August Update

We did think about having a month off from blog updates in August but there is so much going on in September it needs publicising NOW! So from the top.......... picture credit John Furse, Cley Norfolk

Thursday 1st September 7 - 9.30pm, St Mark's Myddleton Square London EC1R 1XX. Fr Laurence Freeman (Director of Meditatio - the outreach of The World Community for Christian Meditation) in conversation with Lama Geshi Tashi who is from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. They will consider the topic Emptiness and Poverty of Spirit: What Christians and Buddhists can learn from each other.

Saturday 10th September 2 - 5pm hosted by St Ethelburga's and St Barnabas Community Fete The Human Library - don't take out a book take out a person, and hear their story (bring 'em back after half an hour!). The venue is ‘Bowstock’ on Wennington Green, at the crossroads of Roman Road and Grove Road, E3. This is 7 mins walk from Mile End tube station (Central line, District line & Hammersmith and City line). See also events on StEthelburg's website.
Also on Saturday 10th September The Asian Mission Partnership day trailed in our July Update.

Sunday 11th September Ten years on from 9/11 The Awareness Foundation has called for this to be Awareness Sunday, a time for remembrance, reconciliation and renewed efforts to build reatlionships between the faiths. Also see the Foundation's website for details of the screenings of the film Aaks Al Seir (Against the Current) on 10th & 15th September.
Sunday 11th September is also Racial Justice Sunday for which posters and resources can be downloaded from the CTBI website. This years theme is on tackling human trafficking.

Monday 12th September - Friday 23rd September 10am - 6pm London Inter Faith Centre’s Art of Identity Project -London teenagers from across five world religions explore aspects of their identity, including faith, through the visual arts. The exhibition at Lumen URC Centre, 88Tavistock Place, WC1

Wednesday 14th September 6.05pm, St Mary le Bow. The monthly JustShare lecture on Christian Social & Political Thought will address the subject: ‘What has the Bible ever done for us? The influence of the Bible on British Politics’, and will be given by Nick Spencer of Theos.

Saturday 17th September Commisson4Mission study day on the value of public art at St Paul's College Square, Harlow CM20 1LP - with input from the Bishop of Barking and a cream tea! Details in the Commission4Mission blog or contact jonathan.evens@btinternet.com
Also on art and faith on Saturday 17th September - 29th October Come and See Chislehurst, a chance to see The Methodist Art Collection in the newly refurbished Chislehurst Methodist Church.

Monday 19th September 7.00 - 8.30pm The St Martin in the Fields 2011/12 Education Programme kicks off this year's theme Radical Compassion, the Gospel and Social Justice with a talk by Nicholas Sagovsky on Compassion and Justice.

Wednesday 21st September, 10am - 4pm Toynbee Hall. Religious diversity in modern Britain: how an history inform the present? The Rt Rev Adrian Newman, Bishop of Stepney is amongst the speakers. Again trailed in the July Update

Thursday 22nd September 10.30am - 3.30pm Conference on Inter-faith Relationships hosted by Faithful Friends and The Bishop of Barking at Emmanuel Church, Forest Gate. See seperate blog for details.

Saturday 24th September 10am - 1pm The Christian Council for Monetary Justice CCMJ event for Moving Planet day at St James Piccadilly - Identifying money power; behind climate change. Contact peterchallen@gmail.com for details and booking.

Monday 26th September 6.00 - 9.00pm at The Royal Foundation of St Katharine E14 8DS Faith and Food Growing, a Networking Event for Capital Growth with input on how to start a food growing project, container and seasonal gardening.

Thursday 29th September Trustee Fair training and advice event for charity trustees. See July Update

And looking on in to October ..............
Friday 7th October 10.30am - 3.30pm This year's National Estate Churches Network (NECN) conference will be held at Carrs Lane Church, Birmingham on the theme Knocked About but not Beaten Doreen Massey will be speaking.

Saturday 8th October and Sunday 9th October The Christian Muslim Forum conference for teachers and teaching assistants in all curriculum areas Belief and Being in School II at the Methodist International Centre NW1 2EZ.

For those interested in Creative Arts in Worship Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th October at The Hayes, Swanick ArtServe's Annual Conference; Discovering Gifts, Discovering God
And a really advance notice for International Conference on Multi-Faith Spaces 21st – 22nd March 2012, University of Manchester. Further details can be found at www.manchester.ac.uk/mfs

Other News
The Awareness Foundation recently launched a new resource Speak Out - How to Articulate Your Faith and Why. More details from St John Wright on 020 7730 8830 or email him at education@awareness-foundation.

Conflict and Change have published dates for their courses this Autumn. Courses are free to those in Newham or available at a special rate to those in neighbouring boroughs. They are happy to negotiate a charge for coming to your area with their expertise.

Last month we recommended checking out the blog of London Boroughs Faiths Network They have just put up the film clip of waltham Forest's Inter Faith Pilgrimage. We plan to add the film clip to the PEN website as part of a longer item on the Forest Women's Interfaith Network a member group of WIN.

Job Opportunity
Milton Keynes is looking for a Director of Ecumenical Mission. The closing date is 7th October so plenty of time to pass on details to anyone you think might be interested. The profile, information and application form are all available from the CTE website

Ten things churches can do about unemployment a resource document published by the London Church Leaders Group