WSC-AR Representative Addresses 75th General Convention of Episcopal Church
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 21, 2006
Contact: Manmohan Singh, Secretary General, World Sikh Council - America Region, 972-684-4638, contact@worldsikhcouncil.org (Photos suitable for publication are available upon request from interfaith@worldsikhcouncil.org.)
A representative of the World Sikh Council - America Region (WSC-AR) attended the Episcopal Church's 75th General Convention in Columbus, Ohio on June 19 and addressed the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies of the Episcopal Church.
Dr. Tarunjit Singh, Chair of the Interfaith Committee of WSC-AR, represented the organization at the convention. He addressed the House of Bishops and House of Deputies on behalf of WSC-AR and all the other interfaith partners and guests of the Episcopal Church.
Dr. Singh greeted the two Houses with salutations from the many world religions and shared with the Episcopalians the recent historic 400th anniversary of the martyrdom of the Siri Guru Arjan Sahib, the Fifth Guru of the Sikh faith. The English translation of the Sikh Sabad "No one is enemy, No one is stranger, I get along with all", commonly referred to as the Sikh golden rule, was shared with the attendees. Copies of the WSC-AR approved brochure "Siri Guru Arjan Sahib, The Fifth Nanak: Life, Message, and Martyrdom" was made available to House of Bishops.
In his remarks, Dr. Singh said "Throughout human history, religious differences have been a source of conflict, sometimes violent, between adherents of different faiths. It does not need to be so. Different faith communities do not need to be in competition with one another. The role of various faith communities should be complimentary to one another rather than being in competition."
He further added, "Building social justice will require people of faith to work across religious boundaries as peacemakers. It will also necessitate addressing faith supremacists within each of our own faiths. Dr. Singh ended the remarks with blessings of "peace with justice" for all.
The Episcopal Church consists of more than 2 million adherents and is a member of the Worldwide Anglican Communion. The two highest policy making bodies of the Church are the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies. The House of Bishops is made of more than 300 active and retired Bishops, while the House of Deputies is comprised of more than 800 representatives (up to four lay and four clergy persons elected by each diocese).
The World Sikh Council - America Region (WSC-AR) is a representative and elected body of Sikh Gurdwaras and institutions in the United States. Its members include 41 Gurdwaras (Sikh places of worship) and other Sikh institutions across the nation. WSC-AR works to promote Sikh interests at the national and international level focusing on issues of advocacy, education, and the well-being of all humankind. For more information, please visit www.worldsikhcouncil.org.
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The following photos in jpeg format, suitable for publication, can be obtained by e-mailing <interfaith@worldsikhcouncil.org>:
Photo 1: The Most Reverend Frank T. Griswold, Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church USA, with Dr. Tarunjit Singh, Chair of WSC-AR Interfaith Committee, at the House of Bishops on June 19. (Photo courtesy of WSC-AR)
Photo 2: The Rt. Reverend C. Christopher Epting, Presiding Bishop's Deputy for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations, Dr. Tarunjit Singh, Chair of WSC-AR Interfaith Committee, and Rev. Dr. Gwynne Guibord, Consultant for Interfaith Relations to The Episcopal Church, at the evening reception on June 19. (Photo courtesy of WSC-AR)
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Member Gurdwaras of WSC-AR: 1. Gurdwara Sahib Fremont, Fremont, CA 2. Guru Nanak Sikh Mission, Livingston, CA 3. Sikh Gurdwara of LA, North Hollywood, CA 4. Sikh Gurdwara Riverside, Riverside, CA 5. Colorado Singh Sabha, Denver, CO 6. Guru Singh Sabha of Augusta, Augusta, GA 7. Sikh Study Circle of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA 8. Sikh Religious Society of Chicago, Palatine, IL 9. Sikh Society of South, New Orleans, LA 10. Sikh Gurdwara of Michigan, Rochester Hills, MI 11. Sikh Society of Michigan, Madison Heights, MI 12. Guru Nanak Foundation of Jackson, MS 13. Sikh Gurdwara of North Carolina, Durham, NC 14. Garden State Sikh Association, Bridgewater, NJ 15. Guru Nanak Sikh Society of Delaware Valley, Sewell, NJ 16. Siri Guru Singh Sabha, Glenrock, NJ 17. Sikh Sabha of New Jersey, Lawrenceville, NJ 18. Gurdwara Baba Deep Singh, Las Vegas, NV 19. Sikh Cultural Society Inc., Richmond Hills, NY 20. Sikh Cultural & Edu. Society of Western NY, Buffalo, NY 21. Sikh Religious Society of Dayton, Dayton, OH 22. Guru Nanak Found. of Greater Cleveland, Richfield, OH 23. Guru Gobind Singh Sikh Society, Bedford, OH 24. Guru Nanak Religious Soc. of Central Ohio, Columbus, OH 25. Sikh Sadh Sangat, Easton, PA 26. Philadelphia Sikh Society, Millbourne, PA 27. Tristate Sikh Cultural Society, Monroeville, PA 28. Mid South Sikh Sabha, Memphis, TN 29. Sikh Center of Gulf Coast, Houston, TX 30. Siri Guru Singh Sabha, Richardson, TX 31. Sikh Gurdwara of North Texas, Garland, TX 32. Singh Sabha Gurdwara, Fairfax, VA 33. Sikh Association of Central Virginia, VA 34. Sikh Religious Society of Wisconsin, Brookfield, WI
Other Sikh Institution Members of WSC-AR: 1. Siri Guru Granth Sahib Found., Anaheim, CA 2. Sikhs Serving America, Topeka, KS 3. Sikh Youth Federation of North America, White Plains, NY 4. Sikh Heritage Institute, Long Island, NY 5. Sikh Educational & Religious Foundation, Dublin, OH 6. Sikh Youth Federation of USA, Toledo, OH 7. Academy of Guru Granth Studies, Arlington, TX
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World Sikh Council - America Region (WSC-AR) P.O. Box 3635, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA Phone: 614-210-0591 E-mail: contact@worldsikhcouncil.org Website: www.worldsikhcouncil.org
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