News

Climate Pastoral Care Conference – 2020

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Climate Pastoral Care Conference

The unprecedented bushfires experienced around Australia, and particularly in NSW & the ACT, over spring and summer 2019/2020 further emphasized the need for climate pastoral care, and the idea of climate anxiety became newly concrete for many people as they faced the smoke and other impacts of the fires for themselves.

In June 2020, Common Grace and the Five Leaf Eco-Awards joined Uniting Earth as co-sponsors, and the conference was renamed the ‘Climate Pastoral Care Conference: Christian training in Care, Communication & Action’, to welcome greater ecumenical participation.

We are excited to gather online this year, and for the opportunities this offers for church leaders and interested parties from all around Australia and New Zealand to attend.

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Webinar: Prayer, Patience and Pandemic

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Webinar: Prayer, Patience and PandemicAustralian Intercultural Society will host a live webinar on Youtube with the topic, Prayer, Patience and Pandemic. Panellists include Dr Mashrreed Ansari of the Islamic Sciences and Research Academy, Rev. De Colleen O’Reilly – Chaplain to Trinity College, and Moderator Dr Duleyha Keskin of Islamic Sciences and Research Academy, Charles Sturt University. The webinar takes place on the evening of Monday, 27 July, 2020.

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Remembering the Atomic Bombs: History, Memory and Politics in Australia, Japan and the Pacific

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Hiroshima memorialThis webinar is part of an ongoing seminar series, Making Public Histories, that is offered jointly by the Monash University History Program, the History Council of Victoria and the Old Treasury Building. 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945. In this webinar, three speakers will consider new findings about the Japanese experience and memory of the Atomic bombings. This is an online webinar.

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New Zealand: Victim Impact Statement

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NZ Ministry of JusticeThe New Zealand Ministry of Justice has approached the Interfaith networks of New Zealand seeking victim impact statements for the March 15 attacks at the two mosques in Christchurch. The MoJ has decided to expand the scope of the ‘Victims’ to not only include the Muslim community who were most directly affected, but also all faith communities in Christchurch as well as New Zealand as they acknowledge that all faith groups have been made victims in one way or another through these events. The Canterbury Interfaith Society will act to draw related statements together on behalf of faith communities.

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Forests & Pandemics Primer

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Forests & Pandemics Primer


Tropical forests are being destroyed at alarming rates around the world, driving climate change and biodiversity loss, and intensifying poverty. The habitat loss from tropical deforestation is also leading to increased contact between humans and wildlife. This exposure increases incidence of zoonotic diseases, infectious diseases that are transmitted from animals to humans. As the loss of tropical forests accelerates, the public health danger from deforestation is growing worse.

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Hagia Sophia – Official Statement of the Islamic Society of North America

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Hagia Sophia


We need to work together to convince President Erdogan not to convert Hagia Sophia into a mosque in Istanbul. Hagia Sophia was built as a Church and a pride of Greek Orthodox Church which commands the loyalty of Greek Orthodox Christians counting some 300 million in Greece, Turkey and around the world. Russian Orthodox Church which is a splinter of Greek Orthodox continues to jointly have a sacred sentiment for Hagia Sophia.

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From King to Gandhi, racial justice means all faiths matter

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Martin Luther King in India(RNS) — Recently, my Muslim family joined a Hindu family and a Jewish family at a protest for racial equity near our home on the North Side of Chicago. A couple of days ago, my older son and I went to an event on the near South Side with fellow Muslims. As we talked about the verses of the Quran and the values of Islam that inspired our involvement, I made sure to point out the people wearing crosses around their necks, the clergy with collars or kippahs, the religious scripture prominently displayed on several signs.

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Meditations for a Time of Isolation

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peaceful garden

People react to situations and enclosure differently. Some go within and reflect; others go out and spend energy, and thus, recharge themselves. Still more get out and walk, and notice their environment mindfully. Those who need contact get onto the electronic devices and get facetime with their cherished. More get out in the garden, the green-fingers! There are those who look to others for help and guidance. Here, we bring you a selected series of meditations for your ease and reduction in anxiety and fear: S/he who manages their mind manages their anxiety and fear – and create a positive environment for self and others. We offer this to you for your exploration, sample, and peace.

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Lockdown: Lakemba Mosque, Sydney, NSW

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Lockdown: Lakemba Mosque, Sydney, NSWIn Australia, religious communities were one part of society expressly impacted by the ‘lockdown’ directives introduced to stem the spread of the virus. On 29 March all places of religious worship were effectively closed by the restrictions that limited non-essential indoor gatherings to two people. In Victoria, lockdown came again on 9th of July, with border closures. Here, we look to faith community experiences in time of lockdown. On this page, we look to the experience of the members of the Muslim community at Lakemba Mosque, Auburn, Sydney, NSW.

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