RfP Tasmania – June 2014

Tasmania Logo

Religions for Peace Tasmania will be celebrating World Environment Day in a variety of ways during June. There will not be our usual gathering on 10 June, the second Tuesday of the month, as the trip to Dolphin Sands will take the place of our meeting in Mather’s House (the 50 and Better Centre).

World Environment Day

Today is UN World Environment Day, and you can find out about many inspiring projects happening around the world at: http://www.unep.org/wed/

Religions for Peace Tasmanian Branch will be doing our own celebrating of such an important day in two ways.

Firstly Rabbi Jonathan Keren-Black is in Tasmania and has invited us to visit an eco-community set up by a member of the Jewish community on the Tasman Peninsula. Rabbi Jonathan will be leaving Hobart Synagogue in Argyle St. at 12.30 on Sunday 8 June (please contact Terry if you would like to join in).

Secondly, we have planned to honour fire as the next element in the series (earth at Neika in January, water at Carlton Beach in April). We will meet at the Brahma Kumaris’ Meditation Centre at 10.30am on Monday (Queen’s Birthday holiday) 9 June to go to Dolphin Sands, the place mentioned in the Cotton Papers as held sacred to fire by the Tasmanian Aboriginal people as part of the pathway to the Land of the Sleeping Gods. Dolphin Sands is north of Swansea, so the trip will take us about 2 and a half hours to get there. Please bring lunch and afternoon tea to share if you can.

There will not be our usual gathering on 10 June, the second Tuesday of the month, as the trip to Dolphin Sands will take the place of our meeting in Mather’s House (AKA 50 and Better Centre).

Hope to see you at one (or both!) events!

Rekindling the Fire of Devotion

Tasmanian Winter Heart Warming
3 day Residential Dance Retreat
6th June – 9th June 2014

This weekend affords us the time and space to warm our hearts and souls at the fireside of devotion, allow ourselves to surrender to the power of the dance, harmonise with the beauty of the earth, and be embraced by the sweetness of community. We immerse ourselves in the circle of unity created, by honouring and respecting the diversity of all beings upon this earth, through singing, dancing, praying and feasting together in oneness. There are still places available for this.

More information on the Dances of Universal Peace Website: www.dancesofuniversalpeace.australia.org

Download a flyer for this retreat.

Tasmania Council of Churches

This is a brief note to remind you that our TCC Annual Meeting is on this Saturday (7th June), from 9:30 onwards at the Hobart Salvation Army Citadel, Elizabeth Street, Hobart. While members of the Annual Meeting have been selected by the member churches, all sessions are open to the public.

The Rev Stuart Stuart (Manager of Emergencies Ministry for the Victorian Council of Churches) will be our keynote speaker. He will speak to the meeting at 11:15 a.m. on the churches’ ecumenical response to natural disasters.

Stuart will also preach at worship services on Sunday for Grace Church, Hobart, at their Sorell centre (Sorell Primary School, 10:00 a.m.) and at their Mornington Centre (Cambridge Road, Mornington, 4:00 p.m.).

We also have a flyer for a gathering at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, 12th June, at St. David’s Cathedral, Hobart. The gathering will be part of St. David’s Friday Forum series (even if it is on a Thursday) and will feature Misha Coleman from the Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce.

Interfaith Launceston

News from the North – the first of two regular monthly meetings for Launceston’s first Interfaith Friendship Circle was held on Monday the 19th May. Fourteen people from various faith and spiritual traditions came together to learn more about Interfaith, and to share insights into how they came to their particular spiritual paths. The group also engaged in an inclusive activity, lighting individual Hope candles and expressing their personal thoughts about what they hoped to gain through the group, both personally and collectively.

The Interfaith Circle’s next meeting is scheduled for Sunday June 1st at 2pm. Meetings thereafter are held on:

the third Monday of each month at 1pm

the first Sunday of each month at 2pm.

Inclusive Interfaith worship services will commence over the next few months. Anyone interested in learning more about the group, upcoming topics and future activities can contact Shari at interfaithtasmania -at – gmail.com or phone 0431 909 172

Tasmanian Catholic Magazine

We are very sad to hear that the award-winning Tasmanian Catholic Magazine will not be continued after the June edition. All of us who have had the good fortune to be regular readers of this outstanding magazine will lament its passing. It has built many bridges between the Catholic and other faith communities. Thank you for all the work you have done to make it such a success in sharing news of the Catholic Church from the state, the nation and internationally, Mary-Anne!

The Golden Rule

Golden Rule, Australian Version

The Golden Rule Poster is now being distributed in an Australian version, which includes Aboriginal Spirituality among the 13 religions on the poster.

Information about the beautiful Golden Rules Poster may be found at: http://www.columban.org.au/our-works/christian-muslim-relations/the-golden-rule

Australian Religious Response to Climate Change:

At last night’s ARRCC Committee meeting we thought it would good to follow through on our original plan to hold another fund-raising dinner this year, at least in Sydney. Apart from raising some money for ARRCC, we think it’s a great way of building people’s sense of connection with the organisation. People at the dinner in Sydney said they really enjoyed the quiz questions last year, and they learned a few things they didn’t know before. For a range of reasons, too, it would be a meat-free meal.

Depending on your own circumstances, would you like to hold one in your city too? Obviously, we’ll share the new quiz questions.

One alternative where there are smaller networks, is to host a dinner at home.

Any takers for a dinner in Hobart? Four of us had a lovely dinner on the night of the ARRCC AGM and joined in the meeting by skype. There were people from Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney and of course ourselves linked by skype that night.

Coda:

smithy

In peace,
Terry
Convenor RfP Tasmannia Branch
6272 6521

Religions for Peace Tasmania

Religions for Peace Tasmania