18th Annual Community Memorial Caravan meets at Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship in Reno

In 2016 the Northern Nevada Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Committee and the Nevada Clergy Association presented community memorial events in the Reno community in celebration of the Martin Luther King, Jr.:

The 30th Annual Interfaith Community Memorial Service
Sunday, January 17, 2016 3:00 Pm
Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship of Northern Nevada
780 Del Monte Lane, Reno

The 18th Annual Community Memorial Caravan
Monday, January 18, 2016 10:00 AM
Meet at Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship
780 Del Monte Lane, Reno

THE POWER OF UNITY

We come together in Unity working together to enrich our lives through an interfaith experience. During this service, religious leaders and others give thanks for the life, legacy, and message of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

Prelude music: “MLK” performed by the UUFNN Choir

Welcome delivered by Reverend Neal Anderson, Sr. Minister, UUFFN

Invocation delivered by Rajan Zed, President, Universal Society of Hinduism

Sharing a spiritual message, Jim Eaglesmith, performance artist and spiritual story teller

Musical selection performed by The Power of Love

Leroy Jones of Power of Love performing

Musical selections performed by Second Baptist Church Choir

Keynote Address delivered by Patricia Gallimore, President, Reno-Sparks NAACP

Reverend Onie Cooper Humanitarian Award presented to Eddie Scott

Reverend Onie Cooper Humanitarian Award presented to We Care About Kids NV

Closing remarks delivered by Reverend Canon Gary Buchanan, International Community of Christ

Benediction delivered by Reverend Mother Rebecca Willis, International Community of Christ

Presenters at 2016 MLK Jr. Community Memorial Service

Bishop Gene Savoy, Jr. has been invited to join the Child Health Institute Advisory Board of Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno. Renown is northern Nevada’s largest hospital and ranked nationally in the top 50.

The Child Health Institute, a joint collaboration of Renown Health and the University of Nevada School of Medicine, will focus on children’s health and wellness in five areas: preventative medicine, education, research, healthcare delivery, and access. The Institute has an initial funding commitment of $5 million.

Bishop Gene was asked to be involved due to his “leadership in the community.”

Religious leaders gather with UNR President Dr. Marc A. Johnson to celebrate the opening of university meditation rooms.

“RENO — ‘Meditation and Reflection Rooms’ were formally opened Wednesday at the University of Nevada, Reno.

“According to religious statesman Rajan Zed, the area features two individual rooms and a larger space for reflection, meditation and prayer. It includes cabinets where each group can keep their required religious icons and articles locked to be brought out when needed by individuals.

“Zed has commended UNR for accepting the longstanding need of the campus community for a neutral space for meditation, prayer, reflection, etc., and thus recognizing the intersection of spirituality and education.”

Read the entire article online at elkodaily.com.

The Nevada Clergy Association requests your presence at the 2016 Interfaith Nevada Prayer Breakfast “United In Peace.”

Tuesday, April 12 ~ 7 to 9 AM
Grand Ballroom ~ 2nd Floor~ Atlantis Casino Resort Spa
Reno, Nevada

Welcome by Barbara Cegavske, Nevada Secretary of State
Keynote Address by Abdul Barghouti, Acting Imam, Northern Nevada Muslim Community
Master of Ceremonies: Rev. Sean Savoy, Chancellor, International Community of Christ
Featuring the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Choir

The annual Vision Award will be presented to:
Northern Nevada International Center

The Community Service Award will be given to:
the Honorable Gino Martini, Mayor of the City of Sparks,
and to the Honorable Bob Cashell, former Mayor of the City of Reno

Special announcement will be given on:
NCA’s partnership with Renown Health to create the
Interfaith Spiritual Center at Renown

Please RSVP by April 6 (tickets also available at door)
(775) 786-1800 or at NevadaClergy.net
Please send checks to Nevada Clergy Association
643 Ralston St., Reno, NV 89503
MasterCard, Visa & Discover cards are accepted.

Individual Tickets: $30 ($35 at the door)
Patron Tables of 8: $280; Non-profit: $200
Patrons will be recognized in the printed program.
Donations to help defray the cost of the event are also accepted.

Follow preparations for the Nevada Prayer Breakfast on Facebook.

Make your reservations for the Nevada Prayer Breakfast online at NevadaClergy.net.

PHOTO: Jim Eaglesmith

Local leaders of several faiths announced a new effort to make common cause in the Reno religious community and combat those who want to pit religions against each other.

The announcement took place during a press conference held at the Northern Nevada Muslim Community Center on the afternoon of February 19, 2016 to launch the local Build for Unity project, an interfaith collaboration to build homes for families in need and bring together members of the interfaith community who share the values of diversity, inclusion, and community.

Collaborators are the Truckee Meadows Habitat for Humanity and the Nevada Clergy Association. Bishop Gene Savoy Jr., president of the Nevada Clergy Association, helped organize the event and emceed it.

At the event it was announced that substantial funds had been committed by various religious groups to build a home in Reno through Habitat for Humanity while also building amity and joint cooperation among the faiths.

Habitat spokesperson Christine Price thanked the group for “help in welcoming home one more family.”

To make sure no one missed the message, a flyer announcing the event read, “In light of today’s political climate and national rhetoric, we are making a statement about our shared values in Northern Nevada: diversity, inclusion, and community.”

“It is important to counter the notion that America hates Muslims,” said Catholic diocesan spokesperson Rita Sloan.

The Reno News & Review article on the event, “Cooperation trumps polarization,” noted that the effort was organized in part by News & Review owner Jeff vonKaenel, who set up a similar initiative in Sacramento and is now working on others for urban areas around the nation. He said the ease with which churches and leaders joined in and committed funds surprised him. “They were like—‘Jeff, we love this idea.’ … So why should we not come together and build a hundred homes?” vonKaenel said. “A hundred homes, a hundred communities coming together.”

Imam Abdul Rahim Barghouthi said of the effort that “this is a blessing and it comes with responsibility. And that responsibility is to take care of one another.” He added, “I see Islam in America and I see America in Islam.”

PHOTO: Jim Eaglesmith

The Nevada Clergy Association requests your presence at the 2016 Interfaith Nevada Prayer Breakfast “United In Peace.”

Tuesday, April 12 ~ 7 to 9 AM
Grand Ballroom ~ 2nd Floor~ Atlantis Casino Resort Spa
Reno, Nevada

Welcome by Barbara Cegavske, Nevada Secretary of State
Keynote Address by Abdul Barghouti, Acting Imam, Northern Nevada Muslim Community
Master of Ceremonies: Rev. Sean Savoy, Chancellor, International Community of Christ
Featuring the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Choir

The annual Vision Award will be presented to:
Northern Nevada International Center

The Community Service Award will be given to:
the Honorable Gino Martini, Mayor of the City of Sparks,
and to the Honorable Bob Cashell, former Mayor of the City of Reno

Special announcement will be given on:
NCA’s partnership with Renown Health to create the
Interfaith Spiritual Center at Renown

Please RSVP by April 6 (tickets also available at door)
(775) 786-1800 or at NevadaClergy.net
Please send checks to Nevada Clergy Association
643 Ralston St., Reno, NV 89503
MasterCard, Visa & Discover cards are accepted.

Individual Tickets: $30 ($35 at the door)
Patron Tables of 8: $280; Non-profit: $200
Patrons will be recognized in the printed program.
Donations to help defray the cost of the event are also accepted.

To reserve tickets online visit the Nevada Clergy web page.

For those who do not prefer making online payment,
download the PDF and fill out the attached form on the back. 

Or download the PDF to help spread the word.

The Nevada Prayer Breakfast is a gathering of citizens — including civic, business, and community leaders — to offer prayers on behalf of our State and to bring the spiritual resources of the community together to bear on Nevada’s leaders. Although members of the community may believe differently in their approach to the Divine, we gather at the Nevada Prayer Breakfast equally and without discrimination. Together, we devote our energies to the good of the State of Nevada. Together, we pray.

The Nevada Clergy Association is a non-profit, interfaith network of religious and spiritual leaders in Nevada.

Religious leaders and others after the prayer vigil. PHOTO: Boyd Jeffery

In view of growing violence nationally and globally, diverse northern Nevada faith groups joined hands to pray together on December 20, 2016.

“Multi-faith Prayer Vigil for Peace & Unity” was an event coordinated by religious statesman Rajan Zed and hosted by South Reno United Methodist Church (SRUMC). Present at the event included representatives of the Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Baha’i, Shinto, and Native American traditions. Attendees signed a banner pledging peace and unity. Representing the International Community of Christ as bishop and the Nevada Clergy Association as president was the Rt. Rev. Gene Savoy Jr.

The event started with lamp lighting by leaders of the various and diverse faith communities and prayers read in English, Sanskrit, Hebrew, Arabic, Pali, and Paiute languages. Some prayers were accompanied by flutes and taiko drums.

Zed, President of the Universal Society of Hinduism, speaking on the occasion, said: “In view of growing violence nationally and globally, many times targeting innocent people, there is the need to come together in prayer, dialogue, and community to bring light and hope to the spreading darkness.”

Participants included Dawn Pidlypchak, Senior Pastor of SRUMC; Rita K. Sloan, Life-Peace-Justice Commission Coordinator of Roman Catholic Diocese of Reno; Sherif A. Elfass, President of Northern Nevada Muslim Community; Shelly L. Fisher and Matthew T. Fisher, Priests at Reno Buddhist Center; ElizaBeth Webb Beyer, Rabbi of Temple Beth Or and Tahoe Hebrew Congregation; Roya Galata, Baha’i Teacher; Gene Savoy Jr, Head Bishop of International Community of Christ; Joseph E. Johnson, Sparks Stake President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Brian E. Melendez, American Indian Spirituality Scholar; Becky Stockdale, Pastor at SRUMC; Rieko Shimbo, Director of Tsurunokai Taiko; and well know musician Oscar Dallas Smith III.

Interfaith panel answering teacher and student questions at Rain Shadow Community Charter High School. L to R: Brian Melendez (Native American Tribalism), Fr. Bob Chorey (Roman Catholicism), Rev. Shelly Fisher (Buddhism), Ryan Earl (LDS-Mormonism), Dr. Sherif Elfass (Islam), Rt. Rev. Sean Savoy (Second Adventism-Cosolargy).

Rev. Sean Savoy was asked to speak before the student body at Rain Shadow Charter High School on the topic of diversity and multiculturalism. Specifically, he was asked to give his personal and professional experiences and views on ethnic and race issues (specifically Latino-Hispanic), LGBTQ issues, interfaith, and spiritual issues. He was interviewed and also entertained questions from the students.

During the panel, the religious representatives were asked prepared questions by teacher Emily Reese and then also answered questions from students about their particular faiths and belief systems.

Rt. Rev. Sean Savoy being interviewed on diversity issues by teacher Emily Reese for Multicultural Day at Rain Shadow Community Charter High School.

Members of the Nevada Clergy Association gather for the 30th Annual Thanksgiving Eve Service at Little Flower Church on Thursday, November 25, 2015. About 600 people attended this multi-faith tradition.

Open a PDF copy of the 2015 Interfaith Thanksgiving Program.

Nearly 600 people of various faiths and backgrounds attended the 30th Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Eve Service held at St. Therese Church of the Little Flower in Reno on Wednesday, November 25, 2015.

The event, themed “A Celebration of Religious Freedom,” is sponsored by the Nevada Clergy Association (NCA). This service, a much-revered tradition in the Reno-Sparks community and largely unique nationwide in its scope and diversity, includes prayers, readings, and music from a variety of faith traditions. Food and monetary donations were made to the Volunteers of America Shelter Programs.

Participating in the program from the International Community of Christ were the Rt. Reverends Gene Savoy Jr. and Sean Savoy. Rev. Gene Jr. delivered a reading from the “Thanksgiving Prayer” of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Rev. Sean, together with Pat Meidell of the Church of Latter-day Saints, delivered a presentation on the development of the Interfaith Spiritual Sanctuary at Renown Hospital in Reno.

Previous hosts of the past five years were the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd (2014), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (2013), St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Cathedral (2012), St. John’s Presbyterian Church (2011), and Trinity Episcopal Church (2010).

Open a PDF copy of the 2015 Interfaith Thanksgiving Program.

Presenters at 2015 Thanksgiving Eve Service assembled in first pews at Little Flower Church PHOTO: Stephan Fuelling

Reno Buddhist Center chanters perform PHOTO: Stephan Fuelling

Keynote speaker Jason Guinnaso PHOTO: Stephan Fuelling

Pat Meidell and Rt. Rev. Sean Savoy present on the Interfaith Spiritual Sanctuary project at Renown Hospital PHOTO: Stephan Fuelling

Rt. Rev. Gene Savoy Jr. reading from Dead Sea Scrolls “Thanksgiving Hymn” PHOTO: Stephan Fuelling