| COMMUNITY
NEWS
Show Your Face
for Action on Climate Change!
Step It Up 2007 Rally at Interweave on April 14
 Almost
everybody admits by now that global warming is a reality, but people
seem at a loss to know how to respond. What can one lone citizen do?
“The time has come for grassroots action, a national movement,” says
Bill McKibben, environmental activist, contributor to Harpers, and
well-known author of The End of Nature and numerous other books and
articles. His organization, Step It Up, is calling for thousands of
local rallies nationwide on Saturday, April 14, “A Day for Action on
Climate Change.” This internet-driven project encourages each group to
hold banners reading “Step It Up Congress! Cut Carbon 80% by 2050.”
Digital photos of each rally will be collected, displayed on the
internet, and sent as part of a petition to Congress. Groups are meeting
in parks, canyons, mountain tops, churches, and playing fields.
Interweave will host a local rally at 1-2 p.m. on April 14, at
our central meeting space, Calvary Church, 31 Woodland Avenue at
DeForest, in Summit. Weather permitting, we’ll gather on the
scenic hill by the church for speeches, music, a simple environmental
ceremony, and suggestions for citizen action. Our photo will include the
majestic oaks on the hill. Rain location will be inside Calvary Parish
House.)
“If we don’t act now, scientists tell us we’ll face an entirely
different planet,” says McKibben. But, he reports, “The groundswell
of support for this effort is incredible. This is truly a grassroots
movement, organized mainly through word of mouth, email outreach among
friends, and the online community.” Through photos, Congress can “see
for themselves constituents demanding real change,” a change, McKibben
claims, that will help invigorate the economy, too.
“Stopping global warming will catalyze a new clean energy revolution
which will benefit workers across the globe.” We can create win-win
solutions for business and environment, people and nature. If we act.
Starting now.
So, tell your friends. Come and show your face!
Our Growing
Abrahamic KINSHIP
More than 100 people participated in two KINSHIP events in February
cosponsored by the Interfaith Dialog Center. Jewish, Christian, and Muslim
women gathered at the Center in Carlstadt on Sunday, February 18 for Women
and God: A Special Bond. Accompanied by Turkish coffee and Turkish delight
served by women in beautiful traditional dress, Associate Director Lisa
Green and Yesim Tokat from Philadelphia’s Istanbul Cultural Center spoke
about women from each of their traditions and pondered some of the gifts
of women to Christianity and Islam. A lively question-and-answer period
followed, with participants reflecting on the many competing demands women
face today and the ways in which we can positively impact our religious
communities and our world. A follow-up gathering is planned for later this
spring. Then on Tuesday, February 27, IDC Director Levent Koc spoke and
Puran Perez performed at “Rumi: Lover of God,” a Lunch and Learn event
cosponsored by Calvary Church and the New Jersey Conference of the
Methodist Church. More than 50 people enjoyed a delicious Turkish lunch
and delightful interfaith fellowship.
June Spirituality Day
Mark your calendars now for “Rooted and Grounded in Peace,” our June
Spirituality Day. This event will explore specific practices that can make
you a “peaceable warrior,” engaged in the spiritual struggle to be
grounded in peace and attuned to your highest values. How can you resist
all that would erode your values? How can you respond in ways that serve
good in the world? How can you be resilient in the face of the fears and
uncertainties of our era? We are honored to have as our keynoter for the
day the Rt. Rev. Mark Beckwith, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark
(and a longtime Interweaver).
Workshops will include ”Spiritual Resilience in a Consumer Culture”
with Summit Unitarian minister Vanessa Southern, “Cultivating a Peaceful
Mind” with Buddhist meditation teacher Peter Kurczynski, “Burn-out and
Transformation,” with psychologist Tim O’Connell, and “The Peaceful
Warrior” with Interweave Director Robert Corin Morris. You will also
have your choice of mini-workshops on Spiritual Struggle: the True Meaning
of Jihad in Islam, Movement and Rest: the Rhythm of Peace, and Peaceful
Living in the Presence of Enemies.
The day will include a light lunch and conclude with a panel discussion,
“Reports from the Front,” with Interweavers discussing their
experiences of spiritual grounding in daily life and work. Save the date—Saturday,
June 16—save 30% off tuition by registering early (by June 1), and watch
for more details in a program brochure later this month.
CLICK
HERE FOR ALL THE DETAILS
COMING
UP AT INTERWEAVE
Please have a look at
our
April
and May calendars
for upcoming
events.
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