Events will celebrate 20 years of publishing The Fig Tree

To celebrate 20 years in publication, The Fig Tree is holding four events in Spokane today and Friday featuring the Rev. Bob Edgar.

The reverend, of the National Council of Churches will speak about poverty, communications, dialogue and diversity.

The National Council of Churches includes Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox churches and represents 140,000 congregations.

The celebration kicks off tonight at 7 at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 316 E. 24th Ave., as Edgar discusses “Mobilization to Overcome Poverty.”

Representatives from the Spokane Alliance, the Valley Center and VOICES also will participate.

The day starts early on Friday with a breakfast to benefit the Fig Tree, a monthly local newspaper that covers faith in the Inland Northwest.

Edgar will discuss “Credible Communication” and the impact the newspaper has on the community.

The breakfast is from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 318 S. Cedar St. Tickets are free, but there will be pledge cards at every table to raise funds for the paper.

Call 535-1813 for reservations.

At noon Friday, Edgar will discuss “Progress in Interfaith and Ecumenical Dialogue,” a luncheon speech that will include Bishop Walt Mize of Christ Holy Sanctified Church, the Rev. Randy Hyvonen, conference minister of the Pacific Northwest United Church of Christ, and Bishop Martin Wells of the Eastern Washington and Idaho Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Tickets for this event are $7. It will be at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 1620 N. Monroe St.

Call 535-1813 for reservations.

The festivities wind up Friday at 7 p.m. at Highland Park United Methodist Church, 611 S. Garfield.

Edgar will speak on the subject of “Overcoming Violence: Celebrating Diversity.” The event will feature the Covenant United Methodist marimba band and dancing by the Africa Support Group.

For information on any of these events or about the Fig Tree, call 535-1813.

Declaration of the Bab

Members of the Baha’i Faith in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene will celebrate the Declaration of the Bab, which marks the beginning of the faith.

A celebratory program will be on Saturday at the Center Pointe building, 1408 N. Washington St., from 7 to 9 p.m.

The Bab was born in 1819.

In 1944 the Bab declared his mission to be the forerunner of the promised of all religions.

The program is free and open to the public.

For information call 326-0152 or visit www.us.bahai.org.

Rummage sale

Audubon Park United Methodist Church, 3908 N. Driscoll Blvd., is holding a rummage sale Saturday to benefit its senior high youth group’s retreat.

Items for sale include housewares, clothes, seasonal decorations and more.

The sale is from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. in the parking lot of the church.

For information, call the church office at 325-4541.

Introduction to Buddhism

The Spokane Buddhist Temple is offering an informal introduction into Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, a Japanese school of Buddhism.

The lecture starts at 2 p.m. on Sunday and is followed by a Gotan-ye service, a gathering to honor the birth of Shinran Shonin, the founder of the Jodo Shinshu sect, at 3 p.m. with guest the Rev. Don Castro at the Spokane Buddhist Temple, 927 S. Perry St.

Castro is visiting from the Seattle Betsuin Temple.

For information about this lecture, call the church office at 534-7954 or visit www.spokanebuddhisttemple.org.