Surrey Neighbouring Faiths Program Mid-December 2011 Newsletter

Greetings, With the exception of a booming interfaith dance party coming up in a few days, things are pretty quiet on the interfaith front. The solstice season is often a time when many of us turn inwards within ourselves or within our own particular religious communities to seek a deeper understanding of who we are and to appreciate those people and ideals we hold dear. The chill of January will call us to turn outwards again with renewed energy and commitment to reaffirm our hopes for more just and compassionate communities. What opportunities will the New Year bring for those of us in the interfaith movement? How can we better live out our collective commitment to bringing more peace and justice into the world? This is a good time to start thinking about World Interfaith Harmony Week. The website for World interfaith Harmony Week reads: The World Interfaith Harmony Week was first proposed at the UN 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 UN and henceforth the first week of February will be observed as a World Interfaith Harmony Week. The World Interfaith Harmony Week provides a platformone week in a year when all interfaith groups and other groups of goodwill can show the world what a powerful movement they are. The thousands of events organized by these groups often go unnoticed not only by the general public, but also by other groups themselves. This week will allow for these groups to become aware of each other and strengthen the movement by building ties and avoiding duplicating each others efforts. Is there anything that you could be doing in your community to observe this week? Is there any way that others in the Surrey Neighbouring Faiths Program could support you? Please, share your ideas. Oh, and be sure to read below about that dance party! I hope that you all find hope and wholeness in whatever meaning this season holds for you. A warm welcome to anyone receiving this newsletter for the first time.

Upcoming Events
December 21 Soulstice: An Interfaith Dance Party Crossroads United Church invites you to Soulstice! Soulstice is an improvisational, spirit-filled multimedia celebration of interfaith diversity and harmony. There will be many options for participants - dancing (of course!), listening and enjoying, meditation, walking the labyrinth, sharing with friends. We will celebrate the longest night of the year by exploring, through music, such universal themes as light and darkness, peace, surrender and harmony. For more information visit the website or view the poster at the bottom of this newsletter. January 25 Interfaith Childrens Event in Abbotsford

The City of Abbotsford has been making great strides in developing their local interfaith networks. On January 25 they are hosting an interfaith childrens event for children aged 3-10 and they are calling on our expertise in this area to help design and run the program. If anyone would like to help support this, please let me know. If you are in the field of Early Childhood Education and are looking to pad your resume with some experience with diversity programming, this is a great opportunity! Late January Surrey Interfaith Council Dialogue Session The second dialogue session in Surrey Interfaith Council Project will take place in late January. Please read below for more information on this project and let me know if you are interested in being part of this event. A summary of the first dialogue event in November can be viewed via that link at the bottom of this newsletter.

Opportunities to Connect

Surrey Interfaith Council A range of religious and secular community leaders have embarked on a dialogue process to explore the formation of a Surrey Interfaith Council. The dialogue process will continue on into the spring of 2012, and will define the ultimate mandate and direction of the Council. At his point, participants are gathering under the general vision of creating and maintaining a positive climate for religious diversity in Surrey. The next community dialogue will take place in January 2012. Please let David Dalley know if you are interested in connecting with this project. Early Years Workshops The SNFP offers an educational outreach workshop titled Honouring the Religious and Spiritual Identities of Children in Early Childhood Education. It is 2 to 4 hours long, and is geared towards preschool and early elementary school teachers. The purpose of this workshop is to explore spirituality and religion as important components of the whole child in the education of young children. Please let David Dalley know if you are interested in observing this workshop or training to become a presenter.

Ongoing Events

Community Sweat Lodge and Drum Circle The Cwenengitel Aboriginal Society hosts community sweat lodges and drum circles. The drum circles take place every Thursday evening at 6:30pm, the sweat lodges take place every second Saturday starting at 10:30am. The next sweats are December 3 & 17. There are separate lodges for men and women. Men must wear shorts, and women must wear a long skirt or gown to the ankles. The events are open to people from all faith traditions. For more information, please contact Wally LaVigne at wally@cwenabso.org or (604) 588-5561 October 2011 June 2012 Interfaith Speakers Series The South Fraser Unitarian Congregation in Surrey is hosting a 1st Sunday Community Interfaith Series that will run from October 2011 to June 2012. Speakers will reflect on the following theme: We live together in diverse communities. As individuals, we draw on our belief systems to guide the ways we think and act. Our belief systems shape how we relate to one another and how we come together as a community. What are some of the

core values and practices of your faith tradition? How do they shape and strengthen your faith community? How might the wisdom of your faith tradition help us to live and flourish in our diverse community? We will hear perspectives from the following worldviews: Hinduism, Paganism, Humanism, Islam, Kabir Panth, Sikhism, Christianity and Bahai. For more information, please contact info@sfuc.bc.ca. November 1 to January 31 The Faith of our Neighbours Join Northwood United Church for an 11 week education series which will explore the many and varied faith traditions practiced in our neighborhood. Led by Rev. Will Sparks and Sid Bentley, world religions educator, sessions at the church will be interspersed with out trips to places of prayer in our community. The series takes place Tuesday evenings at 7:00pm. For more details and to register, contact the church office at (604) 581-8454.

Further down the road...

February 4, 2012 Workshop at Children the Heart of the Matter Conference The Surrey Neighbouring Faiths Program will be presenting a workshop to early childhood educators at the Children the Heart of the Matter conference in Surrey. Visit the website for more information and to register. February 5 Community Interfaith Series: Mufti Imam Aasim Rashid on Islam Aasim Rashid is the Director of Religion and Islamic Education and Spokesperson on Religious Affairs for the BC Muslim Association. In these roles, he represents the Muslim community in public issues such as the recent ban on veils during oaths of citizenship. He is an Imam in the local Muslim community, and an articulate speaker about the Islamic religion. All are invited to hear him speak at the fourth service of the Community Interfaith Series at the South Fraser Unitarian Congregation. The service starts at 10:30am at the Newton Seniors Centre. May 10-11, 2012 Workshop at 2012 Cities Fit for Children Provincial Summit The 3rd Annual Cities Fit for Children Provincial Summit is dedicated to the sustainable development of our cities and urban and rural areas. The event will bring together local, municipal and regional leaders involved in policy decisions and designing and building healthy safe communities for children and families. Come and hear how multifaith networks can play an important role in this process.

Keep in touch...

What to learn more about the Surrey Neighbouring Faiths Program? Visit our website, watch our documentary, or look through past editions of this newsletter. Want to stay connected? Sign up to receive this monthly newsletter or join our Facebook group. This newsletter contains links to other events and resources in the community. Unless you are receiving this newsletter directly, some of the links may be disabled. To receive this newsletter directly, sign up at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/surreyneighbouringfaiths/. Our Mission Statement is: The Surrey Neighbouring Faiths Program builds community capacity for multifaith learning and dialogue with a focus on

children and families. If you have any programming or project ideas that relate to this mission statement, please let me know. We are always open to new ideas! In peace, David Dalley (604) 502-8661 davidanderin@dalley.ca Comforted by how much we share, were able to delight in our differences. - Raffi, from A Covenant for Honouring Children