Church Women United of Lane County

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The mission that drives us . . .

Church Women United, an ecumenical movement of Christian women impassioned by the Holy Spirit, advocates on behalf of women and children throughout the world. We find unity in diversity, and we work for a world of peace and justice.

Church Women United of Lane County supports the National programs, priorities and goals, and celebrations.

Our monthly forums reflect the concerns of participants and explore issues of concern to local and state governments and to the citizens of Lane County,
Oregon.

Willamette Valley at rest. Photo by Mary Sharon Moore, 2010

A word from our President ...

Anne O'Brien, President

Anne O’Brien
Our theme for October will be “Society that works for everyone: Diversity and Inclusion: Our Muslim neighbors.” I think we are following in the footsteps of Pope Francis when we work to encourage Christian Islam dialogue and rela-tionships.

I believe Christian/Muslim relations have been a priority for Pope Francis since the beginning of his papacy and it seems it has continued to be a priority in 2019, considering the trips the Pope has taken to Islamic countries.

Francis’s attention to Catholic-Muslim relations was demonstrated when his first international trip after being elected to the papacy in 2013 was a May 2014 visit to the Holy Land. Since then, the Pope has continued to emphasize
dialogue with Islam through his travels, includ-ing a visit to Turkey in November 2014, to the Central African Republic in 2015, and to Egypt in the spring of 2017, all of which have a Muslim majority. Former Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said that “ Pope Francis visiting the Arab world is a perfect example of the culture of
encounter.”

His interest in dialogue with Islam goes back to his time in Argentina. As Archbishop of Buenos Aires, the future Pope fostered strong ties with the Islamic community.

The then-Archbishop Bergoglio made at least three visits to the Centro Islamico - the Islamic Center - of Buenos Aires and met frequently with Omar Abboud, the leader of Buenos Aires’ Islamic community, I’d say demonstrating that he wanted the Catholic and Muslim communi-ties to be partners.

Abboud was at a June prayer event in the Vati-can gardens with Orthodox Patriarch Bartholo-mew of Constantinople, former Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to pray for peace between the two nations. More demonstration of the pope’s commitment to inter religious dialogue.

We’re hoping our October Forum will give us some insight into the lives of our Muslim neigh-bors especially since 9/11.

October, 2019
October 4
Friday
9am-11:15
Unity of the Valley
3912 Dillard Rd.
Diversity and Inclusion

October 8
Tuesday
7:30am
Breakfast at Brails
1983 Willamette St.
A Look at our October forum

November 2
Saturday
10-12:15
St. Mary’s Episcopal
13th and Pearl
World Community Day Celebration

OCTOBER FORUM
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION: A MUSLIM VIEW
Three faiths share the belief in one God: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. They share a holy city - Jerusalem. Rumi, the Sufi mystic who died in 1273, is called the most popular poet in the world. Members of all faiths came to his funeral. This meeting offers an opportunity to hear experiences from a member of the world’s fastest growing faith.

LOOKING AHEAD TO NOVEMBER
Mark your calendars for our November Celebration Saturday,
November 2, 10-1230 AM at St. Mary Episcopal, 13th and Pearl in Eugene. Our program for World Community Day: The Time is Now: Resolved to Love will be on the theme of Peace.

See Forums for the programs for the rest of the year.