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Surrey Neighbouring Faiths Program June 2012 Newsletter

Greetings, I am starting to prepare from my presentation at the upcoming Annual Convention of the North America Interfaith Network in Atlanta, Georgia July 15-18. As part of that process, I am looking back over the past five years to take inventory of the numerous ideas and personalities that have shaped the trajectory of interfaith work in Surrey. I was reminded of this childrens prayer written by BC author and Interfaith Minister Rev. Aaron Zerah: Our Children: A Prayer for the World Our children who live on earth, Holy are each and every one of you. May good dreams come, Your way be found, And heaven and earth rejoice with you. May you be given All you need for life And may you accept our mistakes As you allow yourself To make mistakes and grow. Lead us with imagination And true integrity, For yours are the minds, the hearts, and the souls To heal the world Now and forever. For me, this prayer connects me to the universal values found in so many faith traditions that inspire us to live and act in ways that that build a better future for our children. How do you respond to this prayer? How do you value the sacred needs of the children in your life? I am excited to have been invited to present in Georgia and to have the opportunity to exchange ideas with peace-builders from around the continent. But I do need a bit of help. I need to find funding in order to make this trip possible, and every little bit helps. If you are willing and able to help sponsor this trip, I invite you to visit this website and consider making a donation. With your permission, I will mention your name or organization in Georgia and in follow-up presentations back in Surrey! A warm welcome to anyone receiving this newsletter for the first time.

Upcoming Events
June 1-5 Interfaith Eco-Theological Symposium This coming June 1-5, Bethany-Newton United Church is hosting an international symposium to widen and strengthen the world-wide inter-faith community to gain momentum and to provide collaborative leadership as Science, Religion, Public Policy and Business seek to Green communities. The Symposium will engage theology with key ecological concerns from a variety of religious and spiritual perspectives. The theme is Our Sustainable Future and our focus will be on faith-based and scientific approaches to economic and

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ecological problems and challenges. Visit the website for location and schedule. 2 Surrey Diversity Health Fair The first Diversity Health Fair in Surrey will be take place on June 2nd from 11am-4pm at the Chuck Bailey Recreation Centre in North Surrey. This is a free health fair that will provide opportunities and access to health services to Surreys diverse community. It is aimed at eliminating cultural and linguistic barriers to make health resources available to everyone. The theme of this years fair is Cancer Prevention and Early Detection. The fair will feature an opening ceremony, multicultural entertainment, a kids play zone, over 40 exhibitor booths, fitness classes, workshops, health screening and testing and much more! See attached poster for details. 3 Community Interfaith Series: Sukhvinder Vinning on Sikhism Sukhvinder Vinning is an interfaith activist and member of the Sikh community. Come and hear her reflect on the concept of Divine Beloved in Sikhism in this last session of the Community Interfaith Series sponsored by the South Fraser Unitarian Congregation. All are welcome. The service starts at 10:30am at the Newton Seniors Centre. See attached poster for details. 3 Buddhist Vesak Day The Thien Ton Buddhist Society and Cultural Centre invites you to join them in celebration of Vesak Day, Buddhas Birthday, on June 3, 11:30am, 17192-96th Avenue, Surrey. During the celebration, the children of the Buddhism Class will do flowers offerings to Buddha. There will be praying, chanting and walking meditation. The celebration will last approximately one and an half hour and will end with a vegetarian lunch. Please RSVP to David Dalley. 3 Celebration at Kabir Centre The Kabir Society of Canada cordially invites you, your family and friends, to join them in celebrating the auspicious occasion of the 614th Jayanti of Satguru Kabir Saheb at the Guru Kabir Centre on Sunday, June 3, 5:00pm at the Guru Kabir Centre, #208-14770-64th Avenue. For more information pleace contact Dr. Das at dasj@shaw.ca or 604 599-6876. 9 Sounds of the Soul: An Evening of Interfaith Chanting Ten Faith. Ten Sounds, One universal experience. Join us in celebration of the history and power of prayer as it relates to the rich spiritual traditions of British Columbias Lower Mainland! Open to people of all ages and faiths, Sounds of the Soul is a participatory event in which attendees are encouraged to sing along to a medley of chants and prayers representing ten diverse spiritual traditions. The event takes place June 9, 6:30-9:30pm at Crossroads United Church, 7655 120th Street, Delta. For more information or to RSVP, please contact: admin@multifaithaction.org Admission is by donation. 9 Unveiling Ceremony of Multicultural Community Mural The Multicultural Community Mural aims to establish a visual art work which represents Surreys cultural, ethnic, linguistic and religious diversity through the collaboration of community members from diverse backgrounds or perspectives. DIVERSEcity will unveil the mural at 1pm on June 9th, 2012 as part of the Newton Community Festival (11 am to 4pm). The event will take place at the Newton Town Center: 72nd Ave and 138th Street. For more information, please contact Ayano Ogata at (604) 597-0205 ext. 1204. 23 Surrey Doors Open Event

The City of Surrey will be launching the first ever Surrey Doors Open event on June 23, 2012 from 11am-4pm. Over 30 venues from City Centre to Newton will be open to the public with free admission for the day. Doors Open will provide a unique opportunity to explore architecture, historic sites, parks, places of worship, art exhibits, universities, and recreation centres. Venues will offer many activities including guided tours, presentations, childrens activities, entertainment and food samples. A number of you are supporting this event by opening your houses of worship for the day! Please get out and support one another! See attached poster for details. June 23 Anti-homophobia Policy in Surrey Schools Gay and lesbian students are victims of bullying and violence as a direct result of their sexual orientation. The Surrey Teachers Association is urging the Surrey School Board to adopt an anti-homophobia policy in the District to address this issue of violence in the community and will be making a presentation to the Board on June 23. All faith communities that advocate for peace and non-violence in the community are invited to support this event. For event details, please contact Laura Barker at 2-vp@surreyteachers.org.

Opportunities to Connect

Network for the Elimination of Violence in Relationships Spearheaded by Kwantlen Polytechnic University, this newly forming community network is seeking to work toward reducing domestic abuse in Surrey, British Columbia through coordinated and seamless service delivery, collaboration, sharing of resources, through prevention and treatment initiatives, education and media relations and advocacy. If your values inspire you to work towards peace and non-violence on our community, this may be the place for you! For more information, contact organizer Balbir Gurm. Surrey Interfaith Council A range of religious and secular community leaders have embarked on a dialogue process to explore the formation of a Surrey Interfaith Council. At this point, the Steering Committee is drafting Mission and Vision Statements that will be presented to the larger group later in the spring. A summary of the first dialogue event in November 2011 can be viewed via that link at the bottom of this newsletter. Please let David Dalley know if you are interested in connecting with this project. Early Years Workshops The SNFP offers an educational outreach workshop titled Honouring the Religious and Spiritual Identities of Children in Early Childhood Education. It is 2 to 4 hours long, and is geared towards preschool and early elementary school teachers. The purpose of this workshop is to explore spirituality and religion as important components of the whole child in the education of young children. Please let David Dalley know if you are interested in observing this workshop or training to become a presenter.

Ongoing Events

Community Sweat Lodge and Drum Circle The Cwenengitel Aboriginal Society hosts community sweat lodges and drum circles. The drum circles take place every Thursday evening at 6:30pm, the sweat lodges take place every second Saturday starting at 10:30am. The next sweats are June 2 & 16. There are separate lodges for men and women. Men

must wear shorts, and women must wear a long skirt or gown to the ankles. The events are open to people from all faith traditions. For more information, please contact Wally LaVigne at wally@cwenabso.org or (604) 588-5561 October 2011 June 2012 Interfaith Speakers Series The South Fraser Unitarian Congregation in Surrey is hosting a 1st Sunday Community Interfaith Series that will run from October 2011 to June 2012. Speakers will reflect on the following theme: We live together in diverse communities. As individuals, we draw on our belief systems to guide the ways we think and act. Our belief systems shape how we relate to one another and how we come together as a community. What are some of the core values and practices of your faith tradition? How do they shape and strengthen your faith community? How might the wisdom of your faith tradition help us to live and flourish in our diverse community? We will hear perspectives from the following worldviews: Hinduism, Paganism, Humanism, Islam, Kabir Panth, Sikhism, Christianity and Bahai. For more information, please contact info@sfuc.bc.ca.

Further down the road...

Late Spring - Evening Candlelight Meditation Walks at Fleetwood Labyrinth Labyrinths are found throughout history and in many different cultures and religious traditions. They are used as tools for meditation and prayer; as a means of quieting the mind and enriching the spirit. Weekly evening candlelight meditations will be starting up again in Mid-March at the Labyrinth at Fleetwood Gardens in Surrey. These meditation walks are open to the all, and are a great opportunity for building interfaith connections. Please contact labyrinth@sfuc.bc.ca if you would like to be a part of this program. July 8 Interfaith Sermon at Crossroads United Church On July 8 I will be delivering a sermon at Crossroads United Church in North Delta on the topic of children and the interfaith movement. All are welcome! July 15-18 North American Interfaith Network Connect 2012 I will be presenting a workshop at the upcoming annual convention of the North America Interfaith Network in Atlanta, Georgia July 15-18. Here is a description of the workshop: Interfaith activists in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada developed a children first approach to making their city more interfaith friendly. This approach regards the ways in which we address the needs of young children as key to building more humane and sustainable communities. How might this innovative approach contribute to making your city more interfaith friendly? What might a children first perspective add to the global interfaith movement? Join David Dalley, Founder and Program Coordinator of the Surrey Neighbouring Faith Program, for an interactive session to explore some of these questions. Please visit this website if you are interested in helping to sponsor this workshop.

Keep in touch...

What 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

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