Welcome

Australia is a country where people of many cultural and faith backgrounds live together. As Christians we believe that diversity is a part of God's creation. We are called to live together in peace, loving our neighbour as God loves us and all people.

Responding to Christ's call within Australia's multicultural, multireligious landscape, the Uniting Church in Australia National Working Group on Relations with Other Faiths was established to promote knowledge and understanding of other living world faiths and their communities. The Relations with Other Faiths Working Group seeks to develop wherever possible a commitment to promote respect and tolerance for the integrity of the beliefs of other faiths, cultures and traditions. This desire not only arises from our common humanity but also from a desire to live in peace and goodwill as neighbours in our communities and the world.

We warmly invite you to explore the website and hope it provides resources that guide and inspire you to encounter and experience the rich blessings and wisdom that relationships with people of other faiths bring.

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What's New

Eid ul Fitr

muslimeidmubarak

10th September, 2010

Eid ul Fitr is the Festival of the Breaking of the Fast. It marks the end of Ramadan; Ramadan being a month of fasting, and one of the five pillars of Islam.

A common greeting during this holiday is the Arabic greeting 'Eid Mubarak', which means 'Blessed Festival'.

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Interfaith Sunday: A Report from Crows Nest Uniting Church

Over the last couple of years, Crows Nest church has organised an annual multicultural lunch. It has been a congregational event and members of the church brought along a wonderful and tempting array of dishes from different cultural backgrounds.

This year we decided to expand it. Following a visit to the Auburn Gallipoli mosque last year, we thought it appropriate to return the hospitality. (The visit to the mosque grew out of an Inter-faith month we held at Crows Nest in 2009; on one of the Sundays, Mehmet Saral from the mosque came and spoke to us about Islam.)

Earlier this year, we issued an invitation to our Muslim friends from Auburn and started to contemplate the practicalities of preparing halal food. Also, some weeks before the scheduled event, I had started to explore some possibilities of supporting refugees and migrants in our local area, through liaising with the local community centre. I thought it would be good to invite them to the multicultural lunch, as well.

So, on the day, we had about 15 friends from Auburn mosque and 15 from the local area. Our gathering that day included people from Turkey, Syria, Afghanistan, Egypt and Peru. What a wonderful mix! One of our guests had fled an anguishing experience at the hands of the Taliban in Afghanistan. (He had come by boat and spent some time on Christmas Island.)

mehmet emi
Mehmet Emi

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Rosh Hashana

roshhashanah

Sunset 8th September, 2010 - Nightfall 10th September, 2010

The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, is celebrated on the first and second days of the Hebrew month of Tishri (the seventh month). In 2010, this equates to 8th - 10th September.

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8th Abrahamic Faiths Conference

On Sunday 1st August, Affinity Intercultural Foundation hosted the 8th Abrahamic Faiths Conference at Mary McKillop Place.

Members of the steering committee for this event represented the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, the Columbian Mission Institute, Affinity Intercultural Foundation, and the Uniting Church in Australia Synod of NSW / ACT, making the Conference a wonderful joint effort by members of the three Abrahamic faiths.

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