Surrey Neighbouring Faiths Program February 2013 Newsletter

Greetings, The interfaith community is busy next week! With events taking place from Richmond to Abbotsford and points in between, there is bound to be something for everyone! We hope to see as many of you as possible at our Surrey event on Wednesday, February 6! In 2010 the United Nations designated the first week of February week as World Interfaith Harmony Week, a time for interfaith groups around the world to showcase the work they do in promoting peace and building more cohesive communities. A warm welcome to anyone receiving this newsletter for the first time.

Upcoming Events
TONIGHT! February 1, 7:00 8:30pm Surrey Interfaith Contemplative Group The Surrey Interfaith Contemplative Group is a gathering of individuals from different religious, spiritual and philosophical backgrounds that meet every Friday evening to meditate, build community and deepen relationships. For more information join the Facebook group or contact David Dalley to be added to the mailing list. All are welcome! February 4 Seeds of Harmony: A Celebration of World Interfaith Harmony Week (Richmond) Strengthen your understanding of Richmonds diverse faith communities through Seeds of Harmony, Monday, February 4, 2013, 9:00 to 11:30 a.m., at the Richmond Cultural Centre. At Seeds of Harmony, the public are invited to share personal experiences with people of diverse faiths and cultural backgrounds, and to explore the value of faith in building a stronger, healthier community, where harmony, respect, and understanding flourishes. This program is offered in celebration of World Interfaith Harmony Week, designated in 2010 by the United Nations, as a means to spread the message of harmony and tolerance among the followers of all the worlds religions, faiths, and beliefs. See attached poster for details. To register contact 604 247-8300. February 5 Community Interfaith Dialogue (Abbotsford) The topic of this dialogue is Thoughts and Practices on Birth and Death The event takes place Tuesday, February 5, 6:30-9:00pm at Abbotsford Community Services, 2420 Montrose Avenue, Jasbir Saran Room. The event is free, but pre-registration is required: (604) 859-7681 ext. 270. Light refreshments will be served and child care is provided. See attached poster for details. February 6 - World Interfaith Harmony Week in Surrey!

Surreys inaugural World Interfaith Harmony Week takes place Wednesday, February 6, 2013 in room #120 at the Surrey City Centre Library, 10350 University Drive. Doors open at 6:00pm, the program runs from 6:30-8:30pm. The program will open with the rich harmonies of the Archbishop Carney Secondary School Chamber Choir followed by a panel discussion with representatives from various faith traditions on the topic of Interfaith Peacemakers. The evening will wind down with the rhythms of an interfaith satsang and meditation lead by the Art of Living Community. This is event is part of a regional series of interfaith events taking place across the Lower Mainland marking the United Nations World Interfaith Harmony Week. Admission is free, and light refreshments will be served. Please feel free to invite your friends and share the attached poster. February 8, 7:00 8:30pm Surrey Interfaith Contemplative Group (Continuing every Friday!) The Surrey Interfaith Contemplative Group is a gathering of individuals from different religious, spiritual and philosophical backgrounds that meet every Friday evening to meditate, build community and deepen relationships. For more information join the Facebook group or contact David Dalley to be added to the mailing list. All are welcome! February 15, 7:00 8:30pm Surrey Interfaith Contemplative Group (Continuing every Friday!) The Surrey Interfaith Contemplative Group is a gathering of individuals from different religious, spiritual and philosophical backgrounds that meet every Friday evening to meditate, build community and deepen relationships. For more information join the Facebook group or contact David Dalley to be added to the mailing list. All are welcome! February 15 Deadline for Registering with Interfaith Documentary Play See below for details February 16 - Founders and Faith Traditions course starts in Surrey See below for details February 20 - Second Session of The Power of Spirit The second session of The Power of Spirit: A Multifaith Exploration of Triumph over Adversity takes place Wednesday, February 20, 6:30pm at the Laxmi Narayan Mandir, 8321-140th Street, Surrey. It will feature speakers from the Hindu and Unitarian traditions. This Multifaith Action Society project is a community engagement project that brings diverse spiritual and cultural communities together on an ongoing basis in order to: 1. Explore the various ways that their spiritual beliefs have helped them to overcome adversity and persecution throughout history and into the modern era, providing groups facing similar situations today with the tools and lessons needed to address intercultural conflict. 2. Inform and educate one another about faith and culture through constructive dialogue and meaningful group interactions. 3. Establish and develop intercultural relationships with the intention of forming collaborative partnerships addressing racism and hatred in our neighbourhoods and communities. See attached poster for details or contact Marcus at 604-321-1302. February 22, 7:00 8:30pm Surrey Interfaith Contemplative Group (Continuing every Friday!)

The Surrey Interfaith Contemplative Group is a gathering of individuals from different religious, spiritual and philosophical backgrounds that meet every Friday evening to meditate, build community and deepen relationships. For more information join the Facebook group or contact David Dalley to be added to the mailing list. All are welcome!

Share Your Voice

Interfaith Documentary Play Do you have a story to tell? Someone wants to hear it! If you would be willing to share stories about your experiences with interfaith encounters, playwright Amanda Aikman would love to talk to you. Amanda is doing research for a stage play that will be based entirely on the experiences of local folks from all religions. If you have a story to tell, no matter how simple, of times that you have met with acceptance or rejection, understanding or prejudice or of how you or others have changed your opinions as a result of meeting people from different faiths or things you wish others knew about your faith -- please contact Amanda to set up a time to chat. Or if you know someone who has a good story, please ask them to be in touch with Amanda. Everyone who shares stories will be absolutely anonymous. If she uses your story, Amanda will change your name. Amanda is a Unitarian minister and an experienced playwright who specialises in creating plays in community for those whose voices are unheard. Please contact her at: revaikman@gmail.com by February 15. Thank you! First Ever City of Surrey Community Summit In April 2013, The City of Surrey will host its first ever Community Summit. The event will include the Mayor, Councillors and the senior management team representing all departments at City Hall. The event will provide an opportunity for the City to engage, consult, and share information about important initiatives. Residents will be able to give feedback and learn how they can participate in civic processes. Wouldnt this be a great opportunity to raise the profile of interfaith activity in Surrey? Building Interfaith Bridges in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows The Family Education and Support Centre in Maple Ridge is embarking on an interfaith project called Building Interfaith Bridges. The project involves a series of interfaith dialogues and tours to various house of worship in the community. If you know of anyone in the Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows or Katzie First Nations communities that might be interested in supporting this project, please have them contact David Dalley. Founders and Faith Traditions with Harold Rosen This course offers a brief but useful and stimulating survey of four historychanging missions, and the faith traditions they generated. We introduce the field of comparative religions, providing an overview of Moses, the Torah and the Jewish saga across the ages. In parallel fashion, we address Zoroaster, the Gathas and Persian civilization; Jesus, the Gospel and Christian civilization; as well as Muhammad, the Quran and Islamic civilization. We will find many patterns linking these traditions, as well as enriching complementarities all expanding our worldviews and our appreciation of humanitys journey across the ages. The instructor, Harold Rosen, has

Masters Degrees in Religion, Philosophy & Education. The course runs 1:30pm to 3:20pm, 6 Saturdays Feb16, 23, Mar 2, 9, 16, 23 at the Surrey City Centre Library, 10350 University Drive. Register at csreg@sfu.ca or (778)782-8000.

Keep in touch...

Want to learn more about the Surrey Neighbouring Faiths Program? Visit our website, watch our documentary, or look through past editions of this newsletter. Want to stay connected? Sign up to receive this monthly newsletter or join our Facebook group. This newsletter contains links to other events and resources in the community. Unless you are receiving this newsletter directly, some of the links may be disabled. To receive this newsletter directly, sign up at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/surreyneighbouringfaiths/. Our Mission Statement is: The Surrey Neighbouring Faiths Program builds community capacity for multifaith learning and dialogue with a focus on children and families. If you have any programming or project ideas that relate to this mission statement, please let me know. We are always open to new ideas! In peace, David Dalley (604) 502-8661 davidanderin@dalley.ca Comforted by how much we share, were able to delight in our differences. - Raffi, from A Covenant for Honouring Children