United Religions Initiative North American - Briefings

Chicago - April 25, 2006 - This past weekend, in over 30 communities worldwide, 4,000 young leaders from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Baha’i, Jain and Sikh traditions came together to organize and participate in events of interfaith dialogue and cooperative service. They were taking part in the third annual National Days of Interfaith Youth Service, coordinated by the Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC). IFYC is a Chicago-based international non-profit that seeks to build a movement, which encourages religious young people to strengthen their religious identities, foster interreligious understanding and serve the common good.

The Temple of Understanding, co-sponsored with
Sisters of Mercy, presents the third in its Religion and Global Citizenship lecture series: The Muslim Experience in the U.S. - a panel discussion on the relationship between
Islam and American society. Monday, May 1, 2006, 5:30 – 7:00 PM, 12th floor, Dag Hammarskjold Room, Church Center at the United Nations, at the corner of 1st Avenue and 44th Street (New York, New York).

The Temple of Understanding’s Religion and Global Citizenship lecture series seeks to examine our global interconnectedness in light of our religious beliefs, and how those beliefs and traditions compel us to behave. What role does our understandings of the sacred play in understanding our fellow human beings? In what ways do our religious practices call us to act for justice and peace?

From April Kunze of the Interfaith Youth Core: “The Interfaith Youth Core (www.ifyc.org) is pleased to invite you to our 4th Annual National Conference on Interfaith Youth Work, May 14- 16, 2006 at Northwestern University’s Evanston Campus. Register now at http://www.ifyc.org/nciyw.php.” (Read on for further details)

Hello, I want to introduce myself, my name is Alice Kawahatsu and I serve at the URI Global Staff office here in San Francisco. I work with Mary Kelley in the development office as a part-time Development Assistant. I also happen to be married to a minister of the Konko faith who serves at the San Francisco Konko Church located in San Francisco’s Japan Town. His formal title is Rev. Masato Kawahatsu, Senior Minister. However, since many people have trouble pronouncing his last name, he usually asks people he meets to call him Mas or Mas Sensei (Sensei means “teacher” in Japanese and in the Japanese culture, ministers and teachers are called “Sensei”).

The Presbyterian Church (USA) has a great website (http://www.pcusa.org/environment/earthday) on social justice from an environmental viewpoint, particularly focused on Gulf coast communities devasted by Katrina and other hurricanes in 2005. While they say “[a]s Christians, we are called to see the connection between our care for God’s creation and all of God’s people,” the site should be helpful for any religious or interfaith group interested in promoting environmental justice within their communities and organizations.

Another helpful resource is from the National Council of Churches of Christ:

Through the Eye of a Hurricane is an ecumenical resource that churches can use to plan for Earth Day Sunday on April 23 or another dedicated Sunday. The resource, which is available for free on NCC Eco-Justice Program website (www.nccecojustice.org), outlines some of the critical environmental issues that surfaced following the storms: the impact of climate change, wetlands and coastal barriers, water quality, toxic contamination as well as environmental racism on God’s creation and God’s people. It also highlights how Christians can respond to this crisis in their churches and local communities.