ask a question, and enable audio and video for each person in turn to ask their question live; you will need to unmute to be heard, and may enable video if you choose.

The Dialogue will be recorded and shared on the FIRE web site after the event. If you are participating via Zoom and do not want to appear on the video, please don’t turn on your video or ask to be recognized for a question. If you are in the meeting room and do not want to be on the video, an area will be designated that will not be visible on camera; please choose a seat in that area.

Following the dialogue, we will have open discussion among all attendees for those who would like to participate.

Note that this Dialogue will not include a dinner for those attending in person; please eat before coming if you wish.

If you have any questions about the Dialogue, please email rsvp@fire-wa.org.

Recording and Presentations for Interfaith Dialogue on Islam

Thanks to all of you who joined us for our 18th Interfaith Dialogue on the topic of Islam. Thanks again to all the presenters!

As we promised, here are links to the presentations (combined into a single PDF) and to the recording of the Zoom conference. We hope you find them useful!

PDF 6.3MB: https://fire-wa.org/files/Islam_FIRE_Presentation_23Jan2022.pdf
Video 2:25:07: https://youtu.be/n3A0vxFAnCo

If you have any feedback on this Dialogue or suggestions for future Dialogues, please email us at info@fire-wa.org.

Recording and Presentations for Interfaith Dialogue on Zoroastrianism

Thanks to all of you who joined us for our 17th Interfaith Dialogue on the topic of Zoroastrianism. We’ve received very positive feedback, and are planning now for future dialogues in the same format. Thanks again to all of the presenters!

As we promised, here are links to the presentation (in both Powerpoint and PDF format) and to the recording of the Zoom conference. We hope you find them useful! Note that the PDF file is “static”, while the Powerpoint file shows the animations.

PDF 5.5MB: https://fire-wa.org/files/Zoroastrianism_FIRE_presentation_3Oct2021.pdf
Powerpoint 41.7MB: https://fire-wa.org/files/Zoroastrianism_FIRE_presentation_3Oct2021.pptx
Video 2:02:42: https://youtu.be/KnsWClBcavM

If you have any feedback on this Dialogue or suggestions for future Dialogues, please email us at info@fire-wa.org.

Interfaith Dialogue on October 3 — Zoroastrianism

Fostering Interfaith Relationships on the Eastside (FIRE) invites you to our 17th Interfaith Dialogue on Sunday, October 3, 7:00-8:00PM. This Dialogue will be conducted online using Zoom conferencing. The link to access the Dialogue is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85172614810?pwd=MTI4SE94cTZSSFdMZ01BOHZYN203QT09; additional connection information is below. Pre-registration is not necessary for this event.

The topic for this Dialogue is “Zoroastrianism”. FIRE steering committee member Mahrukh Motafram and others from her faith will share with us on a variety of topics including the following:

What is the history of Zoroastrianism? How did it originate, and how has it evolved over time?
How is Zoroastrianism organized on both a local and worldwide basis? How are leaders selected?
What would the world miss if Zoroastrianism never existed? What are its unique teachings?
How does Zoroastrianism spread the faith to new adherents at this time?
What are common misconceptions about Zoroastrianism and how do you explain them?
How did you first learn of Zoroastrianism? What prompted you to follow that faith?
How does the practice of Zoroastrianism affect your life day-to-day in modern America?
If one wanted to learn more about Zoroastrianism, what are some introductory resources?

Their presentation will be followed by open Q&A with the audience. The moderator will use the Zoom “Raise Hand” feature to identify who would like to ask a question, and enable audio and video for each person in turn to ask their question live. You will need to unmute to be heard; enabling video is your choice.

Mahrukh is currently a member, trustee and a past Board member for the Zoroastrian Society of Washington State. She is involved with the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (FEZANA) where she is currently the co-chair of the North American Zoroastrian Congress committee, and a member of the executive steering committee for the World Zoroastrian Congress 2022, to be held in New York City in July 2022. She is a member, past Board member and a past President for the Assistance League of the Eastside. She is also affiliated with Seattle University as a member of the advisory council for the Center for Ecumenical and Interreligious Engagement. She resides in Sammamish with her husband Feroze and has two children, Freya and Jamsheed.

Please join us and invite your friends! Below is the complete Zoom conference logistical information. Please direct any questions to rsvp@fire-wa.org. Pre-registration is not necessary for this event.

Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85172614810?pwd=MTI4SE94cTZSSFdMZ01BOHZYN203QT09
Passcode: 049693
Or One tap mobile :
US: +12532158782,,85172614810#,,,,*049693# or +13462487799,,85172614810#,,,,*049693#
Or Telephone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 669 900 6833 or +1 929 205 6099 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799
Webinar ID: 851 7261 4810
Passcode: 049693
International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kepjvBVLcw

Interfaith Dialogue on April 11 — “Climate Change and Stewardship of the Earth”

Fostering Interfaith Relationships on the Eastside (FIRE) invites you to our 16th Interfaith Dialogue on Sunday, April 11, 6:30-8:00PM. This Dialogue will be conducted online using Zoom conferencing. For access to the Dialogue, please register at https://tinyurl.com/FIREApril2021.

The topic for this Dialogue is “Climate Change and Stewardship of the Earth: How Does Your Faith or Belief Guide You”. The event features a panel discussion among representatives from many world religions including Baha’i, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Native American, Unitarianism, Wicca, and Zoroastrianism, and stimulating interfaith discussions among all participants.

Suggested topics for discussion include “What is your faith or belief’s stance on Climate Change and Stewardship of the Earth (historically and currently)”, “What is your faith or belief tradition doing, in a collective fashion, to address Climate Change and Stewardship of the Earth on a global, local and individual level?”, “How does your faith or belief tradition respond to those who are disheartened or disinterested in Climate Change and Stewardship of the Earth?”, and “What does your faith or belief tradition’s sacred writings teach about Climate Change and Stewardship of the Earth?”.

Most previous FIRE Interfaith Dialogues have included a meal, but due to pandemic social distancing requirements this will be an online-only event. We ask all attendees to please register for the event through EventBrite at https://tinyurl.com/FIREApril2021. As the event approaches, all attendees will receive the link to the Zoom conference by email, along with instructions on how to connect online and by phone and how to navigate the conference.

Please join us and invite your friends! For more information, please email rsvp@fire-wa.org. Please do not use this email to register — instead, go to https://tinyurl.com/FIREApril2021.

Interfaith Dialogue on November 1 — “Bridging the Divide”

Fostering Interfaith Relationships on the Eastside (FIRE) invites you to our 15th Interfaith Dialogue on Sunday, November 1, 6:30-8:00PM. This Dialogue will be conducted online using Zoom conferencing. For access to the Dialogue, please register at https://tinyurl.com/FIRENov2020.

The topic for this Dialogue is “Bridging the Divide — How people of faith can address partisan and ideological polarization and help our communities heal”. The event features a panel discussion and small group discussions including people from many world religions including Baha’i, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Native Americans, Sikhism, Sufism, Unitarianism, Zoroastrianism, and others, and stimulating interfaith discussions among all participants.

Suggested topics for the discussions include “Loving each other even if we disagree”, “Respect for political differences”, “Civility in online and personal interactions”, “Being good examples and advocates to lead society at large to a better future”, and “Justice – racism, bias, privilege, gender, economic, etc.”.

Most previous FIRE Interfaith Dialogues have included a meal, but due to pandemic social distancing requirements this will be an online-only event. We ask all attendees to please register for the event through EventBrite at https://tinyurl.com/FIRENov2020. As the event approaches, all attendees will receive the link to the Zoom conference by email, along with instructions on how to connect online and by phone and how to navigate the conference.

Please join us and invite your friends! For more information, please email rsvp@fire-wa.org. Please do not use this email to register — instead, go to https://tinyurl.com/FIRENov2020.