Hsi Lai Temple: Millennium Interfaith Prayer Service; A Call for World Peace and Social Harmony

HACIENDA HEIGHTS, Calif., Dec. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- On Sunday January 2, 2000 from 2:00PM to 4:00PM, over 100 community and religious representatives will gather at Hsi Lai Temple (3456 S. Glenmark Dr., Hacienda Heights) to usher in the new millennium with prayers for world peace and social harmony. The event is estimated to attract at least 750 participants.

A traditional Chinese dragon dance will kick off the ceremony, followed by prayers from the Catholic Church, the Mormon Church, the Bahai tradition, and the Jodoshu North America Buddhist Mission. The event will also feature choir performance from the First AME Church of Los Angeles, musical numbers from the Buddha's Light Youth Symphony, and traditional Dunhuang dance. The day's activities will conclude with the "Balloons of Peace" rising to the sky.

The Millennium Interfaith Prayer Service for World Peace and Social Harmony is a unique way to usher in the new millennium and is open to the general public. Hsi Lai Temple, the event organizer, hopes to convey the important message of compassion, tolerance and magnanimity by bringing together different ethnicity and religious faiths. Diversity should not be perceived as obstacle to world peace and social harmony; it should not be conceived as excuse for hatred and violence. In light of the continuous rise of violent crimes among juveniles, the death of innocence, event participants wish to achieve a level of religious revival, whereby religion becomes the cornerstone of a better society. Only by having strong religious belief and spiritual support, can the despair of the youth be eliminated, and hope restored.

For further information, please contact: Cherry Lai at 714-838-2211.

SOURCE Hsi Lai Temple

CONTACT: Cherry Lai, Public Relations Coordinator of Hsi Lai Temple, 714-838-2211