Religious Panel Speakers
Religious Panel Speakers
Religion: A Pathway or Obstacle to Peace? is the topic of a panel discussion which will be held at the Woodland Hills Rotary Club luncheon on Wednesday, January 18, 2017, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The three experts that will be exploring this highly relevant subject are:
Rabbi Paul Kipnes, MAJE, who views Judaism through the prism of healing. “Each ofus carries around within himself or herself the burden of unfinished business or unresolved pain. Jewish tradition, through healing prayers, religious acts and teshuva (a path of change), invites us to bring age-old wisdom to recent problems. The results can be astounding as we transform our values and change our lives,” he says.
Kipnes is a popular lecturer on raising spiritually balanced and emotionally whole children and is the spiritual leader of Congregation Or Ami in Calabasas. He also is a former camp director and North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY) regional advisor. Kipnes and his wife, Michelle November, MSSW, co-wrote Jewish Spiritual Parenting: Wisdom, Activities, Rituals, and Prayers for Raising Children with Spiritual Balance and Emotional Wholeness.
The second panelist is Shaykh Suhail Hasan Mulla, who has been an active member of the Southern California Muslim community for many years. He is a resident scholar at the Islamic Society of West Valley. Sh. Suhail has served as Tarbiya Coordinator for the San Fernando Valley chapter of the Muslim American Society (MAS); lectured at educational and religious institutions; conducted weekly courses on tafsir, tajweed, seerah and Arabic; and served as a mentor and online counselor for Muslim youth. He has taught ‘Fiqh of Fasting’ and ‘Introduction to Qur’an Sciences’ courses on SuhaibWebb.com.Sh. Suhail is a native of Los Angeles where he earned a bachelor’s degree from CSU Northridge in African-American Studies and a master’s degree in social wWork (MSW) from UCLA.
The final speaker is Dr. Ross Porter, who is a teacher, author, executive, spiritual director, and deacon aspirant in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Porter earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and his graduate degrees in Theology (M.Div.) and Psychology (Ph.D.) from Fuller Theological Seminary. He specializes in the integration of psychology, spirituality, and virtue ethics. He also is the executive director of Stillpoint Family Resources, which provides services to the underserved, with a particular focus on special needs families. Porter has written seven books, and is working developing a virtue curriculum for teens. His popular radio series ‘Heroes You Should Know,’ focuses on ordinary people who have done extraordinary things, can be heard on Immaculate Heart Radio.
The luncheon will be held at the Woodland Hills Country Club, 21150 Dumetz Rd., Woodland Hills, CA 91364. Cost is $25 for the buffet lunch and RSVP by January 12 by calling 818-754-4743. For more information, contact Paul Gross:
pgross@wradvisors.com Note: This is a special 90-minute program.