NEWARK’S FIRST-EVER INTERFAITH WEEK

Mayor Cory A. Booker, the Newark Municipal Council, and the Newark Interfaith Coalition for Hope and Peace opened the City of Newark’s first-ever Interfaith Prayer Week, which was highlighted today by the Third Annual Interfaith Prayer Breakfast, at the NJIT Campus Center Atrium, located at 150 Bleeker Street, this morning.

Interfaith Week will continue through June 6, concluding with an Interfaith Worship Weekend with the Mayor, on Friday, June 4, at a Muslim Mosque; Saturday, June 5, at a Jewish Synagogue; and on Sunday, June 6, at a Christian Church.

The Interfaith Prayer Breakfast is an annual event hosted by the City of Newark, the Council of Religious Leaders, Newark Police Clergy Alliance, New Jersey Institute of Technology, the Newark Interfaith Coalition for Hope and Peace, Newark Now, and numerous other faith and community based organizations. The annual breakfast and focuses on promoting unity all throughout the City. Also in attendance were Central Ward Council Member Charles A. Bell and Deputy Mayor of Neighborhood Engagement Margarita Muñiz.

“I congratulate the organizers of our Third Annual Interfaith Breakfast and proudly open our City’s first-ever Interfaith Week, which will unify residents of all faiths and backgrounds.  In order to overcome these challenging times, we will need the guidance and support of our City’s spiritual and moral leaders more than ever,” Mayor Booker said. “Together as a community that is strong in its faith, we will achieve our destiny and Newark, New Jersey, will become the new ark of God’s Covenant.”

“It is a pleasure being here for the breakfast’s third year. We are all a part of God’s Family. We all have a connection. We all belong to one another, and it’s so great to act as we belong to one another, and work together for the greater good,” said Municipal Council President Mildred C. Crump.

This year’s Breakfast was themed: “Expressions from Young People of Faith,” and Newark youth shared with attendees the importance of faith in their lives, and how they are using that faith to create positive change in their homes, schools, and neighborhoods. Their names and backgrounds are attached.

Senior Mayoral Adviser W. Deen Shareef, one of the founding members of the Newark Interfaith Coalition, and also the Imam at Masjid Waarith ud Deen in Irvington, worked with Newark Clergy President Steven V. Davis, who is pastor of Calvary Gospel Church in Newark. Together they spearheaded the Coalition’s sponsorship to organize the Breakfast and Week. Imam Shareef discussed its unique nature. “We couldn’t find a precedent for this being done before. I have spoken to interfaith leaders in other cities, and they have embraced this idea, and it looks like this is something that other cities will duplicate. I think this Week is as important as many other celebrations we have, because the essence of a person is their spirit,” Imam Shareef said.

“Newark is a very diverse community, with a wonderful dynamic leader, who is a man of faith, and we have a bond that is most important for me, as a religious leader. At this breakfast, we heard from young people, who have accomplished something with their life. I think they will bring about a sense of hope and peace in the community,” he added.

“This event brings everyone together. It promotes healing and restoration, which are some of the key words that everyone used today. For people who weren’t inclined to associate with people of other faiths, it helps bridge the gap and helps them to become comfortable working with people of other faiths toward common goals,” said Police Sgt. Leslie L. Jones, who supervises the Department’s Police/Clergy Affairs Unit.

“This is our first Interfaith Week and we are using it to launch a new message to the City to protect and support our children. It’s our responsibility with three faith groups in Newark, Christian, Muslim, and Jewish, and we’re embracing the sense of community in the City to overcome some of the other messages that people hear that are distracting, distorting, or demeaning,” said Mark Beckwith, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark.

Makini Boothe and Hayden Knight Wiler, both from the Spiritual Assembly Ba’hai of Newark, opened the event with a prayer chant. After the prayer, Ms. Boothe, who is Chair Person of the Assembly, talked about the Breakfast. “This time was the first that we were invited to participate in the program itself, so I think that it’s amazing to have a gathering of different faiths to come together like this, and the Ba’hai faith recognizes the spirituality of all religions and sees our religion as historically and spiritually connected to working to the same goal of the unification of mankind,” said Ms. Boothe.

Community and neighborhood engagement have been hallmarks for the Booker administration since taking office in 2006. In three years, the City has created Family Success Centers, Fatherhood Success Centers, and a Children’s Bill of Rights to empower residents. The annual “Super Summer” program brings a wide range of recreational and educational activities for all ages to all neighborhoods while the Mayor’s Office Hours and Division of Constituent Services enable residents to address issues and concerns directly with the Mayor and the administration. Programs like the Super Neighborhood Community Covenants make residents leaders and planners in determining the destinies of their communities.

For more information about The Newark Interfaith Coalition for Hope & Peace, visit their website at www.newarkinterfaith.org. For information about any other municipal program or policy, contact the Non-Emergency Call Center at (973) 733-4311.

Posted by NT STAFF on Jun 14 2010 Filed under Faith-Based. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.