C of E launches £5m 'Near Neighbours' programme

It is proving an eventful week at the Contextual Theology Centre (PEN's parent body) - with the Centre being one of four hubs for 'Near Neighbours', a £5 million programme to increase engagement between, and social action by, people of different faiths and cultures. It will cover nine boroughs in eastern London, and includes a 'Near Neighbours Fund' which will distribute grants of £250 to £5000.  The programme is funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government, and will be administered by a new charity created by the Church of England and Church Urban Fund.

Responding to this news, Centre Director Angus Ritchie said: "This is a real vote of confidence in all that Church of England parishes and chaplaincies do to build relationships, capacity and trust in their neighbourhoods. PEN's work - mapping and sharing the stories of good practice - helped to make the case for this investment. The programme will build on these examples of faithful interaction."

Jürgen Moltmann to give lecture at St Mary le Bow

On Tuesday 8th February at 6.15pm this year’s annual Boyle Lecture will be given by renowned theologian Professor Jürgen Moltmann. His subject ‘Is the world unfinished? On interactions between science and theology in the concepts of nature, time and the future’ will receive a response from Professor Alan Torrance. The lecture is open to the public but seating is limited and places are likely to fill up early.
For more details about this event visit the St Mary le Bow website

Owing to the current lack of heating in St Mary-le-Bow, the lecture venue has moved to nearby St Lawrence Jewry, by kind permission of the Vicar. St Lawrence Jewry is on Guildhall Yard EC2V 5AA, and just five minutes’ walk from St Mary-le-Bow. Please note the later start time.

Eastern and Western Christian thought on Islam and Christian-Muslim relations

This two day Conference Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th March 2011 is hosted by the Centre for Eastern Christianity
It will bring together experts on Islam and Christian-Muslim relations from a number of Churches, Latin and Eastern Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Ptoestant, to share expereince,mainly from Europe and the Middle East and current research on Christian theological thought on Islam and how this impacts upon the actual relationship between Islam and Christianity.

Venue - The Charlwood Room,
Heythrop College,23 Kensington Square
Kensington, London W8 5HN

Time - 10.00 - 5.00 each day
Registration is required download application form
For enquiries email j.flannery@heythrop.ac.uk

For full list of speakers and topics click here

London Metropolitan University, Annual Chaplaincy Lecture

Shaykh 'Abd al-Wahid Pallavicini - A Sufi Master's Messgae
With a response byAbd-al-Haqq Guiderdoni
followed by an open discussion.

Wednesday 9th February 9.30 for 10.00 am.

London Metropolitan University Graduate Centre, GC 18
Tower Building 166-220 Holloway Road, N7 2DB

Everybody is warmly invited to hear this influential and revered leader
of the Sufi School of Islamic Thought.

Light lunch provided at 12.30pm
To book a place email chaplaincy.studentservices@londonmet.ac.uk

Descended from Abraham:

Exploring the Common Heritage of Jews, Christians and Muslims
by Dr Edward Kessler, Executive Director, The Woolf Institute

Thursday, 24 March 2011

Doors open from 6:30pm. Lecture starts 7pm.

At the Ramada Jarvis Hyde Park Hotel, 150 Bayswater Road, London W2 4RT

Tickets are free but spaces are limited.
Email info@projectmosaic.net to reserve your place.

Dr Edward Kessler is a leading thinker in interfaith relations, including Jewish-Christian and Jewish-Muslim relations. He is Founder and Executive Director of the Woolf Institute and Fellow of St Edmund’s College, Cambridge. Dr Kessler has written or edited nine books and dozens of articles, and also writes for print and broadcast media.

New Resource from Conflict and Change

Conflict and Change is a voluntary organisation building bridges of understanding within and between communities in Newham, East London, one of the most diverse areas of the United Kingdom. In 2010 it celebrated 25 years of bringing Newham people together.

One of its programmes - Faiths in Action now offers a toolkit, available to download from the Conflict and Change website.

What is Faiths in Action?

Since 2009, Conflict and Change has been running training courses for local women to develop the skills to facilitate at inter-faith events. The focus for this particular course has been on training women because it is recognized that interfaith is an area where they tend to have less influence and confidence.

The training takes place over 4 days, and participants then go on to run an event (or events) where people from different faith backgrounds meet to build relationships and understanding with each other through taking part in shared conversation or activity. For dates of the next course see the Conflict and Change website or to view the toolkit, download materials and adapt for your own use see here.

A Christian-Muslim-Humanist 'Trialogue'

Tuesday 25th January at St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace, 78 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AG 6.30 - 9.15 pm

Can religion and secular values complement each other in the public arena? Or is it impossible?Multifaith dialogue hosted by the Christian Muslim Forum.

Speakers:

• Julian Bond, Director, Christian Muslim Forum
• Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, President, Christian Muslim Forum and Chair of the Muslim Council of Britain's Masjid and Community Affairs Committee
• Peter Cave, Chair of the Humanist Philosophers