good morning, and welcome to "mosaic," i'm elizabeth ekdale and i'm delighted to be a new host on this television program. welcome to you. for my debut show, i am so privileged to have two wonderful guests with us this morning. they've been integral in interfaith work in san francisco and beyond. and i'm delighted to introduce them to you. michael pappas is the executive director of the san francisco interfaith council. he's been a good colleague of mine in san francisco and he's going to tell us about his work as the executive director. and our dear friend rita simol

who almost doesn't need an introduction. coincidentally, one of the founders of our "mosaic" television show. welcome to both of you. dear friends. >> thank you. >> thanks for having us. >> you're welcome. i have served on the san francisco interfaith council board so i know of our good work together. but i'd really like you to share what is the mission of the work and what are your current priorities right now as a board? tell us what you're doing. >> want to tell us about the genesis? >> well, the interfaith council came out of two terrible probables that the city was face -- problems that the city was facing in 1988. it starletted in december of '88 which was believe it or not -- started in december of '88 which was believe it or not cold and rainy. it's hard to imagine but it was. the mayor called the clergy to a special meeting in his office and said i'm in trouble. you've got to help. we don't have enough shelters. we've got homeless on the

streets. the rain is coming down. you've got to open your doors. you've got to help us provide shelter. you've got to help us provide food. i wasn't there because i'm not a clergy. i was at that time the executive director of the jewish community relations council. and the president of the board of rabbis who was there came into my office and said -- told me what happened and said we've got to be part of it. so we started this committee. and we got four or five congregations to open their doors including old st. mary's and grace cathedral. and st. mary's cathedral and first congregational church. i think those were the ones. and through february, we got congregations to provide meals and we met the crisis. in february we thought we were done. little did we know came september of '89. and we had the loma prieta earthquake. and jim emerson was then the

pastor at calvary presbyterian church, he got a phone call from church world it was and they said we want to give -- service and they said we want to give san francisco some money to help. he said wonderful. and they said but you can't give it only to protestants. you've got to give it to everybody. and jim said i better organize a committee. >> uh-huh. >> so we did. and to nobody's particular surprise, the same group that were on the homeless committee were on this committee. and we just deliberated the money and we help -- distributed the money and we helped people the best we could. >> 20 years later more than the work continues -- 26 years later. >> still in business. >> yeah, tell us michael, about your involvement and your leadership in this -- on the board. >> and you asked about the mission. the mission basically is to bring people of different faiths together. to celebrate the rich diversity we have here in san francisco. and spiritual traditions and religious traditions to build understanding, as well as to

serve our community. and so what rita just explained is being lived out in the life of the interfaith council. and in -- a city which is supposed to be soar reledgous, they -- so irreligious, i think that we have defied logic and public opinion and shown how relevant a stake holder the faith community here is in san francisco. we claim as our constituents over 800 congregations. and we convened the ceos of the major faith based social service agencies and a lot of the adjudicatories, like the episcopal diocese and board of rabbis, they are headquartered in san francisco but they have a regional scope which is significant. and so what we -- what we tried to do is to bring these folks together who have immense capacity to mobilize volunteers and they had unique resorts and facilities so -- resources and facilities to be good neighbors

in the greater equation for san francisco. >> i can see people working together and that can bring deep joy and meaning and also bring some tension and perhaps some challenges too. >> oh, the challenges are there. because we don't try to shove the -- the differences under the rug. we try to meet the differences. to understand each other. and what we each believe and have great respect for what each believes. and we start every meeting by saying that. >> i think people -- when you build relationships, then you sit down at the table and have the address the challenge. if the relationships are in place, there's a certain civility that comes to the dialogue. >> let's hear more about the relationships, we'll be back in just a minute. boy: this is the story of a boy who didn't talk for a long time. the boy liked things to always be the same. any changes would scare and upset him.

the unknown was an unfriendly place. the boy was very sensitive to lights and sounds. so he built secret hiding places where they couldn't get in. the boy didn't like looking people in the eye. he wasn't trying to be mean, it just made him feel uncomfortable. sometimes he would flap his arms again and again. second boy: one day, i found out i had something called autism. my family got me help. slowly i found my voice and learned all the ways i could live with it better. announcer: early intervention can make a lifetime of difference. learn the signs at autismspeaks.org. welcome back. we are with rita simol and

michael pappas, speaking about the san francisco interfaith council and we were just talking about the relationships that get fostered through your good work, from those relationships you've involved in so many important programs in the community. tell us about them. >> well, one in particular, rita alluded to was supposed to be only a one year emergency shelter. and 26, 27 years later, it is still a very vital shelter here in san francisco. that brings together four congregations, your own included, that serve as host sites. and some 40 congregations that prepare meals and really provide shelter and food during the most inclement months of the year. >> you talked about differences elizabeth. and the fact that these congregations of so many different denominations serve there helped to understand those differences. because they're working together on a common project. >> and so a year ago,

acknowledging over a quarter of a century of service to san francisco, the mayor approached the interfaith council and he said we want to honor the good work you've done. by engaging you to take it a step further. so many of you have heard about the navigation center on 16th and mission. and what this navigation center is, is an opportunity to move entire encampments of homeless to almost a triage center, there's enough time for them the say and receive enough -- to stay and receive enough time to have services with dignity. we are -- we were very blessed to receive a donation of $3 million to help fund this. and it is a unique model for addressing homelessness in san francisco. across the board, i think people are saying it's a success. and just last week, we had a visitation from the secretary

of housing and urban development julian castro. who said that this is really the model to be emulated. >> one of the reasons why it's such a model is because it's doing something that an overnight shelter can't do. it finds out why this person is homeless. and we know that there are at least six different reasons for homelessness. and each person's reason has to be addressed if we're going to change the pattern. >> that's right. i know homelessness has been a focus of the interfaith council but most recently, affordable housing has been too. and that's been an important part of your work lately. tell us about that. >> tell us how we got started. >> well, we got started because of robert rice's documentary "inequality for all." a group of clergy got together and the archbishop's hope to look at that film. and decide what if anything the faith community could do. we came up with the idea that

housing was the most important issue facing our city. and it was defined by the bishop -- the episcopal bishop as a central housing. what does he mean by that? essential housing for teachers for nurses and for social workers and for firefighters and for police. people who are essential to our city. but who are being priced out. >> yes. >> what we realized is that our congregations are sitting on some very valuable asset asks resources and they realize that -- assets and resources and they realize that these are underutilized and underdeveloped resources that could add to the solution. and so we're working with the students at usf and we've done a mapping program where we've looked at these properties and we've sort of overlaid them on the city's zoning map. and we are identifying housing or properties that could be developed for rental programs for those folk that rita just

described. >> uh-huh. >> and in the midst all of that, we were engaged by the mayor's office to get involved with prop a.. by the time this airs that election will already have taken place, but it's a $310 million general obligation bond that will help to really move affordable housing for the missing middle. if you will. as well as for those who are in the below market rate category. stay in san francisco. >> that's the first time the interfaith council has taken a position on a proposition. is that right? >> and interestingly that essential housing task force spurred us on to do that. i'm sort of pleases at the resolve that's brought us together in this. you know, when we brought this to mayor lee, he was so thrilled about this that you know he proclaimed to the press that we're working together with the interfaith council on

this. and it's pretty significant. >> yep. you know when you engage in public life, it can be very messy. and with tensions. so tell us, have there been any particular challenges to -- since you took that position at all? >> i think people understand that we're not -- we're not supporting candidates. we're sporting an -- supporting an issue which affects everybody. it affects every person in the pew. whether they own something or they're renting something or they want to rent something or they want to own something. and we know what's happening to san francisco. and we have -- we as a faith community want to play our role in it. you talked about differences and they're there. and we don't -- we don't shove them under the rug. but there are so many similarities and there are so many reasons to work together that the differences become secondary. >> and to your question, i think that when you have the

most sort of conservative to the most progressive as your constituents, you have to be careful in advocacy and we've sort of embraced this mantra that we speak on behalf of no one but give a voice to everyone. we stand with those who are being unjustly persecuted. and example being if somebody of a particular tradition, a fundamentalist say does something in the name of a tradition -- >> you have found something that everyone is interested in. and that is affordable housing and we'll hear more about your good work in just a minute when we come back.

we are back with rita simol and michael pappas, talking about the good work that the san francisco interfaith council does in this community

and i want to talk and ask both of them in this particular day and age, why is this work so important? >> i think primarily in a post9/11 era, that building understanding and working together is essential. it's critical. and i think that will we are in a very unique position to -- we are in a very unique position because primarily through service, relationships are built. and when that happens, there's greater harmony in cities. and a benefit is being offered right now for instance, we're expecting these el nino rains. and we are being engaged by the department of emergency management to make our facilities available. and to prepare our congregants and volunteers and so we see this as a very unique way to also give back. >> rita, how would you respond to that? why is this work so important to you, who have been doing it

for years now? >> it's important because of the face basic tenet in judaism. that basic tenet is to repair the world. you don't have to do more than look at the front page of any newspaper or the news reports on this television station to know that the world is in terrible shape. and it's up to us to fix it. well, we can't fix overseas but we can fix our own local world. and i think the young people that are pouring into this city are creative and innovative and they want a decent city to live in. i think this message will resonate with them. that we have work to do to fix it. >> and a lot of the young people are in the pews. we discount that. they're helping and food lines and they really want to give back. they're just going to give back in a different way. and we have to be prepared for

change. >> well, how is the summer faith coup sill reach -- council -- interfaith council reaching out to the younger folks, the younger generation? >> it's very breasting, most recently -- interesting, most recently i was at one of the larger cathedrals in the mission. when they mentioned they have a feeding program, and that 70% to 80% of the young people in there are from tech, we -- a spark went off in my mind. we're working very closely with sf city which is trying to bridge the gap between tech and nonprofits to engage young people in work. we use our monthly breakfast and we get between 70 and 100 congregation leaders to expose those leaders to the young people who are innovating now as well as vice versa. >> rita, you've -- you've been a model and a mentor for so -- mentor for so many of us. is there a project or something on your heart that you still would like to work on or see

the interfaith council addressing? >> well, homelessness is what motivated us in the first place. and sad to say we have not solved the problem. >> yep. >> i'm not sure we'll do it in my lifetime but i'd certainly lee to psych more -- like to see more navigation centers because i think the fact that this gives the opportunity to work on the individual reason why someone is homeless and find an answer for that is the way to go. so i'd like to see more navigation centers. i'd also like to see more -- we had a project a few years ago in which nine congregations worked -- >> i remember that. >> and it was led by young people in the congregations and i think we can do that again. i'd like to see more of that. and michael said something about when -- people work together, they get to know each other. you talked about differences. the differences are there.

and the differences will not go away. but the differences will be understood if we work together. >> absolutely. i know the two of you have the ear of mayor lee. and you've worked with him on the navigation center. what would you say to him about what needs to be done? and what the city could do? >> you're right. we've had a very unique perch in which to engage and to partner. i would say to the mayor continue to be patient. don't be discouraged because it's a problem that's in the going to go a-- not going to go away overnight. i think the innovation of the navigation center is a great first move. and he has expressed an interest to replicate that throughout the city. you know, there's a great divide now and i think he's in a very unique position to bring people together. but i think that we all need to be partners in that process. if we want san francisco to be the great place that it can be. and should be. >> i would add only one thing. >> yes. >> i would tell mayor lee to

tell his story because it's an inspiration to young people. how he came from an immigrant background and was able to get an education and he always emphasizes education and of course education is key to everything anybody does. >> speaking of immigrants, that's certainly another concern in our world right now. with the immigration and migration challenges that are happening. the interfaith council working on that area in a local way? >> in fact, we are devoting that particular issue to be the theme of the annual interfaith thanksgiving prayer breakfast on november 24th coming up. what we'd like to do is shine a spotlight on those congregations and those leaders of the sanctuary movement. because it was faith leaders who actually led that movement to give refuge to political refugees coming from combat llama and ole value is a --

from guatemala and el salvador, with the passage of "time" we forget the reasons why we do things but if you look at every great civil rights movement, there have been leaders of faith that have been leading the movements. we see this as a very unique opportunity to remind ourselves why we are a sanctuary city and what that mean especially in light of many things going on today in the city. >> michael mentioned that the faith community was involved in the civil rights movement. and i don't want it to be thought of as historic. because it's still going on. there are still issues to be dealt with. and the faith community can play a leading role. >> how could someone get involved with the san francisco interfaith council? perhaps even someone who doesn't have a religious affiliation, wow would you invite them in? >> it's interesting, every month at our breakfast and people wander in. a very special thank you to your congregation, st. mark's

for hosting this every month. the second thursday of the month i'll put a little plug in at 8:00 a.m. not for the faint of heart. >> please. >> but we get between 70 and 100 congregation leaders, civic officials, and inquirers. and it's open to everyone. it's hosted so it's free. and so you're welcome to come. and we find people -- interested and showing up at our doorsteps and we try to engage them from the get-go. >> so anyone could come to that. >> absolutely. >> wonderful. what's going to be the topic in november? at the next meeting? >> so this month, we've been working with ann cronenberg the director of emergency management for our city and we're going to talk about the impact el nino will have on our congregations. and how our congregations can also play a role in the city's response equation. i mean, seriously, we have over 6,000 homeless in our streets. in san francisco. over 3,000 are in our streets.

and a lot of them are going to show up at our social office agencies -- service agencies, at the congregations, because they believe the congregations have a moral responsibility to take them in. really get the congregationings thinking about their role in the response equation. >> i've been to those meetings and certainly you cannot -- always impressed by the variety of people there. and their contributions to the conversations and then the information that's shared too. so it's good to know anybody could be invited and welcomed at the mealings. is there any other place someone could plug into the good work you're doing? >> well, you know, we have over 3800 people that are e- subscribers. we send out these constant blasts. and so you know, once we receive an e-mail address, you know, we put it -- we engage them in our work. and it's interesting how our current subscribers are also putting it out to their friends.

so it seems to be growing this way. >> well, san francisco is truly an interfaith community. and you've been a big part in strengthening those relationships. we're very grateful. tell us your website so people could look that up, michael. >> very interesting. sanfrancisco sanfranciscointerfaithcouncil.o g. >> can people come to the meeting in november? >> it's sold out. >> they can come to the thanksgiving service. >> oh, a brief plug about that -- >> we have a number of events and it seems that november is a very busy month. we have the thanksgiving service, which is the city's only interfaith thanksgiving service. this year it will be at the bahai center down on valencia street on the 14th. >> one hour. >> one hour 10:00 a.m. on thanksgiving day. >> your congregation is hosting the world aids day interfaith service and remembrance. >> that's right. the sunday before world aids day.

at 6:00 at st. mark's. >> right. >> so november is a very, very busy month. but that interfaith thanksgiving service, that is open to everybody. and everybody is encouraged -- >> they're encouraged to come. >> world aids day is open to everybody as well. >> that's right. thank you. thank you. well, you have a wonderful website. we will be looking at that website. and again, i'm delighted that rita simel and michael pappas were here as my guests. we'll be back right after the break. ,,

i'd like to thank our viewers for joining us and for our special guests, rita simel, what a thrill to have you back here. a founder of the "mosaic" show. michael pappas the executive director of the san francisco interfaith council. you're a great team together. >> thank you. >> you do good work in the city. a word or two about the upcoming programs. untiling day there's an interfaith -- on thanksgiving

day there's an interfaith service that will be at the bahai center at 10:00 a.m. and then world aids day at st. mark's, november 29th at 6:00. and next month, reverend ron swisher, "mosaic" co-host and myself will be together to celebrate advent and christmas. i'm elizabeth ekdale, thank you for joining us at "mosaic" today. [ captions by: caption colorado, llc 800-775-7838 email: comments@captioncolorado.com ] not yet. not yet. not yet! not yet. pull the peach!

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going to make you laugh...........3 comedians a politici welcome to "bay sunday" everybody, i'm your host frank mallicoat. good to have you on board, today we're going to make you laugh. three comedians and a politician that should get your sunday rocking i hope. the first guest a familiar face in san francisco. he's spent the last few decades lampooning just about every politician on the planet earth. he's an author. a columnist and political pundit health and oh, yeah. he's a funny guy. he's a comic. pleased to welcome back to the show will durst, how are you? >> hey how's it going? >> i'm good mr. durst, i'm good. what is this love of politics? always been around? >> you know my dad read three newspapers a day. i just grew up thinking everybody did and of course the crucible of vietnam. so i mean, you