Front Page

World Council of Churches to Tackle Violence Head on

November 27, 2003, Yaounde, Cameroon - Taking on the significant role of World Council of Churches General Secretary in January 2004 presents enormous challenges for Dr. Samuel Kobia. A priority that has been endorsed over and over again at the All Africa Conference of Churches 8th Assembly, meeting here, is the pressing issue of violence which continues to affect not only Africa, but the world. Dr. Kobia said the WCC's program to overcome violence intends to provide leadership as well as a basis for networking between countries that have been successful in their own context of stemming violence.

Court Approves $1 Million Settlement in Camp Rape Case

November 20, 2003, NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A Tennessee court has approved a $1 million settlement in the case of a 12-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted at a United Methodist church camp in 2001. The settlement, signed Nov. 19 in the 2nd Circuit Court for Davidson County, resolves a lawsuit for negligence brought by the girl's family against the denomination's Tennessee Annual (regional) Conference. The conference operates Camp Cedar Crest in middle Tennessee, where the assault occurred. "We were grieved by the whole situation and regretted very deeply all that took place," said Bishop William Morris, in an interview earlier in the month. Morris leads the annual conference. The conference had approved the settlement in a July 27 special session in Nashville. The money will come from dormant conference accounts, active funds and insurance.

General News

African Churches Detail Ten-Point Plan for Addressing HIV/AIDS

November 26, 2003, Yaounde, Cameroon - African church leaders from across the continent prayed, sang and spoke out boldly today (Nov. 26) during a day of reflection on HIV/AIDS and of commitment to defeat it. Delegates to the All Africa Conference of Churches 8th Assembly, meeting here Nov. 22-27, reviewed the dire facts and figures, heard testimonies from HIV-positive clergy and laity and adopted a 10-point "covenant" for fighting the pandemic that includes the demand for affordable HIV/AIDS drugs including anti-retrovirals for all who need them. To dramatize the importance of HIV screening, the Assembly offered free, voluntary on-site testing. More people than expected came for testing, on- site clinic staff confirmed. 105 of the Assembly's some 800 participants were tested and, when supplies ran out, others were given vouchers for the next day.

Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas
Tonight's the Night for Salem Church's Christmas TV Taping

November 20, 2003, SALEM, OR - "Ok, so you've got over a thousand members and there's only room for 350 for the video taping of the service. How did you make the decision of who could come?" we asked Pastor Rob Elder of First Presbyterian Church here. "We offered to do a lottery type drawing among our members early this fall - only immediate family members were to be involved" he replied. "What we discovered was that many people were a little shy about wanting to be the ones 'chosen.' "Since we are a diverse congregation, it became rather easy to find the ones interested to share in this special service - just over a month before Christmas Eve itself." CBS-TV will air the program on Christmas Eve, but how do some of the folk in the congregation feel about being a part of it.

Church Kitchen Helps FDA Make Holiday Meals Safer

Nov. 21, 2003, BELTON, Mo. - Unlike cooks across the United States who roast turkeys and bake pies for the approaching holidays, the chefs of CrossRoads United Methodist Church know no one will eat what they cook. That's not because their dishes aren't tasty, but because their cooking efforts have a greater purpose than just stuffing a few faces. For 15 years, the church kitchen has doubled as a Food and Drug Administration laboratory, preparing common grocery-store products and submitting them to an FDA lab for testing. "The program is set up to prepare foods that are bought in local grocery stores all across the country," says the FDA's Kevin Cline. "We test it for pesticides and heavy metals, and it's just like if you were going to the store yourself." CrossRoads cook Martha McKarnin agrees. "Generally," she says, "everything is just like we'd do it at home."

Christmas Message from the Archbishop of Canterbury

November 26, 2003 – The carols we sing and the prayers we say around Christmas carry two important messages which at first sight look a bit contradictory. Jesus is described as 'the desire of all nations', picking up the words of Haggai 2.7; he is what everyone has been waiting for, the one that everybody on earth longs to meet. All human life finds its centre and its goal in Jesus. And then we remember that there was 'no room in the inn', and we sing carols about how 'the busy world' had no space for Christ, and how, from the very beginning, the Son of Man had nowhere to lay his head. No-one wants to meet him; he is on the edge, not at the centre. This is not a sign of confusion on the part of Christians. If Jesus is truly divine as well as truly human, then we always have to face the fact that he will not fit into our world tidily - even when we want him to.

Freemasons and the Anglican Church

November 25, 2003 – Sydney Anglicans have sent a clear message to Freemasons across the state: your beliefs are "contrary to biblical Christianity." The strongly worded statement is part of a motion passed by Synod that describes the belief system as 'fundamentally and irreconcilably incompatible' with the Christian faith. The motion calls on Christians who belong to a Masonic Lodge to resign their membership, as a demonstration of their commitment to Jesus Christ. The Revd Bill Winthrop, rector of Lithgow Anglican Church, introduced the motion, cautioning that the problem of Freemasonry in Sydney congregations would not simply be solved with the passage of time.

ELCA Council Adopts Process for Design, Churchwide Organization Governance
Council Sets 2004 Churchwide Spending; Programs, Staff Reduced

November 25, 2003, CHARLOTTE, North Carolina, United States/GENEVA - The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) adopted a three-phase process for redesign of the ELCA churchwide organization, leading to a final proposal to be presented to the council for consideration in November 2004. In a separate action, it agreed to study the issues of governance related to the churchwide organization, with a report and recommendations also to be presented to the council in November 2004. The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the legislative authority of the church between churchwide assemblies, held every two years. The council met November 13-16 at the invitation of the ELCA North Carolina Synod, and joined in a celebration of the synod's 200th anniversary.

Anglican Diocese of Toronto Celebrates Historic Synod

November 21, 2003, Diocese of Toronto - The Diocese of Toronto, Canada, is celebrating an important milestone in the life of the Anglican Communion as it holds its 150th regular session of Synod from 20-22 November 2003 in Toronto. In 1853, the Diocese of Toronto held the first Synod in the Anglican Communion where the Bishops and clergy of the church shared legislative authority with the laity or non-ordained members of the church. That historic Synod opened a new chapter of growth and development in Anglican Church history. This week, Synod members are meeting again to celebrate their life in Christ and to discuss matters before the church. The event began at a service at St James' Cathedral, Toronto on 20 November at 8pm, and included an opening address by the Archbishop of Toronto, Terence Finlay. The Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, the Most Revd Michael Peers, and many other bishops and ecumenical guests are present for the Synod.

Third 'Igniting' Event Looks at Worship Attendance

November 28, 2003, OMAHA, Neb. - There is no single formula for increasing worship attendance in Synod congregations, but lots of ideas and a range of approaches to share. That is one way to sum up the Nov. 14-15 "One Mission Ablaze: Igniting Congregations" event at Kings of Kings Lutheran Church here that gathered representatives of 23 Synod congregations among those reporting the highest increases in average worship attendance from 1997 to 2001. "Whatever is working for you, I pray that your experience will encourage and energize other congregations here and in the Synod," LCMS President Gerald Kieschnick told the pastors and lay leaders. This was the third of eight "Igniting" events that are part of Kieschnick's initiative to "move [the Synod] forward as a dynamic church body that will reach many people for Christ."

Gordon's Ark: Ohio Craftsman Coaxes a Boatload of Animals from Bits of Wood

November 20, 2003, CADIZ, OH - Gordon Jones began whittling by sitting down at his kitchen table with a paring knife in one hand and bit of basswood in the other. Soon the outlines of animals were emerging from the wood. Not the creatures Jones might spot from his kitchen window, but a parade of more exotic creatures - regal, spotted giraffes; mountain rams with delicately spiraled horns; camels, some with one hump, some with three; and dolphins like those he saw hydroplaning next to the aircraft carrier on which he served when he was in the Navy. The carvings are primitive, yet whimsical. "I see the animals as I'm working, I guess," Jones says, describing his method in a slow, soft drawl. "It isn't like an order to do something. Whatever comes into my head, that's what I'll do."

Church World Service Reaches out with an Embrace on World AIDS Day
Statement by Executive Director Rev. John L. McCullough

November 26, 2003, New York - As the world marks another World AIDS Day this December 1, we call on people of faith everywhere to join in prayer with and for individuals and families affected by HIV/AIDS. We pray also that each of us will realize that AIDS affects us all. We must own this together as a common challenge. We remember those who have lost their lives to AIDS, and we embrace the hope of an awakened spirit to respond to this pandemic with even greater urgency in the year ahead. This World AIDS Day is focused on addressing and overcoming the stigma and discrimination associated with the illness. The aim is to encourage people to break the silence and the barriers to HIV/AIDS prevention and care, and to affirm the dignity and human rights of those who are HIV+. Churches the world over have the capacity to play a tremendous role in these areas, both by providing pastoral care to those affected by HIV/AIDS and by speaking with a prophetic voice to the issues.

Presbytery Declines to File Charges; Martin Installed at First, Palo Alto

November 21, 2003, RICHMOND, VA - No longer facing the prospect of a hearing on charges of heresy and violating his ordination vows, the Rev. W. Robert "Rob" Martin III was installed in September as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto, CA. An investigating committee of Western North Carolina (WNC) Presbytery declined to bring charges against Martin, whose move to California was put on hold over the summer while the heresy complaint - made by attorney Paul Rolf Jensen - were investigated. In the middle of the process, Martin asked the presbytery for vindication. While the investigating committee found no basis for bringing charges against Martin, neither did it completely vindicate him. In fact, the committee found a bit of blame for all concerned, including the Presbyterian news media.

Episcopal Oversight Debated in New Westminster

November 21, 2003 – The Chairman of the Anglican Communion in New Westminster (ACiNW) - a coalition of 11 parishes that oppose the Diocese's decision to bless same-sex unions - has written to the Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada thanking the House of Bishops for their search "for a resolution of the problem we are experiencing in the Diocese of New Westminster." In his letter, which was copied to the Primates, the Revd Dr Trevor Walters has offered a number of considerations and proposals in relation to the Primates' request for adequate "episcopal oversight."

Lutherans Embark on Evangelism Strategy Implementation

November 24, 2003, CHICAGO - Seeking to support congregations and inviting people to the faith, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has started implementing its new evangelism strategy this fall. To guide its 5 million members in the process, the church has issued a new booklet and video and launched a new Web site. "The resources are a potpourri of possibilities that a congregation might be able to use [for] some encouragement on becoming a witness, not just to be a passive observer but to realize that Jesus Christ is giving us a mandate to go the ends of the earth," said the Rev. Robin J. McCullough-Bade, a member of Galilean Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, Texas. McCullough- Bade is serving as interim pastor at Grace Presbyterian Church, Lafayette, La. She is a pastor of the ELCA but authorized to serve in a Presbyterian church under the 1997 Formula of Agreement between both churches.

Diocese of Toronto Begins Discussions on Same-Gender Blessings

November 26, 2003 – The Diocese of Toronto has embarked on a year-long process to discuss the issue of same-gender blessings. The diocese's Synod, its governing body, approved the process at a meeting in Toronto on November 21. The process will include information sessions for clergy and laity on March 6, April 3, April 24 and May 1, 2004, followed by a special session of Synod in the fall of 2004. Parishioners will also be encouraged to discuss the issue in their churches. Archbishop Terence Finlay said the process will help Anglicans in the diocese discuss and reflect on the issue before making any decisions.

Theological Education a Priority for the Life of the Anglican Communion

November 25, 2003 – Theological Education for the Anglican Communion (TEAC), a working group established by the Anglican Primates, held a meeting, involving its core members at All Saints Pastoral Centre, London Colney, England, 10-14 November 2003. The group is committed to delivering its final report to the Primates and the Anglican Consultative Council by 2006-2007, in time for the next Lambeth Conference.

LCEF Chief: Get Behind Kieschnick's 'One' Vision

November 28, 2003, MIAMI, Fla. - Merle Freitag, president of the Lutheran Church Extension Fund, urged participants at this year's LCEF Fall Leadership Conference to get behind the "one mission, one message, one people" vision laid out by Synod President Gerald Kieschnick. "Let us proceed to make that vision our reality through our actions as individuals and organizations," Freitag said in his "LCEF State of the Mission" address Nov. 22. In fact, "Building the Church One Mission, One Message, One People" was the theme of this year's conference here, Nov. 21-23. And , as usual, a variety of groups - the Synod's Board of Directors, Council of Presidents, district business managers and others - held meetings here, too, in the days before the conference began. Freitag touched on "Ablaze!," the Missouri Synod's mission initiative.

Lutheran Services in America Is Recognized, Listed or Not

November 25, 2003, CHICAGO - For the past three years, Lutheran Services in America (LSA) has topped The NonProfit Times' list of the United States' 100 largest nonprofit organizations. When the publication released the "NPT 100" this Nov.1, LSA was not ranked. However, the Oct. 30 issue of The Chronicle of Philanthropy put LSA as 6th on its annual list of the top 400 nonprofit organizations. "The reason is not that the LSA system of social ministry organizations has declined in size; in fact, available data indicates that it has grown, with reported revenues of $8.2 billion - up from $7.6 billion last year," LSA said a Nov. 5 news release.

Waste Not Whatnot – Artisans Turn out Mountain Ware to Fight Economic Hard Times

November 21, 2003, CADIZ, OH - Marion Frye is an expert in tearing apart blue jeans - Lee Riders, Guess, OshKosh B'Gosh, doesn't matter - and transforming them into something else. Christmas stockings. Dining-room-chair covers. Patchwork items of light denim, dark denim, deep-blue denim, slightly blue denim, washed denim, frayed denim, you name it. What got her started was tote bags: 500 of them. A few years back, Presbyterian Women asked four seamstresses at Harrison Hills Cottage Industries - a volunteer project that markets the wares of mountain artisans hereabouts - to produce 2,000 tote bags for its annual gathering. Other groups of women in Guatemala and Thailand were making them as well.

Argentina: Mortimer Arias Proposes Re-Reading of Jesus Missionary Mandate

November 17, 2003, BUENOS AIRES - When we read the Gospels we find many tasks ordered by Christ and his followers and one of the many interpretations that that keep arising is related to the missionary, evangelizing mandate of Jesus and a book presented here today offers some answers. In the book, "El Ultimo Mandato: Una relectura desde Amirica Latina," author Mortimer Arias, an Uruguayan Methodist pastor who has ministered in several Latin American countries examines Jesus missionary mandate focused toward the Western hemisphere. The book was launched in the Evangelical Theological Studies Institute (ISEDET).

South Africa: After its Kairos Moment the South African Church Is Mute

November 18, 2003, CAPE TOWN - Kairos: a moment of transformation through faith, seems to be something of the past. South African Churches that once produced a document that helped channel the energy of many people around the world to struggle for this country's liberation seem to have opted for silence and a critical solidarity that raises doubts about its prophetic vocation. In the most difficult days in the battle against apartheid, when repression made the work of unions, student association and liberation movements almost impossible, the Churches were one of the few democratic organizations that managed to survive. This simple fact converted them into meeting places and an undeniable bastion of opposition to the regime.

Ecumenical News

World Council of Churches Announces Upcoming Meetings

December 2003

Incoming, Outgoing WCC General Secretaries Address AACC

November 24, 2003, Yaounde, Cameroon - The World Council of Churches' outgoing and incoming general secretaries today (Nov. 24) hailed the long- standing and enduring bonds between the WCC and Africa's churches, whose modeling of "economies of affection" and collaboration is much needed by the global ecumenical movement. Addressing the 8th Assembly of the All Africa Conference of Churches, meeting here Nov. 22-27, the Rev. Dr. Konrad Raiser and the Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia also extended challenges to Africa's churches to make ecumenism real "on the ground" in local communities and to join forces for radical structure change in the "almost intolerable" living conditions of Africa's working poor. The two spoke at a plenary "AACC Celebrates World Ecumenism," at which many bonds of affection were evident as the Rev. Dr. Mvume Dandala, AACC General Secretary, hailed Dr. Raiser for his "extensive commitment to Africa" manifested during his tenure as WCC General Secretary. Dr. Kobia, who succeeds Dr. Raiser on January 1, was for his part welcomed as the first WCC General Secretary from Africa.

Henri Tincq Interviews Konrad Raiser

October 29, 2003 – Following an invitation from the public information team of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Henri Tincq, who has been in charge of religious news at the prestigious French daily "Le Monde" since 1985, interviewed Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser. The interview took place in Geneva, on Wednesday, 29 October 2003, as Raiser approached the end of his term as general secretary of WCC.

8,000 from 45 Countries at African Churches' Opening Worship

November 23, 2003, Yaounde, Cameroon - Choir after choir, soloists and bands praised God with their voices, cymbals, drums and horns under sunny skies Sunday morning (Nov. 23) in opening worship for the All Africa Conference of Churches 8th Assembly here. An estimated 8,000 worshipers from no fewer than 45 countries lined Yaounde's broad May 20 Boulevard and spilled out the ends for the explosion of Gospel music, prayer and preaching, which launched the Nov. 23-27 continent-wide assembly - the highlight of African ecumenical life. The AACC last met in Assembly in 1997 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Interview with Ismael Noko: a "New Look" AACC for Africa

November 26, 2003, Yaounde Cameroon - At the start of a new era for the All Africa Conference of Churches, the Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko, General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, sees a bright future for the Pan African organization. As word spreads in Africa of the overhaul, the AACC is set to gain significance on the Continent and abroad as it re-defines itself and turns rhetoric into action. "Word will spread that the AACC has looked inward and criticized itself. Because of its internal problems, it has matured and desisted from finger pointing. This is a hugely positive foundational shift and augers well for its future," he said. The warm response to the AACC by President Chissano of Mozambique will also lend considerable credibility to the organization. Endorsing the critical role of the church in Africa, the President has given the church hope that it will play a more direct role in the affairs of the future of the African Union.

AACC 8th Assembly Approves African Ecumenical Body's Reorganization

November 27, 2003, Yaounde, Cameroon - The 8th Assembly of the All Africa Conference of Churches, meeting here Nov. 22-27, approved a plan to restructure and reorganize the AACC "so that the continental ecumenical organization may respond appropriately to the challenges it is facing in this century." Furthermore, the delegates from the AACC's 169 national member denominations mandated a strategic planning process for the organization to assume responsibility for its future and for the quality of its services. They endorsed a two-year transitional restructuring period during which the quality of services, communication and governance is to be attended to. A 'Transitional Task Force Committee' with representatives from each of the AACC's five subregions will be named to assist.

African Alliance of Reformed Churches Launched

November 18, 2003, Yaounde, Cameroon - An Alliance of Reformed Churches has been launched in Africa, the Rev. Dr. Setri Nyomi, General Secretary of the World Reformed Churches announced at the All Africa Conference of Churches' women and youth pre-assembly opening ceremony Wednesday night (Nov. 19) in Yaounde. He said the launching of the Alliance of Reformed Churches in Africa (ARCA) was chosen to coincide with the women and youth pre-assembly in recognition that women are the givers of life as they give birth to babies, while the youth are the hope of Africa.

Religious & Civil Liberty

Baha'i International Community Lauds Passage of UN Resolution on Human Rights in Iran

November 21, 2003, UNITED NATIONS - Noting that the Baha'is of Iran face continuing religious persecution, the Baha'i International Community today expressed appreciation for the support of those countries that co-sponsored and voted for a new resolution in the United Nations General Assembly about ongoing human rights violations in Iran."International support remains the key to protecting the long oppressed Baha 'i community of Iran," said Bani Dugal, the Principal Representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations. "We are extremely grateful today for the support of those countries that have once again expressed concern about human rights violations in Iran - especially as regards Iran's Baha'is."

Brazil: Movement Defends Non-Confessional Religious Teaching

November 17, 2003, RIO DE JANEIRO - The Inter-Religious Movement of Rio de Janeiro (MIR) held a protest last Thursday in front of the legislative assembly to object to the governor Rosinha Matheuss veto of a legal bill about religious education in public schools. MIR, according to the Kairos news agency, states that religious teaching should be carried out by Churches and religions themselves. The role of the public school is to give students a sociological and historic vision of the different religions, without discriminating among the different creeds. We need an education for peace, that will help break down the prejudices regarding those who are different and the only way to overcome prejudice is through knowledge, said MIR coordinator Andre Porto. The Evangelical bench of the Legislative Asembly in Rio de Janeiro is opposed to confessional religious teaching.

National News

Gay Marriage Ruling Won't Directly Affect Churches, Bishop Says

November 20, 2003 – A Massachusetts court ruling that paves the way for same-sex marriages should have no direct effect on the churches in that state, according to United Methodist Bishop Susan Hassinger.

Hassinger, who presides over the United Methodist Church's New England Annual (regional) Conference, called the ruling "a civil matter, not a religious matter." The Nov. 18 decision by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court declared that gay couples have the right to marry under the state's constitution. The court gave the Massachusetts legislature 180 days to create the legal structure needed to allow such marriages.

International News

Peru: Brother Pablos Visit in the Media Spotlight

November 18, 2003, LIMA - Evangelical preacher Paul Finkenbinders, better know as Brother Pablo, five-day visit to Lima caught the attention of local press. Several dailies and television stations published stories and interviews with Brother Pablo, who held a private audience with Congress president Henry Pease Monday. On Friday, Brother Pablo attended a supper with Evangelical leaders and political and social authorities. On Saturday he met with young people in a downtown park and the final night of his visit he and his wife attended a special event with Evangelical Churches in the Dibos Coliseum. The 82-year-old international preacher held his final tour of Latin America accompanied by Carlos Rey, a Colombian Pastor who will replace him the production of a A Message to the Conscience and will preside the Hermano Pablo Evangelical Association.

Brazil: Afro-Descendents Demand Democratization in Radio and TV Concessions

November 21, 2003, BRASILIA - The Dombali Cultural Society, that groups together Black people and Afro-descendents, convened the International Democracy and Communication - the Imperative of Inclusion Seminar, which will take place November 25-27 in Brasilia. Dombali questions the process of radio and television concessions carried out by the government. According to the movement it grants special privileges to the conglomerates that are in the hands of 12 families. This concentration, it states, makes democracy vulnerable in Brazil.

Commentary: Liberians must 'Pave Road to Justice'

November 21, 2003 – The United Methodist Church of Liberia welcomes wholeheartedly the national transitional government of Liberia under the leadership of Chairman Gyude Bryant and Vice Chairman Wesley Johnson. We pray and hope for success of the implementation of the comprehensive peace agreement, which brought the transitional government into existence. Although the road to the comprehensive peace was very long and very difficult, through the Grace of the Almighty God, it came to pass.

Children's Village Provides Home for Orphans

November 20, 2003, MONROVIA, Liberia - Driving a short 15 miles southeast of Monrovia to the Bishop Judith Craig Children's Village, one has the sense of entering a world far from the ravages of war. But it is because of the war that the village exists. Because of the African "it takes a village" philosophy, orphanages are a new phenomenon in Liberia.

Lutheran Bishop Says Change of Leadership Will Not Resolve Bolivia's Problems
Call to Involve the People in Deciding Future of Natural Resources

November 20, 2003, LA PAZ, Bolivia/GENEVA - The recent change of leadership in Bolivia does not provide a solution for the economic, social and political difficulties that ordinary people in the Latin American country continue to experience. "The problems of the country go much deeper," Rev. Humberto Ramos Salazar, president of the Bolivian Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELB), said in an interview with Lutheran World Information. In mid-October President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada resigned following weeks of demonstrations over a controversial government plan to export the country's natural gas. "Neither Sanchez's departure nor his succession by Carlos Mesa provide a solution for Bolivians," said Ramos.

Ecumenical Leaders Visit North Korea

November 20, 2003, NEW YORK - A seven-member U.S. ecumenical delegation is calling for action regarding the political and humanitarian crisis on the Korean peninsula. Led by the Rev. Robert Edgar, chief executive of the National Council of Churches, and the Rev. John McCullough, executive director of Church World Service, the delegation visited North Korea Nov. 11-15 as the culmination of a yearlong initiative by the two organizations. Both Edgar and McCullough are United Methodist pastors. The Korean Christian Federation, a longstanding ecumenical partner based in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, hosted the delegation. After the visit, the U.S. representatives attended a specially convened National Council of Churches in Korea Assembly and an interfaith peace conference, both in Seoul, South Korea.

Church Worker Finds Displaced Liberians in Dire Need

November 21, 2003, MONROVIA, Liberia - George Barrolle's job puts him into daily contact with the many faces of suffering in this war-torn country. Barrolle is director of the Human Rights and Peace with Justice Program for the United Methodist Church's Liberia Annual Conference. He travels to displacement camps in and around Liberia's capital city of Monrovia, searching for violations of human rights. During his assessments, he looks at humanitarian and security issues, food, shelter, health care and education. "We share this information with parties of the church," he said. The church will draw up a proposal for addressing the situation. "Since the church is involved (in relief), we feel that the church would want to get information precisely as it occurs in order to be able to lobby and continue to share the information with (its) partners for additional aid."

Delegation Visits Korean Peninsula, Calls for More International Response to Crisis

November 26, 2003 – An ecumenical delegation, sponsored by the National Council of Churches (NCC) and Church World Service (CWS), visited North and South Korea in mid-November, returning to the United States and calling for a broadened response to the political and humanitarian crisis on the peninsula. "Once again the churches in the U.S. are joining with overseas partner churches to press for a just solution to one of the world's most dangerous flashpoints," said the Rev. Brian Grieves, director of the Episcopal Church's office of Peace and Justice Ministries, one of seven members of the delegation. The Rev. Robert Edgar, general secretary of the NCC, and the Rev. John McCullough, executive director of CWS, led the visit that marks the culmination of a year-long initiative.

AACC President Challenges Churches to Address Society's Ills

November 20, 2003, Yaounde, Cameroon - The church in Africa has been slow in speaking against ills like corruption and bad governance in the continent, the Most Rev. Prof. Kwesi Dickson, President of the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC), said in an interview with a team of journalists covering the AACC 8th Assembly in Yaounde. - Cameroon. "It has taken the church too long to realize that it should speak out on corruption, and bad governance for the sake of its integrity," said the Most Rev. Kwesi.

Kabue: All, Including Disabled, Are Created in God's Image

November 25, 2003, Yaounde, Cameroon - "No one can say that someone missing one organ of the body isn't part of the image of God," asserted Samuel Kabue, a Presbyterian from Kenya who is a consultant to the Ecumenical Disabilities Network, a program of the World Council of Churches, today (Nov. 25). Kabue, who is blind, addressed the more than 500 delegates who came here from across Africa to the 8th Assembly of the All Africa Conference of Churches, meeting in Yaounde Nov. 22-27. We are all created in the image of God, he said, and "it's not the body or the intellect that reflects the image of God. Each of us has talents and gifts without which the church of Christ is not whole."

National HIV/AIDS Strategic Planning and Policy Development Workshop Held in Nigeria

November 24, 2003, CHURCH OF NIGERIA (ANGLICAN COMMUNION) - We, Bishops, clergy and members of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) drawn from all the ten ecclesiastical Provinces across the country, met in Abuja from 10 to 14 November 2003 to draw up a strategic plan of how our church will respond to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Nigeria. We would like to record our sincere appreciation to the Action Aid (Nigeria), Christian Aid and the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA) who have funded this workshop to develop the Church of Nigeria Strategic Plan and Policy Development document. We believe that as a church, following the footsteps and example of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are well suited to give hope to a hurting world in the face of HIV/AIDS. Our theme hence was: "A caring church in a hurting world."

United Methodist Missionaries Return to Liberia

November 21, 2003, NEW YORK - United Methodist missionaries evacuated from war-torn Liberia in June are returning to the West African country. The process is expected to be complete in early December, according to the Rev. R. Randy Day, chief executive of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. Bishop John Innis of Monrovia said he was "so thankful because the return of the missionaries is a sign of hope for the people of Liberia." Innis leads the country's 168,300 United Methodists. Fourteen expatriates in United Methodist mission service, mostly from other African nations, were evacuated from Liberia as civil war spread in the early summer. They took up posts in adjoining countries, such as Sierra Leone, Ghana and Guinea, many working with refugees or medical mission programs.

Liberian Church Begins Restoring School Programs

November 20, 2003, MONROVIA, Liberia - United Methodist University, in the city center of Liberia's capital, became ground zero during the country's civil war last summer. Campus buildings sustained heavy damage, most of the furniture and equipment were looted, and the school lost its prized possession>its generator. All the administrative offices were damaged, and the office of President James Oliver Duncan was hit by two rocket-propelled grenades. The weapons would have killed him if he had been in his office. A photo of Liberia's Bishop John Innis hangs next to a bullet hole in the wall.

Relief Agency Helps City Cope with Sanitation Problems

November 19, 2003, MONROVIA, Liberia - Upon arriving at work, the first thing Kerry Sly noticed after stepping out of his Toyota pickup truck was the foul aroma of human waste, the kind of smell one experiences when passing an overflowing portable toilet that has fermented in the sun for days. It wasn't a pleasant odor, and the task at hand was equally nasty. But thanks to Sly and his crew, by the end of the day, the public latrine serving hundreds in a neighborhood outside Liberia's capital was tolerable. Personal hygiene and sanitation topics are delicate issues to tackle, made even more so in the undignified atmosphere of the aftermath of war. There is little privacy, and running water, electricity and sewage disposal are largely unavailable.

United Methodist Helps Liberian Children Victimized by War

November 20, 2003, MONROVIA, Liberia - The 14-year war in Liberia has spawned a generation of young people who have no life experiences apart from armed conflict. Some young people helped support their families by carrying arms in the war; nearly all of them were victimized by the conflicts. An effort to provide normal life activities, recreation, and counseling for former victims and victimizers is a daily challenge for Sabah Thomas Dweh-Chenneh, director of youth and adult ministries for the Liberia Annual (regional) Conference. Dweh-Chenneh works at places such as the Fendel Internal Displaced Persons camp, where more than 60 percent of the residents are young people. The United Methodist program at the facility some 20 minutes from Monrovia includes opportunities for recreation, study and counseling.

Statement from the Bishops of the Anglican Church of Nigeria

November 21, 2003 – An 8-paragraph communiqui, signed by the Primate of Nigeria, the Most Revd Peter Akinola, on behalf of all the bishops, was issued at the end of a meeting in Port Harcourt on 15 November. The full statement is included.

Scottish Episcopalians Celebrate Anglican Communion Origins

November 21, 2003 – The Anglican Communion is often described as a worldwide family of churches owing its origins to the Church of England; but for many Scottish Episcopalians the story of the genesis of the Communion is distinctively different. In 1784, Samuel Seabury, elected to be Bishop of Connecticut, USA, travelled to Scotland to be consecrated, as England gave a clear "no" to such action from the new world. His consecration took place in Aberdeen on 14 November 1784.

Middle East News

ELCA Presiding Bishop Condemns Bombings in Istanbul, Turkey

November 25, 2003, CHICAGO - Calling a series of recent bombing in Istanbul, Turkey, "vicious attacks," the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has joined with other religious leaders to condemn the recent bombings of two synagogues and British interests. In a Nov. 24 statement, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson said the ELCA "grieves for the bombing victims, and we express our condolences to the families and communities which have suffered such great losses." At least 57 people were killed and hundreds were injured in the Nov. 15 bombings of two synagogues and the Nov. 20 bombings of the British Consulate and a London-based bank, all in Istanbul.

Anglican Leaders Condemn Terrorist Attacks in Istanbul

November 20, 2003 – Just five days after suicide bombers attacked two synagogues in Istanbul, killing 25 people and injuring hundreds, at least 26 people have been killed today and more than 400 injured in two bomb attacks on the British Consulate and offices of HSBC, one of the largest British banks. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, returned from his first formal visit to Istanbul yesterday. This afternoon he issued a statement condemning the attacks and expressing the "shock and grief that I, my family and my staff are feeling." The British consul general, Roger Short, is amongst 15 people who died at the consulate. Two nights ago Mr Short, and his wife Victoria, hosted a reception at their residence to which Dr Williams was a guest. In his statement he spoke of the "generous and warm hospitality" from them both.