Lay Clergy 2009: "Dachau to Darfur: Genocides' Unlearned Lessons"

Lay Clergy 2009 was held the weekend of May 2-3. The goal - to shed light on the tragedy of genocide from the historical perspective of the Holocaust and the contemporary perspective of the genocide currently taking place in Sudan, and to gain some understanding of why genocides continue to occur throughout the world.

Saturday night speakers included Rosalyn Kirkel, a child survivor of the Holocaust and President of Colorado Jewish Child Survivors of the Holocaust.  The second keynote speaker was Pastor Heidi McGinness, an ordained Presbyterian minister and the Outreach Director of Christian Solidarity International USA.

Roz Duman, the Director of the Colorado Coalition for Genocide Awareness, provided the exhibit: The Eight Stages of Genocide.

Rabbi Deborah Bronstein of Congregation Har HaShem in Boulder presented the sermon at the worship service on Sunday morning, May 3. Congregation Har HaShem has been very active in bringing the Jewish experience to bear on the situation in Darfur and has helped many Lost Girls from Sudan resettle in Boulder.

Event is Free

There is no fee for attending Lay Clergy events. A collection on Saturday night was divided between Christian Solidarity International and Rosalyn Kirkel's charity of choice.

History

The Lay Clergy Institute was begun in 1968 with the goal of bringing outstanding nationally recognized religious and secular speakers and programs to Longmont as a gift to the community. The Lay Clergy Institute has often chosen to explore issues currently being discussed in the public arena: the death penalty, homosexuality, death and dying, the Muslim Religion, and mental health concerns, to highlight a few. The goal is to educate, raise awareness, and provide a setting for honest dialogue about these issues.

Lay Clergy 2010 - Coming October 16 & 17

The speaker for the next Lay Clergy Institute weekend is Dr. David Walsh.