Sarah and Benjamin

On Sunday, 30 people gathered to celebrate the culture and diversity of Africa and commemorate World Malaria Day. We ate delicious Ethiopian food and listened to live drumming from a DC-based Malian trio. At one point, we even formed a dance circle, shaking our hips and hands as we moved to the rhythm of the kongas - a traditional African drum. 
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Join us for a series of action events during the weekend of World Malaria Day, from April 23-25th. This is going to be an exciting weekend for us to put our faith into action by joining the global fight against malaria, to celebrate the beauty and culture of Africa, as well as learn more about different faith traditions... 
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One of the members of the Interfaith Youth Action Group, Aseer Ahmad, raised over $800 for Malaria No More through a fundraiser at his mosque. Here are some of his reflections on the event...  
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Yesterday, the DC Faiths Act Fellows convened a new initiative, entitled DC Interfaith Response. Our meeting had been scheduled for nearly a month, but it happened to come less than 24 hours after the magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti. The unfolding tragedy quickly took center stage at our gathering. As the poorest nation in our hemisphere, the tragic situation there had deep resonance for the faith leaders assembled. One leader spoke at the meeting, saying, “Supporting communities in need is not an act of charity – it is an act of faith, for all of us.” 
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Last night, between 60 and 70 people crammed into my house... 
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Yesterday, Benjamin and I braved the rain storm that seemed to have made a pit stop in the sky above DC, blanketing the city with grey sheets of drizzle and fog. It was the second meeting of the Interfaith Youth Action Group and we were off to gather with six high school students from the DC metropolitan area in our office at the Washington National Cathedral...  
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Saturday's Beat Back Malaria Boogie in Takoma Park, organized by the Silver Spring Moishe House and the Faiths Act Fellows was a huge success. We raised over $300 for Malaria No More. And on top of that, people of all ages (from 7 to 70) came together for a night of dancing to international dance beats. A huge thank you to Honest Tea, which provided 120 bottles of tea to keep everyone hydrated throughout the evening. And to Moishe House Silver Spring, who sponsored snacks for all the attendees. 
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“What kinds of service work have you done in the past?” A simple question heralded a diverse range of answers from the 21 high school students in the room. (above) Members of the Interfaith Youth Action Group share their stories of service  
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Last night, I witnessed the unveiling of a new charter – the Charter for Compassion. It calls us, people of faith, to compassionate living. Karen Armstrong, author, thinker, and ethicist, spoke eloquently about the need for a revival of the golden rule – to do onto others what you would like done to yourself. All the major religions, she said, hold compassion as a core value. And for good reason, because in its essence, compassionate living means seeking the divine. Acting with compassion, then, requires a reorientation of self that can only happen when we “dethrone our own egos,“ thinking of someone else in moments when we usually think about ourselves...  
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Sitting on a weather-worn wooden bench. Drooping branches, heavy with leaves the color of dying embers. Trees withering like phoenixes ready to burst into new life. The world changes, creation is in a continuous process of death and rebirth. And in that process, there is brokenness... 
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This past Sunday through Tuesday, the Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) held its 6th annual conference. The conference was a huge success - drawing hundreds of young activists from across the country to gather, exchange stories of interfaith action, and learn about how they can continue to build the interfaith youth movement. Many prominent figures spoke at the conference, including IFYC Executive Director and Founder Eboo Patel, Jim Wallis, Executive Director and Publisher of Sojourners, Joshua Dubois, head of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, Ruth Turner, the Executive Director of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, Rabbi David Saperstein, executive director of the Religious Action Center, and many others! In addition, many young leaders gave presentations and workshops, including the Faiths Act Fellows.  
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This past Sunday, the Washington DC Faiths Act Fellows participated in the 9/11 Unity Walk. Here are Sarah's reactions: Sitting cross-legged on the carpeted ground, plunging my fingers into delicious curried vegetables, I watched, fascinated by the demonstration. An older guy with a long, gray-speckled beard wrapped a festive orange turban around the unshaven head of a younger man. The complicated process required much movement. It was as if the older man was dancing in a rhythmic circle, the orange clothe flowing behind him like a kite in the wind...  
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The DC Faiths Act Fellows will be representing the Faiths Act Campaign this Sunday at the 9/11 Unity Walk. We will be tabling at the Community Service Fair, from 1-2:30 at Washington Hebrew Congregation. The Unity Walk brings thousands of people representing hundreds of organizations, religious groups and diplomatic communities together to walk in unity, building bridges of understanding and respect. 
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Tony Blair spoke at Georgetown University on Wednesday as part of the global leaders forum of 'A Common Word between us and you: A Global Agenda for Change.'  A Common Word is an international, high-level, interfaith initiative between Muslims and Christians.  Tony Blair singled out the four DC-area Faiths Act Fellows, Sarah Baker, Benjamin Bechtolsheim, Randa Kuziez, and Avi Smolen, as an example of how faith can be put into action...

 

 
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Last night, Benjamin and I, along with Randa and Avi (the other two Faiths Act Fellows in DC) trekked to Bethesda, Maryland to hear Eboo Patel speak at a local Presbyterian church.   I was skeptical at first.  I’d heard Eboo speak before and was anticipating the same life-story, the same anecdote, the same call to action.  Little did I know that Eboo was addressing the youth in an intimate conversation before his more formal address…

 

 
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Last night, Eboo Patel, the founder and executive director of the Interfaith Youth Core, spoke at Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church.  Over dinner before the lecture, Eboo challenged a group of youth to come up with stories from their own faith traditions that challenge and inspire them to pursue social justice.  He then handed the floor over to the four DC Faiths Act Fellows...

 
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