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For Immediate Release March 17, 2008 Linda Walton, 362-0330 (PROVO, Utah)-Members from Utah faiths will gather on Friday, May 1, 7 p.m. at the Provo Tabernacle to pray for their community and country at the 57th annual Utah Valley National Day of Prayer. The National Day of Prayer is designated by the President of the United States and was started during the Civil War. Prayers will be offered by members of area faiths to give thanks and ask that the community and country be blessed. “Our goal has been to show the diversity of the community while also showing the commonalties of the various faiths,” Linda P. Walton, chaplain for Utah Valley University’s Interfaith Student Association, said. “Prayer is something that virtually every faith practices. Although the style of prayer will vary, we all want to communicate with God and to get answers to questions.” The theme of the event will be “From Tolerance to Love,” and the main speaker will be Mona Kashani Heern, a representative of the Baha’i faith in Salt Lake City. Heern was born in Tehran, Iran to a Bahá’í family. The Bahá’í faith is the largest minority religion in Iran and the second most widespread religion in the world. However, thousands of members have been tortured, imprisoned, executed and expelled from school over the years because of their faith. When Heern was ten years old she was expelled from school and her father was imprisoned and tortured for 19 months before he was executed for being of the Bahá’í faith. After the death of her father, Heern fled the country with her mother and sister on camelback, escaping to Pakistan and eventually to Germany and the United States. “Mona Heern comes from a background of religious persecution. We believe that everyone can relate to that persecution since nearly every religion at one time or another has been persecuted, we would like to understand it is important to accept everyone no matter what their heritage of faith may be,” Tami Harris, chaplain at Heritage School in Provo, said. Heern will talk about the importance of religious tolerance and how she has overcome religious persecution to fulfill her dream of becoming an English teacher. “We hope people understand that religious persecution is something which still happens today,” Harris said. “We need to be aware of that and know what we can do to accept our differences and be more tolerant and loving of one another.” The program will include musical numbers by the Utah Valley Handbell Choir, the One Voice Children’s Choir and Felipe Dominguez, Provo Community Congregational Church organist. Pocket-sized copies of the Bill of Rights will be distributed to all those in attendance. “The Bill of Rights is a unique document that differentiates us from other countries,” Walton said. “Public religion would be wiped out if the Bill of Rights was repealed – it’s not just freedom of religion, but speech, public assembly, press and other freedoms that all provide for religion. We must fight for the Bill of Rights for every faith and for those that choose not to be religious.” The Utah Valley University Interfaith Student Association and the Utah Valley Ministerial Association will sponsor the event. The Mountain Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross will be the 2008 charity with all donations funding local disasters. Founded in 1985, The Walton Group Inc., a full service public relations and advertising agency, provides special event planning, strategic marketing campaigns, media news writing, graphic design, mailings and speech and position writing. Linda P. Walton, president and fellow of the Public Relations Society of America, has more than 25 years experience. The Walton Group Inc. serves both small and large organizations throughout Utah County including not-for-profit organizations. For more information on The Walton Group, Inc. call 801-362-0330 or visit 725 North 1890 West, Provo, UT 84601. |
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