Artwork by Iveth Pineda, Seventh Grade, Dade Middle School
Presented at the Interfaith Council's Festival of Gratitude, 2022
Select this link or click on the picture above to see more expressions of Gratitude!
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2022 INTO 2023, THE END IS A NEW BEGINNING
The month of November was a month of Thanks-Givings, for sure! Our Faiths in Conversation, Faith Forward Dallas gathering, Festival of Gratitude, the Fifth Annual Interfaith Thanks-Giving Service, and, of course, the celebration of Thanksgiving. With such an inspirational finish to the month of Thanks-Givings, we cannot help but get excited about the Thanks-Giving Community's new year. And, with a new year comes new year's resolutions.
First and foremost, we resolve to continue, and indeed accelerate our efforts to help us all come together on Common Ground, so that we might move together to Higher Ground. Thanks-Giving Square is home to a movement that brings diverse people together to solve problems we can’t solve alone. All people inspired by gratitude to take action are invited to join the movement. We're certain to gain momentum as more and more people who are grateful for the blessings they enjoy are moved to make our Beloved Dallas a better place
The Interfaith Council will continue to engage in North Texas' faith communities. Through education, engagement, and empowerment, the Interfaith Council will grow in our individual faiths, while exploring faiths not our own. Educationally, the Interfaith Council will read together a collection of Rumi's selected works called Gold; this is a gorgeous new translation by the poet and performer Haleh Liza Gafori. Member engagements will include faith community tours, a day of service, and our festivals. We will also empower one another through compassionate conversation on our local and global concerns through Faiths in Conversation.
Faith Forward Dallas begins a new year with new leadership and a new focus on deepening relationships and strengthening advocacy work. The pandemic strained many faith communities, and faith leaders need one another to deliver their best to their congregations. Faith Forward Dallas commits to quarterly, regional engagements to network, support, and expand our member reach. There is also a passion to now deepen the group's collective voice, so Faith Forward Dallas will receive advocacy training with Interfaith Alliance in advance of the Texas Legislative Session.
And, for the Thanks-Giving community, we resolve to:
- Choose LOVE over Hate
- Get Involved, Make a DIFFERENCE
- Practice GRATITUDE.
We know you will too . . .
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CELEBRATING THE FESTIVAL OF GRATITUDE
An eighth grader named Keshawn said in his celebration of gratitude, "I’m thankful for my teachers because they teach me and help me read and I’m thankful for Ms. Gunter for teaching me art and thankful for my mama for putting a roof over my head and putting clothes on my back and food on my plate." The inspiration of gratitude was also on display on November 12 with our Festival of Gratitude hosted by Thanks-Giving Square's Interfaith Council through visual and performing arts at Dade Middle School. See these highlights of the students' work and our Interfaith Council volunteer core . . . We are grateful for such an incredible celebration!
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PLAN YOUR VISIT TO THE DALLAS ARBORETUM
The Interfaith Council of Thanks-Giving Square & The Texas Jewish Arts Association are collaborating with the Dallas Arboretum for their first exhibition called, ' The Artistry of Faith & Culture'; which will display items for Shabbat and Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Holi, and Christmas all inside the DeGolyer estate home on the grounds of the Dallas Arboretum, November 10 thru December 31, 2022.
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Celebrate. Become Aware. Increase Compassion. Deepen Your Gratitude.
All this by recognizing the special celebrations, remembrances, and holy-days of our sibilings of different faiths by bookmarking the "2023 Faith Times."
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FAITHS IN CONVERSATION, Monday, December 12th
Our Inter-Faith Council is hosting "Faiths in Conversation: Ethic of Creation Care." Participants will join this monthly on-line series via a ZOOM link that will be provided upon registration.
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BELOVED DALLAS MOVEMENT, DECEMBER UPDATE
Drs. Rachel Tache and Andy Stoker will be hosting a monthly Zoom Session to give updates and invite new people into the conversation about the Beloved Dallas work. The December Zoom Session will be Monday, December 12, at 5 p.m. (click the underline to copy Zoom credentials for your calendar).
You are invited to join and hear the update from the community engagement work on-going in the up-building of a more just, fair, equitable, and inclusive Dallas. |
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Each month, visitors (of all ages) leave about 500 expressions of gratitude on our Gratitude Wall inside the Chapel of Thanks-Giving. Here (below) is a sampling of a few of our recent favorites. You are invited to leave your own personal expression of gratitude on our Gratitude Wall when you visit Thanks-Giving Square, or online when you visit our Facebook Page.
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