serving the faith communities of the Goulburn Valley
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The Shepparton Afghani Community has had a long term vision of constructing their own mosque and have raised in excess of $1 million. They engaged a builder to develop the project which commenced in mid-2013 - the mosque is almost complete - and is already being used.
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Many would deny it, but sport - particularly Australian Rules football - has strong religious overtones in Australia. Earlier this week the AFL Premiership Cup featured in a church service in Scots Church, Melbourne. One of the principal activities of the Shepparton Interfaith Network is to identify and respond to social issues (such as racism) in all forms in our region. In this article, we bring you some observations on the persistent substrata of racism in Australian Rules Football.
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What began as a small campaign protesting against the proposed Bendigo mosque has gained the support of far-right anti-Islamic groups, spilling from social media to the streets and into a council meeting. Four Muslims from Bendigo talk about how it has affected them.
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National Police Remembrance Day and Blue Ribbon Day were observed in Shepparton at St Paul's Lutheran Church on 29 September 2015. Victorian Police leadership and local community members were in attendance. The service was led by local Police Chaplain Pastor Matt Anker.
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Voices for Harmony in collaboration with Shepparton Interfaith Network will hold a forum on Religion and Mental Health at the Harder Auditorium at GOTAFE on Friday 9 October from 1PM - 4PM.
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On 18 September Shepparton hosted #LighttheDark - A night of Welcome and support for refugees, a night of unity, a night of remembrance, a night of peace. Shepparton shows welcome to refugees. Hear personal stories of refugees and local Shepparton community members.
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PrayerforEveryone is a global prayer initiative where an estimated 600 million people of faith from around the globe will be praying for wisdom for our world leaders to end extreme poverty and inequality. This is in conjunction with the 17 new Global Sustainable Development Goals which will be announced by the UN very shortly.
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Taken from various sermons and writings (1300-1320) by Meister Eckhart, this sermon focuses on "Let God work in you, give the work to God, and have peace. Don’t worry if He works through your nature or above your nature, because both are His, nature and grace..."
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Bendigo's mayor has been forced to flee a council meeting under police guard after it was stormed by rowdy anti-mosque protesters. The Council had earlier given approval for the Mosque to proceed. Protesters lodged an appeal against the mosque, which was rejected by the VCAT. They have lodged another appeal. The Mayor has also responded to dissemination of misinformation by the protesters.
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Taking up the Welcome to Refugees and #LightTheDark events in Capital Cities and Regional Cities around Australia last week, Shepparton will host LightTheDark Shepparton at Victoria Park Lake on Friday, 18 September at 6PM.
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The St Georges Road Food Festival will take place at the Shopping Centre in St Georges Road on Sunday, 27 September from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
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Are you or a family member a migrant who arrived in Australia by ship and disembarked at Port Melbourne? Multicultural Arts Victoria is interested in hearing your story for possible inclusion in an upcoming arts project. Meet the curator and learn more at the Immigration Museum, Flinders St, Melbourne on Saturday 26 September.
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Human Rights Commissioner, Tim Wilson, is calling for submissions in advance of an inaugural roundtable on religious freedom set to take place in November.
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The Faith Communities Council of Victoria (FCCV) has issued the following statement in response to the Syrian and Iraqi Humanitarian Crisis:
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The Australian Catholic Bishops' 2015 Social Justice Statement on justice for refugees and asylum seekers comes at the right time. The image of the little boy who died in Turkey has stirred effective compassion in Europe for refugees, and has led Australia to increase the number of Syrian refugees it will take.
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Today is RUOK? Day, a mental health initiative to encourage all of us to really engage with one another – our families, friends and colleagues – about the many ups and downs that happen in all of our lives.
GV Disability Expo will be hosted by GV FamilyCare at the McIntosh Centre, Shepparton Showgrounds, on Thursday, 10 September from 9:30 - 5PM
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Islamic leaders have issued a clarion call to 1.6bn Muslims around the world to work towards phasing out greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and a 100% renewable energy strategy. The grand mufti’s of Lebanon and Uganda endorsed the Islamic declaration on climate change, along with prominent Islamic scholars and teachers from 20 countries, at a symposium in Istanbul.
Religious groups should not be able to promote the belief that men are superior to women if Australia wants to address family violence, an inquiry has heard. The use of religion to justify gender inequality or violence against women has largely been ignored in Australia, Victoria's Royal Commission into Family Violence heard on Tuesday. The Australian Muslim Women's Centre for Human Rights submission to the Royal Commission leaves no stone unturned in examining aspects of violence in CALD communities.
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Understanding the factors that underpin social cohesion is crucial to maintaining a functional society and positive future outlook. Since 2007, the Scanlon Foundation has supported Australia’s largest study, monitoring the nation’s attitudes on the issues influencing our cohesion. The Scanlon Foundation has released a discussion paper on Citizenship in order that we might address the concerns about social cohesion.
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