If you understand that faith is a matter of mind as well as heart, and that taking the Bible seriously means it cannot always be taken literally...
If you know that God's love embraces all persons equally, no matter their gender, race or sexual identity...
If, for you, diversity, tolerance and inclusiveness are strengths to be taught...
If you believe that the Christ calls us to be nothing less than global citizens, that the social expression of love is justice, and that spiritual concerns are inseparable from commitment to the natural world...
If you've wished for a more open and embracing community of faith to nurture your spirit and raise your children, and haven't yet found a place of belonging...
Then we warmly invite you to visit us at:
The Emerging Church…. originally known
as the Community Christian Church of Springfield Dr. Roger Ray, Pastor For more information call Dr. Ray at (417) 877-7821
When is it? World Interfaith Harmony Week is celebrated annually on the first week of February (February 1st to February 7th).
What is it about? World Interfaith Harmony Week aims to promote harmony between all people regardless of their faith and non-faith. It provides a platform, one week in the year, where people of every group can recognize their common values, build ties with each other, and work alongside one another to bring peace and harmony to their communities.
How did it originate? World Interfaith Harmony Week was first proposed at the United Nations General Assembly on September 23, 2010 by H.M. King Abdullah II of Jordan. Just under a month later, on October 20, 2010, it was unanimously adopted by the United Nations and henceforth the first week of February became World Interfaith Harmony Week.
What is it based on? World Interfaith Harmony Week is based on the pioneering work of The Common Word initiative. This initiative, which started in 2007, called for Muslim and Christian leaders to engage in a dialogue based on two common fundamental religious Commandments; Love of God, and Love of the Neighbour, without nevertheless compromising any of their own religious tenets. The Two commandments are at the heart of the three Monotheistic religions and therefore provide the most solid theological ground possible.
World Interfaith Harmony Week extends the Two Commandments by adding ‘Love of the Good, and Love of the Neighbour’. This formula includes all people of goodwill. It includes those of other faiths, and those with no faith.
How do I get involved? In 2018, a number of interfaith networks are running events across Victoria to celebrate World Interfaith Harmony Week. To get involved simply contact the organiser of the event nearest to you.
The dates, times and locations are:
Darebin Ethnic Communities Council (DECC)
Sweets and Savouries | Multicultural and Interfaith Community Lunch Date: Thursday 1 February 2018 Time:12pm to 2pm Location: Darebin Intercultural Centre, 59A Roseberry Avenue, Preston Click here for more information
Bendigo Interfaith Network Date: Saturday 3 February 2018 Time: 3:15pm for a 3:30pm start to 4:30pm Location: Bendigo Library, 259 Hargreaves St, Bendigo VIC 3550 Click here for more information
Religions for Peace Victoria Date: Tuesday 6 February 2018 Time: 5:30pm to 7:00pm Location: Laby Theatre (L108), Physics Building, Spencer Road, Melbourne University (located near Melbourne University's tram stop on Swanston street) Click here for more information
Ballarat Interfaith Network Date: Monday 5 February 2018 Time: 11am Location: Queen Victoria Square, 225 Sturt St, Ballarat Central VIC 3350 Click here for more information
The Darebin Interfaith Council and the Whittlesea Interfaith Network Date: Thursday 8 February 2018 Time: 6:30 to 9:00 pm Location: Mill Park Library, 394 Plenty Rd, Mill Park, Victoria, 3082 Click here for more information
The conference is taking place in the beautiful old Romanian city of Sibiu. Once upon a long ago, Sibiu was the capital of the Principality of Transylvania. For more on its history, please go here.
For more about the Community of the Cross of Nails, please go here
On July the 11th the Church celebrates the feast of St. Benedict of Nursia, the gentle founder of the Benedictine order and by extension the father of Monasticism. A moderate and modest man he would have been astonished to learn that his ‘simple school for prayer’, his ‘modest rule for beginners’ led to the foundation of communities which kept the Christian flame alight through dark ages, preserved not only Christian faith, scripture, and culture,but also the best of Classical Pagan learning and culture, fed the poor, transformed societies, promoted learning and scholarship, and today provides solace, grounding, perspective and retreat not only to monks and nuns but to millions of lay people around the world. Here is my sonnet for Benedict, drawing largely on phrases from the Rule, I dedicate it to the sisters at Turvey Abbey. It appears in my second book with Canterbury Press, The Singing Bowl
As always you can hear the sonnet by clicking on the ‘play’ button or the title.
You sought to start a simple school of prayer, A modest, gentle, moderate attempt, With nothing made too harsh or hard to bear, No treating or retreating with contempt, A little rule, a small obedience That sets aside, and tills the chosen ground, Fruitful humility, chosen innocence, A binding by which freedom might be found
You call us all to live, and see good days, Centre in Christ and enter in his peace, To seek his Way amidst our many ways, Find blessedness in blessing, peace in praise, To clear and keep for Love a sacred space That we might be beginners in God’s grace.
The Boroondara Interfaith Network, in partnership with Swinburne Chaplaincy and Swinburne University, invite you to join: What is the Heart of our Humanity? | Community reflection on the history of interfaith and the Parliament of the World’s Religions
Date: Wednesday 11 November 2015 Time: 4pm to 6:30pm Location: Level 2, Swinburne Multi Faith Facility, The George Building, 34 Wakefield Street, Hawthorn
The Parliament is the oldest and most inclusive gathering of people of all faith traditions across the globe. At this year’s conference in Salt Lake City, over 10,000 people came together to discuss topics about compassion, peace, justice and sustainability. As part of our reflection, hear about some of the key issues raised at the Parliament and share in a community conversation about the meaning of our humanity here in Boroondara.
A vegetarian afternoon tea will be provided.
Please feel free to distribute to your networks. All are welcome.
Note: If you would like to attend this event and have specific access, communication or dietary needs please call 9278 4753 by Monday 2 November and we will do our best to accommodate you.
Please give it wide coverage in your groups and associations/
Please encourage people to attend the next Forum on 9 October.
Details to be announced
On 21 August 2015, approximately 80 people gathered at the Eastwood Leisure Centre in Ballarat for a Forum on Homelessness. The place was packed. The place was lively.
People working in organisations related to Homelessness were present. Some of these gave presentations of their work. Most of these were in government funded organisations but there were some present who received no government funding whatsoever and relied wholly on community support to fund their activities. Prominent among the latter was The Soup Bus - a well known #Ballarat institution.
A favourite of many people was Josh Wilkins, the founder of One Voice. One Voice operates without government funding and provides free, clean shower facilities for homeless people. Keep watch because there may be a #Ballarat version pop up thanks to the energies of local people. A bus has already been given for the purpose but there is much more to be done before bus and showers can hit the road. Josh said that his ambition is to become like the community of Sant'Egidio in Italy who started small but now have moved on to providing health care and facilities.
There were people from the general community who were concerned about Homelessness and who were seeking solutions to this grave problem.
The forum was co-sponsored by Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council and Ballarat Interfaith Network. Many thanks to Father Constantine Osuchukwu (Treasurer, B.I.N. and Interfaith Officer, BRMC) and Margaret Lenan Ellis (Public Relations Officer, B.I.N.) who were at the forefront of organising the Forum and a special thanks for the great job that Father Constantine did in chairing proceedings.
If you attended, the Homelessness Forum or if you were prevented from attending, another gathering will be held on 9 October. Stay tuned for further details.
Interfaith
Friendship Is the Boldest Way to Defy Extremists
Posted: 01/09/2015
3:46 pm EST Updated: 01/09/2015 3:59 pm EST
Its
Saturday night in Paris and a live band jams on stage, encouraging the audience
to sing and dance along with their music. A quite ordinary scene, apart from
tonight the lead singer is a Christian and his backing singers, two young men
with their arms draped over each other's shoulders, one of them is Muslim, and
the other is Jewish. As for me, I am a British Quaker dancing in the middle of
an Orthodox Christian from Romania and a Pagan from the Basque country. And I'm
grateful for the diverse globalized world which gives me nights like this one.
But that Saturday night in Paris took place at the start of last November.
Since
then, we have witnessed a very dark winter here in Europe. A steady rise in
far-right nationalism and anti-immigrant sentiments has led to violent attacks
on mosques in Sweden and anti-Islam marches across German cities, meanwhile
reports suggest that Antisemitism in Europe is higher than it's been in years.
And now, in Paris, a horrific act of terrorism. In response to the Paris attacks,
reports of grenades thrown at the city's mosques demonstrate the level of anger
some feel towards these events. And it is perfectly natural to feel angry when
faced with a situation one cannot understand. Yet when in the history of human
civilization has a violent response to violence, of hatred towards hatred, ever
created a wholly positive result?
I'm
certainly not the first, nor will I be the last, to point out that the angry,
hate-filled actions of terrorists and those of the far-right perpetuate the
same response: division and deep mistrust. In a bitter-sweet and ironic turn
the opposing actions of these two extremes continually add fuel to each other's
arguments. The good news is that these extremes remain very much in the
minority. There are over 4.7 million Muslims in France but four men were
involved in Wednesday's attacks. And whilst a handful of French people have
retaliated with violence towards Muslims, hundreds and thousands took to the
streets of Paris and other European cities in a show of defiance; in a display
of unity, togetherness, solidarity. Those who believe in finding a way to live
together, side-by-side with our diversity, remain the majority. But we need to
be a vocal majority; an active majority. Although we must also ensure that we
are an inclusive, respectful majority, ready to explore our differences with
mutual open-mindedness.
My personal response to the rise of
extremism -- of all types -- across Europe is to continue to try and build
bridges of understanding between different religious and non-religious
communities; to find a way for each person to recognize our shared humanity, as
first and beyond the other labels we take on and are given. The evening of
music I describe above was the finale to the last interfaith conference I was
involved in, and it took place in central Paris. There I met and worked with an
incredible group of young French activists from the organizationCoexisterwhich
works to create dialogue and foster solidarity between young people from
different faith backgrounds. They are truly an inspiring group, working in a
hostile environment and achieving incredible results.
You are welcome at Ballarat Interfaith Network.
You may belong to a faith tradition.
You may have an informal spirituality.
You may not be a person of faith or spirituality.
Everyone is welcome to join in the conversations & friendship
across religious boundaries in #Ballarat.
Please contact us at ballaratinterfaithnetwork@gmail.com
This public forum, to be held at M.A.D.E.
on Friday 22 August at 6pm, presents the opportunity to hear speakers
from diverse faith backgrounds offer spiritual insight into the healing and
enabling power of compassion – within ourselves, our families, communities and
nations of the world.
By juxtaposing Ghandi’s quote on the forum
flier: Be the Change you want See in the World with a topic calling for
increased compassion as a way of implementing positive change, this interfaith
forum invites all attending to both hear and contribute to deeply purposeful
discussion.
Following introduction of the topic by the guest speakers,
everyone will have the opportunity to respond to and discuss the topic with
others in the audience.
Such discussions can be stimulating,
revelatory and even challenging – catalysts for change within ourselves, and
our own fields of influence.
We hope you take the time to join BRMC and
BIN in participating in this Interfaith Forum at M.A.D.E. (102 Stawell St Sth, Ballarat) at 6pm on
Friday 22 August.
Construction of the city's first mosque is due to be finished within two months.
The Courier was given a tour of the near complete Elsworth Street mosque on Saturday.
Once open, which could be as soon as August, the mosque will have the capacity to hold about 150 people and will be open every day from dawn.
Aisha Aboulfadil, a Muslim living in Ballarat for the last seven years, said the mosque represented more than just prayer.
"It can feel really disjointed here in Ballarat... it can feel like 'well I'm a Muslim and people accept that but why don't we have anywhere to pray?," she said.
"This is huge for Ballarat, it will bring people together, it will build our community, it will offer the chance to meet others of the same faith... it is so much more than just a place to pray."
A local 17-year-old Muslim refugee, who fled brutal conflict in Pakistan in 2012, said the mosque would make life in Australia without his family a little easier.
The teenager, who didn't want to be named, said he often travelled to mosques in Melbourne to pray.
"I pray everyday... but I've never had the chance to pray at a Mosque in Ballarat," he said.
"This means a lot for me, and it means a lot for Ballarat... it's a very big thing."
Ballarat's Muslim community, which includes about 70 families and a strong contingent of students, currently pray from home or use a dedicated space at the university for collective prayer on Fridays.
A topic of debate and anger in many communities around the country, the construction of the mosque in Ballarat has so far been smooth sailing.
Ballarat Islamic Society board member Mehfooz Ahmad said the group wanted to thank the people of Ballarat for their "overwhelming support".
"At the beginning there was a little bit of resistance... but now we can't thank the people of Ballarat enough for their support," he said.
Mr Ahmad was quick to denounce some of the myths surrounding mosques, including concerns about the traditional 'call to prayer' being played over loudspeakers.
"That will not happen here because it simply isn't required," he said.
He said many Islamic countries played the call to prayer over loudspeakers to remind people to pray, adding it wasn't required in Ballarat because of the small number of Muslims and the fact they would know prayer times at the new mosque.
While not a residential area by any means - the mosque is mostly surrounded by industrial buildings - the mosque is neighboured by two homes.
Mr Mehfooz said those occupants had also been supportive and co-operative.
For those of us of a certain age and advocacy, Pete Seeger and his music has loomed large in our life. Every movement needs its music and Peter Seeger was a dominating figure linking the music before our time such as that of Woody Guthrie to what came after such as Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. His and theirs was music of moral standing: for justice, against war, involving community, searching for equality. Thank you, Susan, for giving such a contributing life a theology.
One of the reasons I believe a better world is possible is because I can hear the voice of Pete Seeger in my head, singing We Shall Overcome. "We are not afraid," sang Seeger, and credited the young leaders of the Civil Rights movement for teaching that. "Perfect love casts out fear," scripture teaches (1 John 4:18).
One of the greatest obstacles to people coming together, despite their differences, to make a better world, is fear.
Pete Seeger, 94, folk singer and peace and justice advocate has died, but the spirit of what his life and his music meant lives on. Americans have been less afraid of each other, and of speaking the truth to power, because he lived and sang and marched.
One of the possible translations of the Greek word for Holy Spirit is "advocate." When we advocate for God's reign of justice and peace, and join together in that effort, it is my personal experience that the presence of the Spirit can be felt.
Pete Seeger helped teach that to my generation, and generations that followed, because he taught us to sing while we resisted war and advocated for racial and gender justice. He taught us in our schools and on our campuses because he had been blacklisted for refusing to yield to the fear-mongering House Un-American Activities committee. His promising television career was curtailed by the blacklisting.
The story of how Seeger finally got to sing on television again is itself a story of struggle against censorship, as his return to television via the Smothers Brothers program involved advocacy by the two young "comedians." "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy" a song clearly about the Vietnam war and President Lyndon Johnson (though it does not name either one) finally was heard by millions of Americans. But that didn't end the war by itself. Seeger observes, "Did the song do any good? No one can prove a damned thing. It took tens of millions of people speaking out, before the Vietnam War was over. A defeat for the Pentagon, but a victory for the American people."
The documentary on Seeger's career, The Power of Song, provides a fully rounded portrait of the singer, including the so-called "lost years" when, because of the blacklisting, Seeger sang to school children and to those of us on college campuses lucky enough to hear him. The songs which Seeger wrote (like "Turn, Turn, Turn...to Everything there is a Season" and "Where are All the Flowers Gone") or made famous (like "We Shall Overcome") are the voice of resistance to war and advocacy for peace.
Is that not the mystery of how goodness is made, little by little, and person by person? In 2011 Seeger walked with an Occupy Wall Street protest, and later told the Associate Press, "Be wary of great leaders... Hope that there are many, many small leaders."
Instead, what we need is many, many Americans coming together and not being afraid of each other. That is the way forward, and Pete Seeger not only taught that, he modeled it in his life and commitments to the very end.
Rest in peace, good and faithful servant. I am grateful beyond words for your life and work.
When is it? World Interfaith Harmony Week is celebrated annually on the first week of February (February 1st to February 7th).
