Future Events
July 2012
Centre for Ecumenical Studies is offering
Looking Beyond Division - A Five-day Winter School introducing the Study of Ecumenism
Monday 23rd - Friday 27th July 2012 at the Adelaide College of Divinity
For more information please contact Rev Dr Ray Williamson on 02 6272 6213 or raywilliamson@csu.edu.au
April 2012
The Stations of the Cross
When: 11am, Friday 6 April 2012
Where: The Chapel, Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture, 15 Blackall Street, Barton, ACT
The Stations of the Cross is a major ecumenical service held each year on Good Friday. It is organised by St. Christopher's Cathedral in conjuction with the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture (ACC&C).
The Stations of the Cross involves a re-enactment of the last days before Jesus' death and then his resurrection. Costumed actors play the key people in the Easter story. Beginning in the Chapel, the procession moves about the grounds of the ACC&C.
This moving service uses the ecumenical version of the Stations of the Cross from the World Council of Churches, with local church leaders from around the ACT taking part.
The service will be approximately one hour. All are very welcome to attend.
Christians for an Ethical Society
2012 Forum Series on Where Lies Happiness? Recovering Community
Freedom to lead a life we have reason to Value: The social causes of Health and Wellbeing
Speaker:
Professor Sharon Friel, Professor of Health Equity & ARC Future Fellow, ANU College of Medicine, Biology & Environment
When: 7:30pm Thursday, 19 April 2012
Where: The Chapel, Australian Centre for Christianity and
Culture, 15 Blackall Street, Barton
March 2012
God and Science Seminar: In the Pulpit
A discussion for Christian leaders.
A seminar to arm you with the information and tools to address issues and questions by your congregation.
An initiative of the Graeme Clark Research Institute at Tabor Adelaide along with the John Templeton Foundation and ISCAST.
About the Seminar
Christian leaders find themselves in a unique role as those who speak with authority in the congregation and come across questions about science and faith they may not have the resources to answer. Christian leaders need to know how to respond to genuine questions from their congregational members in an informed and pastoral manner.
The debate about creation and evolution remains a contentious issue, and contemporary concerns coupled with technological advances often add to the dilemma for many Christians.
Science can be uncomfortable topic within the church community but it need not be. Christian leaders need a framework for thinking through the hype surrounding these topics in order to identify the genuine core concerns.
This seminar series will assist in creating a conversation and dialogue on how to discuss these issues with your congregation in an open and honest way.
Presenter:Mr Chris Mulherin
Date: Monday, March 26
Meeting Time: 3:00pm - Pastors and Church Leaders
7:00pm - Principals and School Teachers
Venue: The Chapel, Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture, 15 Blackall Street, Barton ACT (Cnr Kings Avenue)
Cost and Booking:
God and Science: In the Pulpit is a free seminar and includes light refreshments on the day. However a donation of $10 per attendee would be gratefully accepted. All bookings and donations can be made online atwww.taboradelaide.edu.au
God and Science: In the Pulpit brochure
God and Science: In the Classroom
A discussion for school teachers and education support staff. A seminar to arm you with the information and tools to address student issues and questions.
An initiative of the Graeme Clark Research Institute at Tabor Adelaide along with the John Templeton Foundation and ISCAST.
About the Seminar
Christian school teachers find themselves in a unique role as those who speak with authority in the classroom and at times they may not have the resources to answer. Teachers need to know how to respond to genuine questions from their students in an informed and intelligent way.
The debate about creation and evolution remains a contentious issue, and contemporary concerns coupled with technological advances often add to the dilemma for many young Christian people.
Science can be uncomfortable topic in Christian schools but it need not be. Christian school teachers need a framework for thinking through the hype surrounding these topics in order to identify the genuine core concerns.
This seminar series will assist in creating a conversation and dialogue on how to discuss these issues with your students in an open and honest way.
Presenter: Mr Chris Mulherin
Date: Monday, March 26
Meeting Time: 3:00pm - Pastors and Church Leaders
7:00pm - Principals and School Teachers
Venue: The Chapel, Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture, 15 Blackall Street, Barton ACT (Cnr Kings Avenue)
Cost and Booking:
God and Science: In the Pulpit is a free seminar and includes light refreshments on the day. However a donation of $10 per attendee would be gratefully accepted. All bookings and donations can be made online at www.taboradelaide.edu.au
God and Science: In the Classroom brochure
Regular Events
Keep your eyes open for news of these events, which take place on a recurring basis at the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture (ACC&C).
Commonwealth Day Multifaith Celebration
The Commonwealth is an association of 53 nations bound together by common values and traditions, working together for peace, liberty and economic and social progress in the Modern world. The Commonwealth Day Multifaith event held at the ACC&C celebrates this multicultural bond and aims to support the work of the Commonwealth as an active and relevant international organisation working to address the problems and challenges confronting the global community.
The Commonwealth Day Multifaith Celebration is an excellent event for all the family. It is held in the Chapel of the ACC&C on an annual basis in March. Each year, the Commonwealth Day celebration focuses on a particular social theme. In 2008, the theme was 'The Environment -- Our Future', and in 2009 was 'The Commonwealth @ 60 -- Serving a New Generation'.
The celebration includes addresses from the local leaders of the major World Religions, a message from The Queen, Indigenous Australian participation and Commonwealth cultural performances, including singing, music and dance. Photographs of previous Commonwealth Day performances at the ACC&C can be viewed in the Photo Gallery. Political and community leaders, schoolchildren and Commonwealth diplomats representing their member countries will be present.
The Commonwealth Day Multifaith Celebration is organised by The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) and The Commonwealth Round Table in Australia (CRTA) in conjunction with the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture (ACC&C).
St Patrick's Day Ecumenical Service
St Patrick's Day has come to be associated with everything Irish: anything green, shamrocks and good luck.
But St Patrick's Day is also a time to remember the legend and history of St Patrick, Ireland's Patron Saint. He was kidnapped as a teenager by Irish pirates and exploited as a slave for six years. After making a daring escape, he chose to go back to his kidnappers and extended to them the hand of forgiveness and friendship. He spent the rest of his life sharing with them the thing he valued most - his faith.
As a tribute to St Patrick, the Canberra Friends of Ireland Society holds an annual lunchtime Ecumenical Service in the Chapel of the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture
Representatives from the Embassy of Ireland and diplomatic missions of other countries with historic ties to Ireland are invited, and Canberra's Irish organisations, the Celtic Choir and Irish traditional musicians, provide music, poetry and song.
Many people in the Canberra region have an Irish connection. In the spirit of St Patrick, the Friends of Ireland Society and the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture extend a warm welcome to them, and to everyone with an interest in things Irish, to join this special celebration.
Speeches from previous St Patrick's Day Ecumenical Services can be found on this website under Papers and Publications. Look out for more information on our home page as St Patrick's Day approaches.
Stations of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross is a major annual ecumenical service held each year on Good Friday. It is organised in conjunction with St Christopher's Cathedral.
The Stations of the Cross involves a re-enactment of the last days before Jesus death and resurrection. Costumed actors play the key people in the Easter story. Beginning in the Chapel, the procession moves about the grounds of the ACC&C, incorporating the significant spiritual landmarks of the Pilgrim Walk. It is a moving experience, and a way to remember the significance of the public holiday in real terms.
The service uses the ecumenical version of the Stations of the Cross from the World Council of Churches. Local church leaders from around the ACT will conduct the service, and all are very welcome to attend.
Christians for an Ethical Society (CES) Forums
Christians for an Ethical Society is a Canberra-based organisation that is an associate member of the Council of Churches of the Australian Capital Territory and a working group of the New South Wales Ecumenical Council. It holds forums in the Chapel of the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture in order to consider and discuss social justice issues currently relevant to the community.
The motivation for CES was a growing concern that a narrow range of personal moral issues, largely concerned with sex and the beginning and end of life, have increasingly come to be portrayed as the totality of the Christian view. Scriptural imperatives to love your neighbour and to care for the downtrodden and the 'stranger in your midst' are increasingly ignored as core Christian values by the media, the general public and, sadly, by some Christians. The CES aims to promote a more accurate, balanced view of Christianity and to emphasise that social justice is an essential part of Christianity.
Central to their interpretation of an ethical society is the idea of the common good, which requires consideration of the well-being of all in the community, be it the local community, the national community or the world community, and regardless of race or religion. This common good includes our responsibility to future generations who will have to live in the world we leave behind.
The CES public forums aim to raise the level of knowledge and understanding of the community on key social justice issues and their Christian ethical basis. They understand that social justice is not the monopoly of Christianity, and that it is also supported by the values of other religions and secular ethical systems. Information on upcoming CES forums at the ACC&C will be displayed on our Home Page. All are welcome to attend forums. Recordings of previous forums are for sale, and can be bought from the CES website, at www.ces.org.au.