Every Tuesday between August 13th and September 17th, 11:30am-12:30pm, George Floyd Square
Co-sponsored by the Minnesota Multifaith Network, Cutting Through the Noise is a six week series that urges us to come together with a commitment to justice to embody peace and bear witness in shared public places. With a hope for deepening wellness, this series will introduce and practice "retreat" in real time and space... right where we are! Attendees will be invited to reflect, pray, or simply rest in the sights, sounds, and feelings of the present moment. Facilitators will provide brief instructions for finding mindful quiet.
To support this offering, we suggest a donation of $10 per event ($60 for the whole series). No one will be turned away. You may donate via Venmo to @Ben-Connelly-9 or at the events
For more information about the events and its facilitators:
Innovation in building materials techniques is on the rise – from carbon-free cement and steel to fossil-fuel-free heating. Can we use our state bonding investments to start to build better? Please join us for a webinar about how we can use state bonding investments to build better now while spurring industry advancements.
Saturday, August 10th, 5:00-8:00pm, Hidden Falls Park, St. Paul
Join us for a celebration with the Mississippi River! Gather with us to con
connect, learn, pray, engage, play, celebrate, and honor the spirit of water. This event is jointly sponsored by United Theological Seminary, RISE Coalition, MNIPL, and Friends of the Mississippi River and includes many leaders and organizations working together to protect water. The celebration is for all ages and will include live music, food, speakers, and children's activities!
Clouds in Water Zen Center: Election Processing Circles
Aug 20th, Sept 17th, Oct 29th, Nov 5th at Clouds in Water, 6:30-8:00pm
In these monthly circles leading up to the election, we hold space for what’s coming up for you and look at the complexities of this election and its painful ripple effect through a compassionate lens. Each Circle will have a different facilitator who is trained to keep a good and nourishing container for this important work. These events are free, but a $10 donation is greatly appreciated. Please bring friends! All meetings are from 6:30-8:00pm in-person at Clouds in Water Zen Center in Saint Paul.
August 11th-17th, 2024. Northern Pines Retreat Center in Park Rapids
People Camp is a unique, one week, intergenerational community living experience open to all. Learn more about People Camp here!
FNVW: 28th Annual Community Peace Celebration
August 16th, 2024, 2-7pm Saint Paul .
Get ready to spread the love and peace at the 28th Annual Community Peace Celebration on August 16th at Western Sculpture Park! Join us for a day filled with music, dance, delicious food, and uplifting stories of peace. Save the date and let's make this year's celebration the most memorable yet! Read more and register here.
U of M Earl E. Bakken Center Mindfulness Programs
August 21, 2024, 12:00pm, Zoom Webinar, Free of Cost.
This webinar led by Bakken Center Mindfulness and Wellbeing Instructor Mariann Johnson will provide an introduction to mindfulness meditation and will be particularly relevant to those new to the practice or simply curious about the possible benefits of a mindfulness practice. Participants will have an opportunity to practice a short mindfulness meditation, to share their experiences, and to ask questions. Examples will also be provided for practicing "everyday" mindfulness, at work and at home. The webinar will conclude with an overview of the Bakken Center's mindfulness resources and programming. Register here.
Mark Your Calendars
Jay Phillips Center, Co-Pilgrims on the Journey to Truth: Hinduism and Christianity in Dialogue Thursday, September 12, 12:00-1:10pm. Iverson Center for Faith, University of St. Thomas. How can dialogue across traditions deepen understanding of humanity's shared quest for truth? In this conversation between two scholar-practitioners, Fr. Yann Vagneux and Prof. Anantanand Rambachan, explore the intersections between Hindu and Christian traditions. Learn more here.
Wisdom Ways: Writing Through Change and TransformationSeptember 13th, 6-7:30pm, Carondelet Center. In this program, we will consider the gifts and the challenges that come when things are changing and we feel uncertain, we experience a sense of loss, or we notice a quickening we can’t explain. We will write about how faith is a guiding light through times of difficulty and the experience of transformation as a journey from “chrysalis” to “butterfly.” Each session begins with a mindfulness practice and includes inspiration from . world-renowned spiritual and contemporary poets. Register here.
Jay Phillips Center, Author Talk with Colum McCann September 24th, 7:00pm, OEC Auditorium. Join us for a conversation with the award-winning author, Colum McCann, co-sponsored by the College of Arts & Sciences, the Jay Phillips Center for Irish Studies. Apeirogon is a unique exploration of the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This book is named after a shape with a countably infinite number of sides, reflecting the myriad perspectives and stories within this conflict. At its core, the novel is centered around the true stories of two fathers— one Israeli and one Palestinian— whose daughters were killed in the conflict. Register here.
Northspan: 4th Annual Equity SummitOctober 1st, 2024, Iron Trail Motors Event Center, Virginia, MN The annual Equity Summit is an opportunity for residents, newcomers, elected officials, law enforcement, environmental advocates, community leaders, and business owners to gather with workforce and economic development, government, philanthropy, and other sectors. As part of Northspan’s Welcoming Community program, the goal of the Equity Summit is to help forge a more inclusive future in northeast Minnesota. Learn more here.
Resources and Opportunities
Minnesota Poor People's Campaign: Call for Volunteers
We have a tabling opportunity August 11th at Macadonia Baptist Church in Minneapolis. They are hosting a community back to school event, and it would be great to find a couple of volunteers to talk to neighbors. We will be sure you have materials, talking points and all you need. Set up is at 12:00 for a 1:00-5:00 event. Contact the Minnesota Poor People's Campaign Team here:
Every summer Interfaith Action's member faith communities collect new backpacks and school supplies to help our young people start the academic year with the tools for success. Visit our website for a list of supplies needed or to make a monetary donation to purchase needed supplies not collected at the drive. Drop-off/distribution is Tuesday, August 20, at Saint Paul United Church of Christ (900 Summit Ave). Join our email list to stay up-to-date.
Friends for a Nonviolent World is Hiring!
FNVW is a Quaker-inspired organization that welcomes people from all faith practices as well as individuals with no religious orientation. We strongly encourage applications from individuals who identify as BIPOC, Indigenous or people of culture, LGBTQI+ and gender fluid or gender nonconforming, people from working class backgrounds, individuals with disabilities (both seen and unseen), veterans, people of any age or family status and others who are members of marginalized communities.
For best consideration, please submit your cover letter and resume to info@fnvw.org by August 9. The job will be posted until filled.
Harris’ mother came to the U.S. from Tamil Nadu, in southern India, in 1958 as a breast cancer researcher looking for a higher degree at the University of California, Berkeley. There she met Jamaican American economist Donald J. Harris, and after they married Gopalan converted to her husband’s Christianity. But in addition to regularly attending church, she instilled in her two daughters a reverence for Hindu temples.
This combinaton is less radical than it may seem to anyone unfamiliar with Hinduism, said Anantanand Rambachan, a religion professor at St. Olaf College and author of “Pathways to Hindu-Christian Dialogue.”
“In so many of the leading teachers and organizations is a deep affirmation of the figure of Jesus, but a rejection of institutionalized Christianity,” said Rambachan, pointing to Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna and Mahatma Gandhi. “So Jesus as a great teacher, as a guru, many Hindus felt that we could identify with him, but not necessarily with Christianity.
“I’m wondering if her mom did not, in some way, absorb that approach,” said Rambachan, “and therefore didn’t see necessarily any contradiction or problem in having daughters attend the Christian church. She was perhaps not thinking of Christianity so much doctrinally, but as a spiritual religious tradition, and she wanted her children to have that kind of experience.” Read more here.
Submissions to the Newsletter
All are welcome to submit events and news for inclusion in our newsletter. To make a submission, please email us. Submissions for the next newsletter are due Friday, August 16th. MnMN Organizational Partners and Individual Members have first priority. If you are not yet an Organizational Partner or Individual Member, we encourage you to join us!
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U of M Earl E. Bakken Center Mindfulness Programs
