Three clergymen nationally known as the “Interfaith Amigos” are featured in the seventh annual Whidbey Interfaith Vigil of Peace and Hope held 7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 23 at St. Augustine’s-in-the-Woods Episcopal Church in Freeland.

The Seattle-based “Interfaith Amigos” are sheik Jamal Rahman, rabbi Ted Falcon and pastor Don Mackenzie. They received national recognition in a Nov. 24, 2009, New York Times article “Three Clergymen, Three Faiths, One Friendship,” a CBS News report and several NPR interviews. Rahman is a Sufi Islamic minister at the Interfaith Community Church in Ballard, Falcon is a Reform rabbi who has founded synagogues in Los Angeles and Seattle, Mackenzie is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ (Congregational) and has recently retired as pastor of the large University Congregational U.C.C. church.

The three clergymen began to meet weekly for spiritual direction sharing theological reflection and providing mutual support. Their sharing led to a radio show and travels together to Israel and occupied territories of Palestine. While the primary focus of this year’s Interfaith Vigil of Peace and Hope will be a discussion led by the Interfaith Amigos, the service will also contain Buddhist and Native American spiritual traditions. The service will begin with a First Nations smudging ceremony to cleanse the sacred space. The service will close with a First Nations release of directions liturgy.

Island churches, faith communities and peace groups involved in the vigil planning and participation are the Tahoma One Drop Zen Buddhist Monastery, Langley United Methodist Church, St. Hubert’s Roman Catholic, Trinity Lutheran, Whidbey Friends Worship Group (Quakers), St. Augustine’s Episcopal Peace Fellowship and Unitarian Universalists.