Can the world be peaceful for 24 hours? Every hour a new invitation, action, mission, and hero will invite you in the UNIFY Experience for all to do and share together! This is hosted by UNIFY and all our amazing Partners honoring The International Day of Peace. The Incredible Celebration will be led LIVE on UNIFY FB Page.
Sept 21 we will be LIVE on FB,starting the kick off of this Global Synchronized Event and will be working towards breaking our last Guinness World Record!
Learn more about this at http://www.home.unify.org/
Share your peaceful actions on Twitter, FB, Instagram with us featuring hashtag # reporting your actions on the Map on our site
Please share this event! Peace on!
From Peace Accelerators Description: It is our dream (and hopefully it will become your dream as well) that over the next decade we begin to celebrate the International Day of Peace (September 21st) more and more each year, until over time it becomes the first holiday that the entire world celebrates.
It is not religious and it is not about any made-up country — it is about all of us seeing the commonality between each other, realizing we’re on one Earth (and in many ways this place needs us to adapt to her quite quickly at this crucial point in history).
This Thursday we are holding a large beautiful inspiring event for the International Day of Peace. There will be community leaders, speakers, musicians, meditation, yoga, dj’s and much more.
This will be one evening you will not want to miss.
It will be the largest celebration for the International Day of Peace in NYC, the heartbeat city of our one planet.
Let’s show the world what we want.
The Convergence
Archives Available on VoiceAmerica Empowerment Channel
In a world inevitably going global and multicultural, what becomes of religions and spirituality? What becomes of activism towards real global change? In THE CONVERGENCE, global Interspiritual pioneer and scientist Dr. Kurt Johnson joins interfaith leaders Ben Bowler of Australia and Doug King of America in engaging women and men who are inspiring leaders and change agents around our world. Spiritual and cultural leaders, sacred and secular activists, scientists, artists, writers, economists, politicians and even shamans join in this discussion of a world trying to wake up and grow up. What is at stake and what are the technologies and cosmologies creating a world that can work for everyone? If you are concerned for our world’s future and sincere about your commitments to bold and world-serving ideas, you’ll want to tune in to The Convergence on the VoiceAmerica Empowerment Channel.
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Episode Description
VoiceAmerica presents this Evergreen Special detailing major 2019 and 2020 global events upcoming from UNITY EARTH partners Standing for Peace Campaign, Road to 2020 Events, and Caravan of Unity across America. The five sections of the Special spotlight, now and for months to come: United Nations mandated global holiday events like the International Day of Yoga and the International Day of Peace, the vision and work of Light on Light Magazine and VoiceAmerica in covering all these events, UNITY EARTH and its partners month to month activities and initiatives 2019-2020, and the roles of partner groups like Transformation365, We, the World, URI, UNIFY, EcoPeace and The Evolutionary Leaders. Featured are global leaders from the UN, UNITY EARTH, Light on Light Magazine, Transformation365, We, and The Evolutionary Leaders. Lets share this Special, ongoing, as a resource and PR instrument pointing toward all of these global events and gathering a global constituency for their success!
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Welcome to the Self-Study version of Living the New Story Series 1
Our live journey ran from August 2017 to March 2018 and each of the 8 videoconferencing sessions were recorded.
and
Welcome to the Self-Study version of Living the New Story Series 2 !
Our live journey ran from September 2018 to April 2019 and each of the 8 videoconferencing sessions were recorded.
Throughout the eight sessions, we are inviting you to take an experiential journey into what needs to change in us, and in the human story. Each session will explore, at increasing levels of depth, what it is to live the new story personally, and accelerate it collectively, through:
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Understanding our own personal journey inside of our larger, collective story of human evolution.
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Awakening to ourselves as dynamic, inspired agents of change and learning how to powerfully cocreate the future of our world in a way that is uniquely ours.
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Catalysing our growth and evolution beyond the patterns and core beliefs of our past to make way for the new story to unfold.
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Honouring the best of the old story and integrating it into the new.
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Connecting with, and beginning to harness, the power of the collective field to carry the new story forward.
As we change our story, we change our world
We humans find our way by story. Our stories shape us, hold us and give meaning to our lives. Every so often it becomes clear that a prevailing story is no longer serving. Now is such a time. Humanity needs a new, inspiring picture of the future to live into.
This website is designed to support the emergence of a coherent new story for humanity and the production of practical, collaborative ways to live this new story.
We invite you to help us accelerate our collective understanding of what the ‘world in waiting’ holds for us, what is already emerging and what needs to change, both in us and in the human story.
As a first step in this journey already begun by others, the Findhorn Foundation gifted to the world – The New Story Summit: Inspiring Pathways for our Planetary Future –which was held from 27 September to 3 October 2014…a gift economy gathering of the human family to experience planetary community, draw on our collective intelligence and co-create a story to inspire us all.
The Summit was more than full so we know there is huge support and longing for a new way to live together – a way which honours ancient wisdom and the interconnected whole living system of which we, the Earth and the cosmos are all part. It’s all connected and we are all accountable. To find out more, visit our Summit page.
This online hub will continue to be just that – a hub for people from all over the world to meet, engage, collaborate, share information, dream, synergise and inspire each other to live a new story.
If you would like to join this wave of collaborative action to shift consciousness and build on the threads of a new story already being lived and experimented with, you are very welcome. We invite your engagement, transparency, trust, compassion, innovation, entrepreneurship and generosity of spirit
You can also contact us by post:
Visitors Centre
Findhorn Foundation
The Park
Findhorn
Forres, IV36 3TZ
Scotland, UK
For general enquiries tel: +44 (0)1309 690311
Email: enquiries@findhorn.org
Bookings office contact details:
Bookings
Findhorn Foundation
The Park
Findhorn
Forres, IV36 3TZ
Scotland, UK
For booking and workshop information tel: +44 (0)1309 691653
Email: bookings@findhorn.org
Media and Public Relations
Public Relations
Findhorn Foundation
The Park
Findhorn
Forres, IV36 3TZ
Scotland, UK
For media enquiries tel: +44 (0)1309 690605
Email: pr@findhorn.org
Scottish charity No. SC007233, registered offices at the address above.
VAT registration No. 0957.68.506B01
The Findhorn Foundation is a Non-Governmental Organisation associated with the Department of Public Information of the United Nations.
Every two minutes a woman dies from complications in pregnancy or childbirth, and millions around the world are denied the choice of if and when they want to have children.
UNFPA Supplies supports over 20 million women and girls worldwide with family planning services, contraception, and vital maternal medicines, and since 2007 they have saved over 1.1 millions lives.
Without additional support, their vital work — and the safety of over 20 million women and girls — will be at risk. Call on world leaders to step up for women and girls by pledging new funds this year.
Thank you so much,
Annabelle Roberts
17 September 2019 – Opening of the General Assembly regular session | 24 September 2019 – Opening of the general debate.
Sign the petition telling world leaders — including the UK, Canada, Australia and Germany — to pledge new funds to UNFPA Supplies and protect women’s lives everywhere. We’ll be handing your signatures over to decision makers this September at the United Nations General Assembly, so add your name now!
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Take Action with Creation Justice Ministries This September
Check out these different ways for you and your congregation to get involved. Come back every month for new ways to take action!
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#CareForCreation: September 2019
Share the Word
September 1, 2019
Online Prayer Service for Creation Day/World Day of Prayer for Creation
Creation Day, also called the World Day of Prayer for Creation, opens the Season each year. Pope Francis, Patriarch Bartholomew, the World Council of Churches, and many other leaders have called the faithful to celebrate it. Christians from around the world are invited to join an online prayer service to come together in a joyful celebration of our common cause.
September 16, 2019
Webinar
Learn more
10:00 Eastern US / 15:00 London / 21:00 Manila
Please join us for a webinar to explore the connection between biodiversity and Christian spirituality. Speakers include Rev. Dr. Dave Bookless or A Rocha International / Lausanne Catalyst for Creation Care, Rev. Dra. Neddy Astudillo of GreenFaith Latino America, and Celia Deane Drummond of the University of Oxford. The conversation will be moderated by Rev. Rachel Mash, Environmental coordinator for the Anglican Church of Southern Africa and Green Anglicans.
September 20, 2019
Global Climate Strike
Young people from around the world will come together for a remarkable day of strikes from school to demand urgent action on the climate crisis. Their parents, neighbors, teachers, and families will stand alongside them. The climate strikes were galvanized by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, and each strike to date has sent more than a million people into the streets. Learn more at Laudato Si’ Generation, the climate initiative by and for young Catholics.
September 21, 2019
International Coastal Cleanup Day
For over 30 years, communities have come together to remove trash from coastlines and waterways including ponds, lakes, and rivers. Together, these volunteers remove and catalogue mountains of litter every year. Your community is invited to join. To learn more, please visit the Ocean Conservancy.
September 23, 2019
United Nations Climate Action Summit
The UN Secretary General is hosting a summit devoted to climate change, with the aim of calling the world’s attention to the urgent need to implement the Paris Agreement. The Paris pact has been agreed to by every country–only the United States has said it intends to leave it. But countries have not made policies to meet its goals. Of the 197 countries in the agreement, only seven are on track to keep warming below 2 degrees celsius, and only two are on track to keep warming below 1.5 degrees celsius. Science tells us that every fraction of a degree in warming means more hunger, more sickness, more conflict. The UN Secretary General’s summit is a chance for the people of the world to rally around real, ambitious policies to solve this crisis.
September 23, 2019
6th International Conference on Ecological Theology and Environmental Ethics, Orthodox Academy of Crete Chania, Crete, Greece
Learn more
This conference will engage theology on key ecological concerns from a variety of religious traditions and perspectives. This year’s theme is “Ecological racism and prophetical voices for ecological crisis.” The conference will be a blend of learning and discussion, while attending to the magnificent Earth and cultural context of this region of Crete.
Guide 2019 – Season of Creation Theme – Web of Life
October 4, 2019 St. Francis Day Many traditions view St. Francis as an inspiration and guide for those who protect creation. October 4 is his feast day and the last day in the Season of Creation. Faith leaders from around the world will come together to reflect on how St. Francis has informed their spiritual journey and to celebrate our month-long journey together.
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WORLD DAY OF PRAYER
Light a Virtual Candle
Unity World Day of Prayer is a global event.
We invite you to light a virtual candle
to represent your light shining in prayer.
How Can You Participate in World Day of Prayer?We invite all to submit a prayer request and light a virtual candle. You can join for the events at Unity Village or other Unity centers. Follow our hashtag #WDOP2019 and join us at the Unity Facebook page to connect with our reflection questions and watch live events. Sign up for Unity4Today to receive email updates and announcements. What Is World Day of Prayer?Held annually on the second Thursday in September, World Day of Prayer unites Unity and draws in New Thought partner communities for a 24-hour period of prayer practice. In prayer, we dissolve our personal borders as we realize God within us, around us—an active source of life, love, and wisdom
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World Day of Prayer 2019—Invitation
Guiding Prayer
Breathing in to prayer, I am in awe of the unbound spirit, the infinite presence within and around me. God is vitality in my breath, beauty in the natural world, strength in my determination, and compassion in my acts of service. I recognize God in the spaciousness of the universe as well as in my limitless dreams.
Let me set my sight beyond where I have seen before, into the vast reality of divine power and presence. Let me draw upon divine power and presence in order to fulfill my great potential.
In the harmony of prayer, my heart beats to the rhythm of God. The pulse of infinite life moves me, nourishes me, and empowers me to give life to my dreams.
World Peace Card Meditations
Wednesday, September 18, 7:30pm
(based on local time in your time zone)
International Center for Reiki Training <reiki@reiki.org
You are invited to take part in the next World Peace Card Meditation. Please mark your calendar and forward this email to all your friends.
Thanks for Your Help!
Because so many of you forwarded this email to your friends, there have been almost 396,800 downloads of the World Peace Cards. This is a tremendous increase in the number of people using the cards. So far the total number of World Peace Card sets downloaded, received from our free offer and from our magazine has been nearly 440,000! I hope you have been using your peace cards as their use brings blessings to the world as well as to you.
The next World Peace Card group meditation have been scheduled for Wednesday, September 18 at 7:30pm. This is local time in your time zone. This method has been chosen because of the special effect it produces. As people meditate in each successive time zone the energy builds like a wave which gets stronger and stronger as it circles the planet. Because of the higher dimensional nature of consciousness, the energy of peace will be transmitted for a full 24 hours and continue long after this.
Reports from those who took part in the previous meditations indicate many had powerful spiritual experiences. As they united with those taking part in the meditation a feeling of peace developed within that stayed with each for a long time. Some saw beautiful golden light surrounding the planet and others felt that a web of fear was dissipating and being replaced with trust in others and for our future. All those who have received the cards are being asked to meditate on world peace at this time. By taking part in this group meditation, you’ll be joining thousands of people who will be using the cards to bring peace to the world. By joining together, the affect we have will be greatly multiplied. This powerful experience and will help shift the vibration of our wonderful planet into a higher state of consciousness. As you use the cards to meditate on world peace, you will be a beacon through which peace will spread around the planet which will have a positive uplifting effect on all people. Please set aside this time to meditate with the cards. The suggested meditation period is 15 minutes, but of course you can meditate longer if you’d like to. The technique I’d like you to use is based on allowing yourself to be a beacon of peace. The World Peace Cards hold the vibration of the World Peace Grids which have been placed at spiritually significant locations and are relay stations for higher consciousness. By simply opening to their energy, you’ll become a channel for their love and peace which will flow through you to all the people on Earth. To do this, hold the cards in your hands or place them in front of you. Then simply meditate on peace. We are entering a new era. Our entire planet including all the people and living things are moving into a place where it will be much easier to solve our problems and to create peace, prosperity and happiness for everyone. The World Peace Card meditation will quicken this process, making it easier for people to experience this new quality of higher consciousness and will provide great benefit for all people. Since this benefit will be flowing through you out to everyone on the planet, you’ll be blessed by this experience as well. Many have received the cards in the mail or in the Reiki News Magazine while others have downloaded them from our web site. If you would like additional copies of the cards, please download them using this link and print as many copies as you can use. Please feel free to give them to your friends. Also, forward this email to anyone you feel would like to take part in the meditation.
World Peace Card Download
Additional World Peace Cards – https://www.reiki.org/WPCM.
Note: This is a larger file and it may take several
minutes for it to open, so please be patient.
When printing the cards from this file, print page 2 first, then place this page in your printer and print the image of the peace grids on the back.
New Reiki Grid – Send Reiki to Others
We also have a new image of the World Peace Crystal Grid that can be used for a Reiki Grid. By using it for your Reiki Grid you’ll be tapping into the energy of all the peace grids and this will add to the energy that is sent to all those whose names or photos you place in the grid making the Reiki more effective and adding wonderful feelings of peace and harmony. And each time you charge your grid, you’ll be charging the peace grids for world peace! With this system you’ll use 12 crystals around the outside – placing 1 crystal over each of the crystals in the photo plus 1 crystal in the center and 1 as your master crystal for a total of 14 crystals. The additional crystals will also hold and transmit more energy. Also, remember you can place your goals into the grid as well. I suggest printing it on glossy photo paper if you have it or you could get some at your office supply store. You’ll need to trim the one side of the grid after it’s printed. https://www.reiki.org/ Read the story of the World Peace Grids This is a pdf file of an article that appeared in the Winter 2004 issue of the Reiki News Magazine. It describes the World Peace Crystal Grid program, and the adventures William experienced placing them at the North and South Pole and in Jerusalem. The article contains lots of pictures Thank you for taking part in this group meditation. Sincerely, |
ECOLISE
The European Network for Community-led Initiatives on Climate Change and Sustainability, is the initiator and main organiser of the European Day of Sustainable Communities. We have 46 member networks and organisations across Europe
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A celebration of local communities taking action for a zero-carbon, regenerative and inclusive Europe.
This is an ECOLISE flagship event. #EDSC19 #SustainableCommunity
Become a co-creator of the day! For details see https://www.sustainable-communities.net/
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The time is now more than ever to be the change and stand up for peace and nonviolence. Our communities deserve to live their daily lives peacefully and together we can strive to make that happen. As partners of #Gandi150 and believers in the power of peace, we invite you to be part of the movement on October 2. More information here.
How to get involved on October 2:
1. Nonviolence Champion – Nominate a faculty member from your educational institution, as the champion for the event.
2. Nonviolence in Action – On October 2, host a screening of the documentary film, “From India with Love”, followed by an interactive discussion to promote peace.
3. Nonviolence in Classrooms – Lead an experiential learning module on nonviolence in the classroom and promote peace.
Join us on October 2 and share your activity with us at The Peace Alliance. Find our Facebook page here and/or tag us on Twitter at @PeaceAlliance. Use #Gandhi150 and #RethinkPeace to join the worldwide social media conversation on peace!
Thank you!
In peace and partnership!
Jelena Popovic, Teaching Peace in Schools Council Lead
and The Peace Alliance Board of Directors and Leadership Council
About The Peace Alliance
Mission:
The Peace Alliance empowers civic action toward a culture of peace.
Who We Are:
We are an alliance of organizers and advocates taking the work of peacebuilding from the margins of society into the center of national discourse and policy priorities.
We champion a comprehensive, collaborative approach to peace and peacebuilding.
THE WISDOM OF THE ELDERS
Time of the Sixth Sun is an inspirational and uplifting documentary film about the shift in global consciousness and the emerging movement to find a new way to walk more lightly on this Earth. Our ancestors understood our symbiotic relationship to nature and the elements, and foresaw the collapse of an unsustainable world. Filmed predominantly in North America, Mexico, Peru, S.Africa, India, Egypt, Israel and Australia, this film is a synergy of ancient wisdom from the indigenous Elders and insights from pioneers of new energy consciousness, who collaboratively hold the vision of a new earth experience.
The film is introduced by Greta Scacchi and narrated by ‘Tobias’, an angelic being who has lived many lifetimes on Earth, channeled by Geoffrey Hoppe. Our crew flew to Colorado and whilst Geoffrey was in a trance state, we asked Tobias if he would tell our story. He called it ‘the biggest evolution of consciousness humanity has ever experienced’.
“You are witnessing the dissolving of old systems and the birth of new energy consciousness. It is time to re-member who you are and why you are here, at this time of the greatest change ever.” (Tobias)
The power of this film is carried in the transmission of both the narrator and the speakers, and is interwoven with ceremony and the visual journey of the film’s ‘everyman’, a modern day musical troubadour.
A montage of sound and visuals create a sonic tapestry, inviting the viewer into an intimate and authentic experience of a world in transition. A sensory feast that promises to be as impactful on the ear as it is on the eye, whilst an original soundtrack seamlessly weaves sacred songs, prayers and chants with the resonant strings of Estas Tonne, virtuoso guitarist and troubadour on his journey. A meditation for the soul.
Start: Monday, January 13, 2020• 5:30 PM
End: Monday, January 13, 2020• 8:30 PM
Location:Cherokee United Methodist Church•2105 Cosgrove Ave, North Charleston, SC 29405
Host Contact Info: southcarolina@poorpeoplescampaign.org
Join the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival in South Carolina for the eighth stop of the We Must Do M.O.R.E. national tour as we Mobilize, Organize, Register and Educate.
Click here if you’d like to volunteer and help make this tour a success!
The tour in South Carolina will culminate with a Moral Monday March and Mass Meeting on Monday, January 13th in Charleston, SC. This will follow a weekend of activities a community canvas to register people for a movement that votes and a community site visit.
Monday, January 13th | Charleston, SC
South Carolina Moral Monday March & Mass Meeting
5:30 PM – Gather for the march
6:30 PM – Mass Meeting begins
Cherokee United Methodist Church, 2105 Cosgrove Ave, North Charleston, SC 29405
**No large bags or umbrellas will be allowed in the mass meetings and small bags are subject to being searched.
At the Moral Monday, we will hear from South Carolinians directly impacted by systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, militarism and the war economy, and the corrupt moral narrative. We will also hear from Rev. Barber and Rev. Theoharis, Co-Chairs of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.
The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival is organizing a 25-state We Must Do MORE national tour from September 2019 to May 2020. This tour will lead into the Mass Poor People’s Assembly & Moral March on Washington, where thousands of poor people and moral agents will gather at the nation’s capitol on June 20, 2020 to demonstrate their power.
We will demand the implementation of our Moral Agenda and call all people of conscience to engage in deeply moral civic engagement and voting that cares about poor and low-wealth people, the sick, immigrants, workers, the environment, people with disabilities, first nations, the LGBTQ community, and peace over war.
ShaRon Rea
The Whole Family Coaching
480-420-9551
ShaRon@TheWholeFamilyCoaching.
Join us in setting our intentions for healing in China and around the world. We will be meditating together for 7 days, through February 21 with Master Mingtong Gu.
February 15th – Saturday 11am Mountain Time
February 16th – Sunday 9am Mountain Time
February 17th – Monday 9am Mountain Time
February 18th – Tuesday 9am Mountain Time
February 19th – Wednesday 9am Mountain Time
February 20th – Thursday 9am Mountain Time
February 21st – Friday 9am Mountain Time
Want to continue meditating with Master Mingtong Gu?
Sign up for weekly meditations here.
Convert to your timezone here.
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Master Mingtong Gu
Master Mingtong Gu
Named Qigong Master of the Year by the 13th World Congress on Qigong and Traditional Chinese Medicine, Mingtong Gu possesses a profound ability to harness energy in order to accelerate personal and global healing, making him a sought-after healer, practitioner, and teacher.
As a child growing up in China during the Cultural Revolution, Master Gu endured hunger, poverty, and a long separation from his birth family. Despite these incredible hardships, he became the first from his village to attend college, earning a bachelor’s degree in mathematics followed by two master’s degrees, including an MFA from Ohio State University. As a graduate student in art, Master Gu discovered the treasures of his own culture through the spiritual iconography of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Western mystic traditions while practicing yoga, Tantric Buddhism, and qigong.
In 1997, Master Gu returned to China for qiqong training under Dr. Pang Ming, a qigong grandmaster trained in Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, and the founder of the world’s largest qigong hospital. During his training, Master Gu observed thousands of cases of chronic and “incurable” diseases being healed at this “medicine-less” hospital, which has now treated over 200,000 patients with over 185 different illnesses, with a 95 percent effective improvement rate.
Witnessing these profound healing experiences inspired Master Gu’s dedication to the teaching and practice of qigong healing, which he now teaches to thousands of people in the United States, China, and Europe through his workshops, books, and education programs. He created the Pure Qi Online series—a collection of courses which translate the ancient teachings of Wisdom Healing Qigong™ for contemporary times—and is the founder of the Chi Center and the Center for Wisdom Healing Qigong, a beautiful 79-acre resort located 20 minutes south of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Through practice, Master Gu has recovered from his own chronic conditions of asthma, scoliosis, back pain, and kidney weakness. His teaching emphasizes activating the power of inner self-healing, facilitating the release of chronic illness while improving health and well-being. Master Gu lives and teaches with his wife Linling, also a gifted healer, and their two children.
Linling Xie
Linling studied Zhineng Qigong at the medicine-less Qigong hospital in China under the guidance of Dr. Pang Ming. She is a gifted Wisdom Healing Qigong Teacher and Healer, offering private sessions while Healing Intensive Retreats are in session at the Center in Santa Fe.
40 Camino Vista Clara
Galisteo, NM 87540
https://www.facebook.com/thewecampaign/
February 23, 2020
A National Call for Moral Revival
Panel Discussion and Interactive Online Broadcast
Featuring National Campaign Leaders
Sunday February 23rd at 6PM Eastern Time
Watch the Broadcast LIVE or Watch the Recording on
We, The World’s Facebook Page
Please LIKE the Page to be notified when our Broadcasts are startingThese Special Broadcasts are part of our MLK Program
Manifesting The Dream
Carrying Forward the Work and Legacy
of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
During the Compassion Games’ MLK 40 Days of Peace
To Participate in Manifesting The Dream: MLK 40 Days of PeaceSign Up Here
WE.net/MLK
Takes under a minute!Full MLK Broadcast Links and other activity details here:
WE.net/MLK-program
WORLD INTERFAITH HARMONY MEET
City: Mount Abu
+919079295525
Organizer: Brahma Kumaris
Location:: Gyan Saroval – Academy for a Better World, Mt.Abu, Rajasthan, India
Email: ecoshanti@brahmakumaris.com
World Interfaith Harmony Meet is being organized by Brahma Kumaris at its international Head Quarter Complex Gyan Sarovar, an academy for a better world.
This event is being celebrated during the Silver Jubilee celebrations of Gyan Sarovar. Many spiritual, religious and faith leaders will be participating in the meet. The aim and objectives of this event are to share common interests and to also come to common understanding regarding actions that could be taken to mitigate climate-related issues, inter-regional harmony, and value-based education systems. The list of the invited guests include:
HH Dalai Lama Ji,
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev Ji,
Sri Ravi Shankar Ji,
Dadi Janki Ji, and many others.
Gyan Sarovar
The Academy for the Better World, known in Hindi as Gyan Sarovar, offers residential programs and courses on development and practical implementation of human, moral and spiritual values and principles.
The Brahma Kumaris started building the campus for the Academy for a Better World, an institution of higher learning established by the Brahma Kumaris along with its sister institution, the World Renewal Spiritual Trust, and Rajyoga Education and Research Foundation, in 1991. The aim was to provide a training facility for the institution’s outreach to all sections of society. Within a few years, 28 acres of land near the institution’s headquarters in Mount Abu was transformed into a modern village complex in a quiet, rural setting.
The campus includes Universal Harmony Hall, an auditorium that can seat 1,600 people and has facilities for simultaneous translation in 16 languages; the International Spiritual Art Gallery housing sculptures, murals, audio-visual and laser displays and other works of art from around the world; the International Center for Higher Learning comprising 13 seminar and training rooms; accommodation for up to 1,500 people; kitchen and dining facilities that can cater to 1,200 people at a time; three man-made lakes that irrigate the 15,000 trees planted to provide fruits and vegetables and a rural retreat atmosphere; and a solar water heater for cooking. The telephone exchange, computers and emergency lighting systems are powered by solar and wind energy, and a unique waste treatment plant is capable of treating 200,000 liters of washing, kitchen and bathroom waste water daily, of which nearly 80 percent is available for re-use.
In 1996, the Academy was presented to Habitat II, the second UN Conference on Human Settlements held in Istanbul, Turkey. It was recognised as part of the Best Practice Initiative for Human Settlements.
“When you increase the number of gardens, you increase the number of heavens too!”
Take Action on National Refugee Shabbat
National Refugee Shabbat 5780, which will take place on March 20-21, 2020, is a moment for congregations, organizations, and individuals around the country to dedicate a Shabbat experience to refugees and asylum seekers.
Register: Learn more about how your community or group can participate at hias.org/nrs – it’s not too late!
There are also many ways individuals can take action for refugees and asylum seekers in the week leading up to National Refugee Shabbat, as well as on the actual Shabbat itself (in accordance with individual Shabbat practice). Feel free to share the list below widely with family and friends.
12 WAYS TO TAKE ACTION THIS NATIONAL REFUGEE SHABBAT
1. Advocate – Call your Member of Congress to ask them to stand for the rights, safety and dignity of refugees and asylum seekers.
2. Get Involved in the Election – Research the candidates running in local elections in your area, and let them know that the rights of refugees and asylum seekers are among your top priority issues this year.
3. Update Your Facebook Photo Frame – Show your support for refugees by updating your Facebook profile picture with the HIAS #JewsforRefugees frame. Click here for directions.
4. Join the “Jews for Refugees” Facebook Group – Joining this group is a great way to connect with thousands of other committed individuals across the country, access up-to-the-minute information about the Jewish response to the refugee crisis, and share the actions that you are taking. Click here to join.
5. Donate Your Miles to Asylum Seekers – HIAS has partnered with Miles4Migrants (M4M), a nonprofit charity dedicated to using donated frequent flyer miles and money for the relocation of refugees and those seeking asylum – including families recently separated at the U.S.-Mexico border. HIAS and Miles4Migrants (M4M) will work to identify refugees and asylum seekers who need assistance purchasing airfare to reunite with their families. Donate your frequent flyer miles here the week of National Refugee Shabbat.
6. Buy Refugee-Produced Goods – Support refugees and asylum seekers around the world and in your local community by buying refugee-produced goods and/or researching refugee-owned restaurants in your community and having a meal there. Check out this website to purchase goods made by a collective of African asylum-seeking women living in Tel Aviv, Israel.
7. Give Life to Refugees and Asylum Seekers – In the week leading up to National Refugee Shabbat, set up a Facebook fundraiser to benefit HIAS’ work.
8. Scholarships for Displaced Students – Research whether your local universities and colleges offer scholarships to refugees and asylum seekers. If not, reach out and ask them to consider starting such a program. Check out Columbia University’s program for an example.
9. Have A Difficult Conversation – Using the HIAS Conversational Guide for How to Talk About Refugees with Family and Friends, commit to having at least one conversation with someone in your life who has expressed concern about welcoming refugees to the United States or even someone who has made disparaging remarks about refugees or asylum seekers.
10. Light Shabbat Candles with Intention – As you welcome Shabbat on March 20, use this reading before lighting Shabbat candles to set an intention to stand with refugees and asylum seekers around the globe.
11. Host A Gathering In Your Home – Invite a small group of friends over to your home for Shabbat dinner or lunch or a havdallah (the ceremony for closing Shabbat) wine and cheese gathering. At the gathering, consider using the HIAS National Refugee Shabbat 5780-2020 Programming Content Resource. Use the text study on page 6 of this guide as a jumping off point for conversation, take a look at and discuss the refugee art on page 13 of this guide, or screen the movie suggested on page 14 and 15 of this guide.
12. Start A Book Club – Start a book club – for adults or young people – to read books by and about refugees and asylum seekers. Use this list as a jumping off point for suggestions or search google for even more ideas.