Upperroom - Faiths

August 28, 2008

The Upper Room Project meets the first Monday of each month (6-8:30pm) to engage with spirituality and justice as struggled with and fought for by the Prophets and Jesus. We meet upstairs in the Shine Caf?/Bar (74 Kingsway Glen Waverley) with gallery space, discussion corners, opportunity for practical response and pondering space.

We hope the upper room will be

  • Space to rest/relax with your tribe
  • Be challenged by the prophetic call of compassion
  • Connect with heartbeats for living

There will be food, wine and friends plus

  • a gallery space for photos and other art.
  • activist space - activities, information and people deeply into that topic to meet
  • conversational space - multimedia and communally led (an interview, music, texts, a place to chat)

Please bring your friends - all are welcome

This month we will be thinking about the different faiths. We will have the info, resources and a discussion guide with reflections from ‘Speaking of Faiths’ and view doc of the Chicago Inter Faith youth Core. There was some chatter about a group of young people who were interviewed from a few different faiths but I don’t think they will be with us. Also, some interesting images to spark conversations.

Cya there.

C-Change - UCA Small Group Discipleship Resources

August 28, 2008

So I found these and thought they could do with some air play.

UCA National working group on theology and doctrine (Missiology, Evangelism, Worship, Spirituality, etc)

C-Change: small group discipleship resources for the 21st Century

Theology and Discipleship has developed a six-part series of short resources to act as discussion starters for congregations and small groups.

Worksheet 1: The Call to Discipleship
Worksheet 2: Spirituality
Worksheet 3: Evangelism
Worksheet 4: Covenanting
Worksheet 5: Hospitality
Worksheet 6: Multicultural and Cross-cultural Ministry

TELL TRIUMPH THAT FASHION REQUIRES FREEDOM: REINSTATE THAI UNION PRESIDENT NOW!

August 27, 2008

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Body Fashion Thailand, a subsidiary of Triumph International, has fired a union leader for wearing a political t-shirt. Thousands of workers are protesting her unjust dismissal.
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Take action now. Go to
http://www.cleanclothes.org/urgent/08-08-25.html#action
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On July 30, 2008, a Thai subsidiary of Triumph International, one of the world?s largest makers of intimate apparel, dismissed union president Jitra Kotshadej for wearing an unfashionable t-shirt. She wasn?t wearing the t-shirt at work, and it wasn?t the colour or the design of the t-shirt that caused offence. It was the message that caused the problem:
?Those who do not stand are not criminals. Thinking differently is not a crime.? The t-shirt refers to the abuse of l?se-majest? legislation to suppress political opposition and the right of people to refrain from standing during the royal anthem.

Work Justice advocates to be whipped - your help needed

August 25, 2008

Message from LabourStart:

Sousan Razani and Shiva Kheirabadi, have been sentenced to jail terms and whipping for the “crime” of having participated in a May Day demonstration this year. [Read more]

Clip Comments - Dance

August 25, 2008


So the youth ran the service at my church on the weekend.

They finished the time with this clip.

What do you think? feel?

Control Arms - Action & Game

August 25, 2008

Every year, millions of people suffer as a result of the irresponsible arms trade.

Two years ago, 153 governments voted at the United Nations to start work on developing an international Arms Trade Treaty. We want as many people as possible to take action to control the arms trade.

Play “Catch the Bomb” and spread the word

Throughout 2008, a group of experts from 28 countries has been meeting to discuss the content of the treaty. Now is the time to turn words into action and deliver an Arms Trade Treaty strong enough to save lives and stop irresponsible arms deals.

A small minority of governments opposes international controls on the arms trade and is determined to block, derail and delay any further progress on the treaty. They must not be allowed to succeed.

Tell your government that the world is watching, it?s time for an Arms Trade Treaty

Thank you for supporting us,

The Control Arms Team

Control Arms is a joint campaign by Amnesty International, IANSA and Oxfam.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

August 15, 2008

Gday all,

Some people may have heard this already, but I’m prepared to lose my hair to get people to 2009’s National Christian Youth Convention (www.ncyc.org.au).

I’m really keen to see this raise at least $2500 (which is only 25 people donating $100) so I can hand over a lot of money to people who would desperately love to make it to 2009’s NCYC.

The plan is to give half of the money raised to NCYC in order for them to distribute to indigenous delegates, so it’s not all about us sending our own young people, it’s about us giving others the chance to go as well.

The National Christian Youth Convention is an event of the Uniting Church in Australia that gathers young people from all over the country to celebrate and study, to meet new friends and to broaden their vision of God’s calling on their lives and the world.? This year’s gig has Shane Claiborne speaking ( http://www.thesimpleway.org/shane/ - he has long hair too!) who’s voice I believe could certainly shake our foundations a bit, and I’d love to see many others making their way to Melbourne to participate and live in the community of NCYC and hearing his voice.

So, I’m shaving my head, and I’m asking for donations to go towards the shaving….

If you’re interested in donating we’d love to hear from you, AND we’d love it even more if you would seek out others who may be keen on donating money to the cause…

Publicity posters, information and sponsor forms can be downloaded from:
http://www.riverinayouth.net/2008/08/14/hair-today-gone-tomorrow/

i’ve chosen to make the forms downloadable rather than emailing them out, if you’d like me to email you a copy please let me know.

Once again, go here for the forms:
http://www.riverinayouth.net/2008/08/14/hair-today-gone-tomorrow/

Shalom
Darren Wright

Climate change hits the poor hardest.

August 14, 2008

The developed world has created the problem but the developing countries will feel the heat of climate change the most!

Everyone has heard about climate change but what is it really? What can we do about it? How can we take responsibility so that the impact will not be the hardest on those least able to cope?

This month JustAct looks at the Garnaut report and how the Make Poverty History campaign is responding to the climate crisis.

Check out how you can make a difference at www.justact.org.au

Antony and Tess [Read more]

ACF - Campaign to stop proposed uranium sales to Russia

August 14, 2008

Why would Australia sell uranium to Russia - a country that fails to comply with their nuclear disarmament obligations under the Non Proliferation Treaty and has the world’s largest arsenal of nuclear weapons?

Join the campaign!

Get informed on this issue and participate in this on-line campaign by sending an e Card to the Ministerfor Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith to reject a proposed treaty for sale of Australian uranium to Putin?s Russia, add your own views and ask the Minister to response to you ? or Phone the Minister?s offices in Canberra Tel: (02) 6277 7500 and in Perth Tel: (08) 9272 3411.

Go to: http://www.acfonline.org.au/articles/news.asp?news_id=1880

ACF believes this flawed treaty will unacceptably weaken Australia?s policy and practice on nuclear safeguards, compromise our efforts to rid the world of nuclear weapons and make Australia complicit in serious failures of the Russian state ? where the rule of law, democratic values and human rights are not being observed. Read ACF’s Policy Brief on the Russian nuclear treaty.

The treaty was proposed and signed by then prime minister John Howard and Russian President Vladimir Putin at APEC in Sydney in 2007 and has been sent to a federal Parliamentary Inquiry by the new Labor federal government. This Inquiry may report back from mid-September and then Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith will decide Australia?s position.

Australia should not sell uranium to nuclear weapon states ? like Russia ? that fail to comply with their nuclear disarmament obligations under the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Russia maintains the world?s largest arsenal of nuclear weapons and is developing new weapons delivery systems.

This nuclear treaty would jeopardise the aims of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd?s new International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament to rid the world of nuclear weapons and would make the world less safe and more insecure.

Nuclear security risks far outweigh any claims for a nuclear expansion ? see the ACF Policy Brief Reject the dangerous nuclear industry.

ACF is working with the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) by the Medical Association for the Prevention of War (MAPW). For Australia to properly act on our international responsibilities and to take up a leadership role for the abolition of all nuclear weapons must involve the phase out of nuclear power and of Australia?s uranium mining and exports for the realisation of a nuclear free world.

In 2006 ACF and MAPW prepared a major report An Illusion of Protection: the unavoidable limitations of safeguards on nuclear materials and the export of uranium to China on the limitations of safeguards for the proposed export of Australian uranium. This critique applies equally to the proposed nuclear treaty for uranium sales to Russia which is based on the same set of inadequate Australian and International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards.

?The contemporary nuclear threat is a key medical and public health issue with Australia priming the pump through irresponsible uranium exports,? said Associate Professor Tilman Ruff, President of MAPW.

David Noonan
Nuclear Free Campaigner
Australian Conservation Foundation
Level 1, 157 Franklin St, ADELAIDE SA 5000, Australia
Ph 08 8211 6838
d.noonan@acfonline.org.au
www.acfonline.org.au

make poverty history: Climate Change Youth Forum

August 13, 2008

Aug ’08
20
9:30 am

BMW Edge, Federation Square, Melbourne

Climate change will affect everyone, but it will affect poor people in developing countries first and most dramatically. Climate change is a serious challenge to our efforts to tackle poverty. The recently launched Make Poverty History Climate Change campaign aims to highlight the link between Climate Change and Development.? The Make Poverty History - Climate Change Youth Forum presents the bigger picture on the human impacts of climate change and socially just solutions to climate change and poverty in a format specifically designed for secondary students The 2008 Climate Change Youth Forum will include keynote presentations from youth activists; Question and Answer time, and interactive workshops designed to equip students with practical knowledge that can be shared in their own school community. The Forum is an opportunity for each individual student to experience youth advocacy and become empowered to explore the complex issues of climate change in their local region and beyond. The forum aims to encourage students and highlight the positive role they can play in tackling the global issues of climate change and extreme poverty and enhance related strands within their curriculum. Make Poverty History extends this opportunity to your school and students to act now, see the bigger picture and join us at the 2008 Climate Change Youth Forum.

Speakers:

David Toovey - CEO of the Oaktree Foundation and recent Al Gore trained Climate Project participant

Ellen Sandell - is the Victorian Schools Conference Coordinator for the Australian Youth Climate Coalition. In 2007 she was part of the first Australian Youth Delegation to the UNFCCC climate change negotiations in Bali, Indonesia,

Georgina McRae- is a community development worker who has studied at the University of the South Pacific, Fiji, and worked in Vanuatu and is also founder member of Pacific Black Box.

Registration is open to youth environment ambassadors or classes (year 9 and 10). Entry is free.

To register or for further details, please contact Sonia Fernandes by email at sfernandes@acfid.asn.au

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