 |
 |
|
|
1763 NW
62nd Street| Seattle, Washington 98107 | (206) 783-1618 |
||
|
|
|
|
1763 NW
62nd Street| Seattle, Washington 98107 | (206) 783-1618 |
||
| The
United Religions Initiative The 72 hour Peace
Vigil had a tremendous bonding effect for all who participated. While
some had fled the city expecting a millennial catastrophe, we invested
in one another and our community. We applied a concerted effort toward
Peacebuilding which continues to this day. |
Since we formed
the Interfaith Circle of Love The first year
our interfaith dialogues were called Our millennial
New Year's Eve walk around Green Lake
Our
URI CC is named: FILM / DIALOGUE
GATHERINGS
An Important
part of our work has been honoring See
flyer from last year's (2007)
Greetings of love and peace on a gray winter's day in California as one year passes into the next; and wishes for a 2010 filled with joy and the blessings of peace, justice and healing for all. Though it is early afternoon on 31 December 2009 here, I know that many of you already are living 1 January 2010. Ten years ago at this time, the URI community was actively engaged in the 72 Hours -- an experiment in interfaith peacebuilding that launched the final six months of URI's charter writing phase. leading to the signing of URI's Charter on 26 June 2000. Here's how a report on the 72 Hours described this effort: "The 72 Hours Project was a global invitation for people to imagine a more peaceful world and to consider what specific cooperative action they might take during the millennium weekend to begin creating that world. The response to this invitation was astounding. Over one million people in 60 countries and 400 communities around the world engaged in commitments of service, peacebuilding, reconciliation, and consciousness transformation from December 31st, 1999 through January 2nd, 2000. Youth and elders...spiritual and political leaders and prison inmates on Death Row... Baha'i, Brahma Kumaris, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Indigenous peoples, Jains, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Taoists, and more... business leaders and poor children in remote villages...over one million people who for one moment knew themselves to be part of a single human community united by active faith in the power of peace to prevail." At the turn of the millennium, a joyous hope for the transformation of humanity followed the rising sun around the world. A decade later, in the midst of an unprecedented environmental crisis, a global economic crisis, and the enduring but every more damaging crisis of extremism of all kinds, that hope is difficult for many to find. But I find a joyous hope each day in the everyday miracles that manifest in the work of Cooperation Circles all around the world. I also recognize that our world needs URI's best to be better each year. So, at the turning of the year, I invite each of us to reflect, as we were called to reflect during the 72 Hours, on the commitments of service, peacebuilding, reconciliation, and consciousness transformation we will make in 2010 to help our world be a more hopeful, peaceful, just and joyous place for all life. I look forward sharing a life-giving journey in 2010 as we transform our commitments into actions for a better world. Love, Charles The
Rev. Canon Charles P. Gibbs |
|
|
The URI Charter was developed through a four year global chartering process by several hundred women, men, and youth representing a diverse array of religions, spiritual paths and indigenous traditions. It inspires, grounds and guides all URI activity.
Preamble - The call that inspires us to create the
URI now and continue to create it everyday Preamble We respect the uniqueness of each tradition, and differences of practice or belief. We value voices that respect others, and believe that sharing our values and wisdom can lead us to act for the good of all. We believe that our religious, spiritual lives, rather than dividing us, guide us to build community and respect for one another. Therefore, as interdependent people rooted in our traditions, we now unite for the benefit of our Earth community. We unite to build cultures of peace and justice. We unite to heal and protect the Earth. We unite to build safe places for conflict resolution, healing and reconciliation. We unite to support freedom of religion and spiritual expression, and the rights of all individuals and peoples as set forth in international law. We unite in responsible cooperative action to bring the wisdom and values of our religions, spiritual expressions and indigenous traditions to bear on the economic, environmental, political and social challenges facing our Earth community. We unite to provide a global opportunity for participation by all people, especially by those whose voices are not often heard. We unite to celebrate the joy of blessings and the light of wisdom in both movement and stillness. We unite to use our combined resources only for nonviolent, compassionate action, to awaken to our deepest truths, and to manifest love and justice among all life in our Earth community.
Purpose
Principles 1. The URI is a bridge-building organization, not a religion. 2. We respect the sacred wisdom of each religion, spiritual expression and indigenous tradition. 3. We respect the differences among religions, spiritual expressions and indigenous traditions. 4. We encourage our members to deepen their roots in their own tradition. 5. We listen and speak with respect to deepen mutual understanding and trust. 6. We give and receive hospitality. 7. We seek and welcome the gift of diversity and model practices that do not discriminate. 8. We practice equitable participation of women and men in all aspects of the URI. 9. We practice healing and reconciliation to resolve conflict without resorting to violence. 10. We act from sound ecological practices to protect and preserve the Earth for both present and future generations. 11. We seek and offer cooperation with other interfaith efforts. 12. We welcome as members all individuals, organizations and associations who subscribe to the Preamble, Purpose and Principles. 13. We have the authority to make decisions at the most local level that includes all the relevant and affected parties. 14. We have the right to organize in any manner, at any scale, in any area, and around any issue or activity which is relevant to and consistent with the Preamble, Purpose and Principles. 15. Our deliberations and decisions shall be made at every level by bodies and methods that fairly represent the diversity of affected interests and are not dominated by any. 16. We (each part of the URI) shall relinquish only such autonomy and resources as are essential to the pursuit of the Preamble, Purpose and Principles. 17. We have the responsibility to develop financial and other resources to meet the needs of our part, and to share financial and other resources to help meet the needs of other parts. 18. We maintain the highest standards of integrity and ethical conduct, prudent use of resources, and fair and accurate disclosure of information. 19. We are committed to organizational learning and adaptation. 20. We honor the richness and diversity of all languages and the right and responsibility of participants to translate and interpret the Charter, Articles, Bylaws and related documents in accordance with the Preamble, Purpose and Principles, and the spirit of the United Religions Initiative. 21. Members of the URI shall not be coerced to participate in any ritual or be proselytized. View You Tube of Bishop Swing, organizer of first URI gathering |
||
Last
Updated
1/22/10
Copyright © 2006 Interfaith Community Church
E-mail questions/problems to InterfaithCommunityChurch@yahoo.com
