Wednesday, January 13, 7pm
Los Altos Library
13 S. San Antonio Rd., Los Altos

Sponsored by Peninsula Peace & Justice Center

The quilts will be on display for the next 3 months at various local venues and communities of faith.  See the article below or click here for more information.

MVPJ has joined with several local organizations and congregations in sponsoring 3 months of local displays of The Drones Quilt Project. The purpose of this effort is to raise awareness about the immoral and tragic use of weaponized drones by the United States, which is responsible for the injury and death of hundreds of people in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Each block of each quilt bears the name of a drone victim, and was created by a different individual, humanizing the victims and showing the connection between all human beings.

In Palo Alto, quilts will be on exhibit from January-March at various times in different congregations, including First Congregational Church, Unitarian Universalist Church, and two Catholic Churches.  On Wednesday, January 13, 7pm there will be a display, reception and discussion featuring the quilts at the Los Altos Library. Click here for more information.

Multifaith Voices for Peace & Justice is delighted to co-sponsor the 2nd annual EID Festival - a holiday to build a beloved community.

Saturday, Dec. 19, 1-4:30pm
First United Methodist Church, 625 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto

Free Pakistani food.
Cultural experiences with ethnic dresses, Mehndi (Henna), and bangles for girls.
Nasheed (Spiritual singing)

All faiths encourage their follwers to love their neighbors. To love our neighbors, we must know our neighbors.

Free event. Register at 222.eventbright.com search for Eid Festival (celebration of Muslim holidays).

Sponsored by the American Muslim Voice Foundation. 

The Blessing of Water
Balancing God's Gift and Our Responsibility

Sunday, Nov. 22, 7pm
Congregation Etz Chayim
4161 Alma St., Palo Alto, CA

Featuring:
Gordon Stewart Peninsula Trombone Choir
Storytellers - Tom and Sandy Farley
Leaders from the Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu Faith Communities
Dancers from a variety of cultures

Not Terrorists; Not Tourists: Refugees are Human Beings

I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” ³⁷Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? ³⁸And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? ³⁹And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” ⁴⁰And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,^* you did it to me.”—Matthew 25:36-40

In the past few days, we have shared in the public and global outpouring of sympathy and support for the victims, their families, and the people of France, Lebanon, and Russia. We reiterate that expression of solidarity, and our condemnation of these acts of violence, all of which have been claimed by the “Islamic State.”

The Rev. Peter Morales, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), shares this pastoral message:

The horrific terrorist attacks in France fill all good people with the deepest sadness. May we all rededicate ourselves to waging peace based on compassion and respect. Hatred must not triumph. 

I share the following prayer written by the Rev. Eric Cherry, director of the UUA’s International Office: 

Holy One, our hearts are torn, broken, and battered.
Even across an ocean
from the City of Light;
Such pain, such violence, such suffering.

After Paris: A World that has Lost its Ethical Direction
November 15, 2015

For many years, we at Tikkun and the Network of Spiritual Progressives have warned that the domination and power-over strategies to achieve “homeland security” have been tried for over 7,000 years and all they have produced is more wars and violence, interspersed with short periods of peace that have, with the help of the sensationalist and natioanlist  media and professional apologists for the existing inequalities, managed to hide from public view the degree of covert structural violence that every system of inequality and domination embodies.

Holy One,

We pray for all people and places that have experienced the terror of violence this week as the aftershocks of fear and grief reverberate through bodies and buildings:

We want peace for these people and places, but we do not know how to achieve it. Help us to see with clarity how our own country’s actions have contributed to the violence we see and mourn in the world this week. Let our collective mourning and sense of solidarity drive us deeper into the work for peace in our own country, and let us not feel angry only at Daesh, but also at the political policies and realities that engender extremism.

by Emily Brewer of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship