Yes, a sizzling summer is what we had this year. 
Usually things slow down in the summer but we continued to provide lots of great activities!We entered the summer with Gathering of Light's nomination for the Suffolk County Award for Interfaith work, Arvind Vora (from the Long Island Multifaith Forum) won. Y
ou may remember Arvind from our Mahaveera Jayanti celebration (Jainism) at GOL.We experience a fun and informative Movie night at Wendy's.
Rev Annie held us together with Singing in the Sacred which met every Thursday morning on the beach at Sunken Meadow State park off the west end pavilion. This was a powerful 
experience for all!
experience for all! The Sufi Circle had a trip upstate to a Sufi Center for deeper study too.
Of course it is the time of year to play!
Our Annual canoe trip was terrific!
We continued to play in the mud and have loads of fun! 
This summer Rev JoAnn represented Gathering of Light at the North American Interfaith Network's annual connect in San Francisco. Groups for all over spoke of Interfaith work and efforts that continue to change the world.
The council for the Parliament of World's religions was most 
interested in our Voices of Faith for Peace event. They encouraged us to share this idea more and maybe at the Parliament next year in Australia .... well maybe at the one after that! Thank you again to all who made this trip possible. We put GOL on a larger Interfaith community map!
The council for the Parliament of World's religions was most 
interested in our Voices of Faith for Peace event. They encouraged us to share this idea more and maybe at the Parliament next year in Australia .... well maybe at the one after that! Thank you again to all who made this trip possible. We put GOL on a larger Interfaith community map!Our Volunteers loved relaxing at Rev Gerard's home for our annual volunteer's picnic.
Remember there are great rewards in service work!! Hope to see more of you at next year's event (hint, hint). 
Remember there are great rewards in service work!! Hope to see more of you at next year's event (hint, hint). 
We added a new activity which combined those you love connecting with nature as part of their spiritual practice and Buddhist practices as we had a group mindfulness meditation walk through the Long Island greenbelt trail.
Here is one of the comments on this event:
The meditation walk was another good tool in learning how to quiet one's mind and become more aware of the Love and Light that radiates from the Divine. As I walked and became more still, I was more accepting of what is and my heart opened yet more to the loving-kindness of the universe.
Here is one of the comments on this event:
The meditation walk was another good tool in learning how to quiet one's mind and become more aware of the Love and Light that radiates from the Divine. As I walked and became more still, I was more accepting of what is and my heart opened yet more to the loving-kindness of the universe.
I was in joy... of having companionship through the journey. I was in love... in belonging to the beauty in nature and to all beings. It is my hope that there will be other opportunities such as this to remind me of who I am. Thank-you for inviting me to this experience. In gratitude, Linda. We continue to advance our mission and are currently looking to reach out to the larger community to develop an advisory trustee council of at least 10 different faith traditions. If you know of anyone who might be interested please contact us at 631-265-3822.
And last but not least, we continued to work on our Starter Pack Program and helped families moving out of shelters. Look at the smiles on this precious family. Thank you all!
