Friday, September 15, 2006

NSP Maryland Meetings in September 06

Saturday - - September 15, 10 AM to noon
Baltimore City/County NSP
Stony Run Friends Meeting, 5116 N. Charles Street, Baltimore MD
for info email Jerry at jraitzyk@hotmail.com

Saturday, September 15 10 AM to noon
Southern MD NSP
Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis
333 DuBois Road, Annapolis, MD
Meeting will be held in the Emerson Room of the Fahs House. The Fahs House is the building adjacent to the main church building.
http://www.toad.net/~uuca/htm/directions.htm
Contact Lex Robertson alexxina@gmail.com

Monday, September 18 at 7:30 pm
Montgomery/PG (MPG) NSP
Paint Branch Unitarian Universalist Church
3215 Powder Mill Road, Adelphi, Maryland 20783-1097
DIRECTIONS: http://www.pbuuc.org/info/directions/index.html
Info email: mpg.nsp@gmail.com

Sunday, September 24 at 6:30pm
Howard County NSP
The Meeting House in Oakland Mills
5885 Robert Oliver Place
Columbia, Maryland 21045
http://www.themeetinghouse.org/
Phone on Site - 410-730-4090 or 301-596-6458
info email: nspmaryland@gmail.com

Tuesday, Sept 26 - 7 to 9 pm Discussions based on NSP conference recordings. Great introduction to NSP by viewing/hearing speaches from national conferences. Sponsored by Baltimore NSP and open to all. At: Stony Run Friends Meeting: 5116 N. Charles Street, Baltimore MD - For info email Jerry at jraitzyk@hotmail.com

See also events marking the international day of peace September 21 in Greenbelt MD and DC and a Friends Day of Peace in Marriotsville MD on September 23. For details click here.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Rabbi Lerner calls for NSP Social Repentance discussion during the High Holy Days

According to Rabbi Michael Lerner, you don't have to be Jewish to find spiritual value in rituals of repentance. Click here to see his profound article on the NSP ZAADZ page.

As Rabbi Lerner says: "This year every American has plenty of reason to repent-and our society desperately needs a time for collective reflection on how we have gotten to where we are and how we might turn things around."

"Wouldn't it be amazing if we could use this time period to ask every institution in American society to dedicate ten days to reflection on the degree to which it is currently livng up to its own highest ideals."

Join us for this discussion online on ZAADZ or in our local NSP chapters meetings.

And note opportunites for a day of A Day of Silent Meditation, Prayer and Fasting for Peace and Social Justice on Sat, Sept 23rd Sponsored by Patapsco Friends Meeting. For info click here.

Baltimore Tikkun- 9/17 Talk on Latest from the Middle East

Dr. Robert Freedman, author, scholar and former president of Baltimore Hebrew University, will give a talk on Sunday, Sept. 17th on the latest developments in the Middle East.

The talk is sponsored by NSP's sister organization, the Baltimore chapter of Tikkun, and will be held at 7 pm at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, Slade Avenue at Park Heights. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact balt_tikkun@yahoo.com.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Green Festival in DC Oct. 14-15, 2006

The Green Festival brings environmental awareness to audiences of citizens and consumers through a combined trade fair and conference. Over 300 exhibitors will show their products and services for a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle. The conference will include presentations by Lester Brown, Helen Caldicott, and David Korten, among many others. More information about the event is at:
http://www.greenfestivals.org The Green Festival is a joint project of Global Exchange and Co-Op America

David Korten is author of The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community , a book Rabbi Lerner has recommended and which some NSP'ers in Maryland are reading now. According to David Korten'sweb site, he'll be there on October 15.

Peace Vigils & Events on 9/21 In Greenbelt, Takoma Park & DC & Friends Day for Peace 9/23 at Marriotsville

The Network of Spiritual Progressives supports the Declaration of
Peace
, a national popular movement to set a timetable to end the U.S. occupation of Iraq and support our troops.

During September 21, the International Day of Peace, events are planned all over the world, including a press conference in Washington, D.C.

In Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties, we have an opportunity to attend a candlelight vigil for peace at the Greenbelt Community Center.

What? Candlelight vigil for peace
Where? Greenbelt Community Center Lawn, 11 Crescent Rd., Greenbelt MD
Who? Prince Georges County Peace and Justice Coalition
When? 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
More information: justpeacepg@earthlink.net

International Day of Peace celebrated in TakomaPark MD
Location: Takoma Park Presbyterian Church , 310 Tulip Avenue, Takoma Park, MD 20912. For directions click here .
Time: 7Pm - Ecumenical service at 7 PM. Followed by a potluck dinner where local religious congregations and the Takoma Park Peace Council will meet together to discuss ways to be a more effective force for peace.
The Labyrinth will be available from 6-9 PM. .For more information and background on the International Day of Peace, see
www.internationaldayofpeace.org.

For additional International Day of Peace events in Maryland in places like Annapolis, Baltimore, Bowie, Glen Burnie, New Windsor,Towson, Vienna and Westminster click here .

ALSO IN DC:
Sep 21 2006 - 6:00pm - 7:30 pm
Location:
St. Thomas Episcopal Church's park
18th & Church Streets (Between P St. & Q St., NW)
Washington, DC, 20009
United States
"We Declare Peace With Iraq!": A candlelight peace vigil expressing the call of The Declaration of Peace and the desire of many for an end to the occupation of Iraq, withdrawal of US military forces and closure of US bases, return of Iraqi sovereignty with justice for the people of Iraq will be held in the park next to St. Thomas Episcopal Church on 18th Street between P & Q Streets, NW Washington DC (across the street from the Embassy of Iraq). The vigil will begin at 6PM. Bring your candles or flashlights. - Peace and Social Concerns Committee: Friends Meeting of Washington

AND in the Spirit of Rabbi Lerner's call for reflection and social repentance consider:

A Day of Silent Meditation, Prayer and Fasting for Peace and Social Justice
Saturday, September 23, 2006, 7am-7pm
Bon Secours Spiritual Center, Marriottsville, Maryland

On Saturday, September 23, from daylight to dusk, Patapsco Friends Meeting is holding a day of silent meditation, prayer, and fasting to witness to our concerns for the policies and actions of our country both at home and abroad.

We seek to make available to all who have need of it, a still place and time to recollect that our country, which has so much potential for good, is currently promoting war, injustice, intolerance, economic inequality, and environmental destruction.

We trust that in the silence we may clarify our vision for our country and the world and be shown how to be more effective witnesses for the necessity to love each other and our earth.

September 23 is the first day of fall. This is a time of spiritual significance and renewal for many traditions, marked by Rosh Hashanah and Ramadan, among other holidays. This day also follows the United Nations International Day of Peace on September 21.

We invite you to join with us at the Bon Secours Spiritual Center. Come when you can. Stay for as long as you need—or participate from wherever you may be, and to whatever extent and manner you wish.

House Parties to Train Progressive Leaders on September 21

The Center for Progressive Leadership Action Network is connecting progressive leaders across the country to opportunities to work on issues of the day, advocate for causes, lead campaigns, and create the America of our dreams.

The Sierra Club, Code Pink, Wellstone Action and others are part of this network which is holding trainings in a series of house parties across the country on September 21.
Right now, the closest house party for us in Maryland is in DC. See details here.

We have our NSP Spiritual Covenent vision - could we also do "house parties" around our vision and perspective?