Front Page

Faith Groups Press Bush, Kerry on U. S. Poverty, Health Care

October 5, 2004, WASHINGTON - As George W. Bush and John Kerry prepare for their second presidential debate Oct. 8 debate on domestic issues, more than 20 Jewish, Protestant and Catholic organizations are pressing them on what they plan to do to fight poverty and fix the nation's mounting health care crisis. The group included the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Washington Office. The organizations, joined together as the Interreligious Working Group on Domestic Human Needs, first wrote Mr. Bush and Mr. Kerry on Sept. 8 with a series of questions.

Canterbury Says Akinola's Convocation Plan Not Approved by Williams

October 6, 2004 – The Archbishop of Canterbury's office says Archbishop Rowan Williams has not approved plans to establish a non-geographic Nigerian diocese, independent of Episcopal Church (ECUSA) structures, on American soil. A spokesman says Williams and Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria did discuss working within the structures of ECUSA to provide for the spiritual needs of expatriate Nigerian Anglicans in the United States. At a news conference October 5, Akinola announced plans to establish the Nigerian convocation for "those thousands of Nigerian Anglicans who feel alienated by the actions of the Episcopal Church" in consecrating an openly-gay priest, V. Gene Robinson, as a diocesan bishop last year. Asked whether the convocation would be open to non-Nigerians, he said, "They are absolutely free to join. The convocation is a non-geographic diocese."

Lutherans Propose Tax on Weapons Trafficking and Creating a Fund Against Hunger

September 30, 2004, SANTIAGO, Chile - Representatives from Lutheran Churches from the Latin American southern cone, meeting in Viqa del Mar, Chile from September 21 to 24 proposed taxing international weapons trafficking and speculative capital in order to create a fund to combat hunger around the world. The meeting was attended by representatives from the Evangelical Lutheran Churches of Chile (IELCH); the United Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELU) of Argentina, Evangelical River Plate (IERP, with a presence in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay); Lutheran Church of Chile (ILCH), Evangelical Lutheran Confession of Brazil (IECLB), all affiliated to the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).

Christians Organize to Vote Their Faith, but Political Loyalties Differ

October 7, 2004 – An 11th commandment has taken root among American Christians this election year: Thou Shalt Take Thy Faith Into the Voting Booth and Make a Difference. A close presidential race in a worried world has turned faith into a decisive political factor in 2004. President Bush and challenger John Kerry talk willingly about their religious convictions. Culture war issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage are motivating believers to register voters and work for candidates. According to recent polling data, religious commitment has emerged as a key predictor of how a person votes.

General News

Haiti Organizes Relief Efforts Following Jeanne

October 5, 2004 – The Rev. Max Accimé, priest in the Haitian city of Gonaives, hardest hit by Hurricane Jeanne, was able to stay during the storm only by climbing onto the roof of his house. Many in Gonaives, a coastal city several hours north of the capital, had to do the same. An estimated 200,000 are now homeless in that city. Accimé has turned the parish church, l'Eglise St. Bazile, and its school into shelters. The church, flooded earlier, is now free of water and Accimé is attempting to obtain drinking water and food, according to Sister Marjorie Raphael, SSM, of Port-au-Prince.

Historic Church Serves as Refuge for Poor, Underserved

October 5, 2004, PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa - Arthur Wellington Methodist Church has a history of being a place of refuge since its beginning in 1738, and the Rev. Jacob Freemantle is continuing that tradition today. During apartheid, the church was a hiding place for political leaders trying to escape police brutality. Today it is a place of refuge for the poor, sick and underserved. "We have a wounded past," Freemantle says.

Lutheran Scientists and Pastors Gather for 'Sunday Scientists!'

October 4, 2004, CHICAGO - About 45 scientists and pastors, members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, studied the links between their Christian faith and their vocations and avocations in science and technology. They gathered here Sept. 17-19 for a "Sunday Scientists! Symposium" sponsored by the ELCA Alliance for Faith, Science and Technology. "The aim was twofold," said Dr. Kevin Powell, a member of the Alliance, symposium organizer and a pediatrician, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "One was to improve how Lutheran congregations relate to science, and the other was on a more personal level," he said.

World Methodist Leaders Adopt Statement on Unity, Sexuality

October 1, 2004, PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa - Top leaders of the World Methodist Council have adopted a statement on unity to "sound a note of warning" that churches must seriously address tensions around issues of human sexuality. If the church fails to look at the issue of homosexuality now, the unity of the church will suffer, said His Eminence Sunday Mbang, chairperson of the council's executive committee and prelate of the Methodist Church in Nigeria.

Ecumenical News

Position of Bishop Robinson Cavalcanti Breaks down Episcopal Collegiality Said Lawyer

September 30, 2004, PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil - The special Episcopal oversight in the Anglican diocese of Recife, mandated by the primate of the Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil (IEAB) Orlando Santos Oliveira, after hearing the Chamber of Bishops, is legal and has backing in Church cannons, said Lawyer Senomar Teixeira Junior. The lawyer, who advises the IEAB, made the affirmation in response to the Bishop of Recife Robinson Cavalcanti who said that he did not recognize the intervention as it was not supported by cannon law. In an extraordinary meeting held in Porto Alegre on September 16 the IEAB Chamber of Bishops accepted the request of the suffragan bishop of Recife Filadelfo Oliveira Neto, 14 clergy, nine from parishes and six from missions who asked for the "special Episcopal oversight" due to Cavalcanti's "intransigent and disrespectful" attitude.

"Living Letters" at US Churches' Gathering: Solidarity and Challenges

October 7, 2004 – Solidarity and challenges were brought by a group of "living letters" - Christians coming from different countries of the world - to the annual meeting of the US member churches of the World Council of Churches (WCC), which took place in Atlanta, Georgia, 5-6 October 2004. "We give thanks to God for the courage of you who have struggled to witness to truth, justice and peace in a time when fear, insecurity and manipulated patriotism have paralyzed so many," Dr Marion Best told the gathering of US church representatives. From the United Church of Canada, Best is one of the two vice moderators of the WCC central committee.

US Churches' Responsibility for Peace and Justice-Making Efforts Highlighted at WCC Gathering

October 6, 2004 – The immense responsibility of the US churches in the world today was highlighted by the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia during the annual meeting of the US member churches of the WCC taking place in Atlanta, Georgia, 5-6 October 2004. In the keynote speech of the opening session Kobia affirmed the work for peace and justice done by the US churches as well as the support of Christians worldwide for their efforts. Given that "the US is now the world's only superpower" and that "its policies and actions have consequences for every country in the world," people around the world "are afraid of US power and the way it is being used."

Spanish News

Reconstruir Una Casa, Construir Un Futuro Común

7 Octobre 2004 – Jóvenes y viejos vinieron de distintas partes del mundo al pequeño pueblo de Anata para reconstruir una casa palestina demolida, junto a israelíes y palestinos. Querían proporcionar un hogar a 23 personas, pero también tenían una motivación más importante; construir una casa era a la vez un acto de resistencia a la Ocupación. Tras ser desplazados de su territorio en el desierto del Negev, la familia Kabuah llegó al pueblo de Anata, a las afueras de Jerusalén en 1980. Compraron un terreno y comenzaron a construir una casa, que fue terminada en 1998. Durante años, intentaron sin éxito conseguir un permiso para construir la casa. En junio de 2004, fue derribada por las autoridades israelíes, dejando a la familia Kabuah de 23 miembros sin un techo donde cobijarse.

National News

US Churches Recognize Atlanta Peacemakers

October 5, 2004 – Ten individuals and organizations from Atlanta and surrounding areas will be recognized for their peace and justice-making efforts at the annual meeting of the United States Conference for the World Council of Churches (WCC), beginning today in Atlanta, Georgia. The US Conference for the WCC is the main platform of the WCC's 34 member churches in the USA, and the annual meeting is expected to gather hundreds of church leaders and ecumenical activists from throughout the US and other countries. The ten peacemakers from secular, ecumenical and interfaith communities will receive the "Blessed are the peacemakers" awards. These awards are an initiative of the WCC's Decade to Overcome Violence to acknowledge creative and courageous peace and justice-making efforts in the world.

International News

Christian Movement for Peace

September 30, 2004, BOGOTA, Columbia - Catholic and Evangelical entities from Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and other Latin American countries convened a "Meeting of Christians for Peace," to be held October 30-November 1 in Bogota with an eye to creating a Christian Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity. "Our world, our America and our Colombia is groaning with pain, bloodied, stripped of dreams and drowning, not in a dignified life but in an dreadful survival, because in their imperialist zeal, some countries have become the owners of money and power and, with lies, impose their brutal force on the humble, poor and suffering people of God," said the convocation.

Central American Communicators Agree to Back WACC Actions

September 29, 2004, GUATEMALA - Journalists and Christian communicators from Central America who participated in the seminar "The right to communication is a human right," held in this capital from September 15 - 18, agreed to support actions for a new world communication order impelled by the World Association For Christian Communication (WACC). During the meeting, Myrian Horngren, coordinator of the WACC's "Advocacy" network said that information is increasingly reduced in Third World countries and globalization also decides what should be said and to whom. Rich nations are keeping us from informing with freedom and we are losing our cultural identity. We must break the culture of fear and strengthen the network of community and participatory radio in the meso-American region. This constitutes a New International Information Order, she said.

Human Chain in Defense of Work

September 29, 2004. MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay - When the bells sounded in Protestant and Catholic Churches on September 22 4,000 people linked hands in the street, joining the Parmalat plant with the Fundadores Square in the Colonia Suiza, Uruguay. This "Human Chain of Hope" was 3.5 kilometers long and congregated nearly half of the local population. Participants then marched to the main square where a message was read that affirmed the will of all sectors and institutions from Colonia Suiza, together with the workers guild, to not allow the main source of work in the area to be badly sold or closed. One out of every four people in this city of 9,000 depend on the Parmalat factory for work.

Poverty and Weapons of Mass Destruction in Same Camp: WCC's Kobia

October 5, 2004, OTTAWA - Poverty is a form of violence and indifference to it is morally equivalent to possessing weapons of mass destruction says the general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Rev. Sam Kobia. Speaking at a service attended by a number of denominations in the Canadian capital, Kobia said: "Our task as churches is to become a community that will say no to violence." On his first visit to Canada since beginning his term at the helm of the world church body in January, Kobia encouraged Canadian churches to play an active role in the WCC's Decade to Overcome Violence. Through this program, which runs from 2001 to 2010, "we have begun to find new ways of addressing the issue of violence which is prevalent throughout the world," Kobia said.

Middle East News

Divesting Could Harden Israel on Palestinian Issue, Groups Warn

October 6, 2004, JERUSALEM - If mainline Protestant church groups divest from businesses operating in Israel, as they say they might, it could actually harden rather than soften Israel's stance toward Palestinians, warn prominent pro-Palestinian groups in Israel. Proponents of divestment say it would pressure Israeli and American companies to change policies toward the Palestinians in the same way economic pressure on South Africa led to an end of apartheid. But in Israel, even Israelis vehemently opposed to what they call Israel's "occupation" of Palestinian land doubt whether such a divestment strategy would work.

Rebuilding a House and Building a Common Future

October 7, 2004 – Young and old came from different parts of the world to the small village of Anata to rebuild a demolished Palestinian house together with Israelis and Palestinians. They wanted to provide a home for 23 people, but there was also a larger motivating factor. Building the house was also an act of resistance to the Occupation. After being displaced from their land in the Negev desert, the Kabuah family came to the Anata village on the outskirts of Jerusalem in 1980. They bought a piece of land and started to build a house, which was completed in 1998. For years, they had unsuccessfully tried to get a permit to build the house. In June 2004, it was demolished by the Israeli authorities, leaving the Kabuah family of 23 people homeless.

Sadly, the Kabuah family is not alone in facing this situation. According to the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD), since 1967 Israel has demolished almost 9,000 Palestinian homes, leaving approximately 50,000 people without shelter and traumatized.

'The Iraq Inferno' - Princeton Seminary Sponsors Teach-in on the War in Iraq

October 1, 2004, PRINCETON - Four Princeton Theological Seminary faculty members and Sister Olga Yaqob, a peace activist from the Assyrian Catholic Church of Iraq, will lead a teach-in about the war in Iraq here on Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m. Professors George Hunsinger, Deborah van Deusen Hunsinger, Peter Paris, and Mark Taylor will speak, and two seminary students will perform music. In 2002, Yaqob was sent to the United States by her bishop in Iraq to study spirituality and pastoral ministry at Boston College. She had worked and lived among the poor in Baghdad - both Christian and Muslim - and visited Abu Ghraib prison regularly to pray with prisoners.

Soldier Returns from Iraq with Stronger Faith

September 30, 2004 – When mortar shells are flying over your head, praying seems appropriate. Army Sgt. Justin Price of Arizona found himself talking to God a lot during his one-year mission in Iraq with the 1404th Transportation Company. "I remember praying, 'You know, God, I am here for you. I want to fulfill my purpose, whatever that is, but please don't let it be in Iraq. I want to go home to see my family; I want to raise my son and see my wife again.'" Amid violence, destruction and death, soldiers often question or doubt their faith. For 24-year-old Price, those experiences actually strengthened his.

People in the News

Disciples Remember Jack Hensley, American Killed in Iraq

September 30, 2004 – The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) mourns the loss of Jack Hensley, a lifelong Disciples. Hensley was abducted and killed by terrorists while working construction in Iraq. He was tragically executed on his 49th birthday. Hensley was a member of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Marietta, Ga. His pastor, the Rev. Jerry Gladson, described Hensley as, "a very likeable, caring person who was known for his sense of humor. He was very quiet and very caring and very funny." Hensley had been working three jobs after a 2001 layoff from his job as a computer executive. He accepted a construction job with Gulf Supplies and Commercial Services, based in the United Arab Emirates. He was contracted to work for one year.

Amarillo Pastor Tragically Killed

September 30, 2004 – The Rev. James Paul Cobb, 55, of Amarillo, Texas, died suddenly while riding his motorcycle Saturday after an unfortunate series of accidents. Cobb was the senior pastor at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). A memorial service for Cobb will be held on Saturday at 11 a.m. in the church sanctuary. The church is located at 3001 Wolfin Ave., Amarillo, Texas. Cobb was forced off his motorcycle when a vehicle pulled in front of him. His wife, Jeanne Cobb, was following in a separate car. Minutes later, a sports utility vehicle struck her husband and sped away as she called for help. She rushed back to help him and waved for oncoming traffic to stop, but a van hit both of them. The driver of the van said that she did not have time to stop because the vehicle in front of her swerved to miss the couple. Wet roads may have been a factor in the accident.

Vince Isner Is Named First Full-time Director of FaithfulAmerica.org Online Advocacy Service

October 1, 2004, NEW YORK CITY - Effective October 18, Vince Isner of Fairfax, Virginia, will become the first full-time director of FaithfulAmerica.org, the online advocacy service sponsored by the National Council of Churches USA. FaithfulAmerica.org began in May and already has more than 120,000 members who have helped advance several important initiatives dealing with a faith response to public issues, including genocide in Sudan's Darfur region, the Abu Graib Prison torture scandal and persistent poverty in the United States. The site also includes resources for voters in this election year. Isner, a veteran of more than 20 years' experience in electronic media production, design, marketing, print and web communication, has served as Communications Director of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society in Washington, DC.