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Rev. N. J. L'Heureux, Jr., Publisher & Editor
Rev. Pedro Bravo-Guzman, Editor-in-Chief
An Ecumenical Report of Local and Global News
in God's Household
Published by the Queens Federation of Churches
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Triumphant Evangelicals Seek Passage of Conservative Social Agenda November 4, 2004, WASHINGTON - After a generation of involvement on the political scene, religious conservatives say they may finally have come into their own. With the re-election of President Bush and a galvanized grass-roots movement, evangelical Christian leaders are confidently predicting the advance of their social agenda. "I think before there was a perception problem," said Paul Weyrich, who co-founded the now-defunct Moral Majority in 1979 and now chairs the Washington-based Free Congress Foundation. "The view was that we really didn't have the troops to make a difference." October 29, 2004 – Five countries in 21 days await World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia in Latin America, in what will be his first visit to the region since he took up the post. From November 1 to 21 Kobia will visit Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile in that order. The agenda includes meetings with leaders and members of Christian churches, ecumenical organizations and other religious communities, as well as with representatives from civil society and government authorities. Pastoral Letter to Member Churches in the US November 3, 2004 – In relation to the US presidential election on 2 November 2004, the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia has written to the WCC's US member churches to assure them of the encouragement and support of the churches worldwide as "the choice of the US president is of great concern not only to the people of the USA but also to people across the world." In his letter Kobia states: "We do not ask whose side God was on in this election. Rather, like Abraham Lincoln when he confronted a divisive war, we seek to be found on God's side. We pray that all people of faith may discern with the help of God's Spirit what is good for the world" and that churches can act as a "churches offer a moral and spiritual compass for their community, their nation and the world." Opponents of Same-Sex Marriage Gain Momentum, Eye Federal Amendment November 4, 2004, WASHINGTON - Riding high on President Bush's re-election and on decisive victories to ban gay marriage in 11 states, activists in the traditional marriage movement said Nov. 3 they now have a mandate to claim their ultimate prize: an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. "The American people are now trying whatever democratic means are available to them. This is a dress rehearsal for what is to come. We are going to win," said Matt Daniels, president of the Washington-based Alliance for Marriage, which authored an ill-fated federal constitutional amendment earlier this year. Voters approved constitutional amendments traditionally defining marriage in every state where they were on the ballot: Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon and Utah. Investigation Team Gives Iliff Seminary 'Public Warning' November 3, 2004 – An investigation of leadership problems and cultural insensitivity related to the retirement of a former president of Iliff School of Theology has led to the United Methodist-related institution being placed on "immediate listing with public warning" by a denominational review team. The designation was part of a Nov. 2 report prepared by an eight-member team from the denomination's University Senate and Commission on Religion and Race. The report contains a series of recommendations that the trustees of the Denver school have begun implementing, said the Rev. J. Philip Wogaman, Iliff's interim president. In an Era of Declining Sales, Denominational Publisher Bucks the Trend November 2, 2004, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Faith Alive Christian Resources announced today that sales of its Sunday school materials have increased by 40 percent over the same period last year. The increase coincides with the introduction of the new Walk With Me curriculum, which was launched in July. "We've never had a curriculum get such a positive response in such a short time," said Gary Mulder, executive director of Faith Alive. "It's truly remarkable - especially given recent trends." This comes at a time when many denominationally-owned publishers have been losing sales to other large publishers. "There's no question that many of our members have lost ground in recent years," says Alan Meyer, executive director of the Protestant Church-Owned Publishers' Association. "Declining curriculum sales has been a hot topic at most of our meetings." November 4, 2004, NEW YORK - Planning now to feature holiday gifts that make a difference and stand out from the usual sea of sweaters, ties, tech toys and gadgets? A new Heart to Heart Kids Kit from global humanitarian agency Church World Service (CWS) is offering a gift alternative that lets the gift-giver and his or her intended recipient reach beyond themselvesto children suffering from disasters and trauma. Intended for children in the U.S. and abroad, the new kids kit is a gift that is bigger than the sum of its parts. October 28, 2004, SAO PAULO, Brazil - Different Churches and Christian organizations are gearing up to celebrate the I Evangelical Black Awareness Week (I SENECON) from November 14-21. The activity is sponsored by the Fale Movement, World Vision and the Progressive Evangelical Movement and will include worship services, seminars, movies, round tables discussions and conferences. November is considered Black Awareness month, in memory of the death of Zumbi dos Palmares (1655-1695). Zumbi was the most important leader of Quilombo dos Palmares, a refuge for escaped slaves. October 31, 2004, JOHANNESBURG, South Africa/GENEVA - "The doctrine of justification has divided us for almost 500 years, bringing great suffering to individuals and to many of the peoples of Europe. Through our missionary work we even exported our differences to other continents," Walter Cardinal Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU), said in his keynote address at an ecumenical seminar, 30 October, that was part of celebrations to mark the fifth anniversary of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ) in Johannesburg, South Africa. In light of this disunity, both Kasper and Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and second keynote speaker at the event, stressed that the achievement of the JDDJ, signed by the LWF and Roman Catholic Church on 31 October 1999 in Augsburg, Germany, represented one of the boldest ecumenical developments in modern church history. Samuel Escobar: Study of Protestantism Points to New Paths October 25, 2004, SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS, Mexico - While I maintain many of the perspectives and proposals that I expressed in my work a decade ago, I think there is a need for a review because there has been a qualitative leap in the study of Protestantism in Latin America, said Peruvian theologian Samuel Escobar, in a conference given in this city in southern Mexico. In an intervention in the II Symposium on Evangelical Protestantism in Latin America, Escobar said that this progress has taken place thanks to the work of a new generation of professional historians within the Protestant field, united with historians who observe and interpret the Protestant reality of the continent from outside. Women Bishops in the Church of England? November 3, 2004 – Women Bishops in the Church of England?, the report of the House of Bishops' Working Party on Women in the Episcopate, chaired by the Rt Revd Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, the Bishop of Rochester, was published yesterday, Tuesday, 2 November. The General Synod will discuss the report in February. Women Bishops in the Church of England? is a survey of the theological issues the Church needs to consider as it decides whether or not to ordain women bishops. "We have tried to do this as comprehensively as possible," says the Bishop of Rochester, "and hope that our report will prove to be a useful resource for discussion and debate in the Church as a whole." The important theological issues covered by the Rochester Report will be debated by the Synod in February. The Synod will also have the opportunity, on the basis of a motion from the House of Bishops, to consider what the next steps should be. Synod will be invited to agree that, following a period of reflection on the report, there should be a decision at the July Synod on whether to embark on the process of removing the legal obstacles to ordaining women as bishops. 29 Octobre 2004 – Cinco países a lo largo de 21 días conforman la apretada agenda que espera en América Latina al secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias, Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia, en la que constituye su primera visita a la región desde que asumiera el cargo. Del 1 al 21 de noviembre Kobia visitará Bolivia, Brasil, Argentina, Uruguay y Chile en ese orden. Encuentros con líderes y miembros de iglesias cristianas, organizaciones ecuménicas y comunidades de otras religiones, así como representantes de la sociedad civil y autoridades gubernamentales están en la agenda. Aspects of Discrimination Against Evangelicals, Presented by Carlos Monsivais October 25, 2004, SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS, Mexico – Episodes of persecution of Evangelicals in Mexico in the past and heated questions about how they continue today were raised by Mexican intellectual and political analyst Carlos Monsivais. Monsivais spoke during the inaugural conference of the "Second Symposium about Protestantism in Latin America and the Caribbean," held in this city in the state of Chiapas in southern Mexico, from October 19 - 22. The Mexican intellectual dealt with the origins of Protestantism in Mexico in the XIX Century and offered family references when he mentioned that his grandfather was one of the first converts in the state of Zacatecas in northern Mexico. Southern African Primate Delivers Hobart Lecture, Outlines Mission Saturday, November 6, 2004, NEW YORK - "The church exists for mission and that's our priority" announced Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane as the guest speaker of the fifth annual Hobart Lecture held November 3 - the anniversary of Richard Hooker's death - at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, New York. Ndungane, Archbishop of Cape Town and Primate of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa (CPSA), addressed more than a hundred guests of the Diocese of New York on key areas such as poverty eradication, Christian diversity and the recently-published Windsor Report, which recommends ways in which to unite the world's 77 million Anglicans and Episcopalians. In his introduction, Bishop Mark Sisk of New York described Ndungane's commitment to the impoverished of the world as the characterization of his ministry. "The focus he's had for the sick and the poor is not only at the heart of his ministry," he said, "but also very close to the heart of the Gospel." Openly Lesbian MCC Leader Lupe Valdez Elected Sheriff of Dallas County, Texas November 3, 2004, DALLAS, Texas - On November 2, Lupe Valdez, a longtime member and lay leader of Metropolitan Community Churches, was elected as the new Sheriff of Dallas County in Texas. The Dallas Morning News describes Lupe's election as a "breakthrough victory." An article under the headline "Valdez scores historic victory" notes that Lupe is the first woman and the first Hispanic to be elected Dallas County Sheriff in this heavily Republican county. As the Democratic candidate, Lupe defeated the Republican candidate, who was a three-decade veteran of the sheriff's department. Prior to the election, political observers favored her opponent to win the election. Election Analysis Reveals Pronounced 'God Gap' Between Parties November 5, 2004, WASHINGTON - Despite efforts by Democrats to reach out to faith-based voters, a detailed exit poll analysis of Tuesday's election shows a "God gap" between the parties, with Republicans building support in almost every major religious group, including black Protestants. According to exit polls conducted for the PBS television program "Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly," the more often voters attended religious services, the more likely they were to vote for President Bush. At the same time, those who described themselves as "secular" or having no religious affiliation voted overwhelmingly for John Kerry. This continues trends identified in the 2000 election. "The religion gap was more pronounced. It may be that this is going to be a feature of American politics for some years to come," John C. Green of the University of Akron told "Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly." Ex-Governor Serves Self-Imposed 'Sentence' to End Death Penalty November 1, 2004, KANKAKEE, Ill. – Just one day before Gov. George H. Ryan retired from public service in January 2003, he did something shocking and unprecedented. He closed down the state of Illinois' death row and commuted the sentences of all 167 inmates there to life without parole. His contentious act touched off an avalanche of outrage from prosecutors and the families of victims and created new enemies among some powerful political figures. Yet it is that same act for which George Ryan was nominated for the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize. Another high-profile politician was also nominated for the 2004 peace prize - President George W. Bush. Bush and Ryan are both conservative Republicans and practicing United Methodists, but there the parallel ends. The president is a staunch advocate of the death penalty. Free in Colombia, Sort of – Mauricio Avilez Is out of Jail, but His Case Drags on November 1, 2004, LOUISVILLE - A young Colombian church worker has been abruptly released after spending 130 days in jail. But he has gone into hiding while authorities continue to investigate his case and his attorneys fight to have it dropped. Mauricio Avilez, 24, was freed Oct. 20 when district court officers overturned an earlier order to jail him. His attorney successfully argued that there was insufficient evidence to incarcerate him. "All of this solidarity is what is keeping me alive, what wakes me up every morning," Avilez told the Presbyterian News Service in an interview shortly after his release, speaking of the support of his family, friends and the world church. Evangelicals Oppose Free Trade Agreement with United States October 29, 2004, SAN JOSE, Costa Rica - In a joint declaration, Evangelical churches from Costa Rica expressed their opposition to Free Trade Agreements between the Central American region and the United States arguing that they exclude the most vulnerable sectors of the population. The ecumenical declaration also expressed the rejection of the "corruption that is embargoing and shadowing the national reality," as well as all the power abuses. It repudiated the "new forms of extortion and manipulation of people's faith under the flag of the theology of prosperity." We are opposed to the new markets of faith negotiating and perverting the name of Jesus Christ, they affirmed. Manuel Quintero Elected New Director of Frontier Internship in Mission November 1, 2004 – Mr Manuel Quintero has been elected the new director of Frontier Internship in Mission (FIM). He will begin his new responsibilities in January 2005. He is from Cuba and is an electrical engineer and a journalist. Quintero is currently the director of Communications for the Latin American Council of Churches (CLAI), based in Quito, Ecuador. He was formally general secretary of the World Student Christian Federation in Geneva, Switzerland. Quintero was elected by the International Coordinating Committee of FIM at their meeting in Solo, Indonesia in October 2004. Presbyterian Pastor Receives Virtue Award October 25, 2004, HAVANA, Cuba - Presbyterian pastor and former president of the Cuban Council of Churches Rafael Cepeda received the "Usefulness of Virtue" award, granted by the Jose Marti Cultural Society to individuals who live a life in line with the integrity and honor that characterized the great Cuban thinker and Patriot. In the act, celebrated Friday at the foot of the Jose Marti monument in the historic Revolution Plaza was also given to 20 Cuban intellectuals including Eusebio Leal Espencer, historian from the City of Havana, film maker Alfredo Guevara and writer and researcher Salvador Bueno. Cepeda who together with being an exemplary Christian is an upright citizen and a scholar of Marti's work, received the diploma from Armando Hart Davalos, president of the institution.
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