tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53924406417463989872024-03-13T04:14:47.847-07:00Better Together at Ohio UniversityBringing students of all and no faiths together to voice their values, engage with others, and act together around the shared value of service to others and to the community.BetterTogetherOUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307687983146945106noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392440641746398987.post-84575618983708504412019-02-22T12:53:00.000-08:002019-02-22T12:53:21.686-08:00Better Together's My Sister's Place FundraiserHappy Friday! We hope you all are looking forward to the weekend. As we enter March, Better Together has a new project to share with you all. Currently, interns Saraya Abner and Sam Houtchens are leading a fundraiser in support of My Sister's Place.<br />
<br />
For those of you who are unfamiliar with My Sister's Place, MSP is a domestic violence agency in Athens, OH that serves the Athens, Hocking, and Vinton Counties. MSP provides a 24/7 hotline, outreach counseling, and an emergency shelter. If you look on MSP's website (http://www.mspathens.org/), you can view the organization's current needs, which ranges from clothing to toiletries to cooking and cleaning supplies.<br />
<br />
MSP has requested that Better Together raises at least $500 to purchase a cookware set. So far, Better Together has raised $210 towards this goal. However, if you view the GoFundMe page for the fundraiser, you will notice that we have set our optimal goal at $2000. Given that Better Together functions under the umbrella of United Campus Ministry, we are aware of the trials and tribulations that come with organizing, supporting, and fundraising towards a nonprofit's efforts. In hopes to support My Sister's Place on an organizational level, such as in providing funds towards MSP's support staff and internship program, we intend to exceed our original goal of $500.<br />
<br />
This is where you come in. We are asking friends, family, supporters of UCM, and the Athens and OU communities to donate towards our fundraiser and to help us promote, share, retweet, blog about, and talk about this fundraiser everywhere. You can find our fundraiser here: https://www.gofundme.com/my-sister039s-place-fundraiser<br />
<br />
We thank you for reading, for investing your time into supporting UCM and Better Together, and of course, for donating to our My Sister's Place fundraiser!BetterTogetherOUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307687983146945106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392440641746398987.post-42894185752274970072018-09-26T18:17:00.000-07:002018-09-26T18:17:00.534-07:00Better Together's Multicultural History TourHello, all! Join us at the Multicultural Genealogical Center in Chesterhill, Ohio for Better Together's Multicultural History Tour on October 20th from 12 PM-5:30 PM! We will be learning about the center's work in documenting the history of multicultural and multiracial communities in Southeast Ohio while sprucing up and organizing the center's space, collections, and grounds.<br />
<br />
The Multicultural History Tour serves as the first Better Together service day of the 2018-2019 school year. After a successful eighth annual 9/11 Interfaith Peace Walk, UCM interns Samantha Houtchens and Saraya Abner look forward to introducing new programming during the Better Together campaign that engages students in educational, service, and community-building work to build relationships across faith divides, celebrate all faith and philosophical worldviews, and express common values.<br />
<br />
If you want to take a break from that Homecoming football game to learn more about the history of people and communities of color in Southeast Ohio, or if you are interested in becoming involved with the Better Together campaign, please reach out to samantha.houtchens@gmail.com or sa884915@ohio.edu. Transportation and a light snack will be provided for the tour, but volunteers are being accepted on a first-come-first-serve basis, so RSVP soon!BetterTogetherOUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307687983146945106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392440641746398987.post-79640526759667647362017-09-18T13:09:00.000-07:002017-09-18T13:09:03.884-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks to all who cosponsored and participated in our 7th Annual Interfaith Peace Walk. You can read all about it on <a href="https://www.ohio.edu/compass/stories/17-18/09/interfaith-peacewalk.cfm">Ohio University Compass </a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">If you're interested in getting involved with Better Together at Ohio University this year, please email <a href="mailto:bettertogetherou@gmail.com">bettertogetherou@gmail.com</a>!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh597E5MAJNMUiZeAn88DPG8AK9LedWMQPzpvlGtb6TLicbvT-ziHVCt_YXrlzp1JK81855lKnMoBi8pvw2reHIGz7rJRlJRcjpbfRd4xOeZefJ7sTM8fA9TtYbLpKxoiyJWAHWQDtzBaI/s1600/21616198_1701254803232097_4366485617650809926_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh597E5MAJNMUiZeAn88DPG8AK9LedWMQPzpvlGtb6TLicbvT-ziHVCt_YXrlzp1JK81855lKnMoBi8pvw2reHIGz7rJRlJRcjpbfRd4xOeZefJ7sTM8fA9TtYbLpKxoiyJWAHWQDtzBaI/s320/21616198_1701254803232097_4366485617650809926_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />BetterTogetherOUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307687983146945106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392440641746398987.post-69494037035718487662017-07-31T11:52:00.003-07:002017-07-31T12:20:15.317-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">HELP SUPPORT THE NEXT GENERATION OF INTERFAITH LEADERS!</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">We're excited to be sending four OU students and Campus Minister Evan Young to the Interfaith Youth Core Leadership Institute in Chicago August 11 - 13, 2017! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">Interfaith Leadership Institutes (ILIs) equip undergraduate students and educators with the skills to engage diverse faiths and worldviews to build the interfaith movement on their college campuses.</span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">At the ILI:</span></div>
<ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 40px; text-align: left;">
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Undergraduate students train to be interfaith leaders who build relationships across identities, tell powerful stories to bridge divides, and learn about ways to mobilize their campuses.</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Educators (campus professional staff, faculty, and graduate students) share best practices about how to best support student leaders, advance interfaith cooperation strategically across campus, and network with other educators.</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">All participants get a chance to build relationships, network, and share best practices with other people from across the country who are passionate about interfaith work.</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> With such dynamic and timely sessions on topics including "Engaging Religious Difference" and "Navigating Challenges of Interfaith Work", they're sure to return with exciting ideas to implement through Better Together at Ohio University this fall. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Some of our funding for travel expenses fell through so we're hoping to raise $2500 to cover the cost. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation of any amount at our <a href="https://www.youcaring.com/unitedcampusministry-880890">You Caring fundraising campaign</a> or through the donate button on the UCM webpage. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">THANK YOU!!!!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
BetterTogetherOUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307687983146945106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392440641746398987.post-89249048354685983542017-02-07T07:34:00.001-08:002017-02-07T07:34:15.194-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mrKb71SOzFLRq8y8t1CTGkvCNZujyNsxwelgCX54xvoECsNN5eiXHLLj4xdxpljhYxPK6rVyoCLyTWufF8nanXf3Wcoe9yAFXJXPcq_yJBp4CpCTPKSrLCnYCriGzqTSxoC_bS7tUt4/s1600/ILI+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mrKb71SOzFLRq8y8t1CTGkvCNZujyNsxwelgCX54xvoECsNN5eiXHLLj4xdxpljhYxPK6rVyoCLyTWufF8nanXf3Wcoe9yAFXJXPcq_yJBp4CpCTPKSrLCnYCriGzqTSxoC_bS7tUt4/s320/ILI+2017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Ohio University students Ansam Al Harthy and Aspen Wilson, and UCM Director Melissa Wales attended the Interfaith Youth Core Leadership Institute in Atlanta on January 27. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We appreciate the support of the Margaret Boyd Scholars Program at OU.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Better Together at OU meets weekly, Thursdays at 10:30am at UCM. For information on getting involved, email bettertogetherou@gmail.com</div>
<br />BetterTogetherOUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307687983146945106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392440641746398987.post-91178777343909976512016-09-07T07:36:00.000-07:002016-09-07T07:36:19.868-07:00Come Walk With Us...Come Walk With Us.....<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fifteen years ago, a horrific act of violence changed the
world for all of us. This year on September 11, the sixth annual 9/11
Interfaith Peace Walk will remind us again that the world is still changing,
and we can all take steps to ensure that it changes for the better.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The walk will begin at 7pm on Sunday, September 11, in front
of the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd on University Terrace, and will
end with a candlelight vigil and song at the Islamic Center on Stewart Street.
In between, it will thread through the OU campus and uptown Athens, passing
many of the faith communities that co-sponsor the walk. As in past years,
co-sponsoring faith communities and organizations are bringing some candles to
share at the end of the walk, but participants are encouraged to bring candles
to the vigil if they have them. People with mobility concerns who wish to
participate in the walk should contact UCM.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This year, for the first time, the Peace Walk wil<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>l be preceded by an interfaith prayer service at the
Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd. The service will begin at 6:15 p.m. in
the church, and will end before the start time of the Peace Walk. The Reverend
Deborah Woolsey, priest-in-charge at Good Shepherd, hopes the service will
offer people of all faiths an opportunity to worship together and reflect on
the shared value of peace. “We’re inviting faith communities to share with us a
prayer from their tradition, to participate in the service by leading their
prayer, and we’re inviting singers to come together in an interfaith choir for
the event,” she said. (To participate in the prayer service and/or the choir,
contact Rev. Woolsey at the church, 740-593-6877.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Co-sponsors of this year's Peace Walk include Better
Together at Ohio University, a student movement to engage people of all faith
traditions and philosophical and ethical orientations in action for the common
good as a means of building community and trust across religious divisions.
“Especially during this election year, with all the inflamed rhetoric and fear,
we need to create opportunities for people to gather, meet one another, and act
on beliefs they share,” said Better Together Campaign co-coordinator Kelsey
Gerard, an OU junior. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Gerard says the march also marks the start of this year's
Better Together campaign at Ohio University. This year's Better Together
campaign will also include a watershed cleanup on October 23 and other program
and fundraising efforts currently in the planning stages. Students interested
in working on the campaign should "like" the Better Together at Ohio
University Facebook page, or email <a href="mailto:ucm@midohio.twcbc.com">ucm@midohio.twcbc.com</a>
to get connected.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Other cosponsors include the Muslim Student Association,
First United Methodist Church, International Student Union, Hillel at Ohio University,
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens, Multicultural Leadership
Ambassadors, Christ Lutheran Church, Office of the Vice Provost for Diversity
and Inclusion, Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, Ohio University LGBT
Center, and Athens First Presbyterian Church.</div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal.dotm</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>512</o:Words>
<o:Characters>2919</o:Characters>
<o:Company>UCM: Center for Spiritual Growth and Social Justice</o:Company>
<o:Lines>24</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>5</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>3584</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>12.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For more information on the Peace Walk and other upcoming
interfaith events, email Rev. Evan Young, Campus Minister at United Campus
Ministry, at evan@ucmathens.org.</div>
BetterTogetherOUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307687983146945106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392440641746398987.post-10956722947394904532016-08-17T09:40:00.001-07:002016-08-17T09:40:26.121-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
UCM sent five Ohio University students to the Interfaith Youth Core Leadership Institute in August 2016! Look for Kentisha, Aleksandra, Kelsey, Robin and Kaitlan (not pictured) to do important interfaith work on campus this fall - starting with our Annual 9-11 Interfaith Peace Walk, Sunday, 9/11, 7pm at the Church of the Good Shepherd (54 University Terrace).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYmG512ANUH8B-Q32Ex9jwRoK6h0fU7MpfZjUwmPdfHYsuDEj2GLAqp6q454D0Qh_MwnNGTK01NbVlcyU_8UHVtGsVIbIdqQGGhgGRBjHXAXXYbojqKsfAp51C8VBEoVosKmyirJfL7Q4/s1600/ILI+August+2016+group+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYmG512ANUH8B-Q32Ex9jwRoK6h0fU7MpfZjUwmPdfHYsuDEj2GLAqp6q454D0Qh_MwnNGTK01NbVlcyU_8UHVtGsVIbIdqQGGhgGRBjHXAXXYbojqKsfAp51C8VBEoVosKmyirJfL7Q4/s640/ILI+August+2016+group+photo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />BetterTogetherOUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307687983146945106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392440641746398987.post-45604202955439089682016-06-20T08:10:00.004-07:002016-06-20T08:10:39.407-07:00<div style="background-color: #f6f3ec; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">BETTER TOGETHER AT OU WINS 2ND </span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: #f6f3ec; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">CAMPUS IMPACT AWARD</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: #f6f3ec; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">FROM INTERFAITH YOUTH CORE!</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: #f6f3ec; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></em></div>
<div style="background-color: #f6f3ec; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">This award goes to a student group that has left a substantial mark on their campus and community this year and best demonstrates the power of interfaith partnerships. </em></div>
<div style="background-color: #f6f3ec; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: #f6f3ec; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Ohio University made a major impact this year by working hard to recognize and meet the needs of both their campus and their community. They brought the diverse experiences of students of various religious backgrounds to the forefront of campus life through holding a “Campus Conversation” that introduced the concept of speedfaithing to their campus. Then they took those conversations one step further by offering a similar speedfaithing program to train campus staff on how to incorporate interfaith into their professional development as advisors and allies. The Campus Conversation is now a regular event series that creates a space for students and staff to continue to engage in interfaith dialogue on campus.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: #f6f3ec; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Better Together at OU has also played a major role in organizing events such as an annual 9/11 Interfaith Peace Walk, which brings faculty, staff, students and the greater community together for a time of unity across lines of difference. By focusing on the shared values of service and community found in so many religious and philosophical traditions, Better Together at OU also works to create an environment that emphasizes the importance of engagement with their community.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: #f6f3ec; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">For the last several years they have focused a number of events surrounding issues of water pollution and food security for lower-income people in their area, and their interfaith volunteers hauled thousands of pounds of garbage from streams in Wayne National Forest this past fall. They also sponsor regular community service and outreach events like stream cleanups and Saturday lunches, engaging over 800 students throughout the county in their interfaith service work.</span></div>
BetterTogetherOUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307687983146945106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392440641746398987.post-25768573201334409672016-03-15T13:01:00.000-07:002016-03-15T13:01:06.844-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">BETTER TOGETHER AT OU PRESENTS </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">STORIES OF INTERFAITH BRIDGE BUILDING</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">WITH PEGGY FAW GISH</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 7PM - 9PM</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">WALTER HALL ROTUNDA</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bwQyoeODif6m1IbjSq5r9vmBkEeJBUfGBD3tlDCgCtyYzMVtO4EBMdLUpyHxGvWnoBeifzfEqyEu_2zBhaoMAxiQbRhUB7IFnE-XoN9F7yg6g2QCylLn-HnvpScdP1V6x9XpRBr3j-I/s1600/IMG_0768_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bwQyoeODif6m1IbjSq5r9vmBkEeJBUfGBD3tlDCgCtyYzMVtO4EBMdLUpyHxGvWnoBeifzfEqyEu_2zBhaoMAxiQbRhUB7IFnE-XoN9F7yg6g2QCylLn-HnvpScdP1V6x9XpRBr3j-I/s320/IMG_0768_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Peggy's stories from Iraq, West Bank, and Nigeria of courageous interfaith collaborating, difussion tensions, working for peace and reconciliation, advocating for and helping others of differing religious or ethnic groups, can inspire us with ideas of how we might work at interfaith relationships and cooperation right here!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">We'll also be accepting cash donations for Athens Books for Prisoners at the event.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Find out how you can get involved with interfaith education and community building right here with Better Together at Ohio University! bettertogetherou@gmail.com</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Sponsored by Better Together, SAC and UCM.</span></div>
BetterTogetherOUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307687983146945106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392440641746398987.post-8140861661042087502015-12-17T07:19:00.005-08:002015-12-17T07:19:53.723-08:00Fall Semester Wrap Up<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; margin: 20px 0px 0px; position: relative;">
Fall Semester Wrap-up</h3>
<div class="post-header" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">
<div class="post-header-line-1">
</div>
</div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6344183428698406454" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; position: relative; width: 550px;">
Some highlights of Better Together at OU Fall Semester include the Annual 9-11 Interfaith Peace Walk, where hundreds of students and community members from many religious and nonreligious backgrounds walked for peace, including a stop at Hillel for a recitation of the Mourners Kaddish and concluding with a candlelight vigil at the Islamic Center. We also organized another environmental clean up with Monday Creek Watershed Restoration Project and hauled thousands of pounds of trash and tires from the Wayne National Forest. We ended the semester with a cosponsored panel discussion with International Student Union on Interfaith Peace and Coexistence and a study break right before finals -- All Faiths Have Finals. We're looking forward to sending 2 new students and one returning student to the Interfaith Youth Core Leadership Institute in Atlanta in January and doing even MORE awesome interfaith organizing. Stay tuned!</div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6344183428698406454" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; position: relative; text-align: center; width: 550px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjitpXp__q8zQbeE8P5tsbBjK7fQkjXaRMHq9S1n1QoVjEUaG1HZW5HUkUnGBF1mxLanMEL80XJD_BJQYUtssOeAzFFovhvdDruubuqBs7glWDxGKQTj5chjI8vBevDPmdsG_08idCVJk/s1600/11222150_1102346883122895_7878318511757950856_o.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIowI9k9vSmWY1x56CMmF49zLlHGBs4f6s8wwbvq6eENykEYPiGmdKl4P8wT9JvUzHPICqqDEBwJbJ1eATMO9vIxOIzLDMYbEa1UGGL96VgQKJrrpO0nKcrAA54146lDfqQ7kM6c8-sDI/s1600/Evan+Interfaith+Panel+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcFjxk-UFDAfgrzuQLVdxEROzHV_NYWz8kFEzFmWiZIswJnqh3YMJNd3mw4GgFazWFx2qM6fEcn5-mIVlBBu8jYqT4lZCP9K1BLrOPkDe48tRKFU6ZGIbVPg0mxrywncPqjfotaTpSvFI/s1600/Interfaith+Panel+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="369" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcFjxk-UFDAfgrzuQLVdxEROzHV_NYWz8kFEzFmWiZIswJnqh3YMJNd3mw4GgFazWFx2qM6fEcn5-mIVlBBu8jYqT4lZCP9K1BLrOPkDe48tRKFU6ZGIbVPg0mxrywncPqjfotaTpSvFI/s640/Interfaith+Panel+2015.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6344183428698406454" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; position: relative; text-align: center; width: 550px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6344183428698406454" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; position: relative; text-align: center; width: 550px;">
</div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6344183428698406454" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; position: relative; text-align: center; width: 550px;">
ISU - Better Together Interfaith Peace Panel.</div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6344183428698406454" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; position: relative; text-align: center; width: 550px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6344183428698406454" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; position: relative; text-align: center; width: 550px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6344183428698406454" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; position: relative; text-align: center; width: 550px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPjGo2579BQ6SGee2RhqroSIpTLZkwDgZVGBrmHVWoQtSuzI4Wc2Mm6ydtruVnvwOg2Qza6FFzHI0Zdce-o50oZZvj2pRZqVzuxL7eOnacDOCpqpF99xn9V8WjSrHRplroSv1G4IQTxI/s1600/Evan+Interfaith+Panel+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPjGo2579BQ6SGee2RhqroSIpTLZkwDgZVGBrmHVWoQtSuzI4Wc2Mm6ydtruVnvwOg2Qza6FFzHI0Zdce-o50oZZvj2pRZqVzuxL7eOnacDOCpqpF99xn9V8WjSrHRplroSv1G4IQTxI/s640/Evan+Interfaith+Panel+2015.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6344183428698406454" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; position: relative; text-align: center; width: 550px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6344183428698406454" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; position: relative; text-align: center; width: 550px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6344183428698406454" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; position: relative; text-align: center; width: 550px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6344183428698406454" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; position: relative; text-align: center; width: 550px;">
Better Together Watershed Clean Up</div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6344183428698406454" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; position: relative; text-align: center; width: 550px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6344183428698406454" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; position: relative; text-align: center; width: 550px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNd-fmwTXHCtDMS5bHxuKge4AOzduIQVx4S2R-ejICXv8bIx4AO8unlI3-ezJ8nv1zImUmS-euPh9548JLmcE31njclRsO1104FqOyQJiJfAhEQI9IiLPkU3jVZ5ykL2U2q-Nwc9NKhY/s1600/11222150_1102346883122895_7878318511757950856_o.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNd-fmwTXHCtDMS5bHxuKge4AOzduIQVx4S2R-ejICXv8bIx4AO8unlI3-ezJ8nv1zImUmS-euPh9548JLmcE31njclRsO1104FqOyQJiJfAhEQI9IiLPkU3jVZ5ykL2U2q-Nwc9NKhY/s640/11222150_1102346883122895_7878318511757950856_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6344183428698406454" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; position: relative; text-align: center; width: 550px;">
</div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6344183428698406454" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; position: relative; text-align: center; width: 550px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6344183428698406454" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; position: relative; width: 550px;">
<br /></div>
BetterTogetherOUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307687983146945106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392440641746398987.post-45524392420454731152015-07-21T12:02:00.000-07:002015-07-21T12:05:27.308-07:00OU Students are Interfaith Leaders!<span style="font-size: large;">We are excited to be sending two more Bobcats to <a href="http://www.ifyc.org/">Interfaith Youth Core's Leadership Institute</a> in Chicago next month! We look for these students to come back inspired and equipped to help Better Together at Ohio University continue to build interfaith community through education, engagement and service! Thanks to the Ohio University Dean of Students and Diversity and Inclusion offices for their ongoing and generous support!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Make sure the 9/11 Interfaith Peace Walk is on your calendar and start the year off with an always inspiring experience of the amazing religious and non-religious diversity that we choose to celebrate here at OU and in Athens. As always, we will gather in front of the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd around 7:00pm on Friday, September 11 and end at the Islamic Center on Stewart St.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Look for another Serve Better Together watershed clean-up project with Monday Creek and other cool events and opportunities to voice your values, engage with others and act together.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">If YOU are an undergrad Bobcat and would like to get involved this fall, email us at bettertogetherou@gmail.com, call UCM at 740-593-7301!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div style="background-color: #f6f3ec; border: 0px; color: #2d2c2c; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Interfaith Leadership Institutes (ILIs) equip undergraduate students, staff, and faculty with the skills to engage diverse religious and non-religious identities to build the interfaith movement on their campuses.</span></div>
<ul style="background-color: #f6f3ec; border: 0px; color: #2d2c2c; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20px; list-style: none; margin: 30px 0px 10px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="background: url(http://www.ifyc.org/sites/all/themes/ifyc/images/bulletIcon.png?1423517829) 0px 5px no-repeat; border: 0px; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 20px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Students</strong> train to be interfaith leaders who build relationships across identities, tell powerful stories to bridge divides, and learn about ways to mobilize their campuses.</span></li>
<li style="background: url(http://www.ifyc.org/sites/all/themes/ifyc/images/bulletIcon.png?1423517829) 0px 5px no-repeat; border: 0px; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 20px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Staff and faculty</strong> network with other higher education professionals, share best practices about how to be an ally to student leaders, and partner with their students to create change on their campuses.</span></li>
<li style="background: url(http://www.ifyc.org/sites/all/themes/ifyc/images/bulletIcon.png?1423517829) 0px 5px no-repeat; border: 0px; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 20px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">All participants</strong> get a chance to build relationships, network, and share best practices with other people from across the country who are passionate about interfaith work. Additionally, everyone will have the opportunity to access key resources and strategies for mobilizing their campuses for interfaith cooperation, such as the Better Together campaign, a student-led campaign for interfaith action. </span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="color: #2d2c2c; font-family: Georgia, Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 20px;">The next Interfaith Leadership Institute is January 22-24, 2016 in Atlanta. Let us know if you are interested!</span></span></div>
BetterTogetherOUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307687983146945106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392440641746398987.post-80389759726068777822014-12-12T11:15:00.000-08:002014-12-12T11:19:20.090-08:00BT Watershed Project crew!<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Better Together at OU took 20+ students out with Monday Creek Watershed Restoration Project to clear access to a doser facility treating acid mine drainage. </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW4gm3w2_z0mSqtos6LnF0HvyzsIL2Dx2jGCisKqYKIIrgIgxuRiD0XN_YiEvUKFCP2zweBZgBvEP-Jng-CywjjFPuaJHEd9YvkU6KGhL05HV85GpIPQAyc5NxNAFU6Gju3W7ryxRn0vM/s1600/BetterTogetherCleanUP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW4gm3w2_z0mSqtos6LnF0HvyzsIL2Dx2jGCisKqYKIIrgIgxuRiD0XN_YiEvUKFCP2zweBZgBvEP-Jng-CywjjFPuaJHEd9YvkU6KGhL05HV85GpIPQAyc5NxNAFU6Gju3W7ryxRn0vM/s1600/BetterTogetherCleanUP.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
BetterTogetherOUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307687983146945106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392440641746398987.post-68876187189877550292014-10-16T11:57:00.001-07:002014-10-16T11:57:03.214-07:00CULTIVATE PEACE - by Rev. Evan Young<a href="http://www.ifyc.org/content/cultivate-peace">Published by Interfaith Youth Core on Oct. 16, 2014 </a><br />
<br />
Just
as the Better Together team at Ohio University was getting back to
campus and getting their feet under them for this year's campaign,
something happened that changed everything.<br />
<br />
On September 2, the newly elected president of Ohio U's Student
Senate uploaded a video response to the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge she was
issued by the university's president. Rather than a bucket of ice
water, Megan Marzec dumped a bucket of fake blood over her head, while
calling attention to the Israeli government's treatment of the people of
Palestine and calling on the university to divest from all academic and
other institutions connected to or supportive of the government of
Israel.<br />
<br />
Within hours, the university president issued a statement distancing
himself and the university from Marzec's position. The Student Senate
issued an apology for her actions, and made clear that her statement
didn't express the Senate's opinion. And representatives of several
Jewish and/or pro-Israel student groups showed up at the September 3
Senate meeting to call for Marzec's resignation.<br />
<br />
Then things went viral. Within days, Marzec's email and Facebook were
flooded with hate messages, death threats, rape threats, and vitriol
from all over the world. The university and the local chapter of Hillel
were deluged with phone calls and messages from concerned parents and
donors, threatening to pull their students and/or money from a campus
that (to them) was feeling more and more unsafe. It seemed like things
couldn't possibly get worse.<br />
<br />
Things got worse. Members of Bobcats for Israel attended the
September 10 Student Senate meeting and, as it was called to order,
mounted a “filibuster,” reading a statement decrying Marzec and then
reading testimonies from administrators at various universities arguing
that academic sanctions were counterproductive. They held the floor for
close to 40 minutes, while student senators, faculty members, and
students shouted their disapproval, raised chants against them, and, at
times, physically confronted them. Some at the meeting heard students
call them "fascists" and "Nazis," and video of the event captured
something that sounded like "bring on the rope." At that point Marzec
called for a Senate vote on whether they should be removed from the
meeting, and four of the protesting students were arrested and removed.
Tensions were high.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, our Better Together campus organizers (remember them?) were busy planning our fourth annual 9/11 Interfaith Peace Walk<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">.</a>
Started on the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the
Walk has offered an opportunity each September for hundreds of students
and community members to come together to embody a different vision of
what religious diversity might look like—people from all faiths united
in their commitment to peace. It's also served as a ready-made public
kickoff to the year's Better Together campaign—a way to get the name and
the message out there, on the streets of Athens, in front of several
hundred of our best and/or newest friends.<br />
<br />
So, the day after four students were arrested at a Student Senate
meeting where they called for the resignation of the duly elected Senate
president, the week after the University was propelled onto the biggest
stage many of us had ever imagined, we called people of all faiths
together to <span style="color: black;">walk for peace,
</span>and to cultivate peace from the inside out. "We're at the center of a
media storm, and right now peace seems pretty far away," I said in my
introductory remarks. "And yet however tempted by despair, we have
brought our sore and heavy hearts here to be something extraordinary,
together. It starts here. Right here, in our sore and heavy hearts, is
where we need to begin to make peace." And we walked—Protestants and
Catholics, Jews and Muslims, Unitarians and agnostics and atheists and
Buddhists. In silence, in quiet conversation, in community. At the end
of the walk, in the light of the candles we held, we sang: "I've got
peace like a river, Joy like a fountain, tears like the raindrops,
strength like a mountain."<br />
<br />
In light of how everything changed, think about what Dean of Students Jenny Hall-Jones said <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.885306081493644.1073741830.262068950484030&type=3">at the walk</a>:
"There's healing power in saying 'This is who I am, and I'm standing
next to someone very different from me, but we're all in this
together.'" Or what Student Senate Vice President Caitlyn McDaniel said
after making the walk with students from the Muslim Student Association
and Bobcats for Israel: "This was very necessary for the community, and
it was a beautiful thing to see people coming together, especially
today." Think about seeing the president of Bobcats for Israel on the
lawn of the campus Islamic Center, chatting with other students who came
to the walk. Our work changes things.<br />
<br />
It's still too soon to know exactly how our community will respond to the interfaith challenge Megan Marzec raised. But we<em> </em><em>will</em>
respond. We're planning panels and teach-ins and movie screenings.
We're beginning, here and there, to figure out how we can talk about all
this. And in all these conversations we're beginning to build the
social capital that will make us resilient, that will empower us to face
future controversies together.BetterTogetherOUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307687983146945106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392440641746398987.post-34616459900482235232014-09-30T11:44:00.000-07:002014-09-30T11:44:21.609-07:00Interfaith Peace Walk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf5hFNlFPUIScZ0duselrNfyxi67FibRauDXL9yhKIcePR_4FuDtjh2397c2na4mWPB4BcXwhbq8WjAYvPPHLCO8N1el_yYXppQvF3m7e5-MbW159N1i5eV3kwMjAczyBUyPxtAJzTtzI/s1600/senior+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf5hFNlFPUIScZ0duselrNfyxi67FibRauDXL9yhKIcePR_4FuDtjh2397c2na4mWPB4BcXwhbq8WjAYvPPHLCO8N1el_yYXppQvF3m7e5-MbW159N1i5eV3kwMjAczyBUyPxtAJzTtzI/s1600/senior+pic.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
My name is Mackenzie Kistler and I am the author of this blog. I am a Freshman at Ohio University looking to major in Strategic Communication. This is my first year being a part of Better Together and the Interfaith Peace Walk but I have already learned so much about ways connect with others peacefully. It is a very special program that promotes individuality and freedom of belief which I feel very strongly about. I hope you enjoy! </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
On September 11, 2014 the citizens of The United States
all remembered the tragic events that took place in New York City in 2001. Some
put aside moments of silence, some visited graves, and approximately 300 people
took part in the Interfaith Peace Walk in Athens, Ohio. This walk occurs
annually through Better Together and gains more participants each year. This
walk is not only in remembrance of 9/11 but of every violent act worldwide.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBofWWYiFAI5Qe3C7uCFHz20IbSYq3velHQsgKvW1hM_-p1y0weTnJVNQs4N0TgTEDnqaQgry7GT8RoE5QADCAJsnhs1UEqVZ5eKLI43Lk8-8gZBRLlENP33b4X6JxIcJjTKTLhHm32tA/s1600/image_zps8459345e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBofWWYiFAI5Qe3C7uCFHz20IbSYq3velHQsgKvW1hM_-p1y0weTnJVNQs4N0TgTEDnqaQgry7GT8RoE5QADCAJsnhs1UEqVZ5eKLI43Lk8-8gZBRLlENP33b4X6JxIcJjTKTLhHm32tA/s1600/image_zps8459345e.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
People of every
religious affiliation are encouraged to come out to this gathering. As soon as
people arrived they filled out a poster that said “I’m a ________ & I’m at
the Interfaith Peace Walk because_______________”. These posters showed that
although people may have different beliefs everyone can all agree on one thing:
peace is priority.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpK4Sp96HBq21b1By9z7flAdrH3Lc2E9l-6zeMpST3zyc9s094LEi1kcopiGI_Px77I624yjn08p72Ih0rAQYUJ5UZZREXQ7yY4zzw4LtF9tFB4vTWBaYi91ZV_zdQNVvVwa7Pi9p6ypo/s1600/image_zps03d93458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpK4Sp96HBq21b1By9z7flAdrH3Lc2E9l-6zeMpST3zyc9s094LEi1kcopiGI_Px77I624yjn08p72Ih0rAQYUJ5UZZREXQ7yY4zzw4LtF9tFB4vTWBaYi91ZV_zdQNVvVwa7Pi9p6ypo/s1600/image_zps03d93458.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBYvVxx1Qn8Yq9zqCPY9GJFiVsaXYK1v-ADdzQiK0wLP3VhlYCv97bun9V44U4-P8i2HkN5aUXM9hEm-GHdM2lHYA-0AC3Q1p54RCwEj38TNW3KOjeeJiuK2qdKnmgOsO1Y5w2fnHLeGk/s1600/image_zps282d4311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBYvVxx1Qn8Yq9zqCPY9GJFiVsaXYK1v-ADdzQiK0wLP3VhlYCv97bun9V44U4-P8i2HkN5aUXM9hEm-GHdM2lHYA-0AC3Q1p54RCwEj38TNW3KOjeeJiuK2qdKnmgOsO1Y5w2fnHLeGk/s1600/image_zps282d4311.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFm9mv_Obyl9BCjwHJo99Dv_qvOGxw7aTQ0fbXn_cJ3RO-Gze8bzXjPuWMhkJhV6ZZHgjg76OJVLrWsLMOJt-Q-FZ5Xa0hkwy_nfflIFYaAMXsAIsZ85QKy6rRoVtfknjiH8KeAhfpLi8/s1600/image_zps868a125c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFm9mv_Obyl9BCjwHJo99Dv_qvOGxw7aTQ0fbXn_cJ3RO-Gze8bzXjPuWMhkJhV6ZZHgjg76OJVLrWsLMOJt-Q-FZ5Xa0hkwy_nfflIFYaAMXsAIsZ85QKy6rRoVtfknjiH8KeAhfpLi8/s1600/image_zps868a125c.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbPEXhHNIZwp07z8cnmmHlm3emrsnSiws0sXUkjI_mmcwHaSG-gW55Bf8pDdiw6j_dQz5-qPknX9uwlhtlV7G9IjwrturOFbquosZg360oRq4QGI_mFNkv0R6mifKSXTWYDKQWz7VbTs/s1600/image_zpsc6784591.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbPEXhHNIZwp07z8cnmmHlm3emrsnSiws0sXUkjI_mmcwHaSG-gW55Bf8pDdiw6j_dQz5-qPknX9uwlhtlV7G9IjwrturOFbquosZg360oRq4QGI_mFNkv0R6mifKSXTWYDKQWz7VbTs/s1600/image_zpsc6784591.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkK1BkNQ49dVc9Tlx7kJm82EGYTZoasl7_a27BLXPfdGfq1O5hBASTPHFB1lbh-ShcYq_EZLHiRDH_wxwNZpd2gJWJJxGVhgSYnpJcHpy1u1CcNWNiqJTIgAu_Sg4xisz3XDChufR-l5w/s1600/image_zpsd74a99b9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkK1BkNQ49dVc9Tlx7kJm82EGYTZoasl7_a27BLXPfdGfq1O5hBASTPHFB1lbh-ShcYq_EZLHiRDH_wxwNZpd2gJWJJxGVhgSYnpJcHpy1u1CcNWNiqJTIgAu_Sg4xisz3XDChufR-l5w/s1600/image_zpsd74a99b9.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1KOyo2CWPM8f3BpGW6qRFj4BM64wybnaWpDQUqswOt39mLmVzYRJFzqaWtgz_P9wwHY6mKgRx5h5AErnS68KLlO2P8pnr-UscGetReSn94BV0xOquNwZUZUsN8Z293h6101TZgm7RSvE/s1600/image_zpsea182f8f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1KOyo2CWPM8f3BpGW6qRFj4BM64wybnaWpDQUqswOt39mLmVzYRJFzqaWtgz_P9wwHY6mKgRx5h5AErnS68KLlO2P8pnr-UscGetReSn94BV0xOquNwZUZUsN8Z293h6101TZgm7RSvE/s1600/image_zpsea182f8f.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Next, the walkers
took on the streets and sidewalks of Athens with peace flags, banners, and smiles.
The first stop was at Hillel at Ohio University which is the center for Jewish
Life where members recited a Jewish prayer and spoke kind words in remembrance
of victims of the violent crimes in Gaza and Israel. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5MW8bDtgvQAsMqk33Yejwkkg_tQx2-o-a47E5KAZ4ws0EV1MZbfI5l-FCz4WoomYf8YRDOxSptA0CPtbmOMtIm_5qCpTzBbLEjFlVi1a62IUs73jMpy2jC_N6ecaO1XmY4w3cnRrh5M/s1600/image_zps9d13f265.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5MW8bDtgvQAsMqk33Yejwkkg_tQx2-o-a47E5KAZ4ws0EV1MZbfI5l-FCz4WoomYf8YRDOxSptA0CPtbmOMtIm_5qCpTzBbLEjFlVi1a62IUs73jMpy2jC_N6ecaO1XmY4w3cnRrh5M/s1600/image_zps9d13f265.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Next on the route was the Muslim Students Association at
Ohio University. Here, a speech on Muslim beliefs was presented teaching us
that although differences are present in our beliefs we are all connected in
some way.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8Bu4eCBy7fI5lo5Cv7bhHcFqWByqDBRrP5nrnROChZCV7gbyLoSkVaWRrSx-Te6bll73OpYpXUdzRrM4qDUfOh8SiB-cPt2ypj7UVFHtHgyAifCZYqayAycbLYRJTP2N33hyphenhyphenV3LIb9M/s1600/image_zpsb9b8527b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8Bu4eCBy7fI5lo5Cv7bhHcFqWByqDBRrP5nrnROChZCV7gbyLoSkVaWRrSx-Te6bll73OpYpXUdzRrM4qDUfOh8SiB-cPt2ypj7UVFHtHgyAifCZYqayAycbLYRJTP2N33hyphenhyphenV3LIb9M/s1600/image_zpsb9b8527b.jpg" height="102" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
To finish the
night off there was a candle lighting that was accompanied with peaceful songs.
The candle lighting was especially impactful because no one could see anyone
else’s face or poster that stated their religious affiliation. It was just 300
people coming together to create one, loud voice in the name of peace.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTnijnQhDcBMcfMThaWAkrMRFl-jqsyKiCgNJ9qvBWMvKwdQVX_YnzOSi4hPklOrY9HmaJAk0gkgNi2bGOCZLqNIxt-rTWsF5YgvUEGK3VjF-fPws0MMRGqXnm-YH_Pwno5g9rcKRKxGU/s1600/image_zps04dca55f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTnijnQhDcBMcfMThaWAkrMRFl-jqsyKiCgNJ9qvBWMvKwdQVX_YnzOSi4hPklOrY9HmaJAk0gkgNi2bGOCZLqNIxt-rTWsF5YgvUEGK3VjF-fPws0MMRGqXnm-YH_Pwno5g9rcKRKxGU/s1600/image_zps04dca55f.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
All 300
participants make a significant impact on the people of Athens because people
stopped what they were doing to pay attention to the walk and ask what it was
for. Some even joined in the walk. By partaking in peaceful events like the
Interfaith Peace Walk are raising awareness for peace and lowering the chance
of violent acts reoccurring. As a first time participant I felt very empowered. It showed me that you can make a difference in the world. I also learned that among all of the violence in the violence in the world there is always a place for peace. <o:p></o:p></div>
BetterTogetherOUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307687983146945106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392440641746398987.post-3505568813774077742013-11-13T09:57:00.000-08:002013-11-13T10:40:30.888-08:00THE POWER OF INTERFAITH COOPERATION AND ACTION!<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>THE POWER OF INTERFAITH COOPERATION AND ACTION</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
~ 2013-14 BETTER TOGETHER COORDINATOR KRISTA MOBLEY</div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXjpgpH-gFZ0GzRJiqV7AnyYDzYrnsec5zcGuy9-xdAS4MXFGonrrux65SH5LLTpBVaqN9VAnInytBX1VrLwsepW5rRtTpbu6wO8fpL7xuul4qJg8UpSBfRrb5CEgU9ikjXpxSv-3God4/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXjpgpH-gFZ0GzRJiqV7AnyYDzYrnsec5zcGuy9-xdAS4MXFGonrrux65SH5LLTpBVaqN9VAnInytBX1VrLwsepW5rRtTpbu6wO8fpL7xuul4qJg8UpSBfRrb5CEgU9ikjXpxSv-3God4/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">KRISTA MOBLEY @ THE BETTER TOGETHER KICKOFF</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I never thought about the power of an interfaith dialogue in overcoming social issues. In fact, this past spring was the first time this idea had ever been presented to me. This idea inspires me, as a global studies major and a global citizen, because many of the conflicts and wars I read about in class and raise awareness for are often tied to religious difference in some way.<br />
<br />
The Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC), a national organization dedicated to building religious<br />
pluralism through interfaith cooperation and leadership, created the Better Together Campaign. The Campaign works to engage individuals with and without faith traditions in the creation of an interfaith dialogue through social work. The Campaign is in its fourth year here in the Athens community, sponsored by United Campus Ministry. This year’s Better Together Team is focused on fundraising for the Community Food InitiativeS (CFI) to raise awareness about food insecurity in the region. This focus will serve as the social work component and basis for the continued construction of our community’s interfaith consciousness.<br />
<br />
Our work to build interfaith engagement has manifested itself in movie screenings, penny wars, and the cleaning of a polluted ravine to not only raise money for CFI but to also bring greater social, environmental and interfaith harmony to this lovely region of Southeast Ohio. And that’s not all, because the Better Together Team is just getting started.<br />
<br />
We have a strong foundation of interfaith leaders hosted in that big, red brick house at 18 North College. We are working tirelessly to build bridges between all faiths in order to harness the power we possess to make this world a more peaceful place. Look for us in the community orchestrating peace walks, rallies and events to fuel this flourishing interfaith movement!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBw_3cZi9OQyB0xGDNz31L7IBeTSXJ6_Cfv_bzamNItZ8I8pWHLfCfpcP-BZ0l-hAnN7cMKtxA77h17jlf1n_Wh0Qy680Qaif6dku0JA4AFYEmfmDYcq9LwijZRz6ynmbBsPuQElfkKak/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBw_3cZi9OQyB0xGDNz31L7IBeTSXJ6_Cfv_bzamNItZ8I8pWHLfCfpcP-BZ0l-hAnN7cMKtxA77h17jlf1n_Wh0Qy680Qaif6dku0JA4AFYEmfmDYcq9LwijZRz6ynmbBsPuQElfkKak/s640/photo.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvcYGchAjaChhox5W9kL4rVmi1mAUGJOnFxJC5u_gWOua82uiR7k88o5kNlK8frgFMvHIjmdQnb0DOTLV2Gy8Un7IN6DAPLwPsx_9j-fVNFzYVuVvaRPpoO5YCBhl7tkaPufQXZX5VnRk/s1600/image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvcYGchAjaChhox5W9kL4rVmi1mAUGJOnFxJC5u_gWOua82uiR7k88o5kNlK8frgFMvHIjmdQnb0DOTLV2Gy8Un7IN6DAPLwPsx_9j-fVNFzYVuVvaRPpoO5YCBhl7tkaPufQXZX5VnRk/s640/image.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />BetterTogetherOUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307687983146945106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392440641746398987.post-5807939855150579052013-09-11T11:08:00.002-07:002013-09-11T11:08:30.507-07:00September 11th Peace Walk to Demonstrate We Are Better Together
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-parent:"";
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31fgnvMLyNzdUlR4BozckYYa4EJ5l4zup6-NhRGRJMwVPuvok1BX-Tg35BCCFp-xVTFkSURTjEMHC74RtovPX_DYellF4oy7RvfnHhcewhyKkYJz2yXXufeypeF8-3DRB2f-To6NhAUo/s1600/Better+Together+Peace+Walk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31fgnvMLyNzdUlR4BozckYYa4EJ5l4zup6-NhRGRJMwVPuvok1BX-Tg35BCCFp-xVTFkSURTjEMHC74RtovPX_DYellF4oy7RvfnHhcewhyKkYJz2yXXufeypeF8-3DRB2f-To6NhAUo/s320/Better+Together+Peace+Walk.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Wednesday
September 11, students, Athenians, and local faith communities will take to the
streets for the third annual Interfaith Peace Walk. The walk will begin at 7pm </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">at the Episcopal Church of the Good
Shepherd on University Terrace and will end at the Islamic Center on Stewart Street.
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Taking
place against the backdrop of escalating tension and potential military
intervention in Syria, as well as the dozens of other persistent conflicts
throughout the world, the Interfaith Peace Walk offers people of all faiths--or
no faith tradition--in the Athens and Ohio University communities an
opportunity to demonstrate our common commitment to a more peaceful, fair, and
free world. </span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">"We
all know the phrase 'peace be with you,'" says the Reverend Evan Young,
UCM's Campus Minister. "Many of us can't hear the phrase without giving
the automatic response used in many churches--'and also with you.' We're
walking on September 11th to show that these are more than just words--that
they call us to action, to public witness, to advocacy for a different way of
being humanity together." </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The march will
make the rounds of the uptown churches, starting at the Episcopal Church of the
Good Shepherd and making its way past First United Methodist Church, Athens
First Presbyterian, First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Hillel at OU,
St. Paul Catholic Church, Christ Lutheran Church, and Christ the King
University Parish, and will end with a gathering at the Islamic Center.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sponsors of the
peace walk include Better Together at Ohio University and OU's University
College. Local faith communities sponsoring the walk include UCM Center for
Spiritual Growth & Social Justice, Athens First Christian Church (Disciples
of Christ), Athens First Presbyterian Church, Athens Friends Meeting, Christ
Lutheran Church, the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, the First United
Methodist Church of Athens, Hillel at Ohio University, the Muslim Student
Association, and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The march is
part of the Better Together campaign at Ohio University, which is a continuing
student-led effort to mobilize college students from different faith
backgrounds to engage in community service together to make Ohio University a
better place for everyone.</span></div>
BetterTogetherOUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307687983146945106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392440641746398987.post-35772557743793862492013-08-20T07:37:00.000-07:002013-08-20T07:38:48.333-07:00UCM Participates in 4th Interfaith Leadership Institute<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Arial;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-parent:"";
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:Arial;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Arial;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-parent:"";
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:Arial;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I<span style="font-size: small;">nterfaith Leadership Institute Conference (ILI) – </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: small;">An Inward Journey of
Leadership, Tolerance, & </span></span><span style="font-size: small;">
Inspiration</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">By Javad Anjum, Doctoral Student in Aphasiology, OU</span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5QEQGXkEhqlXgb5wPut1VReZGU7mwkPRwe5mKi6apeNQ-08Hjl3sMEAZ-FJFzsdUUggCzlw2-NuuCNltc-Y5MoA8jtaxe_xPp7tEr0O_8HWM4gIQw3zXecpTlVmGf7K9nBLyp8j70LfU/s1600/Eboo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5QEQGXkEhqlXgb5wPut1VReZGU7mwkPRwe5mKi6apeNQ-08Hjl3sMEAZ-FJFzsdUUggCzlw2-NuuCNltc-Y5MoA8jtaxe_xPp7tEr0O_8HWM4gIQw3zXecpTlVmGf7K9nBLyp8j70LfU/s320/Eboo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Javad, IFYC Founder Eboo Patel and UCM Director Melissa Wales at ILI Aug. 2014</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
When I signed up to attend the
three-day ILI Conference in New York City this summer, I experienced a range of
emotions from excitement and curiosity, to uncertainty and anxiety. Although I
have actively engaged in facilitating youth leadership activities and promoting
interfaith harmony at a smaller level in Ohio University, it was the first time
I was going to experience aspects of interfaith cooperation and leadership initiatives
at the national level. As I come to find out later, the conference had a
significant international participation, wherein allies and students from
various parts of the world actively engaged; in an array of interfaith
leadership training sessions and celebrated interactions with fellow attendees
from diverse faiths, denominations, and traditions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
went to the conference with a broader idea of what to expect, and did my
homework of thoroughly browsing the IFYC website and formulating questions that
would help me gain more clarity into the Better Together Movement in general
and my role as an interfaith leader in specific. The conference provided me
with an engaging experience wherein, I was able to discuss with fellow allies
and students about what interfaith cooperation meant to them and learn more
about their interfaith work across campuses and communities. This not only
instilled in me a sense of belongingness to the community of interfaith
leaders, but also presented me with novel and creative ideas to fuel our own
interfaith cooperation efforts at Ohio University. It was great to see
interfaith leaders from diverse affiliations working in cohesion across campuses
and communities to restore and enable peaceful and harmonious coexistence. I
learned that successful interfaith leaders had a few things in common; first,
they never talked about what was “different” among people. They always
appreciated positive and shared values across different faiths and
denominations and identified ways of working together with a sense of unified
purpose. Second, interfaith leaders strived to develop “positive relationships”
with people who may hold “different” views. Third, they promote a “safe space”,
wherein fruitful interfaith discussion and community service efforts are
realized without any threat of fear, anxiety, or prejudice. Finally, interfaith
leaders are very passionate about their work. Equipped with a contagious enthusiasm
for interfaith work, they readily share personal “stories” that motivated them
to choose the path of interfaith cooperation. During the duration of the
conference, I observed that every attendee was willing to share their
experience in doing interfaith work and were open to collaborations for future
projects.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: .5in;">
The individual
training and plenary sessions of the conference were carefully crafted to
inspire, motivate, and enable allies and students in performing interfaith
work. It was hard to overlook the ingrained culture of interfaith diversity and
tolerance at the conference. I felt that we are all part of a larger movement
and our unique identities, aspirations, and efforts are helping to take this cause
forward. While the individual sessions focused on enhancing and facilitating
interfaith cooperation knowledge and skills, plenary sessions included guest
speakers and team discussions. Most individual sessions included training both
students and allies in delegations of 3-4, (such as Ohio University, Utah
Valley University, and Ohio State University, etc.,) which not only helped us
focus our efforts into improving interfaith work in our own campuses, but also
provided an ideal platform to discuss individual strategies and tips with other
campuses as well. Additionally, some individual training sessions were
conducted separately students and allies, wherein the training module and
content was designed to address specific issues facing interfaith work. Plenary
sessions were highlighted by insightful and engaging talks by guest speakers
including Eboo Patel and past ILI Alumni, who provided valuable tenets of their
knowledge and current efforts in interfaith cooperation. These talks offered
wonderful opportunities for the attendees to seek solutions for challenges and
problems they were facing in their interfaith work. Some of the important
topics included handling challenging conversations, enhancing campus presence
for interfaith work and leadership, seeking funding and resources, and identifying
potential allies.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: .5in;">
I noticed that
the ILI conference inculcated in me, a series of small, significant, and
insightful changes that have positively impacted my interfaith beliefs and
helped me gain clarity of vision as an interfaith leader. The experience has
given me a tool kit that I can utilize design, develop, collaborate, and
convene interfaith work at Ohio University, and beyond. I have learned from the
experience of other allies at the ILI, the challenges we are facing as
interfaith leaders and the solutions we need to formulate. I look forward to
applying my knowledge and skills I obtained at the ILI, to enhance current
interfaith efforts by UCM in Athens. Specifically, I envision to contribute
significantly to the Better Together campaign at Ohio University in its current
mission of promoting interfaith cooperation in the campus through community
service projects and interfaith initiatives. I recommend ILI to anyone interested
in interfaith work and youth leadership. There is something to learn for
everyone, regardless of the type of faith, affiliation, and denomination or the
level of current involvement in interfaith work. </div>
BetterTogetherOUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307687983146945106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392440641746398987.post-43716848360117765732013-05-28T12:14:00.001-07:002013-05-28T12:14:29.008-07:00Better Together at OU receives honorable mention by IFYC!----B R E A K I N G N E W S ------ This just in! Better Together at Ohio University received honorable mention for "Loudest Voice" for successfully spreading the word about interfaith cooperation and the Better Together campaign. Given that we WON the Best Campus Impact award last year, it's very cool to be mentioned AGAIN this year among this very select group of campuses. Way to go Allison, Anne, Phil, Joannah, Abby, Olivia, and all the other Better Together students! We're looking forward to a great 2013-14 campaign and will be sending two more students and UCM Director Melissa Wales to an Interfaith Leadership Institute in New York City this August to build on this momentum and develop more interfaith campus leaders!BetterTogetherOUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307687983146945106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392440641746398987.post-83245749679214567012013-05-28T11:46:00.001-07:002013-05-28T11:47:34.866-07:00Better Together wraps up one year and plans for 2013-141<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Skia;
panose-1:2 13 5 2 2 2 4 2 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
</style>
-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ohio University's Better Together
Campaign thrived this year with students leading the 9-11 Interfaith Peace
Walk, raising “a ton of food” for the SE Ohio Foodbank, participating in two
watershed service-learning clean-up projects with interfaith reflection,
organizing an interfaith panel on faith and violence, hosting the first Better
Together Day (April 4) with a focus on interfaith movements for social change, in-service
trainings to residential<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>housing
staff, and weekly participation in Interfaith Impact, Thursday Supper and
Saturday Lunch. With the support of OU’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, we
were able to send two students, Olivia Bullock and Phil Morehead to the
Interfaith Youth Core’s Interfaith Leadership Institute and will send two more
this August. The campus and community interest in this kind of work just keeps
growing and recent tragedies in Boston and elsewhere remind us of the urgent
importance of building interfaith bridges. How is this impacting the students
and overall climate at Ohio University? Here’s a glimpse.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Skia;
panose-1:2 13 5 2 2 2 4 2 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
</style>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">-->
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Skia; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">PHIL
MOREHEAD</span></b><span style="font-family: Skia; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">
is currently a third year student who found his way to Better Together and
United Campus Ministry because of his participation in the 2011 Interfaith
Peace Walk. A self-proclaimed “party-guy” who was ambivalent about his Jewish
faith, Phil was so moved by his experience with the Peace Walk, which brings
together many campus and community faith groups and congregations, that he
sought out an internship at UCM in fall 2012, which included participation on
the Better Together Steering Committee. He played a leadership role in the
Peace Walk as a walk organizer and “wrangler” (keeping people safe and on the
designated route), as well as assisting with sound amplification for the
speakers at the church, Hillel, and the Islamic Center. He regularly
participates in UCM’s Interfaith Impact weekly meetings and, in that interfaith
space and community, he found himself being drawn to examine and engage more
deeply with his own faith tradition and so began attending Shabbat services at
Hillel. UCM and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion sponsored his
participation in the Interfaith Youth Core Leadership Institute in Atlanta
(January 2013), where he further developed his skills to lead Better Together
and organize for interfaith community on campus. It was an experience that he
called nothing short of “life changing.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Skia; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">“I don’t know what I’ve been doing the past
three years. My friends don’t understand why I’ve changed over the last year,
but I’ve found something more important to do with my time than just the party
scene. It’s because of UCM.” He reflected on the power of the leadership
weekend and the friendships he’d made there, most notably with a Muslim student
from another campus. “We talked for hours and I learned so much about the
similarities between our faiths.” He also learned the importance of listening.
“I only shared my story a few times, whereas I found myself much more ready to
listen to others. I learned about religions that I knew little about and came
to the realization that we all strive for the same virtues: peace, love, and
acceptance.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Skia; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Phil will help lead the 2013-14 Better
Together campaign with an interest in engaging his peer group in interfaith
service. This spring he led an Interfaith Impact by sharing his experiences and
perspectives on being Jewish and organized a “field trip” to Hillel for Shabbat
services. He continues to be inspired by the possibilities of interfaith
community while moving through his own personal transformation and re-engaging
with his Jewish faith. We are excited to see where Phil will take Better
Together 2013-14!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
BetterTogetherOUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307687983146945106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392440641746398987.post-8467808181090014472013-03-21T10:59:00.001-07:002013-03-21T10:59:26.155-07:00Religious leaders host discussion, show solidarity | The Post<a href="http://thepost.ohiou.edu/content/religious-leaders-host-discussion-show-solidarity">View Original Post: Religious leaders host discussion, show solidarity | The Post</a><br />
<br />
<h1 class="title">Religious leaders host discussion, show solidarity</h1><div class="meta"> <div class="submitted"> Publication Date: March 19, 2013 - 4:46am<br />
Updated: March 19, 2013 - 4:46am </div><div class="terms terms-inline"><br />
</div></div><span class="print-link"></span><div class="fb-social-like-widget"><span style="height: 20px; width: 71px;"></span></div><div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-image"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <img alt="" class="imagecache imagecache-article_image imagecache-default imagecache-article_image_default" height="400" src="http://thepost.ohiou.edu/sites/default/files/imagecache/article_image/F3031913_INTERFAITH.jpg" title="Ohio University sophomore Omar Kurdi speaks about violence at a panel that brought together members of five different religious institutions. (Sara Kramer | For The Post )" width="600" /> <div class="caption"><b>Ohio University sophomore Omar Kurdi speaks about violence at a panel that brought together members of five different religious institutions. (Sara Kramer | For The Post )</b></div></div></div></div><b> </b><div class="field field-type-text field-field-byline"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <div class="field-label-inline-first"><b> By Emily Bamforth </b></div></div><div class="field-item odd"> </div></div></div>Five members from different religious institutions in Athens came together Monday night to start a dialogue about violence and faith in regards to their different belief sets as part of Ohio University’s Better Together campaign.<br />
The panel included representatives from five faiths: Rabbi Danielle Leshaw, director of Hillel at OU; Omar Kurdi, communication chair of the Muslim Student Association; Rob Martin, reverend at First Presbyterian Church; Tiffanie Shanks, director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries at First United Methodist Church; and Stephen Kropf, assistant director of the Athens KTC Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Center.<br />
Allison Schoeppner, campus organizer of the Better Together campaign at OU, said having these leaders in a room together while discussing a topic such as violence helps relieve the preconception of division between religions.<br />
“(This) is not an image of faith that we see a lot in the media in our society,” said Schoeppner, a junior studying international studies and war and peace. “It shows solidarity, the fact that there are similarities between religions; it shows that there are issues that we can find commonality on and work together on to help end.”<br />
Evan Young, moderator for the panel, which hosted about 15 attendees, said the event fostered a type of discussion necessary for bridging gaps among religions.<br />
“It’s a challenge sometimes to have a panel where people don’t speak in the abstract, where they don’t talk about big ideas and grand philosophies but instead speak from a place of personal experience and their own struggles,” added Young, minister at United Campus Ministries and the Universalist Fellowship of Athens. “That was one of the aims of the panel, and I think we got there.”<br />
The panel focused on a variety of aspects on the topic of violence as interpreted by different faiths. The conversation began with Young asking questions to participants and then opened up to audience participation. Discussion ranged from recent events like the verdict of the highly publicized Steubenville rape case to the fundamental causes of violence.<br />
“Faith should be the place where people find answers,” Shanks said. “(It should be) where they can find comfort, and where they find peace. All faith traditions (should) take time to address these kinds of questions.”BetterTogetherOUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307687983146945106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392440641746398987.post-29596088733843678562013-03-10T10:29:00.003-07:002013-03-10T10:29:28.796-07:00We are all more human than otherwise <br />Written by Richard S. Gilbert <br />
<br />
The human race is a vast rainbow bursting into view.<br />of white and black,
red, yellow and brown. Yet for all blood is red, the sky is blue, the earth
brown, the night dark.<br />In size and shape we are a varied pattern<br />of tall
and short, slim and stout, elegant and plain.<br />Yet for all there are fingers
to touch, hearts to break, eyes to cry, ears to hear, mouths to speak.<br />In
tongue we are a tower of babel, a great jumble of voices grasping for words,
groping for ways to say love, peace, pity, and hope.<br />Faiths compete, claiming
the one way;<br />Saviours abound, pointing to salvation.<br />Not all can be right,
not one.<br />We are united only by our urge to search.<br />Boundaries divide us,
lines drawn to mark our diversity,<br />maps charted to separate the human race
from itself.<br />Yet a mother's grief, a father's love, a child's happy cry,<br />a
musician's sound, an artist's stroke, batter the boundaries and shatter the
walls.<br />Strength and weakness, arrogance and humility, confidence and fear,
live together in each one, reminding us that we share a our common
humanity.<br />We are all more human than otherwise.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Source: <a href="http://www.uua.org/worship/words/readings/142764.shtml">http://www.uua.org/worship/words/readings/142764.shtml</a>. BetterTogetherOUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307687983146945106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392440641746398987.post-88718686714110457342013-02-06T10:20:00.000-08:002013-02-06T10:20:08.729-08:00 OU Students Attend Interfaith Leadership Institute <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Optima; font-size: 11pt;">United Campus Ministry (UCM) and the OU Office of Diversity
and Inclusion sponsored two Ohio University undergraduate students</span><span class="msoIns" style="font-family: Optima; font-size: 11pt;"><ins cite="mailto:Evan%20Young" datetime="2013-02-05T14:33">'</ins></span><span style="font-family: Optima; font-size: 11pt;">
participation in an Interfaith Leadership Institute (ILI) in Atlanta in January.
ILIs are organized by Interfaith Youth Core and their purpose is to train
university students, faculty, staff and administration to be movement builders
for interfaith cooperation and action. Over a hundred students, from all and no
religious affiliations, came together to learn skills and strategies to
overcome challenges in interfaith organizing through programs and movements
like Better Together, which has been active at OU since 2011. </span><span class="msoIns" style="font-family: Optima; font-size: 11pt;"><ins cite="mailto:Evan%20Young" datetime="2013-02-05T14:45">"We've
been very fortunate to be able to </ins></span><span class="msoIns" style="font-family: Optima; font-size: 11pt;"><ins cite="mailto:Evan%20Young" datetime="2013-02-05T14:46">send students to this
training the last few years and to build sustainability into our interfaith
efforts," said UCM Campus Minister Evan Young. "At the ILI students </ins></span><span style="font-family: Optima; font-size: 11pt;">learn
how to voice their values, engage with others across faith traditions, and </span><span class="msoIns" style="font-family: Optima; font-size: 11pt;"><ins cite="mailto:Evan%20Young" datetime="2013-02-05T14:48">act
together</ins></span><span style="font-family: Optima; font-size: 11pt;"> on shared values to tackle pressing community issues like
poverty and the environment.</span><span class="msoIns" style="font-family: Optima; font-size: 11pt;"><ins cite="mailto:Evan%20Young" datetime="2013-02-05T14:48">"</ins></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Optima; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Philip Morehead identifies as Jewish and is a junior Health
Services Administration major from Athens.
Olivia Simkins Bullock of Sylvania, Ohio identifies as Buddhist and is a
sophomore majoring in Geography and East Asian Studies. Both students participated in the
weekend-long ILI in Atlanta in late January 2013, and will become leaders of
the Better Together campaign at OU. “The Interfaith Leadership Institute was
life-changing and I’m excited to move the campaign forward and get more
students aware of and excited about it,” said Morehead. Bullock reflected, “I
was excited to see atheist and agnostic students represented at the Institute,
proving this interfaith movement is truly inclusive.” This semester, Better
Together at OU’s goal is to “Raise a Ton of Food” for the Southeast Ohio
Foodbank. Upcoming events include a Dance Better Together Masquerade Ball and
Fundraiser in Baker Center’s Bobcat Student Lounge on Wednesday, February 20,
7pm – 9pm. The event will feature DJ Barticus and is free and open to all
students<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Evan%20Young" datetime="2013-02-05T14:42">,</ins></span> who are encouraged to bring a dollar
donation for the Foodbank. Students will
also partner again with Monday Creek Watershed Restoration Project to Serve
Better Together on Sunday, April 14 at a watershed clean-up project. Transportation
and pizza will be provided. The Better
Together student steering committee meets Sunday nights at UCM.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Optima; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">In 2012, Ohio University’s Better Together campaign
received the Best Campus Impact award in the nationwide 2012 Better Together
initiative, which took place on more than 100 college campuses during the
2011-12 academic year. </span><span style="font-family: Optima; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">The Better Together campaign is supported by
United Campus Ministry and is a partner in the Ohio University White House
Interfaith Service Campus Challenge with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion
and Residential Housing. Highlights of the year-long Better Together campaign
include an Annual 9-11 Interfaith Peace Walk, community service projects, Interfaith
Impact weekly discussion group, Interfaith Passport, speakers, panels and other
events.</span><span style="font-family: Optima; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Optima; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">"Ohio University should very proud of the fact that
our students are being recognized nationally as leaders in the interfaith
movement, which seeks to build bridges <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Evan%20Young" datetime="2013-02-05T14:43">across persistent
divisions between</ins></span> faith traditions through shared experiences of
service to the community. UCM looks forward to continuing our support of Better
Together and making more opportunities for leadership development available to
students,” <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Evan%20Young" datetime="2013-02-05T14:44">said </ins></span>Melissa Wales, advisor to Better
Together at OU and Executive Director of United Campus Ministry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Optima; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">For more information or to learn how you can participate,
contact </span><a href="mailto:bettertogetherou@gmail.com"><span style="font-family: Optima; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">bettertogetherou@gmail.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Optima; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> or call
740-593-7301.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
BetterTogetherOUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307687983146945106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392440641746398987.post-20591382298527258352013-01-22T08:57:00.003-08:002013-02-06T10:19:22.110-08:00 Dr. King's Vietnam Speech <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/OC1Ru2p8OfU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"There comes a time when <b>silence</b> is <b>betrayal</b>." -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Most people have heard of Dr. King’s “I have a Dream” speech. But did you know that he gave a speech stating his opposition to the Vietnam War exactly one year before his assassination? This speech, entitled “Beyond Vietnam, a Time to Break the Silence,” was the most controversial speech of his career. He openly questioned U.S. foreign policy, asking why our country was fighting to “secure rights” for Vietnamese people that the American soldiers were unable to enjoy in their own country. He also criticized the war because it consumed all of the money that the government could have used to improve life for poor Americans. This speech caused Dr. King to lose a significant number of his supporters, including his support from the government. He knew that he would lose popularity; however, as he emphasized in his speech, he could not remain silent. He knew that he could not be an icon of peace and be silent about Vietnam. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>So what? </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Are you willing to stand up for peace? In the words of Dr. King, "Peace is not the absence of war but the presence of justice." If you stand for peace, you do not stand for injustice, regardless of whether or not it directly affects you. In your daily life, are you standing up for </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">justice? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgT_Ek5F_3QS4Gj8G1GQwmt8v1h6T6mFQ9HDvUm7DuPTWfqGXqEOG_i-Q19InM3iCVh_lLzipNkCGwh-V5_I5wBai42VujhNSR1nJSyL3WoCOQXp9IOuNYhcXRX08Bc-Uk2_AV5BeTxc/s1600/tumblr_m7kkl1dyCN1rat0hpo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgT_Ek5F_3QS4Gj8G1GQwmt8v1h6T6mFQ9HDvUm7DuPTWfqGXqEOG_i-Q19InM3iCVh_lLzipNkCGwh-V5_I5wBai42VujhNSR1nJSyL3WoCOQXp9IOuNYhcXRX08Bc-Uk2_AV5BeTxc/s400/tumblr_m7kkl1dyCN1rat0hpo1_500.jpg" width="302" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Excerpt from "Beyond Vietnam"</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Since I am a preacher by calling, I suppose it is not surprising that I have seven major reasons for bringing Vietnam into the field of my moral vision. There is at the outset a very obvious and almost facile connection between the war in Vietnam and the struggle I and others have been waging in America. A few years ago there was a shining moment in that struggle. It seemed as if there was a real promise of hope for the poor, both black and white, through the poverty program. There were experiments, hopes, new beginnings. Then came the buildup in Vietnam, and I watched this program broken and eviscerated as if it were some idle political plaything on a society gone mad on war. And I knew that America would never invest the necessary funds or energies in rehabilitation of its poor so long as adventures like Vietnam continued to draw men and skills and money like some demonic, destructive suction tube. So I was increasingly compelled to see the war as an enemy of the poor and to attack it as such.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Perhaps a more tragic recognition of reality took place when it became clear to me that the war was doing far more than devastating the hopes of the poor at home. It was sending their sons and their brothers and their husbands to fight and to die in extraordinarily high proportions relative to the rest of the population. We were taking the black young men who had been crippled by our society and sending them eight thousand miles away to guarantee liberties in Southeast Asia which they had not found in southwest Georgia and East Harlem. So we have been repeatedly faced with the cruel irony of watching Negro and white boys on TV screens as they kill and die together for a nation that has been unable to seat them together in the same schools. So we watch them in brutal solidarity burning the huts of a poor village, but we realize that they would hardly live on the same block in Chicago. I could not be silent in the face of such cruel manipulation of the poor.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My third reason moves to an even deeper level of awareness, for it grows out of my experience in the ghettos of the North over the last three years, especially the last three summers. As I have walked among the desperate, rejected, and angry young men, I have told them that Molotov cocktails and rifles would not solve their problems. I have tried to offer them my deepest compassion while maintaining my conviction that social change comes most meaningfully through nonviolent action. But they asked, and rightly so, “What about Vietnam?” They asked if our own nation wasn’t using massive doses of violence to solve its problems, to bring about the changes it wanted. Their questions hit home, and I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today: my own government. For the sake of those boys, for the sake of this government, for the sake of the hundreds of thousands trembling under our violence, I cannot be silent.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
BetterTogetherOUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307687983146945106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392440641746398987.post-60121153368542937102012-11-25T14:08:00.000-08:002012-11-25T14:08:07.594-08:00Thankful<span id="internal-source-marker_0.24271522462368011"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">During the holiday season, I take time out to consciously ponder what I am thankful for. Of course I’m thankful for my family, my friends, my education, my opportunities, and my “stuff.” I’m not wealthy, but I live a relatively privileged life. With all of the privilege that I have, I have little room to complain about anything. But like most people, I do occasionally slip up and whine about things that many people </span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">wish </span><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">they could lament.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">For example, I sometimes catch myself complaining about being tired and hungry at the same time. Then I feel silly after remembering that those are two of the best possible complaints to have. In fact, those complaints are so good that they shouldn't be complained about at all. When I’m hungry, I can eat; there’s food in my refrigerator waiting to be devoured. When I’m tired, I have the option to sleep at some point in the near future. How many people are hungry, but have no means to obtain food? How many people are tired, but cannot sleep until they finish their 16 hour shifts? If someone in such an unfortunate situation sleeps, their families starve. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I've</span><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> noticed that people complain about things that most people in the world </span></span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">wish </span><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">they could grumble about. Many college students gripe about their homework, but most don’t spend enough time appreciating the fact that they have the opportunity to get an education. I am intensely critical of the government, but sometimes I forget how thankful I am that I have the freedom to voice my opinions.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" />As the semester concludes and the holiday season gears up, try to make a conscientious effort to balance your complaints with the brighter side of each situation. If you think of everything in relative terms, then you’ll realize just how lucky you are to actually be complaining about whatever is upsetting you. Taking time out to appreciate what you have is a gateway to happiness. </span></span></span>BetterTogetherOUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307687983146945106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5392440641746398987.post-71141162200127079532012-10-28T20:29:00.001-07:002012-10-28T20:29:53.740-07:00Definition of Spirituality<b>Spirituality-</b> understanding and experiencing ourselves in relation to something larger than ourselves, of which we are a part, on which we depend, and which consequently we are called to serve<br />
<br />
This is Reverend Evan Young's definition of spirituality. How does that compare with your personal definition of spirituality? How does it affect your feelings about your spirituality? <br />
<br />BetterTogetherOUhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307687983146945106noreply@blogger.com0