Come to the Edge - Christian and Muslim Women critically thinking together

This two day residential conference is hosted by the Christian Muslim Forum

Date: 19th and 20th March 2012 - from 10.45am on day 1 to 4.00pm on day 2
Venue: King's Park, Action Centres UK Ltd, Kings Park Road, Moulton Park,
Northampton, NN3 6LL
Cost: Waged £20, Unwaged £10 - yes it is that low cost AND residential

Booking: http://www.christianmuslimforum.org/

What is women's contribution to community building?
How can women move from the private to the public sphere?
'Culture' versus 'religion': What does this distinction represent?
How might women help devlop leadership skills amongst young people?
What are women looking for in a 'role model'
Are comunity relations beoming harder?

Keynote speakers: Aina Khan, Senior Consultant Solicitor,
Dr Frances Ward, Dean of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich,
Julie Siddiqui, Executive Director of teh Islamic Society of Britain,
Prof Tina Beattie, Director of the Digby Stuart Research Centre for
Catholic Studies at Roehampton University.

Inspiring speakers, a thought provoking theatrical performance, interactive workshops and much more.......

Inter Faith Week 2012 & A Year of Service

In this Diamond Jubilee year, there will be a special extended Inter Faith Week running from 18 - 27 November, reflecting the fact that there are likely to be additional activities taking place. The opening Sunday of the Week will again coincide with Mitzvah Day.

Also in 2012 a special project called ‘A Year of Service’ will be taking place. In each month, for A Year of Service, faith communities will be hosting a day or days of volunteering and inviting people of other faiths and non-religious beliefs to join in. There will also be workplace volunteering opportunities. The Year provides an opportunity for marking in a practical way the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen – of whose reign service has been a key theme.

The days around which the programme is built have been chosen reflect both religious festivals and dedicated faith-based special volunteering ‘Days’. Other faith groups around the country can choose to hold their own volunteering events linked to other days.

See press release from DCLG issued on 13 January by the Government In this, Eric Pickles said: “Faith is a great motivator, and throughout the year people from different faiths regularly give something back, volunteering for projects that benefit individuals in need or their local neighbourhood… We want to help them do what they do best, recognising that just a little support can make a big difference. The Year of Service is a chance to link these great efforts together throughout the year… [projects will be] led by individual faith communities but involving people of all faiths and none.”

Further information about the project can be found at http://www.ayearofservice.org.uk/. The site, which is owned and managed by Mitzvah Day for A Year of Service, will include ideas for activities, case studies of existing projects and background information on why volunteering is important to each featured faith community.

February Update

A less esoteric picture this month (January had a picture of the NILE in honour of the News, Issues, Links and Events in the update!)

News

The Department for Communities and Local Government have declared 2012 to be A Year of Service which highlights the volunteering undertaken by peoples of faith. Types of activity have been linked to festivals from each of nine faiths with an invitation to join together in united service. Follow the link for more details.

Issues

With economics still to the fore The Contextual Theology Centre has launched a new website - Call to Change; JustShare has topical debates for Fairtrade Fortnight and Grove books are reminding us of relevant titles in their ethics series. All the links and details are in our earlier blog

Resources The Awareness Foundation is suggesting its module 'Living in a Global Village' would make a good Lent course. To encourage you the Teaching DVD, Leaders notes and twenty study packs normally £49.99 are now free Follow the links for details and ordering.
See also the latest dates for courses with Conflict and Change in our earlier blog

Events

The last in the St Martin in the Fields series 'Radical Compassion and Social Justice' is on Monday 20th February 7 - 8.30pm. Dr Robert Beckford speaks on Compassion and Freedom.

Saturday 25th February Jewels in His Crown & The South Asian Forum present an Asian Mission Partnership Day 9.30am to 4pm at Woodgrange Baptist Church, 345 Romford Road, Forest Gate, London, E7 8AA visit either website for details and booking which is essential and should be made by 16th February.

Sunday 26th February at the London Inter Faith Centre the next in the series of Texts to Live by - on the theme of animal rights. Details or Enquiries to info@londoninterfaith.org.uk or telephone 020 7604 3053
Monday 5th March 7pm, Kings Place, 90 York Way, N1 9AG The Royal Society of Literature hosts Karen Armstrong speaking on 'What is Religion?' to book ring 020 7520 1490 or visit the website through the link.

Until 15th April at the British Museum, Haj - Journey to the Heart of Islam exhibition but on Saturday 18 February, 13.15 exhibition curators Venetia Porter and Qaisra Khan give a 45-minute illustrated introduction to the exhibition.

In It Together: Friends of Biblelands lecture 2012

Muslim/Christian Relations:Co-operation not conflict
The Friends of BibleLands present a lecture by HRH Princess Badiya bint El-Hassan

Wednesday 2 May 2012 6.30pm St James’s, Piccadilly W1J 9LL
Princess Badiya, of the Jordanian Royal Family, supports practical work to promote interfaith and cross cultural understanding.

Professor David Ford, Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge, will give a response and the event will be chaired by The Rt Revd Michael Ipgrave, Bishop of Woolwich.

Tickets are free of charge but should be booked in advanceTo reserve your place, please contact BibleLands on 01494 897933
or email info@biblelands.org.uk

Upcoming Courses 2012 from Conflict and Change

1. Conflict and Me: an introduction to conflict resolution
A 2-day course which focuses on exploring your personal experience of and own relationship with conflict - the key starting place of conflict resolution. February 20th & 2st
2. Communicating through conflict
A 1-day course designed to develop your communication skills using several core conflict resolution tools that can help you manage relationships, interactions and conflict with others. February 7th or February 28th (repeat)
3. Dealing with difference:prejudice and how to overcome it
A 1-day course which introduces some powerful tools for understanding and dealing with prejudice. February 8th or February 29th (repeat)
4. Advanced Interpersonal and Mediation Skills
Please note, you need to commit to volunteering with Conflict and Change and complete Days 1-4 to take part in this course A 4-day course that builds on previous learning. April 17th, 18th, 24th and 25th

Worshops are only free for people who live or work for a Voluntary organisation in Newham. People working in the private or statutory sector or from outside the Borough will be charged a fee. For more information contact Tanya, Sonia or Zakir on 020 8552 2050 email training@conflictandchange.co.uk or visit www.conflictandchange.co.uk

Call to Change - Responding to the Economic Crisis

The Contextual Theology Centre, PEN's parent organisation, in association with The Church Urban Fund and Premier Christian Radio has launched a new website Call to Change
The site gives a call to pray, listen and act re economic issues, principally the widening gap between rich and poor in society. The site includes material that can be used in Lent, or at any time to enable parishes to engage with the wider community and discern how the current crisis is impacting locally. There is also a link to CUF's own Lent course 'Are We Washing Our Hands of England's Poor?'

The next two JustShare events also address economic questions. Wednesday 22nd February, 6.05pm JustShare Debate: 'Commodity Trading: Helping or Harming Developing Economies?' Speakers: Deborah Doane, Director of the World Development Movement, and Anthony Belchambers, CEO of the Futures and Options Association. Chair: Lydia Prieg, new economics foundation. Wednesday 29th February, 6.05pm JustShare Christian Social and Political Thought Lecture for Fairtrade Fortnight 'Fairtrade and Christian Attitudes to the Market' Paul Chandler, CEO of Traidcraft
Both events are at St Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside EC2V 6AU

Grove books have just circulated a list of their titles (mainly in their ethics series) which are also pertinent:-
Young People and Money;
The Entrepreneur and the Church;
Globalization:Unravelling the New Capitalism;
Corporate Ethical Accounting:(How) Can Companies Tell the Truth?;
Usury Friendly? The Ethics of Moneylending - A Biblical Interpretation;
The Ethics of Businesss Competition:The Law of the Jungle;
Consumerism;
Rebuiliding Trust in Business - Enron and Beyond;
Transforming Capitalism - Entrepreneurship and the Renewal of Thrift;
The Ethics of Executive Pay:A Christian Viewpoint;
Fairtrade as Christian Mission
order online http://www.grovebooks.co.uk/ or by email sales@grovebooks.co.uk from Susanne. Titles, normally 28 pages, cost £3.95 post-free in the UK.

Responding to the Riots update

Bookings are now being taken for Reclaiming London Together, the conference being hosted by Faiths Forum for London and The Fayre Share Foundation on Monday 5th March.
Speakers include Camila Batmanghelidjh, founder of Kids Company; London Mayor, Boris Johnson and The Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, Bishop of Southwark.
The event takes place at Stamford Bridge Stadium.

For the provisional programme click here Advance booking is essential. Young people are particualry invited to attend and gain free admission, (cost for adults £15) Click here for registration.

Meanwhile The Churches Response to Public Disturbances published by The London Churches Group is available to download as a pdf here

London 2012, the Mayoral Elections and Faith Communities

Wednesday 15th February
3.30- 5.30pm
CAN Mezzanine, 32-36 Loman Street, London SE1 0EH

An opportunity to hear from Transport for London, and LOCOG and opportunity to put some concerns to them.

Introduction to the 2012 Mayoral Elections. Hope Not Hate and responding to The Far Right in the 2012 Mayoral Elections.

A speaker for Luton Council of Faiths will talk about lessons learnt from theEDL demonstrations in Luton. Again there will be opportunity for questions and answers.

Advanced registration is essential Please notify info@faithsforum4london.org if you plan to attend - otherwise you will not get in to the building.