Sunday, August 1st, 2010: Lake Oswego OR New Thought CSL

*James will have just returned from his month long international projects in Israel/Palestine and Rwanda, joining warring sides in peace and reconciliation dialogue. He will be honored at this event with the "Champion of Forgiveness" award and will have many stories of hope, possibility and openings coming from these places of great strife.

Where: New Thought Center for Spiritual Living,

1040 C Ave, Lake Oswego OR 503-296-9922

When: Sunday, August 1^st

• Regular services: Celebration, Music, Honoring and Surprise Internationally known guests with brief comments from O’Dea regarding afternoon talk and Q&A.
• Afternoon lecture/Q&A with O’Dea 2-5PM: “Healing the Global Heart: Forgiveness and Reconciliation from a variety of perspectives across the globe”

Cost: Morning services no cost. $25 afternoon lecture with James O’Dea includes book and discount entry to November Conference

Contact: For event-Noel McInnis 503-570-4331 or noelmcinnis.is@gmail.com

For media interviews with Mr. O’Dea-Publicist Mali Rowan 208-891-4522 or mali@malirowanpresents.com

Brief Description: The New Thought Center for Spiritual Living of Lake Oswego will host the 2^nd Annual International Forgiveness Day Celebration and will honor James O’Dea with the “Champion of Forgiveness” award, which Marianne Williamson received in 2009. O’Dea spent June and July 2010 in Israel/Palestine and Rwanda on a Kalliopeia Foundation-funded project with Dr. Judith Thompson, bringing together warring groups in both regions for conflict resolution and peacemaking sessions. His peace and reconciliation work has taken him all over the world and he has also spent decades leading organizations such as Amnesty International and IONS (founded by Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell). O’Dea recently published Creative Stress: A Path for Evolving Souls Living through Personal and Planetary Upheaval, offering a fresh take on stress and how it can be seen as our greatest teacher.

***

Details regarding the Worldwide Forgiveness Alliance: The Worldwide Forgiveness Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the principle that teaching forgiveness and nonviolence are forces for peace, physical healing and psychological equilibrium. The Worldwide Forgiveness Alliance seeks to prove that creating the “life skills of forgiveness and nonviolence” will reduce conflict and violence, alleviate stress, improve health and create a more abundant and empowered perspective on life. The Worldwide Forgiveness Alliance is also presently conducting forgiveness seminars for abused women, the elderly and to middle school youth.

Founded in 1996 by Executive Director, Robert W. Plath, one of the primary goals is to establish International Forgiveness Day as a globally celebrated holiday.  International Forgiveness Day, annually, is designated as the first Sunday in August. Last year, various groups in 20 U.S. cities and 9 countries held events celebrating International Forgiveness Day. The focus of the International Forgiveness Day celebration is to honor those identified as Heroes and Champions of Forgiveness, Nonviolence and Peace. These people exemplify the power and benefits of the healing power and benefits of forgiveness and nonviolence.  They also serve as outstanding role models, which are so desperately needed.

And from http://www.forgivenessalliance.org/aboutus.html

Mission Statement

The Worldwide Forgiveness Alliance is a non-profit 501(c)3 tax-deductible organization whose mission is to evoke the healing spirit of Forgiveness worldwide.  We declare that “Forgiveness Is the Greatest Healer of Them All”¹ and that “Without Forgiveness There Is No Future”².

To accomplish this far-reaching mission we have set the following goals:

1. To establish an International Forgiveness Day in every village and hamlet across the world by the year 2025.
2. To bring the curative powers of forgiveness to the elderly, to youth, to chemically dependent and/or abused women, men and children through classes, workshops and seminars.
3. To promote the practice of forgiveness as a Life Skill and to develop curriculum, classes and workshops for children, youth and adults of all ages.
4. To develop training programs to certify counselors as “Forgiveness Life Skill Teachers.”
5. To create forgiveness workshops and seminars in corporations to effectuate breakthroughs and help increase net profits.  The benefits of forgiveness training breakthroughs make possible more creative, stress-free and happy job relationships which can increase net profits.
6. To promote and publicize the research findings that Forgiveness creates better health, abundance and ease, more joy, greater optimism and hope and lessens depression, stress, illness, disease.  Forgiveness also opens one to more lasting, happy, supportive relationships.
7. To help develop and conduct further research to quantify and codify the powerful effects of the applied practice of forgiveness in a multiplicity of settings.
8. To create entertainment/learning events (Forgiveness Film Festivals, Forgiveness Concerts, etc) in communities around the world.

¹ Dr. Gerald Jampolsky

² Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Workshop: 2-5pm with James

With Dr. David York (http://www.feedyourears.com), the Music Director of New Thought Center for Spiritual Living, Lake Oswego, OR (www.newthoughtcsl.org) Rev. Noel McInnis will co-produce two morning services in celebration of International Forgiveness Day (www.forgivenessalliance.org/day.html).

During each service, in place of the customary encouragement  there will be a brief review of the history of International Forgiveness Day and an introduction of James O'Dea who will briefly share what he will be presenting at the afternoon IFD workshop program on the subject of “Healing the Global Heart: Forgiveness and Reconciliation from a variety of perspectives across the planet” 2-5pm. James will also be honored with the Champion of Peace, Reconciliation and Forgiveness Award

Questions? Email Noel McInnis