Palisades Interfaith Clergy Invite Public to a Panel on Prejudice

By JENNIKA INGRAM | Reporter

On Sunday, September 15, The Pacific Palisades Interfaith Clergy is inviting the community to join a one-hour discussion, “From Fear to Faith,” about our personal and collective responsibility to address prejudice in the community.

“It’s an amazing opportunity to have all of these clergy in one place,” said Pastor Grace Park of Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church, who will moderate the discussion. “A little known fact is that clergy from all of the houses of worship in the Palisades are friends, and we meet once a month at lunch and just discuss issues that are happening.”

Each month a different house of worship offers to host the lunch. In doing so, they decided to put together a community event––perhaps the first of many that could address issues in the Palisades.

They hope to bring the community together and create an interfaith dialogue, Park continued.

“How wonderful would it be for the people of the Palisades to see the clergy is having this conversation?” Park shared, adding that it is “a unique opportunity for people of one faith to ask questions to another.”

Other panelists include Monsignor Liam Kidney (Corpus Christi Catholic Church), Brother  Satyananda (Self Realization Fellowship) and Rabbi Amy Bernstein (Kehillat Israel).

The panel will discuss prejudice, a subject prompted by an event that took place at Ralphs involving former Palisades Lutheran Church Pastor Kenneth Davis and his daughter earlier this summer, Park said.

“We’re hoping to generate and facilitate awareness in the community so people will have an ‘aha moment’ on how to make our community a better place,” Park explained.

She added that the clergy doesn’t have all the answers: “We ourselves as clergy struggle with these issues. We don’t know everything. We try to do the right thing by our faith and our morals.”

The discussion will take place from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Community United Methodist Church, located at 801 Via De La Paz.

Members of the clergy will also be seated among the community at various round tables, and light refreshments will be available at the conclusion of the panel.

Sponsors for the event include Corpus Christi Catholic Parish, St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, Palisades Lutheran Church, Community United Methodist Church, Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church, Self Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine, Kehillat Israel Reconstructionist Congregation and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.