Regional Update, Issue 6
Regional News
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Hospitality, Gratitude & Sharing:
Interfaith Action in Our World
Friday, August 12, 2005 - Tuesday, August 16, 2005
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
This promises to be a watershed event in interfaith visioning and
work. This will be the first joint gathering of the
United Religions Initiative and the
North American Interfaith Network. This
groundbreaking meeting will bring both groups together for resource
sharing, networking and bridge building.
Each day a different value will be celebrated and embraced. The
conference will open on Friday, August 12th with a Native American
Presence and Celebration, honoring the sacred ground upon which the
conference will occur, Las Vegas — “The Meadows.”
Saturday, the Islamic Community of Southern Nevada will provide
Hospitality, providing an evening meal with Islamic Cuisine from all
parts of the world and Islamic entertainment. Sunday, the Community of
Southern Nevada will come together to celebrate the value of Gratitude,
with a renowned speaker. And, Monday evening, the focus will be on taking
our Sharing into Interfaith Action in our World.
Each day the program will open our eyes to the wonder of real
interfaith engagement. As never before our world needs the peace that
comes of genuine interfaith dialogue, come join us as we enter more fully
into that dialogue!
Registration is now open at
http://www.uri-na.org/register.html.
The registration fee is $50 for each day plus room and board ($50/day
double-occupancy or $70 for single).
Early registration
closes on June 30, after which time there will be an additional $50
fee.
Global Council Elections
As I'm sure you all recall, the URI held its second Global Council
Trustee elections this spring. I am pleased to report that, of 42 active
CCs in North America, 35 were eligible to vote, and 25 returned a vote.
This put the region over the threshold of 50% participation needed to
fully legitimize the vote.
The new Trustees will take office during the URI Global Council
meeting in Seoul, Korea, which takes place the last week of June (only a
few weeks away!), and will serve for the next three years. The 2005-2008
Trustees from North America are:
- Reverend Heng Sure of Berkeley, CA
Continuing Trustee and member of Bay Area Friends of the Parliament
and URI-The Bridge - Ms. Kathy Sandoval of San Juan Capistrano, CA
Member of Alliance for Spiritual Community - Ms. Perri Kathryn “P.K.” McCary of Houston, TX
Member of Women’s Spirituality CC, Arts & Creativity CC
Welcome to all three of you!
An Introduction
This newsletter is long delayed, has missed many no-longer-upcoming
opportunities, and does not have as much news from local organizations as
would be preferred. Nevertheless we forge on…
For those who do not know me yet, a brief introduction: Hi, I'm
Stephen A. Fuqua, formerly of Austin, Texas, now living Saint Paul,
Minnesota. On April 1st, Dr. Steven Fitzgerald stepped down as Regional
Coordinator for the URI in North America, and I replaced him. He remains
an integral member of the North American Regional Support Team, which
also includes Barbara Trites, Carolyn Knauss, Don Frew, Heng Sure, Kay
Lindahl, Patricia Morningstar, and Susanna McIlwaine (you guys are
wonderful, and I'm so glad you're all a part of this team).
Our purpose is clear: to provide support for existing URI CCs and
promote the interfaith movement in North America (in my own words).
We're not here to create a hierarchy, tell groups what to do, etc. We
practice servant leadership, in an advisory and promotional role. One
avenue for this action is communication: through this newsletter, through
our new website at uri-na.org, through periodic phone calls or postal
mailings, and in person at gatherings such as the URI-NAIN Connect
2005.
To all the CCs and URI Affiliates in North America — thank you
for being a part of this growing network and movement "to promote
enduring, daily interfaith cooperation, to end religiously motivated
violence and to create cultures of peace, justice and healing for the
Earth and all living beings." And to anyone else reading this
newsletter — won't you consider joining with us, adding your
own wisdom, networks, and abilities to a larger cause while retaining
your own distinctiveness? This is unity in
diversity.
Peace be with you,
Stephen A. Fuqua
Cooperation Circle Activities
While big events always get our attention and the public's notice,
we value everything your organizations do. Whether you've had a huge
public event or a small gathering that deepened your personal insights
and interpersonal connections, we welcome your news updates. Please
submit your CC's activities and reports to
sfuqua@uri.org.
Websites Wanted
Would you like to have your CCs website listed on the new URI North
America site? Even if you don't have a site, we'll be more than
happy to list your contact information for the general public.
Bridge CC
The Bridge CC, a group formed in the Bay Area for promoting both the
URI and the Parliament of the World's Religions, recently helped out
at Carry the Vision: Building a
Culture of Peace in our Families, Our Community, and Our World, which
was held as a part of the Season for Nonviolence.
California Interfaith Power and Light
If your CC is interested in working with environmental issues, one
source to learn from is the CIPL
"e-newsletter
that contains updates and information about programs, events, legislation
and global warming."
Greenville Faith Communities United
The Greenville Faith Communities
United CC in May put on the "2005 Festival of Faiths, an
opportunity to learn from each other and celebrate the diversity of our
faith communities. The theme of this year's festival is Building
Bridges — The Faces of Faith. It is our hope that bridges of
understanding will be built because of the Festival and that we will have
the opportunity to see the faces and the faith of our neighbors and
celebrate with them."
Interfaith Center at the Presidio
San Francisco's Interfaith Center at the Presidio has started a
new program, the
Interfaith
Family Circle, "a new kind of model for generating and
supporting interfaith relations in any local community." The Circle
is "a self-organizing group of people representing the religious,
cultural diversity of our world who regularly gather to develop
friendships, pray and reflect, celebrate their differences, and explore
the concerns they share."
Interfaith Council of Washington
The Council, along with the School of Theology and Ministry at Seattle
University, has been holding a series of seminars on the different
world
religions. This spring, they have held day-long classes on Hinduism,
Mennonite Religion, Sikhism, Wicca, Islam, and soon on the Baha'i
Faith.
"The World Religion series provides presentations and discussions
on the essential teachings and practices of a variety of religious
traditions. These programs are intended to promote understanding, respect
and good will among the faith traditions in our community. The series
offers the opportunity to to learn from a variety of spiritual
traditions, each presented by a representative from that faith community.
The series is designed to be interactive, with the intention of
broadening your understanding of others — while providing you the
opportunity to deepen your own faith."
URI of Utah
The URI of Utah, sponsors of the
Global Healing
project, have been rather busy this spring. In mid-May, they co-hosted a
delegation of
Muslims
leaders from Tajikistan. The group has also reached outside its
borders by sponsoring the
Southern Sudan Education Project. In the Bor County of Sudan, the
group is working to bring educational supplies to the children. On a
recent visit, a village elder was quoted as saying, "If you educate
these children, we will have peace in Sudan. If you do not educate these
children, we will remain in war." In addition, the CC will be
bringing in food supplies and is trying to setup similar projects in
several other nations. Assuredly they welcome all financial contributions
to advance the cause of peace in Sudan (see links above).
URI at the UN
The URI-UN, in partnership with The Values Caucus, The Spiritual
Caucus and The NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns,
presented a Round Table Discussion to Honor the 10th Anniversary of the
Values Caucus on “The Ethical and Spiritual Dimensions of the
Millennium Development Goals” on Thursday, 12 February 2004 at the
United Nations headquarters in New York.
More than 60 members of the UN non-governmental community attended,
overflowing the small conference room. URI-UN facilitator Deborah Moldow
served as moderator, opening the meeting with the Moment of Silence
traditional to the Values Caucus. There were congratulations on the 10th
anniversary of the Values Caucus, including a message from Ambassador
Juan Somavía, director-general of the ILO in Geneva. Monica
Willard presented a celebratory cake, to be shared after the meeting.
Continue reading…
Interfaith Resources
Selected resources from URI Global Support Staff and from URI CCs
Partners in Leadership Manual
During the last five years the URI community has enjoyed an array of
effective practices, lessons and experiences that have advanced our work
and enlivened us as a community. Building from the experiences at URI
global summits and regional assemblies on five different continents, we
have had an opportunity to collect some of the best practices that
exemplify the values and purpose of the URI and to consider how to
include this expertise as we go forward. Visit the link above or contact
office@uri.org for more
information.
Interfaith Peacebuilding Guide (link
requires login to uriglobal.org; also available
for purchase or
free overview)
This guide was conceived as a resource for interfaith groups —
those “everyday gandhis” who are making a difference one
meeting at a time in their local communities. It is for people of diverse
faiths who have been strangers (or worse, enemies) who become friends and
allies dedicated to peace, justice, and healing. The guide has been
designed for groups that are just starting out in their life together, as
well as those that are more established and yet seek to strengthen their
planning and sharpen their skills for building interfaith understanding
and taking action.
Shared
Wisdom: Growing Grassroots Interfaith Relationships
Shared Wisdom explores the unique religious diversity we live in
today. It surveys several post-World War II documents that have helped
shape our thinking about dialogue and relationship. You’ll find
suggestions about studying the material and getting acquainted with
neighbors from different traditions and, in chapter 5, a provocative
chart for developing dialogue skills by Professor Patrice Brodeur. The
book ends with an annotated list of resources and links. (By Paul
Chaffee, Interfaith Center at the Presidio)