NAINews Winter 2010

This year’s midyear executive board meeting was an experiment in a combined face-to-face and cyberspace meeting. The expense of flying to Salt Lake City for such a short meeting time proved challenging in this economy. Bettina Gray, Kay Lindahl, and Rob Hankinson met with Jan Saeed and some members of the local planning committee, including Ivan Cendese and Brian Farr, current chair of the Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable.

Using web-based live video streaming from Salt Lake and a web-based text chat, a number of Board members were able to participate in the morning and afternoon meeting sessions on January 30. We had a web-based agenda and several other web-based documents to review.

Bettina, Jan, Kay and Rob Hankinson

[Screenshot from live broadcast]

Although some Board members experienced some technical difficulty signing into the chat, on the whole cyberspace attendees Judy and Woody Trautman, Mike Goggin, Gail Allan, Ralph Singh, and Don Mayne felt the experiment was a valuable way to use new technology to cut personal costs to the Board members. [The NAIN Board is a volunteer, unpaid Board.]

We approved a 2010 budget and had committee reports. We approved a 20% early-bird registration for Connects for NAIN members, a distinct perk to NAIN members. We also discussed 2010 nominations and an increased Young Adult Scholarship amount. The afternoon focused on planning for the 2010 Connect in Salt Lake City

Bettina, Jan, Kay, and SLC local Brian Farr

[Screenshot from live broadcast]

History of the Salt lake Interfaith Roundtable

In 1999, the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games formed an Interfaith Roundtable whose purpose was to fulfill the Olympic Charter requirement to "provide religious support" for athletes and families. Forty-five faith leaders from over 22 faiths joined together as the SLOC Interfaith Roundtable to help welcome the world to Utah. These faith representatives collaborated to provide chaplain support for athletes, a directory of faiths in Utah, interfaith web pages, and newfound interfaith respect in Utah. Out of this work for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games came a desire to continue this interfaith dialogue, friendship, and understanding. The Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable has continued to meet monthly ever since and collaborate on mutual interfaith goals. http://interfaithroundtable.org/

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NAIN Connect 2010 Salt Lake City, Utah, July 25th -28th

Many Faiths, One Family, Building a World of Harmony

Accommodations

Reservation Information:

Salt Lake Plaza Hotel at Temple Square

122 West South Temple

Salt Lake City, UT 84101

801-521-0130 Fax: 801-322-5057

For Reservations call: 1-800-366-3684

http://www.plaza-hotel.com/

· The hotel is located in downtown Salt Lake City across from the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints Temple Square.

· Local tram stops right at the hotel. There is a FREE hotel shuttle from the Plaza hotel to the airport and back (stops after 11pm). This is an otherwise $30 expense by cab or paid shuttle.

· Rooms have fridge, microwave and many other amenities.

A block of 35 rooms have been reserved for very special rates and on a first come first served basis.

Room rates: Single- $79.00

Double-$79.00

Triple- $89.00

Quad- $89.00

Special Instructions:

· There is an added 12.761% added tax per room

· Parking is $5.00 per night

· Cut-off date is 05-23-10 for the above rates.

· After the cut-off date reservations will be accepted on a space availability basis at the above rates only if rooms are available.*

· Please call 1-800-366-3684 to make reservations and identify yourself with the North American Interfaith Network.

Double Queen

Front View

Rooftop View of Temple

· In order to ensure the best rates you should reserve your room before the cut-off date. It is advisable to reserve your room early. Reserve room directly with the hotel. Conference registration is separate. A limited number of homestays will also be available.

A conference registration form and process details will be available soon. Here are the projected fees, so that you may plan ahead:

$180 for General Conference Attendees

$ 144 for NAIN members (a 20% discount for early registration through April 15th

$ NAIN Members can receive 10% discount until May 15th

Students can attend for $60 for the whole conference or $35 for one day.

General admission for one day is $90.

Preview of Conference Highlights

Pre-Conference Activities

Saturday, July 24 [Pioneer Day in Utah]

· Morning Parade [in front of hotel, so you may want to avoid arriving Saturday morning]

· Afternoon Interfaith Fair and Picnic

· NAIN Board meeting starts in the evening

Sunday, July 25

· Mormon Tabernacle choir Performance [be seated by 8:30 AM]

· Printed guide to other faith local services

· Afternoon service project –clean-up work at the Swaner Eco Center (http://www.swanerecocenter.org/) http://www.swanerecocenter.org/volunteer.html

· Dinner on own

Conference [Sessions will be in walking distance of hotel]

Evening Sunday, July 25

· Plenary with speaker “Family, Faith and Community Building”

Monday, July 26

· Morning - Keynote Panel WHY INTERFAITH? Many Faiths One Family – Religion, Race, and Cultural Impact

· Afternoon Breakout Sessions with Panelists and others specializing in specific interfaith topics

· 4:00 – 5:00 PM - NAIN Annual General Meeting [Nominations for the Board close 18 hours prior to this meeting.]

· Evening dinner celebration

Tuesday, July 27

· Morning - Keynote Panel PRACTICING INTERFAITH? Many Faiths One Family – Local and Global Impact

· Afternoon Breakout Sessions with Panelists and others specializing in specific interfaith topics

· Open Space

· Evening dinner celebration

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Notes on NAINConnect 2010

By Brian Farr: Chairperson of the Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable

Better interfaith relations are a critical component of building caring, connected communities and a more peaceful harmonious world. Interfaithers know that. The challenge is to extend our reach by getting others to understand and get involved. The focus of Connect 2010 is on doing just that.

The conference will take up Madeleine Albright’s challenge of finding ways “to harness the unifying potential of faith while containing its capacity to divide.” Challenging and inspirational speakers, stimulating panels and collegial brainstorming will renew and enhance our vision of interfaith work, enliven esprit de corps, and hone in on practical ways to build both local interfaith organizations and the North American Interfaith Network.

Among the activities to choose from are visits to local churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples (Hindu and Sikh), an interfaith picnic, the live weekly broadcast of the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the annual Pioneer Day Parade (one of the biggest parades in the USA), an evening of interfaith music etc. You may want to plan some time to search out your roots and family history at one of the world’s largest genealogical libraries or take a leisurely walk through the beautiful gardens and fountains of Temple Square – both within a half block of the conference hotel.

And it all happens at the foot of the picturesque Wasatch Mountains with beautiful hiking and biking trails and This Is The Place Historical Park just a few minutes away. Venues of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games (Park City, Deer Valley, the Winter Sports Park etc.) and other mountain resorts (Snowbird, Alta, Brighton, Solitude, Snow Basin and more) are a short 30-45 minute drive and offer summer activities including bobsled rides, zip lines, tram rides, mountain biking etc. Five stunning national parks (Bryce Canyon, Arches, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Zion), and the awesome beauty of Lake Powell are within a four or five hour drive. Bring your family. Make a vacation out or it. Refresh and enjoy! [See www.go-utah.com for pictures and more information.]

Connect 2010 Meeting Space

The Plaza Hotel where we are staying is about 2 blocks (flat level walking -- no climbs) from the meeting spaces.

Joseph Smith Memorial Building

“The Joseph Smith Memorial Building was originally built in 1911 as the Utah Hotel. It stood as a world-class lodging facility for 76 years, welcoming travelers from all over the world to Salt Lake City. One of the most luxurious reception and business centers in the American West, the Joseph Smith Memorial Building is located in the very heart of the historical center of Salt Lake City, directly west of the Salt Lake Temple. The lobby features an art glass ceiling, massive marble pillars and grand staircase for which the edifice has long been famous. A large statue of Joseph Smith adorns the lobby, above which hangs a beautiful chandelier. Architectural details have made the building both a landmark in the community and an important contribution to the city's rich cultural fabric.”

http://www.utah.com/mormon/joseph_smith_memorial.htm

"St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral located at 231 E. 100 South in Salt Lake City, Utah is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Utah in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Built in 1871, it is the third oldest Episcopal Cathedral in the United States. It was designed by noted architect, Richard Upjohn in the Gothic Revival style. On September 22, 1970, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.^[1 ]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Mark%27s_Cathedral,_Salt_Lake_City#cite_note-nris-0

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Member Updates

SARAH

Sande Hart

SARAH had an extraordinary 2009 and we are looking forward to a remarkable 2010!

After 8 years of gathering in circle, providing educational opportunities to the community, and collaborating with the local and global interfaith community whenever possible, we realized that, in order to create safer and more harmonious neighborhoods, and understanding that communities thrive and grow when we focus on our unifying goals, we facilitated Orange County's First Annual Interfaith Weekend of Community Service.

We rounded up as many congregations that we could and together, mobilized nearly 1000 people (faith and non-faith) out to 96 service projects. We expect to double our numbers this year, which will be May 1st and 2nd.

Then, we encouraged those congregations into what we call "Villages" where these geographically close faith institutions gather throughout the rest of the year on community building activities. One "Village" meets quarterly and last fall organized a backpack drive for inner city kids. They are also organizing an interfaith film festival.

Another "Village" partnered to support an organization that supports homeless families and have started a "holy book" study.

We were honored with the United Religion's Initiative's Bowe's Award for North America for this project.

Last October we realized a vision we had at our first SARAH meeting in 2002. When we agreed that our logo would be a "heart in action" we also visualized little lapel pins one day when we could afford them. When we held our first SARAH Pin in our hand we immediately knew this pin had some work to do so we created a "pledge" and made the pin available to all women. "When I wear this pin I remember that I am a woman of my community dedicated to creating a loving, safe, and harmonious environment with my daily actions." The SARAH Empowerment Pin has also proven to be a fundraiser for us so that we can continue to do our work and be sustainable and responsible to our cause.

SARAH will also be starting a mentoring program with the juvenile court's Girls Court working with girls ages 12-17 starting with 2 themes; healing through dance and a program that I do for teens called "Make a Difference 101" where we focus on serving others but it's really more about realizing our personal agency and the impact we all make in our community.

5 of us from SARAH attended the Parliament of The World's Religions in Melbourne and are further inspired, activated, educated, empowered and catapulted into more interfaith relationships. Frankly, we are still processing it all!

Besides our rich and delightful monthly meetings where we gather, connect, eat (!) share, learn and dream and scheme about empowering ourselves and others, we are committed to creating a world that works for everyone staring in our own heart, home and communities. For all this and more including pictures of us in action please visit us at... www.sarah4hope.org

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Scarboro Missions Interfaith Department

Paul McKenna

Pope John Paul II -- Interfaith Giant

Scarboro Missions is proud to announce the addition of another important article to our website. John Paul II was one of the most influential, interfaith figures of the twentieth century. His commitment to dialogue, his extensive global travel and his acute awareness of our interdependent lives in the global village made him a significant force in the international interfaith movement. This article offers a chronological profile of the interfaith journey of Pope John Paul II from his election to the papacy in 1978 until his death in 2005. Please feel to forward this article to friends and colleagues. This will be a very important article for Catholics to read particularly those who are uneasy with the whole issue of interfaith dialogue.

Please note that you will have to scroll down a couple of pages in order to get to the year-by-year chronology. This article can be downloaded free of charge. Here is the link:

http://www.scarboromissions.ca/Interfaith_dialogue/interfaith_giant.php

Golden Rule News

Business Manifesto Reflects Golden Rule

In October of last year at UN headquarters, The Global Ethic Foundation unveiled its manifesto for a Global Economic Ethic -- Consequences for Global Business. The manifesto was published with support of a number of organizations. Article 4 of the manifesto roots this economic ethic in the Golden Rule:

Article 4

What you do not wish done to yourself, do not do to others. This Golden Rule of reciprocity, which for thousands of years has been acknowledged in all religious and humanist traditions, promotes mutual responsibility, solidarity, fairness, tolerance, and respect for all persons involved. Such attitudes or virtues are the basic pillars of a global economic ethos. Fairness in competition and cooperation for mutual benefit are fundamental principles of a sustainably developing global economy that is in conformity with the Golden Rule.

Here is the link to the manifesto: http://www.globaleconomicethic.org/02-manifesto-02-eng.php

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Golden Rule Posters Around the World

Mussie Hailu is a key interfaith activist in Ethiopia and across Africa. He is also, arguably, the most influential golden rule activist on the planet. In 2009, Mussie circulated 20,000 golden rule posters around the world. These posters were adapted from the Scarboro Missions golden rule poster.

Mussie is also working to develop April 5 as an international Golden Rule day. You can support him by contacting him at mussiepeace@yahoo.co.uk

Below, see Mussie's e-mail about international poster distribution and golden rule day.

Dear Friends

Greetings of Peace, light and blessing from Ethiopia. I wish for all of you a Happy New Year and would like to inform that in 2009 I managed to distribute during my peace mission about 20 thousand Golden Rule Poster in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, Kuwait, Denmark, Finland, USA, and Czech -Republic.

The Golden Rule Day has also been officially proclaimed in Ethiopia, Burundi, Rwanda, Canada, Kenya, Uganda, USA, and Denmark. More countries will join us in 2010.

May Peace and Golden Rule Prevail on Earth

In Peace

Mussie Hailu

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Close-up of Tarunjit Singh Butalia (Courtesy Tarunjit Singh Butalia)

NAIN Board News

Dr. Tarunjit Singh Butalia

In light of Jan 16 (Religious Freedom Day), Tarunjit Singh Butalia was among five experts invited by the US State Department to address the question Is it possible to protect religious freedom without limiting free speech? Dr. Butalia’s article is entitled Uncomfortable Free Speech Part of Religious Freedom. He writes that religious communities can address religious persecution by standing up for one another. The article may be accessed at

http://www.america.gov/st/democracyhr-english/2010/January/20100107122816maduobbA0.7642328.html

Tarunjit also attended the U.S.-Indonesia Interfaith Forum to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia, during 25–27 January 2010. Religions for Peace partnered with the U.S. Department of State to facilitate the conference. This bi-lateral dialogue with regional import was hosted by the Department of Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Indonesia. Details are at http://religionsforpeace.org/news/press/building-collaborative.html .

Kay Lindahl

Kay is traveling east in April to several conferences and a family visit. She will facilitate an interactive program for the 9^th Annual Banquet of the MultiFaith Council of Northwest Ohio on Sunday, April 25, at Masjid Saad Foundation. Kay has authored three books on the importance of listening in interfaith relationships - The Sacred Art of Listening: Forty Reflections for Cultivating a Spiritual Practice, Practicing the Sacred Art of Listening: A Guide to Enrich Your Relationships and Kindle Your Spiritual Life-- The Listening Center Workshop, and the children’s book How Does God Listen? [with Cindy Maloney].

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Sam Muyskens

You may now watch Sam Monday afternoons at 4:00 PM (CST) on TV live on antenna TV Channel 43.1 in Wichita and also as an Internet broadcast at www.KCTU.com. Sam is centering his ministries in a group called Global Faith in Action. He has long been active in Haiti. His website has emails regarding the recent earthquake from agencies on the ground in Haiti. He highlights ways that we can help. See more details at http://globalfaithinaction.org/

Betsy Wiggins

We welcome Betsy Wiggins, co-founder of Women Transcending Boundaries, as our most recent member of the NAIN Board of Directors. She has also agreed to be our new Program Chair. We are delighted to have her expertise on our Board. In addition to her work with the award-winning WTB, Betsy has served as Conference Coordinator for Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., where she was also Administrative Assistant to the Campaign Director for the development of the Carter center. She has organized logistics for international events attended by over 7000 people, assisted in public relations, fund-raising, and volunteer training.

Jim Wiggins

We offer hearty congratulations to Jim Wiggins on his retirement from his eight-year position as Executive Director of InterFaith Works of CNY, Inc. We reported on some of the very impressive work of Interfaith Works in our last edition of NAINews. We hope that Jim will enjoy some much deserved rest and travel. Jim also contributes to our NAIN Board of Directors as Co-Chair of the Board Development Committee and Chair of the Bylaws Committee.

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Justice dwells on J Street

By Rebecca Tobias, Program Director, Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Ethics

A historic intersection of religion and politics made its mark on the Washington DC scene at J Street's inaugural conference (Oct 25th-28th). Peace seeking members of humanity’s community of conscience have found a welcome dwelling place; and speaking for myself, I feel right at home.

Founded over 18 months ago to promote meaningful American leadership to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict peacefully and diplomatically, J Street’s political advocacy group will continue to press for the realization of a Palestinian state living side-by-side with Israel; in an equitable two-state solution where the sovereign and civil rights of all peoples are respected and upheld. J Street supports American foreign policy that invites broad public debate about the U.S. role in the Middle East in order to foster multilateral approaches to conflict resolution. The goal is to encourage citizen involvement from all stakeholders: American Jews, progressive international voices, and civil society organizations collaborating in the decision making process to avert conflict where ever and however possible. Read more at http://www.nain.org/news/justicejstreet.mht

National Interfaith Conference in San Francisco

By Paul Chaffee, Executive Director the Interfaith Center at the Presidio and NAIN Board Member

What began as an examination of poverty by the San Francisco Archdiocese back in 2006 has since become a broadly interfaith coalition of religious folks – diverse faith communities in the Bay Area and beyond, united in calling for the end of extreme poverty. NAIN members, starting with the Center, are involved in the coalition.

On April 20-21, this coalition is organizing a national interfaith conference called “One Voice of Faith” on global poverty, to be held at St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco. Planners have lined up a distinguished list of speakers, significant young adult engagement, and an agenda focused on making a difference, starting with influencing national legislation.

Details, including registration information, may be found at www.imdgc.org.

Parliament of the World’s Religions

You may call back memories of or experience vicariously the 2009 Parliament through videos, photos, and news articles on the Parliament of the World Religions Website: http://www.parliamentofreligions.org/index.cfm?n=8

NAIN Chair, Bettina Gray presented live-broadcast interviews during the Parliament. She is creating an archive at Webcast Home: Interfaith Center at the Presidio http://www.interfaith-presidio.org/spiritual_resources.htm

Greg Harder, National Public Information Officer for the Covenant of the Goddess, has a collection of videos and slideshows from the Parliament on his blog covenantpio.blogspot.com

Another way to continue the spirit of the Parliament is to participate in the Parliament’s social network, http://www.peacenext.org.

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News Briefs

By Judy Lee Trautman, NAIN Communicatons Chair

Christians, Jews and Muslims worship together in Texas town

Pastor Bob Roberts held an unusual Sunday morning worship at Northwood Church in Keller, Texas over the weekend. Christians, Muslims and Jews sat together in his church to hear him preach about Jesus. The three groups participated in a multifaith worship weekend to get to know one another, understand their different teachings and worldviews and become friends.

While their gatherings raised eyebrows, Roberts said they are not trying to minimize their differences or compromise their beliefs; the evangelical pastor wants all three faith groups to be honest about their differences and explicate their core convictions. The Jewish service was held Friday evening, followed by the Muslim group prayer on Saturday and the Christian service on Sunday.

http://www.examiner.com/x-26492-Tucson-Liberal-Christian-Examiner~y2010m1d27-A-shot-heard-round-the-world-Christians-Jews-and-Muslims-in-dialog

February 14 designated as a day of remembrance

New York, January 28, 2010 -- Coptic Orthodox Christians are asking their sisters and brothers in other churches to join in a day of prayer and remembrance February 14 following the January murders of six young Coptic Orthodox men in Nag Hammadi Egypt.

http://www.ncccusa.org/news/100125remembrance.html

NCC joins a call by interfaith communities for help for the 'disproportionately' struggling

Washington, January 28, 2010 -- The National Council of Churches has joined with other faith communities to urge members of Congress to take special note of those who are "disproportionately" struggling in a recession in which millions have lost their jobs and have little prospect of employment

http://www.ncccusa.org/news/100128dhn.html

At Olympic venues, chaplains prepare to serve faiths -- and see events

By Malin Jordan, Catholic News Service

Tuesday, February 2, 2010 [excerpt] In Vancouver, an interfaith working group is operating a multifaith center in the Olympic Village during the Winter Games and Paralympics.

Pat Gillespie, a member of the interfaith working group, told The B.C. Catholic, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Vancouver, that the center would be "a place for athletes, team members, officials, and the volunteer workforce to come for devotion, Scripture, quiet prayer and other services."

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Media Briefs

By Judy Lee Trautman, NAIN Communicatons Chair

The Interfaith Leader’s Toolkit

This toolkit, written by IFYC [Interfaith Youth Core] staff, is the ultimate resource for building religious pluralism in your community. Based on IFYC methodology, the Interfaith Leader’s Toolkit provides a step-by-step guide to the skills of interfaith leadership, including developing your own story, facilitating relationships, and organizing common action projects. This is the quintessential guide to IFYC’s model of youth-led interfaith cooperation! Each Toolkit costs $18, which includes taxes and shipping fees. http://www.ifyc.org/toolkit

You may also wish to visit IFYC’s social network, Bridge-Builders at:

http://bridge-builders.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

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The Jewish Publication Society Announces Award Recipients

Laurie Schlesinger lschlesinger@jewishpub.org

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA (January 14, 2010) - The 122-year-old Jewish Publication Society is proud to announce its continuing tradition of producing award-winning books by notable authors. Several of these books and authors were recently named recipients of the 2009 National Jewish Book Award and the 2010 Sydney Taylor Book Award, awarded by the Jewish Book Council and the Association of Jewish Libraries, respectively.

The JPS Illustrated Children's Bible by Ellen Frankel with illustrations by Avi Katz was named a 2009 National Jewish Book Award winner in the category of Illustrated Children's Books, a finalist in the category of Jewish Family Literature, as well as a 2010 Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable Book for Readers of All Ages. Acclaimed storyteller and Jewish scholar Ellen Frankel tailors 53 Bible stories that both delight and educate today's young readers, incorporating her own brilliant storytelling skills. With his enticing, full-page color illustrations of each Bible story, award-winning artist Avi Katz captures the vivid personalities and many dramatic moments in this extraordinary collection. Read more at http://www.nain.org/news/JPSjan2010.htm

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SIS

Stones into Schools

By Judy Lee Trautman, NAINews Editor

Although Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan, by Greg Mortenson, is not an Interfaith book in the usual sense, it does have implications for the world we live in, a global village with many pockets of intense religiously motivated violence.

Like his first best-selling book, Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time, this book chronicles the heroic efforts of Greg and his band of fixers, “renegade men of un-recognized and untapped talent who became galvanized by the importance of girls’ education” in Pakistan and Afghanistan”. I found this second book even more gripping, a really inspiring read.

“Mortenson’s story serves as a reminder of the power of a good idea and the strength inherent in one person’s passionate determination to persevere against enormous obstacles.” —Marilyn Gardner, The Christian Science Monitor

One of the surprising elements of the book is Greg’s interaction with members of the U. S. military stationed in Afghanistan. It is a story of unfolding mutual respect and understanding.

At a meeting at the Pentagon, Greg related “that at the height of the Taliban’s power, in 2000, less than eight hundred thousand children were enrolled in school in Afghanistan – all of them boys. Today, however, student enrollment across the country was approaching 8 million, 2.4 million of whom are girls.”

That chapter is prefaced by a quote from Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff:

The Muslim community is a subtle world we don’t fully – and don’t always – attempt to understand. Only through a shared appreciation of each other’s culture, needs, and hopes for the future can we hope ourselves to supplant the extremist narrative. We cannot capture hearts and minds. We must engage them; we must listen to them, one heart and one mind at a time.

I think most of us in interfaith work see the above wisdom as the core of what we are attempting to do – engage one heart and one mind at a time by listening and developing mutual understanding. If you believe that education is a big part of that process, I think you will enjoy Stones into Schools.

Social Networking to Build a Regional Interfaith / Interspiritual Movement

Northwest Interfaith Community Outreach (NICO) is an InterSpiritual network of individuals and organizations committed to the vision of a world at peace where people of various religious backgrounds and spiritual traditions in the Northwest recognize in each other similar principles of universal compassion and unconditional love.

As a founding member of CAN (the Compassionate Action Network), we seek to cultivate an inter-spiritual, community-wide environment of compassion that is grounded in contemplative wisdom, a concern for others and practical action.

Join our social network at: www.compassionateactionnetwork.com/group/nicocan

Compassionate Action Network (CAN) was inspired by Seeds of Compassion. Think about Compassionate Action Network as a collection of "sprouts of compassion." Compassion is much more than feelings of empathy toward others. Compassion is an entirely different way of acting. CAN aims to focus attention on what we do in the world, in all of our institutions – schools, families, neighborhoods, foundations, community organizations and other nonprofits, small businesses and corporations, hospitals, unions and professional associations, prisons and halfway houses, faith and spiritual communities, government (city councils, state legislatures and legislators, Congress and national lawmakers), and the military – to adopt and promote compassion as our guiding principle.

Join the CAN social network at: www.compassionateactionnetwork.com/

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