Parliament of Worlds Religion 2009 Melbourne Australia

Author(s): Parliament of the World’s Religions
Publisher: USA Parliament of the Worlds Religions

Page 356

PROGRAM DESCI
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
session in which young people, both Christian and nonChristian, will direct questions to some of Melbourne's most important religious leaders.
Dr Philip Freier became the Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne in December 2006, following seven and a half years as Bishop of the Northern Territory. Dr Freier has been working towards engaging the Church with the wider community, particularly through his 'Prayer4Melbourne' quest, in which he has visited a range of public spaces, welfare centres and shopping malls. He is deeply involved in social justice issues affecting Indigenous peoples.
Rabbi John Levi is a former Deputy President of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry and is a Patron of the Council of Christians and Jews. (Australial. He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws in 2006 for his contribution to the community and to Australian Jewish History. Rabbi Levi is an adjunct professor to the Australian Catholic University's AsiaPacific Centre for Inter-religious Dialogue, based in Melbourne, and has published several books.
Sheikh Isse A Musse, Imam of the newly built Virgin Mary Mosque and spiritual leader of Melbourne's Horn of Africa Muslim community, was born in 1946 in Somalia where he completed his primary and secondary education. He undertook his higher education at Ummul - Qurah University in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, where he gained a Bachelor of Arts in the faculty of Shariah in 1983. The imam arrived in Australia in 1993. He has also taken a 2 year course in Vocational Education Training IVET) at Melbourne University where he received an undergraduate diploma in 2000. Shiekh Isse is a father of three and speaks fluent English, Arabic, Italian and Somali. His community service includes being Imam at the Islamic Council of Victoria Jeffcott Mosque in Melbourne for a period of 13 years between 1993 and 2005. He is also member of the the recently instituted National Council of Fatwa, the Dispute Settlement Centre in the Department of Justice, and an appointed marriage celebrant and a marriage counsellor.
Mathew Crane is Administrative Assistant at the Jim-baa-yer Indigenous Unit (Victoria) of the Centre for Indigenous Education and Research of Australian Catholic University (Ltd) at St Patrick's Campus in Melbourne. Alana Bruce is a 25 year old woman who is a member of the Jewish community. She completed a bachelor of arts, majoring in philosophy and social theory, before commencing a medical degree in 2007. Alana has spent time in Israel studying Jewish texts and belongs to a modern orthodox synagogue that has made moves to be more egalitarian and inclusive of women. Alana is also a part time professional jazz musician.
Azmeena Hussain is the personal assistant to the Executive Director at the Australian Multicultural Foundation. While working part-time, she is also in her fourth year of studying Arts/Law at Deakin University. Azmeena is actively involved in the Muslim community and is the Current Co-President of the Deakin University Islamic Society and Board Member of the Muslim Students Association. She is also a teacher at two Islamic weekend Arabic Schools.
The Common Enterprise of Peacebuilding: A New Model for Spiritually Motivated Social Action Within, Among & Beyond Communities of Faith
Rev Carol Carnes, Moderator
Rev Abigail Albert
Rev Jacqueline Triche Atkins
Dr Heather Dawn Clark
Rev Julie J Montague
Rev Mary Omwake
Rev Dr Joan Steadman Room 211
Seminar
The Gandhi King Season for Nonviolence (SNV) takes place annually from January 30th to April 4th. Now celebrating its twelfth year, SNV is a 64-day, spiritually
352 PWR-Parliament of the World's Religions
9:30-11:00am INTRARELIGIOUS SESSION
motivated educational, media and grassroots awareness campaign. This interactive seminar will focus on the campaign's famous 'omni-local muliti-faith' model. Inspired by the 50th and 30th memorial anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Martin Luther King Jr, SNV was co-founded in 1998 by the Association for Global New Thought (AGNT) and Arun and Sunanda Gandhi. With the support of AGNT, New Thought denominations banded together and invited other local faith leaders into dialogue to explore shared leadership of this annual campaign and to identify and activate demonstrations of local practices in nonviolence education and service. More than a decade later, a multifaith worldwide network stewards hundreds of ongoing programs in peace and nonviolence involving thousands of local participants annually. The Gandhi King Peace Train and YOUTH PEACEPORT program are just two of SNV's newest initiatives. Join leaders to discuss the spiritual and social value of bringing this inclusive model to your faith community.
Reverend Carol Carnes is the senior minister of the Center for Positive Living in Calgary, Alberta, where she carries on the tradition of New Thought to 'liberate religious thinking from superstition and dogma". A member of the leadership council of the Association for Global New Thought, she was inducted into the Board of Preachers of Martin Luther King International Chapel at Morehouse College in 2000. She has participated in the Synthesis Dialogues with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in India and Italy.
Rev Abigail Albert has been a religious science/new thought minister with the Affiliated New Thought Network since 2002 and is currently cochairperson of its membership committee. She and her husband, Steve Albert, are founding members of the All Faith Center, where Rev Abigail coordinates the annual Interfaith Summer Nights Program for the Poway Interfaith Team. Rev Abigail is a member of the All Faith Dialogue, the San Diego Interfaith Ministers Association and the Association for Global New Thought.
Rev Jacqueline Atkins is a licensed and ordained minister serving as executive minister and administrator at Power Circle Congregation in Chicago. She is responsible for board and leadership development as well as developing policies and procedures for the church's 23 ministries. She was inducted into the Morehouse Board of Preachers in the King Chapel in Atlanta in 2006 and received her Masters of Divinity degree from Chicago Theological Seminary in May 2008.
Dr Heather Dawn Clark has been the senior minister of Capistrano Valley Church of Religious Science in San Juan Capistrano, California since 1999. She serves as task force leader for the Gandhi King Season for Nonviolence in her community. Dr Clark has also served for several years on the Religious Science International Board of Directors and the Association for Global New Thought Advisory Council.
Rev Julie Montague is the chair of the Board of Association of Unity Churches International and serves as Minister to Unity of the Valley Church in White Rock, British Columbia. Raised in Unity churches, she has studied and explored many faith traditions and honours the beauty and truth in each one.
Reverend Mary Omwake is a spiritual teacher, writer, radio host and retreat leader serving Unity ministries in Overland Park, Kansas and Maui, Hawaii. Mary has spoken at the United Nations for the Season for Peace and Nonviolence and was inducted into the Martin Luther King Board of Preachers in 1998. She has served on the International Association of Unity Churches and the Association for Global New Thought. She leads retreats and sacred tours to Assisi, Dharamsala, Africa and Hawaii.
Rev Joan Steadman is a community spiritual leader at the Oakland Center for Spiritual Living in Oakland, California. Under her leadership, the Oakland Season for Nonviolence was formed. In 2001, she was inducted into the Morehouse College Board of Preachers, and in 2002, she was granted the Gandhi King Ikeda award. Rev Joan was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Divinity in 2008 by the United Centers for Spiritual Living.