Prayers
The following prayers were offered by
spiritual leaders of our annual
United Religions Initiative
New Year's Eve gathering of 2008:

Sky, organizer of our first walk December 31st, 1999, shared the purpose statement of the URI and offered a prayer.

Rev. Karen Lindquist offered an opening prayer;
"May the Holy Spirit of Wisdom awaken us to a deeper sense of our relationship with the Earth, with each other, and with the hidden dimensions of life still veiled from our sight." (excerpt of prayer by Anne Baring)

Bahai Faith Representative: Nancy Coleman offered a Prayer for Mankind written by 'Abdu'l-Baha,:
"...O Thou kind Lord! Unite all. Let the religions agree and make the nations one, so that they may see each other as one family and the whole earth as one home. May they all live together in perfect harmony..."

Buddhist Representative: Sibyl Lundy shared
The Dedication of Merit from the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying: "By the power and truth of this practice:
May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness; May all be free from sorrow, and the causes of sorrow; May all never be separated from the sacred happiness which is sorrowless; And may all live in equanimity, without too much attachment and too
much aversion, And live believing in the equality of all that lives."

Catholic Youth: Anastasia Lindquist shared a short story called "The Sacrafice Flower." It was a story of gratitude and appreciation.

First Peoples: Rev Debra Lajimodiere
Opened and closed the prayer segment of our gathering with a 4 directions prayer.

Goddess: Suzanna McCarthy shared a prayer honoring the Great Mother and invited us to participate in the ancient tradition of honoring the Divine Feminine; "Mother, Father help us, your children, to create a just and peaceful world."

Islam: Jamal Rahman shared a sura from the Qur'an; God created diversity that we might get to know one another. Jamal stated that the key to resolving conflicts of every kind is to create a personal friendship with the other. In this context differences do not loom as a threat.

Judaism: Jon & Tova Ramer shared a song "I Am Alive," weaving additional songs of unity and peace throughout the service."Shalom, Salaam, Peace..."

Unitarian Universalist: Steven Greenebaum shared A Prayer for the New Year by Kathleen McTique that concluded with the following sentence: "...The new year can be new ground for the seeds of our dreams. Let us take the step forward together onto new ground, planting our dreams well, faithfully, and in joy."

Vedic Tradition: Yanadevi Viniko could not be with us for this event, but had planned to offer a Sanskrit Peace Prayer that ended with this statement: "...May the world be ever filled with Peace and Joy, Love and Light. Om Shanthi Shanthi Shanthi."

Wicca Tradition: Lila Rapcewicz shared a song:
We are alive as the Earth is alive,
We have the power to fight for our freedom,
If we have courage we can be healers,
like the sun we shall rise.

The URI Charter was developed through a four year global chartering process by several hundred women, men, and youth representing a diverse array of religions, spiritual paths and indigenous traditions. It inspires, grounds and guides all URI activity.
Download the full Charter