Southern Tier Interfaith Coalition Annual Meeting 2023
2023-09-10 15:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | United Church of Painted Post, 201 No. Hamilton St (exit 44 off I-86), Painted Post, New York, 14870, United States
Anti-Racism Challenges for the Interfaith Community

The Reverend Gary T. Smith, Director of The Center for Racial Justice

by The Reverend Gary T. Smith

Director of The Center for Racial Justice

United Church of Christ – New York Conference

Reverend Gary T. Smith will speak about how he approaches anti-racism work in a faith context. The Mission Statement for the Center is “To eliminate racism and White supremacy in congregations, and in the schools, institutions, and organizations within our communities by educating people about the history of personal and systemic racism; building intentional multiracial relationships; and leveraging our collective power to achieve race-related systemic change.

The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Refreshments will follow Rev. Smith’s presentation.

Abraham Path Walk 2023
2023-10-08 14:00 - 17:00 | Congregation Kol Ami, 1008 West Water Street, Elmira, New York, 14904, United States
11th Annual event, sponsored by the Southern Tier Interfaith Coalition (STIC)

People of Faith Walking Together for greater understanding and compassion

The three-mile Walk celebrates the three Abrahamic faiths and is based on the story of Abraham, a prophet common to Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Sunday, October 8th, 2023 @ 2:00 PM

Event begins at Congregation Kol Ami with refreshments (parking available at 1008 W. Water Street, Elmira)

Walk with someone of another faith community to Grace Episcopal (375 W. Church St. Elmira) then return to Kol Ami

Then drive to the IAFL Islamic Center of the Finger Lakes (499 Hickory Grove Rd. Horseheads) for a reception

If you’re not interested in walking, come to the reception at IAFL at 3:30 p.m.

For more information go to https://www.sticinterfaith.org/about or contact: Imam Zaman Marwat, 607-562-3869, sufizaman@yahoo.com Debra Todd, 607-734-0908, dctodd321@gmail.com

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

STIC 2023 Abrahamic Walk News Release

A 2.5 mile walk for interfaith understanding will take place on Sunday, October 8th, stepping off at 2:00 PM in West Elmira, with a concluding reception in Horseheads.

Called “The Path of Abraham,” the walk celebrates three faiths—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—that all race their origins to the Biblical patriarch and Prophet Abraham. The walk is an education project of the Southern Tier Interfaith Coalition (STIC), which began this annual event in 2012.

The goal, according to Interfaith Coalition chair Dr. Zaman Marwat, is not only to walk on behalf of interfaith understanding, but also for individual participants to increase their own understanding by walking with someone of another religion and sharing answers to prepared questions.

The walk will begin at 2:00 PM at Congregation Kol Ami, 1008 West Water Street, in West Elmira, where participants may leave their cars. After a short visit inside the synagogue, participants will then walk to Grace Episcopal Church, 375 West Church St. for a rest stop and then walk back to Kol Ami. The total walk mileage is about 2.5 miles. Participants will then drive to the Islamic Association of the Finger Lakes, 499 Hickory Grove Rd. Horseheads for a tour of the mosque and refreshments.

The original idea for a Path of Abraham Walk was for interfaith groups to walk the entire route from the site of Ur, in southern Iraq, to Haran, in southern Turkey, and then to Jerusalem, in Israel, as the Bible states that Abraham and Sarah traveled. For those of us who can’t travel to the Middle East and hike in the desert for days on end, an alternative is to walk a local route that includes a synagogue, a church, and a mosque.

The walk is open to everyone, at no charge. Individuals unable to walk the route are welcome to drive from point to point, car pool with others to complete the questions, and/or participate in the reception.

2023 Community Interfaith Thanksgiving Service
2023-11-19 15:30 - 18:00 | First Congregational United Church of Christ, 171 W. Pulteney St., Corning, NY, 14830, United States
A reception with dessert and fellowship will follow the service.

The committee planning the STIC Interfaith Thanksgiving Service (19 November 2023) seeks refreshment donations for the Dessert Reception that will follow Service.

Any person able to prepare or purchase a dessert item to share is asked to email planning team member Deb Todd, (dctodd321@gmail.com) between now and November 15.

*Please note that in respecting dietary restrictions of several members, STIC must request that dessert contributions be accompanied by simple ingredient note card that we’ll place alongside the dish on serving table.

In advance, Deb and the whole STIC family warmly welcome ALL who attend, participate, and share the invitation with friends and family. And, of course, special Thanks to those who arrive with a sweet treat to share.

Download flyer:

STIC-Interfaith-Thanksgiving-Service-11-19-23-1Download

This service is free for all who wish to attend. A free will offering will be collected and donated to Doctors Without Borders.

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is on the ground in over 70 countries—providing urgently needed humanitarian aid in moments of crisis and conflict. Make a gift today to help us continue providing medical aid where it is needed most.

What is Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) ?

Every day, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams deliver emergency medical aid to people in crisis, with over 63,000 staff working in more than 70 countries around the world. Our teams of doctors, nurses, logisticians, and other frontline workers are often among the first on the scene when peoples’ lives are upended by conflict, disease outbreaks, or natural or human-made disasters.
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

All are Welcome! This is the Second Interfaith Thanksgiving Service.

Elmira PRIDE
2024-06-01 11:00 - 16:00 | NY
Park Church Web

June 1, 2024 – Elmira PRIDE – Hosted by The Park Church Elmira

What: Elmira PRIDE

When: Saturday, June 1st from 11 am to 4 pm

Where: Wisner Park – next to The Park Church

The Park Church has received an ARTS Community grant to sponsor artists during the 2024 PRIDE celebration in Wisner Park on Saturday, June 1st from 11 AM to 4 PM.

Please let us know if you would like to perform, be a vendor or a participating food truck.

Non-profits serving the LGBTQIA+ community are welcome to table at the event.

For an Application to Vend or to Table, please contact office@theparkchurch.org.

This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes.

Poster of Elmira PRIDE event PDF

Community Documentation Workshop Screening
2024-06-12 19:00 - 21:00 | NY
The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes and The Park Church present:

A Community Documentation Workshop Screening

Provided

Wednesday, June 12, 2024 at 7:00 PM

Come meet the community creators at The Park Church – 208 West Gray St. – Elmira

This screening features four short documentaries made by local community organizations. The Community Documentation Workshop (CDW) equips grassroots organizations in our region with the skills and perspectives to document and present their own cultural traditionsin ways that center their voices and perspectives.

This year’s videos are presented in partnership with:Ancient Voices Media (https://instagram.com/ancientvoicesmedia), Food for the Spirit (https://foodforthespirit.org), the Islamic Association of the Finger Lakes (https://iaflcenter.org/), and United Steelworkers Local 1000 (https://uswlocals.org/usw-local-1000).

Thank you to additional project partners: Chemung County Library District MakerSpace (ccldmakerspace.org), Chemung County Historical Society (https://chemungvalleymuseum.org/), Elmira College (https://www.elmira.edu/), and GO ART (https://goart.org/).

Support for the Community Documentation Workshop is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature,the National Endowment for the Arts, and Corning Incorporated.

The event is free. Coffee and cookies will be served. Enter from the church parking lot off Gray Street.

Abraham Path Walk 2024
2024-10-13 14:00 - 17:00 | Park Church, 208 W. Gray St, Elmira, New York, 14901, United States
12th Annual event, sponsored by the Southern Tier Interfaith Coalition (STIC)

Artwork: Gokden Alpman Matthews. Photo: Kay Campbell. 2014.

People of Faith Walking Together for greater understanding and compassion

This year we walk together in the public sphere in downtown Elmira.

This one-mile walk brings interfaith partners together and is based on the story of Abraham, a prophet common to Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Sunday, October 13th, 2024 @ 2:00 PM

Begin in the parking lot of The Park Church (208 W. Gray Street, Elmira)

Walk with someone of another faith community to the Elmira City Hall, Chemung County Courthouse and then back to Wisner Park

Then drive to the IAFL Islamic Center of the Finger Lakes (499 Hickory Grove Rd. Horseheads) for a reception and STIC Annual Meeting.

If you’re not interested in walking, come to the reception and annual meeting at IAFL at 3:30 p.m.

For more information go to https://www.sticinterfaith.org/about or contact: Imam Zaman Marwat, 607-562-3869, sufizaman@yahoo.com Debra Todd, 607-734-0908, dctodd321@gmail.com

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The walk is open to everyone, at no charge. Individuals unable to walk the route are welcome to drive from point to point, car pool with others to complete the questions, and/or participate in the reception.

How Religious Viewpoints Influence Climate Science and Policy
2025-02-26 13:15 - 14:15 | Elmira College Campus, 1 Park Place, Elmira, New York, 14830, United States
Come join the entire Elmira College Community to be part of the change during a day dedicated to critical dialogue and interactive simulations on practical, just climate solutions. This event is free and open to everyone including students, faculty, staff, and members of the community.

Photo provided

Discussion Panels: all panels will be live streamed. Zoom info (Click the link below). See Campus Map below to find building locations.

How Religious Viewpoints Influence Climate Science and Policy

Live Stream Links

1:15-2:15 p.m. sessions:

(Tifft Lounge, Campus Center) How religious viewpoints influence climate science and policy – Climate and Religion

1:15 to 2:15 pm . The participants are (alphabetical order):

1. Gary Brinn, Reverend, United Church of Christ, Park Church, Elmira, NY

2. Frank Potter, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Big Flats, NY

3. Lynn Rubier-Capron, Reverend, First Presbyterian Church of Elmira, NY

4. Tom Samuels, Rabbi, Congregation Kol Ami, Elmira, NY

5. Paul Solyn, Jewish Center and Federation of the Southern Tier
Elmira College Teach-In on Climate and Justice

New Beginnings
2026-01-11 14:00 - 16:00 | Zoom
Join the southern tier interfaith coalition as we gather and begin a deep journey into interfaith conversations. We will be inviting members of our coordinating committee to join us once a month with a scripture or an object or a text or something that means a lot to them spiritually personally and drives them into the work they are doing. Join us as we open our hearts and minds to our fellow travelers.

STIC Abrahamic Walk at Park Church. Elmira, NY. 8 Oct 2023.

Jamal Malik | Ramadan: Reflections on El-Mira
2026-03-08 14:00 - 16:00 | Chemung County Democratic Headquarters, 110 N. Main St., Elmira, New York, 14901, United States
Al Hajj Jamal Abdul-Malik was born and raised in Elmira NY as a 5th generation member of the Wilbur J. and Beatrice Reid family. Brought up in the traditions of the AME Zion Church, he accepted Islam in October 1972 at the young age of 19. He was introduced to Islam at Farmingdale State University and later while performing at Elmira Correctional Facility found guidance from two Muslim inmates who were connected to Brooklyn’s YaSin Mosque’s Muslim Prison Committee.

Al Hajj Jamal Abdul-Malik

His desire to acquire a copy of Quran and read the words of Allah, in particular reference to Jesus (s.a.w.s.), i.e.; “Surah Maryam 19:16-35”, prompted them to provide the address to YaSin Mosque where he visited that next weekend. Considering himself a knowledgeable young man in the studies of middle eastern religions, he traveled downstate to visit the Mosque. The quiet, warm, and welcoming demeanor he encountered piqued his curiosity to learn more about the way of life that could bring inner peace to even the angriest and most conflicted of persons who accepted its tenants. It was there, at Brooklyn’s YaSin Mosque during the last 10 days of the holy month of Ramadan, where he took his Shahada (Declaration of Faith), received his first copy of the Quran and was introduced to the concept of Tawheed: “Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begets not, nor is He begotten; and there is none like unto Him.” (Surah Al-Ikhlas 112:1-4) and the 5 foundational Pillars of Islam:

Belief in “One God – Allah”; and that the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) was the last and final messenger sent to guide mankind, belief in the Angles, the books and the Messengers.

Observance of the Salah; 5 daily prayers.

Giving Zakat; and obligatory charity to those less fortunate.

Practice of Fasting; during the Month of Ramadan for purification of the Heart and disciplining the Body.

Performing the Annual Hajj to Mecca at least once in your lifetime.

Jamal has studied and practiced the way of Islam for over 55 years. Performed Hajj in 1983 and each year for 30 days during the holy month of Ramadan, he fasts from before sunup to sundown, taking nothing to eat or drink during daylight hours. Each night during prayer he recites 1/30th portion of the Holy Quran, until its completion on the 30th day. This is a time of spiritual renewal, introspection and recommitment for every Muslim around the world. It is a very deep and personal duty each Muslim performs individually, and communally.

During his lifetime, Jamal and wife were fortunate and blessed to live in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, UAE an Islamic country, where He worked in the Oil & Gas industry for 17 years as Senior Engineer, Project Manager and Asset Management SME (subject matter expert). This posting allowed them to be fully immersed in the language, culture and spiritual practice of the religion.

Upon retirement in 2015, he returned to his roots of El-Mira, to build upon his family’s legacy and make meaningful contributions to his hometown. Jamal is married, has raised 10 Adult children (one deceased), has 15 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren. He’s civically engaged in local and State Democratic politics, active in his local mosque and continues the daily practice of polishing his heart to reflect the light of Islam and that of his Creator.

Chemung County Democratic Committee Chair Jamal Malik speaks to protesters at a rally to save federal safety net programs on March 31, 2025. Source: WSKG.

In-Person option at:

110 N. Main St.Elmira, NY 14901Chemung County Democratic HeadquartersWe invite the community to join us for interfaith

conversations. Please email us at info@sticinterfaith.org to attend via Zoom.

Celebrating Passover Without Leaving Palestinians Behind | The Freedom Haggadah For A Liberatory Passover
2026-04-12 14:00 - 15:30 | Chemung County Democratic Headquarters, 110 N. Main St., Elmira, New York, 14901, United States
Ira Manhoff was born and raised in Westbury, NY on Long Island. Both my parents had orthodox Jewish grandparents but were raised in fairly secular households. At one point they actually joined Christian Science due to the very severe health issues my brother suffered with. That did bring them some comfort but my mother admitted that superstition is what kept her on that path and years later when I was born they returned to reform Judaism.

Ira Manhoff. 2025.

Growing up I was very much into my Jewish identity, more on a cultural level than a religious one but I did have a bar mitzvah and was the one who made sure we celebrated Jewish holidays in our home. I insisted we hold a Passover seder, celebrate the High Holidays and Hanukkah each year in the Reform tradition. I also started reading about Jewish history and as I learned about the Holocaust I tried to understand how such a thing could happen. This combined with some of the antisemitism I experienced as a child (being beaten up by a neighborhood bully as he called me a “Christ Killer”) led me to seek out pro-Jewish activism.

As a teenager I attended rallies for Soviet Jewry and ended up joining the Jewish Defense League where I learned karate and other forms of self defense. At 14 I was invited to spend the summer with my sister and her husband in Brussels where they were living and when I was told they were going for a weeks vacation in Yugoslavia I contacted a NYC organization that loaded me up with Jewish religious items that I smuggled into the country.

Soon after that I joined Betar which is a right wing Zionist youth movement. At first I looked at Zionism as a true movement for Jewish liberation but after two trips to Israel I could no longer deny what I saw with my own eyes. The oppression of Palestinians was not something I could live with and I parted ways with what at one time had given me so much hope for a Jewish future. At that time I did not know about the long proud history of anti-Zionism in Jewish history but finally learning about it helped me realize I could still be a proud Jew without being a Zionist.

Ricardo Levins Morales. This Time. 2002.This hopeful poster featuring text by Aurora Levins Morales gives a contemporary take on the Exodus that encompasses people of all tribes.

“They say that other country over there, dim blue in the twilight, farther than the orange stars exploding over our roofs, is called peace, but who can find the way? This time we cannot cross until we carry each other. All of us refugees, all of us prophets. No more taking turns on history’s wheel, trying to collect old debts no one can pay. The sea will not open that way. This time that country is what we promise each other, our rage pressed cheek to cheek until tears flood the space between, until there are no enemies left, because this time no one will be left to drown and all of us must be chosen. This time it’s all of us or none.”
Ricardo Levins Morales. This Time. 2002.

I look forward to the opportunity of sharing with the Southern Tier Interfaith Coalition a way to celebrate Passover that is not contaminated by ideologies that distort what it really means to be a Jew. I have always been an activist, be it during the AIDS crisis with ACTUP NY, in my union demanding health coverage for same sex couples , helping defend womens health clinics from anti choice protests and fighting attempts to label anti-Zionism as antisemitism. I have never felt more Jewish as I stand with Palestinians in their fight for justice.

Revolutionary Mother’s Day
2026-05-10 14:00 - 15:30 | First Congregational United Church of Christ, 171 W. Pulteney St., Corning, NY, 14830, United States
The Southern Tier Interfaith Coalition invites you to join us for an exploration of Revolutionary Mother’s Day. Led by Minister Becca Forsyth, we will talk about the origins of Mother’s Day.

Revolutionary Mothers Day. Provided.

In 1908, in West Virginia, Anna Marie Jarvis launched efforts to honor the legacy of her own mother, a fighter for social justice and the mother of 12 children. Anna wanted to shine a light on mothers who care for their families but also for the larger communities. It wasn’t intended to be the Hallmark Holiday we currently see today.

Mother Mary from the Christian Faith is another example of revolutionary mothering. She made her journey to protect the Christ child even in pregnancy, traveling far on a donkey to avoid the empire bent on destroying him.

“Now…flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I tell thee: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. And he arose and took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt.” Matthew 2:13-14 ASV. Florida Center for Instructional Technology.

The Magnificat, also known as Mary’s Song, is a song of celebration and teaching. I will talk about how authoritarian regimes around the world have banned or restricted this passage, claiming that it is politically dangerous.

We will discuss Fannie Lou Hamer, the community organizer and social justice warrior who started life as a Mississippi sharecropper. She was subjected to a horrific injustice known as the “Mississippi appendectomy”, where doctors performed a hysterectomy during a surgery for a uterine tumor. She and her husband went on to adopt four girls and she fought for women’s rights, voting rights, and against police brutality.

Fannie Lou Hamer. Couresy of The National Museum of African American History and Culture.

What does revolutionary mothering mean to us today. Minister Tanisha Logan Lattimore comes to us from OFHOPE Church (Our Fathers House of Prayer Eternal). She is a tireless activist in our community who fights for the needs of our community and children. She is an advocate for those suffering from Alzheimer’s and their families. She also operates Moving On Up Childcare, a safe and loving space for our children. She has represented the New York State Poor People’s Campaign in Albany and Washington DC. Oh, yeah! And she will proudly tell you about the eight Black men she has had the pleasure of raising right here at home.

This will be a moving and powerful program. We encourage you to join us either in person or on Zoom. We will meet on May 10th at 2:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall at First Congregational United Church of Christ 171 West Pulteney Street, Corning NY 14830.

Dianne Roe presents Hebron glassmaker Emad Al Natsheh
2026-06-14 14:00 - 15:30 | Islamic Association of the Finger Lakes Center, 499 Hickory Grove Road, Horseheads, NY, 14845, United States
Emad Al Natsheh is a master artisan and co-owner of the renowned Hebron Glass and Ceramics Factory in the West Bank. He is part of a multi-generational Palestinian family that has kept the ancient, 300-year-old Phoenician free-blowing glass technique alive in Hebron.

He is in Corning this month and you will have a chance to meet him at the June 14 STIC meeting.

Emad Al Natsheh

STIC member Dianne Roe will introduce Emad and give some background of the situation in Hebron Al Khalil today.

A Look into the Meaningful History Behind Handmade Glass from Hebron. Handmade Palestine.

Thank you to Corning glass artist Rodi Rovner for taking a side trip when she was visiting her aunt on a kibbutz in northern Israel last December. Against all odds she navigated a war zone to visit Emad in an area she was told was enemy territory.

Thank you to the Palestinians who greeted her and proved to her they were never her enemies. Thank you to Islamic Association of the Finger Lakes (IAFL) and the UpperNY United Methodist Peace with Justice Committee who made Emad’s visit possible.

She will recount the thirty year history Corning locals working to make a connection between Hebron-Al Khalil and Corning. We will watch a video of Emad blowing glass. Emad will share his family’s glassmaking story and bring samples of his work.

Dianne Roe

Dianne Roe is a Corning artist who spent fourteen years in Hebron-Al Khalil with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) 1995-2009). She witnessed first hand home demolitions and home invasions by the Israeli military. She played a part in the formation (with Israeli peace activists) of ICAHD (Israeli Committee against Home Demolitions) by connecting Israelis and internationals with families facing home demolition.

She painted a mural in the Galilee in 2003 highlighting the non-violent activism of Israelis and Palestinians she met.

Dianne Roe. Mural of Forgiveness. 3 May 2023.

Mural of Forgiveness, by Dianne Roe, in the church in I’billin. The Niwano Peace Auditorium where you view this mural was built with the Peace Prize awarded to Father Chacour by the Niwano Peace Foundation, a Buddhist organization in Japan.

She remains appalled by the on going genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza and expanding into the West Bank and Lebanon, and the complicity of the U.S. She believes churches have a responsibility to speak out, and she is encouraged by the vast number of Jews who are taking a stand.

She believes the best antidote to the dehumanization of any group of people is to help people connect on a human level.

Dianne’s purpose in introducing Emad is help us form that connection.

See also: Summer Bush. A Look into the Meaningful History Behind Handmade Glass from Hebron. 21 Jan 2023. Hand Made Palestine.

STIC members advised the Corning Museum of Glass in 2022 on their exhibition, Dig Deeper.

See also: Katherine Larson. From 363 to 2023: Bringing an Ancient Glass Workshop to Life in New Exhibition ‘Dig Deeper’. 23 May 2023. Corning Museum Blog.

Katherine Larson was the Curator of Ancient Glass at The Corning Museum of Glass. She is now at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, MD serving as its Chief Collections and Curatorial Affairs Officer and Senior Curator of Ancient Art
