United Religions Initiative North American - Briefings

North America’s latest Cooperation Circle member of the United Religions Initiative is the Culver City Area Interfaith Alliance, from Culver City, CA (near Los Angeles). Founded in 1998, the Alliance has been a local leader in interfaith dialogue and worked with other Los Angeles-area groups, such as fellow-CC Unity-and-Diversity World Council and the City of Culver City, in putting together larger events. Their purpose and a more general description of activities follows. Welcome!

I began typing this message while sitting in the business office at the Berkeley (California) Buddhist Monastery. I’ve been meeting today [Sat Feb 10] with the three trustees elected to represent North America on the United Religions Initiative (URI) Global Council (GC) as well as with other staff and volunteers. One of those trustees is Rev. Dr. Heng Sure, the head of the monastery. Every Saturday night he gives a “Dharma talk”; I missed most of it on the way back from a wonderful Turkish dinner. Perhaps 20-30 people where in attendance in person — Chinese, Vietnamese, and Caucasian Buddhists — as well as dozens more around the world through a webcast.

Dave Randle, founder of the Utah URI CC and the Global Healing MCC, recently sent a letter (below) to the URI contacts mailing list suggesting that now is the time to bring URI’s outward growth back into focus. He also gives a great example of taking interfaith beyond the traditional dialogue and into the classroom, adding to an emerging model of direct interfaith education.

The Salam Institute for Peace and Justice, which was co-founded and is directed by URI-friend Dr. Mohammed Abu-Nimer, will be hosting its second annual conference on Muslim Peacebuilding, Justice, and Interfaith Dialogue on May 5th and 6th in Washington, D.C. The event is co-sponsored by the Islamic Society of North America and the Muslim Network for Peacebuilding, Justice, and Interfaith Dialogue.