Category Archives: Past Events

Dec. 4- Walk of Lights and Groton Tree Lighting

Christmas, Holiday Events, Past Events

Date: Saturday December 4th, 2021

Time: 4:15 pm

Location: Prescott Community Center, 145 Main Street, Groton MA

The ‘Walk of Lights’ and ‘Groton Community Tree Lighting’ celebrate the beauty of light in our diverse faith traditions.  On Saturday, December 4th,  the celebration began on the sidewalk in front of Prescott Community Center. 

Volunteers offered battery-operated candles for the ‘Walk of Lights’ down Main Street to the Groton Tree (near Filho’s Cucina).  Celebrants brought lamps or luminaries from their own faith traditions and spontaneous carols were heard among the cheerful banter as the assembly made their way through the village center.

The lighting of our Groton tree has both religious and non-religious significance, as the tree is a symbol with many meanings in a variety of cultures.   Each year, the Groton Interfaith Council honors a citizen or group of citizens by asking them to be the honorary tree lighters, an honor bestowed because they have made significant contributions to the town.  This year we honored Bob and Sue Lotz by asking them to light the tree.

Susan & Bob were chosen as honorees for their work to further community building. Their recent creation of the Social Justice Trust Fund through the Groton Commissioners of Trust Funds (working with Karen Tuomi) expands their commitment to support an inclusive community with equal opportunities and privileges for all residents of Groton. Bob once stated regarding his work to found (along with Claire Macy) the Groton Neighbors organization, “…to create a village – a non-profit, membership organization to help seniors stay in their homes and stay engaged with the community as they grow older.” They both support social justice and a strong helpful community.

Thank you, Susan and Bob for your many contributions to the ‘village’ of Groton.

Nov. 9 – Kristallnacht Program

Past Events

Date:  Tuesday, November 9th, Film

Time: 7- 9pm. 

Location: PAC at Middle School South

We’ll be screening “Etched in Glass: The Legacy of Steve Ross” from Writer/Producer/Director Roger Lyons. Steve Ross was a Holocaust survivor and founder of the Boston Holocaust Memorial.

photography of blue ceramic coffee cup

Oct. 17 – Faith, Coffee, and Friends

Past Events

Sunday, October 17th, 3 pm

Location: Prescott Community Center

Our new monthly gathering is open to all interested in connecting on the topic of faith.  We seek to build on our diverse community.

October Theme:  How does our faith feed our daily lives?”

GIC Film Series: Selma on Sat, March 7

Past Events

The Groton Interfaith Council Presents:

Selma 
Sat, March 7 
2-4:30 pm 
The Groton Center 
163 W. Main St
FREE SHOWING
Rating: PG-13

The Groton Interfaith Council Film Screening Series intends to share noteworthy films and discuss diverse faith traditions in order to foster understanding, respect, justice, and peace in our community.

Our inaugural film will be Selma, shown in honor of Dr. Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., on Saturday, March 7th, the day that the marches from Selma to Montgomery began. The marches from Selma were organized by nonviolent activists to demonstrate the desire of African-American citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote. By highlighting racial injustice, they contributed to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, a landmark federal achievement of the civil rights movement.

The screening is free of charge and will take place at the Groton Center on 164 W. Main St (formerly known as the Groton Senior Center). Light snacks and delicious desserts will be served.  

Pictures from Global Fusion: A Musical Exploration of Faith and Culture

Past Events

Thanks to everyone who came out to support our music program, “Global Fusion: A Musical Exploration of Faith and Culture.”  About 200 people in attendance, plus those watching on video recorded by the Groton Channel, were swept up by a spirit of peace and a feeling of goodness. This was a room filled with people of many faith traditions who all share a belief that love, peace, respect, and understanding are the way we should live. It is our hope that events like this one can help break down barriers and make this world a more understanding and respectful place.  

Global Fusion: A Musical Exploration of Faith and Culture

Past Events

Sunday, September 15th, 3:00-5:00

Sponsored by the Groton Interfaith Council (GIC)

Music is a universal language which is used, understood, and enjoyed by people of diverse ages and backgrounds. This event will include musical presentations from faiths represented on the GIC: Muslim, Native American, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Unitarian, and more! Our goal in organizing this event is to present the surrounding communities with an opportunity to experience something new, and to foster respect and recognize the humanity in our fellow women and men. We hope attendees and participants will see the commonalities and differences between their own beliefs and that of others, and see that diversity is enriching.

Date: Sunday, September 15, 2019
Time: 3:00 – 5:00pm
Location: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (represented on the GIC) –
616 Great Rd., Littleton MA

Bialystok Cemetery Restoration Project

Past Events

Sunday, March 24th, 2-4pm @ First Parish Church in Groton – 1 Powderhouse Rd, Groton, MA

Amy and Josh Degen have been coordinating a volunteer effort to restore a Jewish Cemetery in Bialystok Poland since the summer of 2016.  They established a nonprofit 501c3 called The Bialystok Cemetery Restoration Fund. 

The Bagnowka cemetery is the only remaining Jewish cemetery in Bialystok; a city which had a Jewish population of 150,000 up until 1941 before the Nazis invaded.  Only 1,000 Bialystok Jews survived, and today there are less than 5 Jews in Bialystok.
Come and learn about the Degen’s Project and their quest to ‘Right a Wrong’.

Coffee and desserts will be provided.

For more information email grotoninterfaithcouncil@gmail.com

Waking in Oak Creek screening and talk on April 29, 2017

Past Events

The Groton Interfaith Council, in conjunction with the Groton Police Department, is sponsoring a showing of the film “Waking In Oak Creek”, a 34 minute documentary about a hate crime shooting in a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin, and the community’s inspiring response to the tragedy. The film will be followed by a panel discussion which will include Groton’s Chief of Police, Donald Palma and two people who are featured in the film.

The focus of the film and the discussion afterwards is how the town came together and learned about each other, working together to embrace their differences and to build a stronger community. It is the Groton Interfaith Council’s intention to also bring this focus to our community, as we welcome a large, new Shirdi Sai Parivaar temple this summer, and to continue fostering conversations in our town about our differences and our commonalities.

The event will be held on Saturday, April 29, at 6:30 pm. at the Groton Middle School Performing Arts Center, located at 344 W. Main Street in Groton. The event is free and refreshments will be served.

All are welcome, although there are parts of the film that can be disturbing to see, and it may be more appropriate for older teenagers and adults.

The Groton Interfaith Council, established in 2009, is made up of members representing various churches, worship communities, faith traditions and individuals in the Groton area. The mission of the Interfaith Council is to foster understanding, respect, justice and peace among people of various religious and faith traditions through worship, fellowship, education and service.

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