JustAct Non-violent Protest Against People Trafficking - Sat 25th

Come along and join us in the JustAct non-violent action on human trafficking!!!

Stop the Traffik!

Saturday 25th August 2007

12 noon for the non-violent briefing
Wesley Uniting Church
148 Lonsdale St,
Melbourne
Meet in the garden at the front of the church.

12:30pm start walking through the city to Federation Square.
Feel free to bring your friends!!!
On-the-day-contact will be Kerryn 0419 530 903 (Yep the JustAct number!)

Why Stop the Traffik?

The aim of the action is to raise awareness about the issue of global human trafficking and to make a statement about the way the Federal Government can be responding to the issue. We will be seeking media to cover our action and will also be handing out information to people who are interested.
http://www.stopthetraffik.org/

What to wear
Face masks and plastic chains will be supplied. YES we want people to notice us!!

If you can, wear black or white head to toe (a hooded jumper would be great if you have one!).

This walk is a non-violent action and we ask that participants respect the principles of non-violence that will be outlined in the briefing.

We will have a media liaison and a police liaison person at the protest as resource people.

As a Uniting Church organised event the UCA covers legal liability.

http://www.justact.org.au
Find Your Voice? Have a Say? Act with Justice in Mind?

JustAct Action - Who’s intervention in NT?

This month JustAct are looking at the Australian Government?s intervention into indigenous communities in the Northern Territory as a response to the findings of The Little Children are Sacred report. A lot has been said about this plan, from criticism to welcoming the move from a wide range of Australians. This action is to help you understand what the report actually said, and what the Government intervention covers, and what position the Uniting Church has on the Australian Government’s plan of action.

See the site for background and all the details: www.justact.org.au

Nothing is more precious than peace

Ignatius of Antioch (d. 110)
Epistle (110)

“And pray ye without ceasing in behalf of other men. For there is in them hope of repentance that they may attain to God. See, then, that they be instructed by your works, if in no other way. Be ye meek in response to their wrath, humble in opposition to their boasting: to their blasphemies return your prayers; in contrast to their error, be ye steadfast in the faith; and for their cruelty, manifest your gentleness. While we take care not to imitate their conduct, let us be found their brethren in all true kindness; and let us seek to be followers of the Lord (who ever more unjustly treated, more destitute, more condemned?), that so no plant of the devil may be found in you, but ye may remain in all holiness and sobriety in Jesus Christ, both with respect to the flesh and spirit. (Epistle to the Ephesians 10) Nothing is more precious than peace, by which all war, both in heaven and earth, is brought to an end. (13.2) 1 therefore have need of meekness, by which the prince of this world is brought to nought. (Epistle to the Trallians 4)

From Syria even unto Rome I fight with beasts, both by land and sea, both by night and day, being bound to ten leopards, I mean a band of soldiers, who, even when they receive benefits, show themselves all the worse. But I am the more instructed by their injuries [to act as a disciple of Christ]; “yet am I not thereby justified.” May I enjoy the wild beasts that are prepared for me; and I pray that they may be found eager to rush upon me, which also I will entice to devour me speedily, and not deal with me as with some, whom, out of fear, they have not touched. But if they be unwilling to assail me, I will compel them to do so. Pardon me [in this] I know what is for my benefit. Now I begin to be a disciple. And let no one, of things visible or invisible, envy me that I should attain to Jesus Christ. Let fire and the cross; let the crowds of wild beasts; let tearings, breakings, and dislocations of bones; let cutting off of members; let shatterings of the whole body; and let all the dreadful torments of the devil come upon me: only let me attain to Jesus Christ.(Epistle to the Romans 5, Military persecuted Christians)”

Festival of Refugees

Box Hill Town Hall, 1022 Whitehorse Road
Guest of honour: His Excellency the Governor of Victoria, Professor David de Kretser AC

Program
Singing and dancing by groups from Sudan, Burma, Vietnam, Congo and more
Guest performance form Kavisha Mazella
Lunch: Middle East and West African meal provided

Admission: - Free ? donations accepted.

Booking essential by 17 August to Visier or Glenys on 9650 4511 or Leonie 9262 6101 or 0438 581 019 or e-mail vcc@vcc.org.au or Leonie.Boyle@whitehorse.vic.gov.au
Sponsored by Christian World Service, Victorian Council of Churches in partnership with the City of Whitehorse.

ADIDAS HQ Protest

WORKERS PROTEST AT ADIDAS HQ IN INDONESIA

November 2006: The Pt Spotec and Pt Dong Joe factories close leaving 10,500 workers without jobs. A third factory, Pt Tong Yang, employing more than 9,000 workers, is also set to close. All three factories produced for Reebok, and then for adidas after adidas bought Reebok. Oxfam Australia is concerned that the buying practices of adidas are likely to be one of the main reasons the factories had to close.

adidas alleges all three supplier factories have ?huge and unsustainable debts due to gross financial mismanagement.? So far adidas has not been willing to provide evidence of their allegations of mismanagement by their supplier factories or that their buying practices did not contribute to the closure of PT Spotec and Dong Joe and the imminent closure of Pt Tong Yang. Trade unions involved in the three factories believe that this debt is because of an upgrade in infrastructure that was carried out at the request of adidas.

Ex-adidas workers in Indonesia continue to fight for their entitlements. Around 1,000 workers from PT Spotec and PT Dong Joe demonstrated in front of the adidas head office and Bank Rakyat Indonesia head office in June 2007. To learn more about these workers and possibly support their claims visit:

http://www.oxfam.org.au/campaigns/labour/action/07adidasprotest/write_to_adidas.php

WCC Internship Programme 2008

The World Council of Churches (WCC) will welcome five young people (aged 18-30 years) to serve as interns in its Geneva offices from February 2008 to January 2009. Interns bring valuable experiences to the WCC at the same time as they undertake several modules of ecumenical learning.

The next 12 months’ internship period begins in February 2008. In Geneva, the interns will be assigned to one of the WCC working areas. They will carry out their tasks in co-operation with programme staff and under individualized supervision. During their stay in Geneva each intern is expected to plan an ecumenical project to implement in his or her home context when they return in February 2009.

The next generation of interns’ areas of work will be

1. the Decade to Overcome Violence <http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=3107> ;
2. youth <http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=3069> and ecumenical relationships <http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=2950> ;
3. visitors programme <http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=3185> /media relations <http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=3432> ;
4. faith, science, technology and ethics <http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=3125> ; and
5. just & inclusive communities <http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=3105> .

Successful candidates are people committed to the ideals of the ecumenical movement, who will bring their energy, commitment and a fresh vision to their specific work assignment. Applicants must send, along with their application, background information about their church or Christian youth network that will help them in implementing their proposed ecumenical project.

Closing date for receiving applications for the five internships is 20 September 2007.

[Read more]

Dinner @ the cave with Ciaron O’Reilly

Dinner with Ciaron O’Reilly - Catholic Worker, nonviolent resister and Christian anarchist.

?Ciaron O?Reilly is a devout Brisbane-born Christian pacifist. In a life dedicated to protest, he’s been jailed for disarming warplanes, dismantling uranium mining machinery and performing exorcisms of warships. To some he’s an inspiration, to others a criminal.?

(Andrew Denton: Enough Rope June 2006)

when: saturday august 25 @ 6:30pm
where: the cave @ 76 st leonards rd ascot vale
what: vego dinner, chat & community
cost: donation
all donations collected go to Ciaron and most likely towards his next round of court costs

Organised and supported by the Red Network and morepraxis.org.au

Download flyers to print - ciaronflyer.pdf

RU Enrolled 2 vote?

Hi guys just a quick reminder to any of the young adult morepraxis readers to enroll to vote before they call the election which will probably be in days. New changes basically mean that if you are not enrolled when they call it you will miss the chance to vote. Below is the official info and here is the link

[Read more]

A Praxis Collective! Anyone keen to help?

Over the last couple of years people have asked “if we (meaning UCA or me) run our own School of Discipleship (vic/tas), or Young Adults gathering or Christian Activist gathering….. (insert any event here)….”. “We don’t have a regular young adults gathering in the UCA” I have usually replied with ‘No but there are a few good events coming up or maybe they would like to run a local gathering for their mob. The frequency of this question has increased of late… so I asked around some of the UCA young adult groups and morepraxis friends to see if there was any energy for a gathering. It would seem that a space to gather and hear about what different communities/group, individuals are trying, have input and share about our causes and struggles, is worth organising!

So after those conversations, we are at the point of a vague outline of an event that hopes to be inclusive of young families while engaging young adults with a commitment to radical discipleship. Also, with a date that will not mess up peoples uni/school and general programs. Last week of November - Friday Nov 30-Sunday 2 Dec - Merricks Lodge

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A step along the way

?We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that this enables us to do something, and to do it very well. It may be incomplete but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord?s grace to enter and do the rest. We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master-builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders. We are ministers and not messiahs. We are the prophets of a future not our own?.

Archbishop Oscar Romero

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