The Multifaith Association of South Australia lists interfaith events, climate events and faith festivals happening both locally in South Australia, and nationally, with internet participation – for the duration, July-September, 2020.
Multifaith Association of South Australia – July 2020
The Multifaith Association engaged in low key meetings to discuss climate change & renewable energy with Mark Butler and Dan Van Holst Pellekaan. There as an initial discussion with Kate Delaney from Reconciliation Australia about process for establishing Reconciliation Action Plans for both Religions for Peace Australia and the Multifaith Association of South Australia.
We attended – along with many others – the 1st National Council of Churches Climate and Environmental Justice Roundtable with Bishop Huggins & Rev James Bhagwan of the Pacific Conference of Churches. We also attended a seminar on National Bushfire and Climate Summit 2020 Recommendations and Wrap-up. On the Emergency and Disaster Response front, we participated in the UnitingEarth Climate Pastoral Care Conference, eg Bushfires, Chaplaincy & Climate Change with a focus on the presentatoin by Rev Dr Stephen Robinson on Disaster Chaplains, which is open to interfaith practitioners.
Multifaith Association of South Australia – August 2020
On the Compassionate Cities front, we attended the Mindful Futures webinar with Lynne Reeder from Australia 21 and Charter for Compassion. There was a Living the Change Webinar 1 on Stepping Stones to a Plant-based diet- Multicultural options. This was attended with many from South Australia participating. (One of the fruits of this event) was the Steps towards established a South Australian Council of Integral Ecology for Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide.
Earth Overshoot Day was on 22 August 2020: Two Cathedrals and Two Churches in in SA tolled a bell to mourn the depletion of our Earth’s resources St Francis Xavier Cathedral, St Peter’s Cathedral, Pilgrim Uniting Church & St John the Evangelist. The Children’s Choir St Peter’s Cathedral sang John Rutter’s “For the beauty of the earth, for the beauty of the skies…”
The Baha’i Community in Australia are conducting an ongoing national seminar on Social Cohesion, “Creating Inclusive Narratives”. The August event – which we attended featured Mahboobeh Aryanpad, the Very Rev Frank Nelson and Uncle Allen Edwards. Looking to the recovery from Covid-19, locally, nationally and internationally, there was the report presented by Professor Jeffrey Sachs – absolutely inspiring, hard-hitting and insightful Globalisation and Post-Covid Recovery Forum & a report, “Five Critical Outcomes on the Road to Recovery”, outlining priority actions that Fairtrade ANZ, the Global Compact Network Australia and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network believe are urgently needed in order to build back better post Covid-19.
Multifaith Association of South Australia – September 2020
South Australia’s strong participation and care for the Environment resolved in our attendance at the brilliant Living the Change Webinar 2 on Reducing Waste by Alice Carwardine, slideshow available here.
– Citizens Climate Lobby webinar on Electric Vehicles and potential scale/speed roll out of charging stations around Australia was presented by Warwick Cathro. Given that corporate Australia is rapidly transforming its fleets of motor vehicles to electric vehicles, this is a trend worth watching. There was the profitable 2nd National Council of Churches Australia Environment and Justice Roundtable which resulted in many breakout rooms and sharing of ideas. It is gratifying to see what emerges and unfolds when people of faith – from different yet harmonious traditions – get together and discuss issues vital to the welfare of our community and our nation.
We participated in the International Day of Peace Interfaith Event at Pinnacle College Elizabeth – Shaping Peace Together. View a (short video clip). The World Council of Churches Season of Creation takes place during September. We prepared a Season of Creation talk on “Enough for our Need, not our Greed” for Rev Glenn Loughrey’s congregation at St Oswald’s, Melbourne. We also participated in the Australian Refugee Association 2020 Oration online – “The Future is Intercultural” (delivered at the Hawke Centre, UniSA). This was followed by attending the Council of Integral Ecology Season of Creation Outdoor Mass at Belair National Park.
The World Economic Forum’s “Great Reset” https://www.weforum.org/great-reset/ addressing the urgent need for global stakeholders to cooperate in simultaneously managing the direct consequences of the COVID-19 crisis to improve the state of the world,
On Monday 28 September 4.00pm AEST /4.30pm ACST – we will be participating in the Webinar with Rev Dr James Bhagwan, Secretary General, Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) & Thea Ormerod, ARRCC, discussing the evolving climate situation in the Pacific and a global day of faith-led climate action on 18 November Please share webinar on Facebook here – This PCC/ARRCCwebinar is part of a series, in Latin America, Africa, North America, South-east Asia/Indonesia – hosted by GreenFaith International, a newly formed multi-faith climate action alliance of faith partners from all corners of the world.The Australian Religious Response to Climate Change is a Founding Partner.
The attached letter from Padre Bhagwan to Prime Minister Scott Morrison requests Australia to sign the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) letter, given to me with permission to share widely; we also share this NCCA Nuclear Briefing Paper – Supporting First Nations for the NCCA Climate and Justice Roundtables.
