Interfaith leaders and the G8 — A Call to Action

A Dinner Invitation

You are invited… with other Anglicans, other Christians, and other people of faith, to host a dinner in your community and to invite your Member of Parliament.
You can do this any time between now and June 20, 2010.
And when you gather to break bread, you are invited to talk with your interfaith neighbours and your MP about what unites you as people of faith, and what message you want to send together to the Prime Minister in anticipation of the G8 and G20 summits.
INTERFAITH SUMMIT AND STATEMENT
The G8 and G20 summits meet this year in Canada, from June 25-27, 2010 in Huntsville and Toronto, Ontario.

In the week leading up to the G8/G20 summits, from June 21-23, 2010, faith leaders from the Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Baha’i, Aboriginal and other religious traditions will meet at the University of Winnipeg, with leadership from our own Primate, Archbishop Fred Hiltz.   Together they will discuss ways to communicate with world leaders and press them for action on the 2010 Interfaith Statement, A Time for Inspired Leadership and Action, released in October 2009.

The statement requests world leaders to:
1.  Address poverty;
2.  Care for our earth;
3.  Invest in peace.

INTERFAITH PARTNERS and OTHERS AT THE TABLE

The Interfaith Statement, the interfaith dinners, and the Interfaith Leaders’ Summit are initiatives of Interfaith Partners www.faithchallengeg8.com, a consortium of groups and organizations convened by the Canadian Council of Churches, of which the Anglican Church of Canada is a member.

At the same time, there is a global 2010 Civil Society campaign, At the Table, www.atthetable2010.org with leadership from Make Poverty History Canada and World Vision Canada.  This campaign is making more focused and specific asks with events that could complement or supplement the initiatives of Interfaith Partners.

For more information about the At the Table campaign, contact Dennis Howlett, Make Poverty History Canada at [email protected] or Doug Blackburn, World Vision Canada at [email protected]

ARCHBISHOP FRED’S LEADERSHIP
Since his election in 2007, and especially after attending Lambeth in 2008, our Primate has spoken about the Millennium Development Goals
http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals with a strong and prophetic voice.  He has encouraged Anglicans to find out more about the goals, to support them, and to press our government to take its part in the world stage and to ensure the goals are met by 2015 http://www.anglican.ca/mission/action/documents/mdgletterGoC.pdf    His agreement to lead the 2010 Interfaith Leaders’ Summit is something Anglicans can be proud of as it signals his and our commitment to a world of abudance, peace, and justice.

R.S.V.P.
Your involvement in hosting or participating in an interfaith dinner, meal, or reception in your community, and the message you send to your Member of Parliament, will be a public act of commitment to the Millennium Development Goals and to the values we deeply hold as Anglicans and Christians.  It will show your support for the Primate in his leadership role, and will help to pave the way toward stronger interfaith collaboration in the future.

LOOK FOR RESOURCES
If you and others in your community decide to host a dinner, there is a resource kit with guidelines and everything you need to know on-line at http://www.faithchallengeg8.com/home.html

There will also be a petition to sign and send in to indicate your support.
Let us know your plans!  It will help us track these events across Canada and help the Primate and the office of General Synod know how many Anglicans are involved.  You may send word to Meagan Blais at [email protected]