THE TORCH: News & Updates

October 24-25, 2022

Greetings from URC (No Spooky Updates)!

Happy Wednesday!! Today is the first of two consecutive Holy Days in the Baha'i tradition; The Birth of the Báb, starting at sunset on October 25 to sunset October 26, and the Birth of Baha'u'llah, from sunset October 26 until sunset October 27 (thanks for this reminder from our board member Mana Derakshani. It is also the second day of the Diwali celebration of the Festival of Lights in the Hindu tradition, and it is almost Halloween, the celebration of good times for candy makers. That will be followed by the Día de los Muertos on Nov 1-2. Safe celebrations, however you join in the activities.

Please note a few items that we hope will be of interest to you:

We seek two or three additional host households for our Open World delegation from Romania, Nov. 11-19; details are below;
The Ansari Institute will host a virtual (and in person if you're in Washington) event on Thursday, 9:30-11 with Fr. Dan Groody, CSC, called Religion and Migration: A Multifaith Conversation on People and Policy;
The On Site Prayer Ministry will host a vigil on this Thursday at 5:30 p.m.;
Reminder and NEW LOCATION for this Sunday's volunteer and family Hayride Event at Bendix County Park; free to all!
If you can pull double time on Sunday, La Casa de Amistad and the South Bend Symphony are joining up for a free concert for Día de los Muertos; info below.

Our next Torch will provide updates on our Refugee Program and work with Ukrainian Humanitarian Parole (HP) program participants...thanks for reading!

OPEN WORLD VISIT from ROMANIA

NOVEMBER 11-19

Congress established the Open World Leadership Center after the Soviet Union's demise. The goal is to have current and future leaders of Eastern Europe and Central Asia interact and mutually engage with US entities. Welcoming Michiana, a part of URC, has hosted three prior groups, from the Republic of Georgia (2018), Ukraine (2019) and Azerbaijan (2020).

This year, with the war underway in Ukraine, the program is engaging its network to have more visits from the region. URC will host a group of six young nonprofit professionals, Nov 11-19. On the agenda already are exchanges with Notre Dame's Nanovic Institute, the Elkhart Community Foundation, and a visit to Indianapolis with the Lilly Endowment and the IU School of Philanthropy (and much more!). We have had a preliminary meeting with 5 of the group, and they are amazing (and have excellent English skills).

We need 2-3 host households that can allow places for our delegates to stay. The requirements are for separate bedrooms (for one or two people) and simple morning meals and a handful of evening meals. All the delegates have been carefully vetted, are fully vaccinated (and will get tested upon arrival), and are generally very enjoyable to be with!

Want to help? Contact John at the URC: jpinter@urcsjc.org or leave a message, 574.282.2397 x 3.

Open World Info

Religion and Migration: A Multifaith Conversation on People and Policy

The Ansari Institute, a close partner of URC, will host this event from Washington on Thursday, October 27, at 9:30 a.m.

Here is the registration link

Thursday, Oct 27, is a busy day! See below for info on a program from Religions for Peace USA and the National Council of Churches from 2-3 p.m. Click here to sign up.

VIGIL: THURSDAY OCTOBER 27, 5:30 P.M.

The On Site Prayer Ministry will be holding a vigil this Thursday, October 27, at 5:30 for 16-year-old Noelle Riggins, who was shot and killed on October 21 in South Bend.

The vigil will held outside of Revelation Church Of God In Christ, located at 530 Pennsylvania Avenue, South Bend. (click on the link for a map)

The On Site Prayer Ministry hosts prayer vigils on the Thursdays following a homicide in St. Joseph County. All are welcome to provide prayerful witness and solace to survivors, whether you know the victims or not. The Facebook site is located here.

La Casa de Amistad and the South Bend Symphony Orchestra: Dia De Los Muertos

These two important local institutions team up for a concert at the Morris Performing Arts Center at 3:00 p.m. this Sunday, October 30 (you can get a hayride in first, and then go to the concert!).

Click below for details.

¡Espero que nos vemos este domingo!

Click for Access to Free Tickets

The Jewish Federation of St. Joseph Valley's Community Relations Committee has committed to providing volunteers to help tutor in math, reading and other areas at Monroe School in South Bend. One hour per week is all that is requested.

The graphic is a little hard to read, but for more information, please please click here.