IYA Interfaith Insider November 2023

November 2023

INTERFAITH INSIDER The Interfaith Youth Alliance Newsletter

IYA students visiting the Sikh Center (Gurdwara) of Orange County on October 8

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Student Reflections Invitation to Hearts and Hands November Holidays and Upcoming Events

IYA hosted a booth at the Irvine Global Village on October 14

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Student Reflections: October visit to Sikh Center (Gurdwara) of Orange County My experience of having IYA at the Gurdwara has been amazing! As a Sikh, I love sharing my culture, religion, and my experiences with others. I also love hearing their perspectives and answering questions.

- Rabina Kaur, IYA treasurer

What is something you learned or something you connected with?

Something I learned today was the pillars of sikhism and I also connected with other religions that people had today. It opened my eyes to see the similarities between cultures and also the differences. - IYA student

November 2023

I learned that Sikhs believe in gurus. In my tradition, we believe in prophets.

I learned about the Islamic and Sikhi shared practice of prostration.

I connected with many of the traditions and customs shown in the tour because I myself am a Sikh.

I learned that Sikhs treat their sacred book as a living thing.

Language is a central part of religion through generations.

Hearts and Hands 2023

By IYA Co-Chair Robert McPhie I invite you all to come to one of the best Interfaith events of the year: Hearts & Hands Community Day of Service. It is a wonderful Orange County tradition, held annually on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. This year our theme is Aloha!, so don a Hawaiian shirt, if you have one. But regardless of what you wear, just come!

Come and help stuff soft little teddy bears for refugee children.

(Skill level: very low. Good feelings: very high.) Come and knit beanies for cancer patients. (Skill level: a bit higher, but they will show you how to use their looms, and even elementary schoolers can get the hang of it fairly quickly.) Come and pack personal hygiene items into emergency street kits. Come and make paracord bracelets to send in care packages to our deployed troops and military veterans. Come and make cat toys for shelter cats. You get the idea.

The way it works is that there are dozens of projects spread out on tables throughout a big church building in Newport Beach. You simply pick a table, sit down, and help for a while. Then you move to a different table anytime you wish.

There's a wonderful $5 lunch put on by the fire department. Those guys are out there all morning working on the lunch, so you can enjoy all the good smells while you work on your projects. There's a wonderful bake sale with delicious homemade treats, and all proceeds go to charity. The Red Cross is on hand if you want to give blood. And when you're done, you can head back inside to help with whatever project calls to you. In the past, I've helped assemble 3D-printed prosthetic hands, and I've helped string jump ropes for schools in need of recess equipment. I've sanded wooden blocks for children in crisis. Why? As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I love the words of Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Matthew: " Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." This is the call to action that people of all faiths will answer at Hearts and Hands Community Day of Service this year. Please join us!

IYA Co-chair Robert McPhie, third from left, participates in a flag ceremony at the beginning of Hearts & Hands 2021.

Details: Saturday, November 18, 2023 801 Dover Drive, Newport Beach Admission is free, but bring $5 if you want to buy lunch (and a little more if you want something from the bake sale) 9 AM to 2 PM but stay for as little or as long as you like More details: 949.350.6300, ocheartsandhands@gmail.com

Student Reflections: Bandi Chhor Divas

The Golden Temple is a gurdwara located in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India

As Diwali is coming up, we wanted to provide our perspectives as well: Personally, I love Diwali!

Diwali is the festival of lights and the triumph or good over evil, light over dark, and prosperity over evil. In Sikhi we also celebrate Bandi Chhor Diwas alongside Diwali. Bandi Chhor Diwas celebrates when our 6th guru, Guru Hargobind Ji, saved and broke out 52 kings from Gwalior Fort who were wrongly imprisoned by Emperor Jahangir. We celebrate both occasions alongside each other because not only do they line up perfectly, but also because Bandi Chhor Diwas was a real, powerful occasion from our history where good won over evil.

- Rabina Kaur, IYA treasurer

Around the time of Diwali Sikhs often celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas, which roughly translates to The Liberation Day. This event is celebrated by Sikhs as the day our sixth guru, Guru Hargobind Ji released 52 innocent prisoners from Gwalior Fort, who had been imprisoned by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. Without any violence, Guru Ji led these prisoners out of the fort, and now Sikhs celebrate this day as a reminder of resilience and freedom.

- Sophia Reddy, IYA Co-Chair

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Upcoming Events: 11/4 Shinnyo-en Buddhist Temple Open House (11am & 1pm) 18111 Bastanchury Rd. Yorba Lina, CA 92886 11/12 Interfaith Thanksgiving Program (5:30-7:30 pm) Congregation B’nai Tzedek 96609 Talbert Ave. Fountain Valley 92708 11/18 Hearts and Hands (9am-3pm) Newport Beach We have a goal to make 250 hygiene kits to give to local homeless service organizations 12/8 City of Stanton Holidays Around the World 12/10 Brea Congregational Church & the Congregational Church of Fullerton (2-4pm) 1/14/2024 The Holocaust Education Center (2-4pm) 3/3/2024 18th Faith Forum & Festival (1-6pm)

November Holidays 12 (Hinduism) Diwali 12 (Sikhi) Bandi Chhor Divas 27 (Sikhi) Birth of Guru nanak Dev Ji