Burnley & Pendle Faith Centre Tel: - 01282 682275 Email: - [email protected] 09 JANUARY 2009 Happy New Year to one and all! I hope you all had a good Christmas / New Year break. 2009 has all the signs of being very challenging year; be it locally, nationally and certainly, internationally. Here at the Faith Centre we are very much looking forward to building up and pushing on with our many dreams and initiatives, the “end game” being that lifelong journey of creating a more caring, peaceful, respectful and better informed community. Better informed communities are based upon welcoming and encountering people who come in peace and respect for themselves and for others, who desire to learn and grow. Thus in 2009 we will work together to maximise the many opportunities afforded to us by our “safe space” here at our new Burnley Campus, where people of all faiths and none will come together to tell their stories and share their values, beliefs and hopes. Where from the youngest to the not so young we will become more educated in the very community in which we all co‐exist, whatever the external financial / economic factors that lie ahead of us all this year. Come and join us in this shared vision. Have a great 2009!

This week’s updates:‐

¾ Thank You – to everyone who took part in our various Eid, Advent & Christmas celebrations during December ’08. It really was a special time and it has been gratifying to hear the many positive comments from those who were involved. Coupled with this we had ‘numerous’ appearances by Fr Christmas around the Campus during the final week of term, which all contributed to a really fun time for all concerned (!!) Rumour has it that there were two Fr Christmases in the Faith Centre (simultaneously) at one stage! Christmas decorations may all be back in the attic now, yet remember, we are still very much in ‘celebration mode’ from a Christian perspective i.e. caught up in the wonder of the Christmas Season, which runs up to and including this Sunday (11th) when the Baptism of Jesus will be celebrated.

¾ Interfaith Pilgrimage to Jerusalem: 5th – 12th February 2009 – as part of a programme to strengthen faith leadership, a group of 8 Christians and 13 Muslims are visiting the Holy City in February. The initiative, organised by our close partners Building Bridges in Burnley, will aim to deepen understanding of the three Abrahamic faiths and work more closely for the benefit of Burnley and beyond, when our pilgrims return. The party will live together in a Christian hotel located in the Muslim Quarter, in sight of the Noble Sanctuary and the Holy Sepulchre. They will also pray together, particularly for peace in the Holy Land and especially at this present time. The group will be coming together for a meeting at the Faith Centre tomorrow (10th) as part of their final preparations. Do keep them in your thoughts and prayers. We wish the group ‘Bon Voyage’, a happy and safe pilgrimage and look forward to hearing their stories and reflections when they return.

¾ Buddhist Meditation – see details of the next series of meditation classes on a separate attachment. Please feel free to circulate to others and print off hard copies to publicise. Classes begin again on Wednesday 21 January 2009 @ 1930hrs. EVERYONE IS WELCOME.

¾ Burnley Action Partnership (BAP) – we are delighted that approx 40 members of the BAP Assembly will be visiting the Campus this Monday evening (12th), when they will be touring our new £31m facilities for the first time and holding one of their quarterly meetings in the Spiritual Space at the Faith Centre. An opportunity for this Local Strategic Partnership to see ‘hands on’ the achievement of one of their stated delivery pledges of a few years ago namely, the establishment and opening of a new Faith Centre, serving not only the needs of local schools and the wider community of the borough, but also Pendle too. It is absolutely essential that we do not lose sight of the fact that the Faith Centre is here to serve both boroughs and of course, beyond their borders too i.e. EVERYONE IS WELCOME.

¾ The North West Development Agency – are currently undergoing a study exploring the role of faith in the region and how it relates to other bodies e.g. local / county authorities. One of the key aspects of the research will be to identify the effectiveness and impact of the many initiatives being undertaken by the faith sector e.g. those involving social action projects. During a meeting at Building Bridges in Burnley earlier this week, a series of questions were posed by Helen Woollaston of the Change Institute, an independent research consultancy who are conducting the review. Representatives from ‘across the spectrum’ were present, including the religious, the voluntary sector, the Police, the Fire Service and local education providers, within which is the Faith Centre. We look forward to receiving the official report later this year, which in itself, will provide an opportunity to showcase the good work being undertaken in the town and those who benefit from it.

¾ Face to Faith Interfaith Dialogue ‐ come along and meet new people at this Women Only event at St Peter’s Church Burnley; this Saturday, 10 January 2009, starting at 1230hrs. For more info, ring Kath Bill on 01282 413599.

¾ Burnley Churches Ecumenical Service – Sunday 18th January at 4pm at the United Reform Church. Preacher = The Rt. Rev. John Goddard, of Burnley. All welcome.

¾ Whalley Abbey – a very busy first week back did at least have quiet moments, following a visit to this former Cistercian Monastery, now owned and operated by the via the . During the visit, some initial ‘explorations’ were made with Helen Sage of the Diocese ‐ who regularly provides inputs at the Faith Centre – to see if we can work together on novel initiatives, for the benefit of all people, irrespective of their faith, conscious that the Abbey is founded upon the Christian values of peace, quiet, refreshment and welcome. Watch this space and also check out www.whalleyabbey.org Quiet prayer is a matter of being: being in stillness, being in God; not achieving anything or trying to find words, but simply being. (from ‘Wait and See’ & ‘ Wait and Trust’ by Angela Ashwin) For comparison see Psalm 46:10