Happy Birth Day URI
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It was fourteen years ago,
in the year 2000, on June 26 that the URI Charter was signed. A unique
international organisation was born. As the founder president Bishop William
Swing always mentions, it all started with a phone call from the United Nations
in 1993, asking him to organise a thanks giving prayer in San Francisco, to
mark the 50th year of the Charter signing of The UN. The prayer was very well
organised, but the mission was not complete. The bishop asked himself: "If
the nations of the world are working together for peace through the UN, where
are the world's religions?"
It put him on a long journey, which he reminded us again today here at the Santa Clara University , California where the URI Global Council members and Staff are meeting together. Today United Religions Initiative has units in more than 84 countries, and it is one of the fast growing international organisations with more than 620 cooperation circles, big and small. An active partner of the United Nations in peace building, URI has spread its wings to multifarious avenues like environmental concerns, disarmament, women's issues, indigenous support, grass roots development, capacity building and so on.
We have to remember all our former stalwarts who are members of the Celestial CC, who held this Movement dear to their hearts. We thank all our dear leaders who struggled a lot in the initial years to sail the URI boat to a safer shore, braving the waves of times. How can we forget Canon Rev. Dr. Charles Gibbs, who served as Executive Director for seventeen years, who traversed the globe to conquer the hearts? The first Global Council Chairperson Rita Semele and Yoland Trevino who followed her played excellent role in leading people of all Faiths together in a fruitful pilgrimage. The present GC chairperson Kiran Bali and the New Executive Director Rev. Victor Kazanjian bring in a lot of dynamism and enthusiasm commingled with expertise and talents. We are grateful to Debra Bernstein also for her sincere contributions.
We are conscious of the great support of our benefactors and members of the President's Council, but for whose unstinted care, this organisation would not have reached anywhere. Let us bow down our head before the magnanimity of all those people around the world for whom URI is a passion. They are the back bone of this Movement nonpareil.
Happy Birth Day, URI.
Abraham Karickam
It put him on a long journey, which he reminded us again today here at the Santa Clara University , California where the URI Global Council members and Staff are meeting together. Today United Religions Initiative has units in more than 84 countries, and it is one of the fast growing international organisations with more than 620 cooperation circles, big and small. An active partner of the United Nations in peace building, URI has spread its wings to multifarious avenues like environmental concerns, disarmament, women's issues, indigenous support, grass roots development, capacity building and so on.
We have to remember all our former stalwarts who are members of the Celestial CC, who held this Movement dear to their hearts. We thank all our dear leaders who struggled a lot in the initial years to sail the URI boat to a safer shore, braving the waves of times. How can we forget Canon Rev. Dr. Charles Gibbs, who served as Executive Director for seventeen years, who traversed the globe to conquer the hearts? The first Global Council Chairperson Rita Semele and Yoland Trevino who followed her played excellent role in leading people of all Faiths together in a fruitful pilgrimage. The present GC chairperson Kiran Bali and the New Executive Director Rev. Victor Kazanjian bring in a lot of dynamism and enthusiasm commingled with expertise and talents. We are grateful to Debra Bernstein also for her sincere contributions.
We are conscious of the great support of our benefactors and members of the President's Council, but for whose unstinted care, this organisation would not have reached anywhere. Let us bow down our head before the magnanimity of all those people around the world for whom URI is a passion. They are the back bone of this Movement nonpareil.
Happy Birth Day, URI.
Abraham Karickam
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