 IThe BMIN Committee will be hosting faith leaders from the diverse Buddhist community organisations in Brimbank and Maribyrnong on Saturday 6 October 2018 between 2 – 4pm in at the Braybrook Community Hub in Braybrook. This meeting will be an opportunity to meet each other and to be introduced to the work of the Brimbank and Maribyrnong Interfaith Network (BMIN). Hosted by three members of the Network, Venerable Phuoc Tan, Abbot of Quang Minh Temple; Colin Reynolds of Salvation Army in Sunshine and Nayran Tabiei, Muslim community leader. This meeting will include presentation, discussions and exchange of ideas about working together in harmony in the western region of Melbourne. Since it was launched in 2010 the BMIN has organised community visits to a range of local Buddhist temples including the Quang Minh Temple in Braybrook, Avalokitesvara Yuan Tong Monastery in Sunshine, Yen Ming Tang Buddhist Meditation Centre in Albion, Phat Quang Buddhist Temple in West Footscray, Lao Buddhist Society in St Albans as well as regional temple such as the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo. The BMIN is the key partner in the upcoming Victorian Interfaith Networks Conference (VINC) is a grass-roots conference which aims to help build the capacity and sustainability of existing interfaith networks, bring people up-to-date with current interfaith matters and provide networking opportunities. This will be held on Sunday, 18 November 2018 in St Albans. The Buddhist community in the western region of Melbourne is growing fast and we would like to strengthen our relationships with and reach out to the broader Buddhist community. Yours sincerely, Barry Palta Chair, Brimbank and Maribyrnong Interfaith Network If you would like to attend this meeting please contact the BMIN council contact Petr Svoboda on 9688 0452 or petr.svoboda@maribyrnong.vic.gov.au
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 You are invited to Walking the Labyrinth: A Spiritual Experience.
This workshop will be part of the Victorian Interfaith Networks Conference (VINC) 2018 but you can attend it as a standalone event. Date: Sunday, 18th of November 2018 Time: 11am-12pm Location: St. Albans Community Centre - 309C Main Rd E, St Albans VIC 3021 The Labyrinth is an ancient symbol known by numerous faiths and cultures. It has been described as a path of prayer, a walking meditation, a crucible of change, a watering hole for the spirit, and even a mirror of the soul. Labyrinths can be used in various ways. Sometimes in just a general way - time out to refresh, renew, slow down, refocus. Sometimes people have an issue or a decision to make, wisdom they require, a heavy concern they are carrying, and they use the Labyrinth as a spiritual discipline seeking guidance or enlightenment. The Labyrinth is not a maze. A maze is a puzzle to be solved, it tries to trick and tease you. A Labyrinth has no tricks and no dead ends. It has a single circuitous path that winds its way from the entrance to the centre and returns you back safely. Once you put your foot in, the Labyrinth becomes your friend – it will guide you in and out. There are no set rituals for walking a Labyrinth. It is a spiritual experience, so whatever is helpful for you is right. Reverend Ray Gormann, from Brimbank & Maribyrnong Interfaith Network and Sunshine Uniting Church, will lead an introduction to this workshop followed by a silent contemplation as we walk the Labyrinth. Click here to read further information on a Labyrinth  Brimbank & Maribyrnong Interfaith Network & City of Brimbank in association with Faith Communities Council of Victoria will be hosting the 2018 Victorian Interfaith Networks Conference.
The Victorian Interfaith Networks Conference (VINC) is a grass-roots conference which aims to help build the capacity and sustainability of existing multifaith/interfaith networks, bring people up-to-date with current multifaith/interfaith matters and provide networking opportunities. Date: Sunday, November 18th 2018 Time: 12:00pm - 4:30pm Location: St. Albans Community Centre - 309C Main Rd E, St Albans VIC 3021 (see Google Maps location) Schedule:
Enrolment for workshops and plenary sessions to be made on the day of event so please arrive early to enrol in your preferred workshop or session.
Registration: To register for the event go to http://www.vinc.eventbrite.com.au and click on the green Register button  Saturday 4 August over 50 people gathered at Avalokitesvara Yuan Tong Monastery in Sunshine for Gift of Life Forum.
Participants were welcomed by the Abbess Venerable Jue Chu who introduced the Mayor of Brimbank City Council Cr Margaret Giudice who emphasised the important of hosting this forum. Dr Frobes McGain, an anaesthetist and intensive care physician working at Western Health, introduced participants to the key facts and reasons why we need Donate Life campaign. Participants then enjoyed dance performance which was followed by a short 2 minute video introduction to the BMIN committee. This was followed by five short speeches by BMIN members who explained why they think their faith traditions welcome and encourage organ and tissue donation. The forum then proceeded to present perspectives from a donor’s family which was presented by Monia Choudhary. Two more performances of flute by Megan Kenny and dance performance by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints concluded this successful event. On Thursday 31 May 2018 BMIN has celebrated Reconciliation Week and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and the ongoing contributions they make. Organised in partnership with Duke Street Community House this event included free lunch and activities at Matthews Hill Reserve including Traditional Games, Aboriginal face-painting and arts and crafts. Hamsa Farah, a member of the Brimbank Maribyrnong Interfaith Network, Environmental Scientist and a Muslim community member talked about relate his understanding of the Muslim faith to the building reconciliation with Aboriginal people. On Sunday 15 April 2018 the Brimbank Maribyrnong Interfaith Network (BMIN) took part in in the second annual Victorian Mosque Open Day. A bus of 40 participants visited the Australian Islamic Centre of Newport.
The group heard the interesting story of building this great place of worship which contains no traditional minaret or domes. The new center is now able to accommodate for multiple community uses enabling many more women to participate in the Friday prayers and will have new classrooms for religious and wider community use, along with a ground-floor commercial cafe and catering facilities. We also enjoyed the activities which included hijab demonstration and henna painting for women and Arabic calligraphy. The hosts provided BBQ sausages and drinks for all. The Mosque Open Day is state-wide annual event, run by Islamic Council of Victoria’s (ICV) is supported by the Victorian Multicultural Commission and Victorian Government (Office of Multicultural Affairs and Social Cohesion). See more on ICV facebook page. Harmony dinner celebrating World Interfaith Harmony Week 2018 Hosted by My Community Voice convened by MiCare.
On 5 February, Brimbank Council, My Community Voice network, and MiCare hosted the Brimbank and Maribyrnong Interfaith Network (BMIN) in recognising World Interfaith Harmony Week (WIHW), an Annual UN Observance Week. James (above), MiCare’s Youth and Communities Program Co-ordinator, welcomes our attendees and thanks them for coming to the event. The event involves a discussion between the networks about their activities, presentations from the BMIN and a cultural dinner funded by Brimbank council. The My Community Voice network has membership of new and emerging group leaders from a multiplicity of backgrounds such as Iraq Syriac, Persian, Hazara, Sayed, Chin, Ethopian, Liberian, Sierra Leonean, Pashtun, Tibetan and Somalian. Ray Gorman is the pastor of Sunshine Uniting Church and is one of the members of BMIN. Ray tells us about his life as he was growing up and how he came to join BMIN. Ray tells us he grew up in Melbourne’s South Eastern suburbs. As a child he remembers being told to stay away from the city’s western suburbs because it was regarded as “the rough side of town”. However, in later years his work brought him to the other side of Melbourne. Ray instantly felt the community friendliness and fell in love with the multicultural diversity of the people who lived in these areas. Ray eventually based himself in Sunshine for work and now lives in Footscray. Nayran is one of the members of BMIN. Despite cultural and religious differences she and other attendees connected through their stories as refugees coming to Australia and the hardships and difficulties they faced. They also shared their experience of war and its devastating effect on their people in their home countries. Nearing the end of the event was the cultural dinner. Our amazing staff member, Sanaz, put together an absolutely fragrant and delicious shared meal that was both Halal and vegetarian friendly. As our attendees mingled and chatted many also went for second helpings and some even went for thirds in between conversations. Thank you, Sanaz for the yummy spread.  25 December 2017
Much thanks to our faithful team of volunteers who made this year's Sunshine Salvos Community Christmas Lunch such a wonderful event! With around 100 adults and children enjoying fine food, finer company and toys for all the kids we had a great afternoon. Today we were supported by our Quang Minh Buddhist friends, our Uniting Church, Lutheran and Latter-Day Saints friends and also our friends from the Sikh Community. We might come from different faith traditions but we all stand equally side-by-side serving our local Sunshine-Brimbank community. May this Christmas be a time of peace and harmony between all people of all faiths. Colin Reynolds (Lieutenant) Corps Officer Sunshine Corps | Central Victoria Division The Salvation Army | Australia Southern Territory 42 Devonshire Road Sunshine 3020|PO Box 316, Sunshine VIC 3020 On Saturday, 11 November 2017, the Brimbank and Maribyrnong Interfaith Network (BMIN) visited Bendigo, Victoria. A group of 25 people visited Bendigo for a guided tour of the Sacred Heart Cathedral (Sandhurst Diocese) in Bendigo. After morning tea and lunch provided by the Cathedral volunteers, the group moved to Great Stupa of Universal Compassion and took part of guided tours around the grounds of the Atisha Buddhist Centre Bendigo and the Stupa itself. Enjoy the highlights from the visit.
On Tuesday the 15 of August, Maribyrnong Youth Services, in partnership with the the Brmbank Maribyrnong Interfaith Network organised a multi-faith dinner for young people in Maribyrnong. The event brought 58 young people together to discuss what it like is for a young person to believe in a faith in 2017. Throughout the night, Maribyrnong Youth Services alongside the Maribyrnong Youth advisory Committee (MYAC), customized activities like bingo and trivia to explore topics with other young people, using interactive games and discussions about the value of believing in a faith. The event focused on allowing the young people to share similarities between their religious and spiritual beliefs and hear from a keynote speaker Nivy Balachandran, Coordinator at United Religious Initiative and delegate at the 2016 Paris Climate Change Conference speaker. |
AuthorBMIN Team administration coordinates and promotes the events and initiatives on behalf f BMIN Committee. Archives
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