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Archbishop Demetrios Expresses Sympathy to the People of Russia

September 7, 2004 NEW YORK - His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America, has expressed his deepest sympathy and prayers to the Russian people in the wake of last week's tragic loss of life stemming from the terrorist attack against innocent school children in Beslan in the province of Ossetia. In letters to the proper ecclesiastical and political Russian authorities the Archbishop said: "As the Exarch in America of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, I write to assure you of our earnest and intense prayers for the people of Ossetia who have suffered the tragic loss of so many loved ones. We share with them, and with you, the deep pain caused by this heinous act, and we express our spiritual solidarity with all the people of Russia in this time of intensified terrorist activity. Furthermore, we join with all people of good faith throughout the world in denouncing with all our soul the use of violence against innocent people in pursuit of political or religious agendas."

Lutheran Leader Criticized Bush for Use of Religious Language for Political Ends

September 3, 2004, GENEVA - A prominent Lutheran leader criticized US President George W. Bush for his frequent use of religious language for political purposes. "He can talk about his faith and his personal relationship with Christ as he sees fit: the problem arises when he uses religious terminology to justify political actions," said US Lutheran Bishop and president of the Lutheran World Federation Mark Hanson, at a press conference.

Lutheran Leaders Urged to Respond to Cry for Peace in the World
LWF Council Participants Attend Eucharistic Sunday Worship at Ecumenical Centre

September 6, 2004, GENEVA - Speaking against the backdrop of the massacre of children and teachers in Beslan, Russia, and recent slayings in Brazil, Iraq, Israel and Palestine, Rev. Lusmarina Campos Garcia urged Lutheran leaders not to lose sight of peace. "As long as peace is not a reality in the world, we cannot stop seeking it. How we respond to the outcry of peace shows how committed we are to it," she said during the Sunday eucharistic service for participants in the September 1-7 Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Council meeting. The worship was held at the chapel of the Ecumenical Centre, where the LWF offices are located.

General News

ELCA Introduces Print Ads for Congregations

September 3, 2004, CHICAGO - The Department for Communication of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has introduced a series of print ads for congregations to use in their evangelism and outreach ministries, said Kristi S. Bangert, director of internal church communication and marketing, ELCA Department for Communication. The ads are available as downloadable files at http://www.elca.org/elcaads on the ELCA Web site. The ads - developed by a work group in the ELCA churchwide organization in response to requests from congregations - are aimed at young adults and families, Bangert said. Final copy was designed by Mindpower Inc., Atlanta, she said. The ads include headlines such as "Find Out How Amazing Grace Really Is" and "Think of Sunday as Your 'Grace Period'."

Membership in the Lutheran World Federation Increases to Nearly 65 Million Dutch Protestants, Czech Brethren and Ghanaian Lutherans Join the LWF

September 7, 2004, GENEVA - Membership in the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has risen to nearly 65 million following the entry of three new churches in the global communion. The LWF Council extended full membership to the Evangelical Church of the Czech Brethren (ECCB) in the Czech Republic; Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PCN) in the Kingdom of the Netherlands; and Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana (ELCG) in Ghana. One of the PCN predecessor churches, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands (ELCNL), has been an LWF member church since 1947. The Councils action on September 6 was based on recommendations from the Standing Committee for Membership, presented by the chairperson, Rev. Claudia Schreiber, Church of Lippe (Lutheran Section), Germany.

Massachusetts Diocese Issues Clarification about Bishops' Meeting in London

September 8, 2004 – Four United States Episcopal bishops will have the opportunity to engage in discussion with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, next week on a range of issues related to the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion. The meeting was first discussed among the group in April as an opportunity for two newer bishops and two established bishops to meet with the Archbishop of Canterbury and was subsequently scheduled in June. Recent media reports have erroneously stated that Bishops Thomas Shaw of Massachusetts, Robert O'Neill of Colorado, Mark Hollingsworth Jr. of Ohio and Don Johnson of West Tennessee were already in London. One report also erroneously named retired Bishop Clark Grew of Ohio as part of the group. "The bishops will be meeting as a group to hear each others' perspectives and to discuss what is happening in their respective dioceses on issues facing the church today," said Bishop Shaw.

Ecumenical News

Episcopal Interfaith Officer Addresses Muslim Convention September 7, 2004

September 8, 2004 – The Presiding Bishop's Deputy for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations, Bishop Christopher Epting, addressed the 41st Annual Convention of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) during their September 3-6, 2004 meeting in Chicago, held in collaboration with the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC).ISNA is the preeminent Islamic organization in North America and CIOGC is a federation of more than 40 organizations, including mosques, Islamic schools, community service and civil rights organizations, and professional associations serving more than 400,000 Muslims in the Greater Chicago area. Epting brought greetings from Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold and Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams to the inaugural session. He also spoke at the Interfaith Banquet on Friday night, where he was asked to share something of the Episcopal Church's accomplishments through its Interfaith Education Initiative and the upcoming conference at the Washington National Cathedral, September 30-October 2, 2004.

LWF Council Appoints Family, Marriage and Sexuality Task Force

September 8, 2004, CHICAGO - The Council of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) appointed an eight-person task force to provide federation members with "helpful background and assistance for discussion within and among member churches on family, marriage and sexuality," according to a news release from Lutheran World Information. The LWF Council is chaired by the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, LWF president and presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), an LWF member. The council met Sept. 1-7 in Chavannes-de-Bogis, Switzerland, near Geneva, where LWF is based. Members of the Task Force on Family, Marriage and Sexuality are from the seven LWF regions - Africa, Asia, Central Eastern Europe, Central Western Europe, Nordic Countries, Latin America and the Caribbean, and North America, the release said. The Rev. Kristin P. Tomasdottir, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland, a member of the LWF Executive Committee, was named to chair the group.

Lambeth Commission to Report October 18

September 10, 2004 – The Lambeth Commission on Communion announced today that it is to publish its report in London on Monday 18 October 2004 at the beginning of the meeting in London of the Joint Standing Committee of the Primates' Meeting and the Anglican Consultative Council. The announcement follows the Commission's third plenary meeting, which was held this week (6 - 10 September) in Saint George's House, Windsor Castle.

Pentecostals and Methodists Celebrate Historic Act of Reconciliation

September 3, 2004, VALPARAISO, Chile - After 95 years of division in the Episcopal Methodist Church of Valparamso, which gave rise to the Methodist Pentecostal Church, the current leaders decided to reconcile in an act celebrated on September 2.

The event took place in the Methodist Church of Chile, in the city of Valparamso. Participants included the Rev. Bernardo Cartes, bishop of the Methodist Pentecostal Church and the Rev. Pedro Grandon, bishop of the Methodist Church of Chile, as well as bishops, pastors and lay leaders from different denominations and coming from different regions in the country.

Re-election of Noko Turns Report into Action Plan

September 3, 2004, GENEVA - The re-election of the Rev. Ishmael Noko as general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in the first day of the council's session period opened the opportunity to make concrete many of the plans he outlined in his annual report. In his report, presented here, during the annual session of the 49-council members, the highest LWF body between two assemblies, Noko called on the federation to continue ecumenical efforts, to strengthen the participation of women and young people in the organization and to strengthen communion and communication among the 61 million members of the entity present in 76 countries.

Call to Strengthen the Reformation Family
WARC General Secretary Nyomi Affirms Need to Establish Joint Commission

September 5, 2004, GENEVA - The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) General Secretary, Rev Dr Setri Nyomi has expressed hope that the Council of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) would take further action on recommendations of the Lutheran-Reformed Joint Working Group. I hope as soon as it is workable, different levels of our governing bodies will be able to meet together in the near future, Nyomi stated in his message to the LWF Council at its meeting in Chavannes-de-Bogis near Geneva. He said this was a commitment in response to the groups recommendations following the completion of its work two years ago. The newly elected WARC Executive Committee, Nyomi informed the LWF Council, would be taking similar actions at its first meeting in 2005.

Spanish News

Celebremos El Día Internacional De La Paz: 21 De Septiembre

August 9, 2004 –Celebrar la paz cuando el mundo está en guerra, cuando tanto iraquíes como estadounidenses siguen muriendo en Iraq, cuando guerra civil y genocidio amenazan a miles en Sudán y de nuevo en la región de los Grandes Lagos de África central, puede parecer un ejercicio enteramente inútil. Pero la verdad es que es cuando el mundo está en guerra cuando más necesitamos voces y oraciones por la paz. Este año, pues, celebremos la paz el Día Internacional de la Paz, 21 de septiembre. Celebremos la paz en nuestras iglesias y templos y mezquitas. Encendamos velas por la paz. Plantemos mástiles por la paz y jardines por la paz. Prediquemos sermones en favor de la paz. Enseñemos a nuestros niños en las escuelas religiosas sobre la paz. Orientemos hacia la paz nuestros estudios de adultos. Hagamos que suenen las campanas de las iglesias a mediodía ese día. Sobre todo, oremos, oremos seriamente por la paz.

International News

LWF Council Condemns Attacks on Civilians, Pleads for Peacekeeping Force for Sudan
Beslan Massacre, Evokes Strong Sense of Revulsion as it Targets Children

September 7, 2004, GENEVA - The Council of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) meeting near Geneva, September 1-7, has condemned attacks by militia against communities in the Darfur region of Sudan and expressed dismay at the refusal by the government of Sudan to accept an adequate force of international peacekeepers in the region. As a mark of solidarity with the victims of the violence and with its ecumenical partners, the 2004 Council also endorsed the call by the Catholic bishops of Sudan for help from the international community to prevent the terror, rape, torture, murder and slavery and annihilation of an entire ethnic group in Darfur. The LWF governing body also urged the government of Sudan to enable the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the people of the region, and for all parties to the conflict to negotiate a just and peaceful settlement.

Calls for Urgent Action to Defend the Life of Philosopher Lilia Solano

September 3, 2004, BOGOTA, Colombia - Numerous threats levied against the life and personal integrity of Evangelical philosopher and academic Lilia Solano, former president of the Latin American Theological Fraternity (FTL), has led diverse organizations to request urgent action to protect her. As director of the Justice and Life Project, a non government human rights organization that protects and defend the rights of sectors affected by the armed conflict in Colombia, Solano staged a protest during a congressional session last July to denounce plans to grant impunity to paramilitary members in negotiations with the government.

Evangelical Candidate for Mayor of Managua Presents Government Plan

September 3, 2004, MANAGUA, Nicaragua - Roberto Sarria, Evangelical candidate for the mayor of the capital city of Nicaragua, said that he expects to receive 200,000 votes from Evangelical Christians in this city. If we win in Managua we will also win the rest of the municipalities in the country, with the power of prayer, because 80 percent of our candidates in municipal elections are pastors, he affirmed.

LWF Council Condemns Russian Massacre, Pleads for Sudan Peacekeepers

September 8, 2004, CHICAGO - The Council of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) said it was "horrified by the news of the bloodshed" in Beslan, Russia, where more than 300 hostages were massacred last week by an international group of armed insurgents believed to be associated with rebels in the Russian province of Chechnya. The council's chair is the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, LWF president and presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), an LWF member. It met Sept. 1-7 at Chavannes- de-Bogis, Switzerland, near Geneva, where LWF is based.

UN Remains Indispensable, Ecumenical Leaders Affirm

August 8, 2004 – The general secretaries of eight regional ecumenical bodies and of the World Council of Churches (WCC) have sent a letter to UN secretary-general Kofi Annan "reaffirming the deep desire" of their organisations and member churches "to support the United Nations" and the person of its secretary-general "at this critical time on the world scene." "We believe that the UN remains the indispensable instrument of the nations of the world if they are to remove the scourge of war from the earth and to establish the conditions for peace, notably: observance of human rights, a just sharing of the earth's resources, eliminating poverty and all forms of discrimination," states the letter sent from Nairobi, Kenya, on 4 September, 2004.

Celebrate the International Day of Peace: September 21

August 9, 2004 – Celebrating peace when the world is at war, when both Iraqis and Americans still are dying in Iraq, when civil war and genocide threatens thousands in the Sudan and again in the Great Lakes region of central Africa, may seem like an exercise in futility. But the truth is that it is when the world is at war that we need voices and prayers for peace even more. This year, then, let us celebrate peace on the International Day of Peace, September 21. Let us celebrate peace in our churches and temples and mosques. Let us light candles for peace. Let us plant peace poles for peace and gardens for peace. Let us preach sermons about peace. Let us teach our children in faith schools about peace. Let us focus our adult learning on peace. Let us ring church bells at noon that day. Most of all, let us pray, earnestly pray for peace.

United Methodist Volunteers See War's Effects in Bosnia

September 8, 2004 – Working in a small Bosnian village, a group of United Methodist volunteers got a firsthand glimpse this summer of the long-term effects of war. Despite the village's ruined buildings, lack of electricity and running water, and dire economic situation, the nine-member team from East Avenue United Methodist Church in Norwalk, Conn., was able to look beyond the devastation.