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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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PC(USA) Receives Arson Threat November 12, 2004, LOUISVILLE - An anonymous letter postmarked Queens, NY, has been received at the Presbyterian Center here threatening arson against Presbyterian churches in retaliation for "your anti-Israel and anti-Jewish attitudes." The handwritten letter, replete with a swastika, says, "I promise violence against Presbyterian Churches - They will go up in flames, bet your ass that's a terrorist threat." In two separate places it sets a Nov. 15 deadline for the church to "reverse" its Middle East policies "or else." National Council of Churches Issues Statement Condemning Arson Threats Against Presbyterian Churches November 17, 2004, NEW YORK CITY - The National Council of Churches today issued the following statement: With deep distress we have learned of arson threats against Presbyterian churches, in response to action by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in July to engage in a process to consider selective divestment from corporations whose business in Israel causes harm to innocent Palestinians or Israelis. We are grateful that, despite their disagreement with the Presbyterian action, several Jewish organizations immediately condemned this arson threat and affirmed that dialogue is the only way to resolve our differences. In this we stand together. Economic Justice: "National Accountability Key to Achieving Millennium Development Goals" November 11, 2004 – From Sweden to Kenya, churches should take responsibility for mobilizing locally and advocating for economic justice at their national government level. This was one of the main messages from a public seminar on "The role of the churches in fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals" taking place in New York City during a World Council of Churches (WCC) International Affairs and Advocacy Week at the United Nations. Christmas Message from the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Anglican Communion November 19, 2004 – A few weeks ago, I took part in a discussion that involved a number of people working with children and young people who suffer from different forms of 'autism' - the kind of disorder that seems to cut people off from ordinary communication and shows itself in strange repetitive behaviours and sometimes in violent outbursts. We watched a video showing the work of one of the most experienced therapists in Britain, and then heard her talking about what she is trying to do with her methods. November 17, 2004, SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador/GENEVA - Cecilia Alfaro has seen too many faces to remember them all. It is 12 years since civil war ended in her country, leaving more than 75,000 people dead and over 1 million displaced and homeless. The 52-year-old Lutheran pastor and mother of two shared her testimony with Lutheran World Information/Latin American News Agency when the president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Bishop Mark S. Hanson, his wife Ione and leaders from Latin American Lutheran churches visited El Salvador's Faith and Hope community, which sheltered scores of internally displaced persons (IDPs) during the 1980-1992 conflict. Burma: Epitomizing the Global AIDS Conspiracy of Silence Few places on earth more epitomize the conspiracy of silence that propels the global HIV/AIDS pandemic than Burma. Renamed Myanmar by its military dictatorship, a silent epidemic of explosive proportions is escalating behind the Teak Curtain. Governmental denial in the past decade has been pervasive. The junta has claimed United Nations' estimates were exaggerated, the disease never would spread due to the conservative culture and behavior of the people, and condom usage was not only discouraged, but mere possession deemed a reason for arrest. ELCA Council Sets Stage for Decisions on Sexuality November 19, 2004, CHICAGO - In 2005 the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is to consider whether or not the church should bless same-gender relationships and whether or not it should allow people in such relationships to serve the church as professional lay and ordained ministers. At its last scheduled meeting of 2004 the ELCA Church Council heard updates on a churchwide study of the issues, participated in the study and acknowledged the process and timeline for a task force report related to the study. Pine Trees Provide Chapel Experience at Special Times of Year November 18, 2004 – Each Sunday through Labor Day, a multitude of boats deliver worshippers to the Chapel in the Pines, an outreach boatdock ministry of an Alabama United Methodist congregation. At Christmas, the chapel provides a Holy Communion experience outdoors. Chapel in the Pines is a ministry of Pell City First United Methodist Church, but the services are nondenominational. They are held on Logan Martin Lake from May 2 through the last week in September, with additional Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve services. The worshippers "come as they are" by boat or automobile. Enthusiasm and Commitment: Brazilian Churches Are Ready for the Ninth WCC Assembly November 14, 2004 – World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia lauded the enthusiasm and commitment of Brazilian Churches to prepare for the ninth WCC Assembly. "I am extremely satisfied with the enthusiasm and commitment of Brazilian Churches regarding this Assembly, a key factor in the success of this kind of event," said Kobia after visiting Porto Alegre from 9 to 12 of November as part of his first visit to Latin America. "This is a genuine enthusiasm, which also includes Roman Catholic Church representatives we have spoken with," he said. November 16, 2004, ST. LOUIS - Civil rights movement pioneer Dorothy I. Height was named winner of the National Council of Churches (NCC)'s first J. Irwin Miller Award for her 60 years of dedication to equal rights and justice in the United States. The award is named for the prominent industrialist and philanthropist who was a founder of the NCC and served as its president from 1960 to1963. Miller, a member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), died three months ago at the age of 95. Height's award was one of several handed out by the NCC, the United States' largest ecumenical organization, at its annual awards luncheon during its Nov. 9-11 General Assembly here. NCC's Edgar Hails US Catholic Bishops' Agreement to Join Christian Churches Together in the USA November 18, 2004, NEW YORK CITY - NCC General Secretary Bob Edgar welcomed the U.S. Catholic Bishops' decision Nov. 17 to join Christian Churches Together in the U.S.A. (CCT), an effort to bring Catholics, evangelical and mainline Protestants, and Orthodox Christians around a common table for the first time. CCT is a new forum for leaders of the nation's churches to discuss topics of common interest and grow in their relationships with one another - more a place to be together than to act together, Dr. Edgar noted. A Pastoral Letter from All the Anglican Bishops in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia November 18, 2004 – The 2004 Meeting of Bishops the Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia has issued a pastoral letter to the Church on the release of the Windsor Report. The letter that was sent to local churches on 25 October 2004 follows: The Windsor Report from the Lambeth Commission on Communion reached the media before the Church it was written for had read it. The debate triggered on the Internet before and after the report's release bears little resemblance to the careful and prayerful process of reception that the Commission proposes. Prayer - Visible Sign and Instrument of Christian Unity November 16, 2004 – The ecumenical movement needs visible signs of Christian unity, and the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is one of them. For churches in Slovakia, it is perhaps the most visible sign of what members of different churches in our country have in common. In Slovakia, the Week of Prayer reflects many different aspects of cooperation between churches. For example, coordinated negotiation between churches and state institutions on different areas of church service to the public is vital in times of change. Since Slovakia gained its independence in 1993, our society is experiencing a dynamic process of development. As the social system is transformed and decentralized, representatives of churches' charity organizations meet regularly around the table of the Ecumenical Council to discuss their priorities and their role in this process. Entusiasmo Y Compromiso: Las Iglesias Brasileñas Están Listas Para La Novena Asamblea Del CMI 14 noviembre 2004 – El entusiasmo y compromiso de las iglesias brasileñas para llevar adelante la preparación de la novena Asamblea del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) fue destacado por el secretario general del CMI Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia. "Estoy muy satisfecho con el entusiasmo y compromiso de las iglesias del Brasil en relación con la Asamblea, ése es uno de los factores clave para el éxito de un evento de este tipo," afirmó Kobia luego de visitar Porto Alegre del 9 al 12 de noviembre como parte de su primera visita a América Latina. "Se trata de un entusiasmo genuino, que incluye también a los representantes de la Iglesia Católica Romana con los que hemos conversado," agregó. Batista: La Igualdad Religiosa Abre Nuevos Horizontes Para La Democracia 14 Noviembre 2004, QUITO, Ecuador - Los esfuerzos de las iglesias evangélicas en materia de igualdad religiosa están motivados por la convicción de que "una nueva ley de culto no es simplemente una búsqueda de privilegios, sino una búsqueda de nuevos horizontes para la democracia en América Latina," dijo aquí el pastor Israel Batista, secretario general del Consejo Latinoamericano de Iglesias (CLAI). En la conferencia inaugural de la Consulta Andina sobre Igualdad Religiosa, que sesiona en la capital ecuatoriana los días 17 al 19 de noviembre, el pastor Batista recordó la definición del Estado que sugirió la Conferencia de Iglesias de Oxford de 1937, como "garante de la ley y siervo de la justicia." Deuda Externa Y Educacisn Sexual Destacaron En La Agenda Porteqa Del Secretario General Del CMI 18 noviembre 2004 – "Todo el mundo sabe que la deuda argentina ha sido pagada varias veces mientras el pueblo continza en la pobreza," afirms el secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), pastor Dr. Samuel Kobia, hablando en la Universidad de Buenos Aires el lunes 15 de noviembre. Por eso, continus, el Consejo acompaqa a sus iglesias miembros en el pams "declarando que la asm llamada deuda externa de la Argentina es ilegmtima y no itica." Disertando sobre el tema "La economma como una cuestisn de fe," Kobia sostuvo que la vida humana se encuentra amenazada en el mundo hoy por una profunda crisis que es "consecuencia de estructuras que no sirven a la vida sino que reflejan el pecado humano." En consecuencia, llams a los cristianos a "desafiar las presuposiciones idslatras, los sistemas injustos, las polmticas de dominacisn y explotacisn en el actual orden econsmico mundial." "Las vidas de los pobres estan siendo sacrificadas en beneficio del lucro de los ricos," afirms. La Igualdad De Cultos: Una Conquista De La Iglesia Evangélica November 18, 2004, QUITO, Ecuador - La igualdad de cultos no fue un regalo del Estado, sino una conquista de la iglesia evangélica, dijo aquí el obispo pentecostal chileno Francisco Anabalón, en la segunda jornada de la consulta andina sobre igualdad religiosa, que reúne en la capital ecuatoriana a unos sesenta representantes de iglesias y organismos cristianos de varios países latinoamericanos y de España. Iglesias Deben Hacer Más Para Proteger a Los Niños, Dice Activista 17 noviembre 2004, GINEBRA, Suiza - Con ocasión de celebrarse el próximo viernes 19 el "Día Mundial de Prevención del Abuso de los Niños," Ruth Lee, una trabajadora de la sección de Asia del Programa de Dignidad de los Niños, del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), advirtió que es mucho más lo que las iglesias podrían y deberían hacer, tanto dentro de ellas mismas como en el conjunto de la sociedad para defender a los menores. Diálogo Católico-luterano Propone Declaración Sobre Ministerios 16 noviembre 2004, SAO LEOPOLDO, Brasil - Católicos e evangélicos de confesión luterana estuvieron de acuerdo en que sería conveniente emitir, a nivel mundial, una declaración conjunta de las dos iglesias sobre los ministerios. Al concluir un Seminario Bilateral Católico Romano - Evangélico Luterano, reunido el 8 y 9 de noviembre, en Sao Leopoldo, los representantes de las dos iglesias declararon que el ministerio eclesiástico, ordenado, es una institución divina, que no está por encima de la palabra de Dios, sino a su servicio. Organizaciones Educativas Religiosas Regionales Promueven La Paz 19 noviembre 2004, SANTIAGO, Chile - Con el objetivo de promover la Educación para la Paz y contra la Violencia, se realizó aquí, el 16 y 17 del corriente mes, el primer encuentro de Organizaciones Educativas Religiosas Regionales de América Latina. A este foro interreligioso, asistieron 14 delegados de Perú, Argentina, Guatemala, Colombia y Chile, quienes a la vez representaban a la Iglesia Católica, las iglesias evangélicas, a comunidades islámicas, judías, indígenas y centros ecuménicos. La Oración, Signo Visible E Instrumento De La Unidad De Los Cristianos 16 noviembre 2004 – El movimiento ecuménico necesita signos visibles de la unidad de los cristianos, y la Semana de Oración por la Unidad de los Cristianos es uno de ellos. Para las iglesias de Eslovaquia, es tal vez el signo más visible de lo que los miembros de las diferentes iglesias de nuestro país tienen en común. Un Nuevo Mundo Es Posible Y Ya Está En Camino, Dice Pacifista 19 noviembre 2004, SAO LEOPOLDO, Brasil - La guerra es uno de los negocios más rentables del mundo. Cada segundo se gastan 30 mil dólares en armamentos, pero con ese monto se podría solucionar la mayor parte de los problemas sociales del planeta, afirmó el sacerdote católico y comunicador Marcelo Rezende Guimaraes. La aplicación de los recursos belicistas para salvar vidas humanas, es defendida por el padre Rezende en su libro "Un nuevo mundo es posible," que fue puesto en circulación en la Feria del Libro de Porto Alegre, que funcionó en la Plaza de Alfandega, del 29 de octubre al 15 de noviembre. Paz Preventiva, Propone Secretario General Del CMI 19 noviembre 2004, MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay - El concepto de "paz preventiva" fue planteado por el secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), reverendo Samuel Kobia, como alternativa a la tesis estadounidense de "guerra preventiva." Kobia, que realizó una rápida visita a Uruguay los días miércoles 17 y jueves 18, se entrevistó sucesivamente con el Intendente (alcalde) de Montevideo, Mariano Arana, y con el vicepresidente electo, Rodolfo Nin Novoa, en vista que el presidente electo, Tabaré Vázquez, se encontraba en el interior del país. Ponen Primera Piedra De Iglesia Ortodoxa Rusa 18 noviembre 2004, LA HABANA, Cuba - La primera piedra de lo que será el primer templo de la Iglesia Ortodoxa Rusa en Cuba, fue colocada el pasado lunes por el metropolitano Kirill, presidente del Departamento de Relaciones Eclesiásticas Exteriores del Patriarcado de Moscú. El presidente cubano Fidel Castro, a pesar de encontrarse convaleciente de la caída en un acto público durante el Día de la Cultura Cubana, el pasado octubre, recibió al metropolitano Kirill y dialogó también con el resto de la delegación que asistió al simbólico acto, liderada por el metropolitano de Smolensk y Kaliningrado. Motion Is Filed to Enter NBA Bankruptcy Proceedings November 16, 2004, INDIANAPOLIS - The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has filed a motion to enter into the bankruptcy proceedings of the National Benevolent Association (NBA). The church's Administrative Committee unanimously agreed on Monday, Nov. 15, to seek a role as a party of interest in the bankruptcy proceedings. The Administrative Committee is responsible for regular review and evaluation of the budgetary procedures, missional goals and board memberships of the church's 11 general administrative units, which includes NBA. The church's motion must now be approved by the US Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Texas in San Antonio, Texas. Churches Appeal to UN Security Council to Help Find Lasting Peace for Sudan November 18, 2004, NAIROBI - An historic meeting of United Nations Security Council started today in Nairobi, Kenya with an agenda focusing on the protracted war in Sudan. The Church in Africa and the World Council of Churches (WCC) presented a four-point proposal to the Security Council for meeting's deliberations. "Danger: Memory of Nuclear Threat Is Fading" WCC Seminar at UN Warns November 17, 2004 – After 1989, there was hope that the end of the Cold War would put a stop to the use of nuclear power as a guarantee of "global security ." Since then however, not only have the superpowers retained nuclear weapons, but additional states have developed nuclear capability, and the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) seems to be in serious crisis. In May 2005, this treaty will be reviewed in conference at the United Nations in New York, and the churches will need to focus their advocacy and education efforts during the coming months leading up to this conference. WCC Advocacy Week: Reform Should Empower, Strengthen and Democratize the United Nations November 19, 2004 – "Reform means different things to different actors," said Andreas Zumach, Geneva-based international correspondent of the Berlin daily Tageszeitung who has become known as an expert on international institutions, at a fourth public seminar held in the framework of a 14-19 November World Council of Churches (WCC) international advocacy week at the UN in New York. "Transnational corporations and powerful nations would want reform to disempower and weaken the UN and its ability to take action,"he continued. "The churches should advocate for reform that empowers, strengthens and brings better representation to the UN so that we can successfully address the global challenges that we face: wars, conflicts, environmental degradation, AIDs and other diseases, under-development and extreme poverty." November 18, 2004 – Through combined spiritual accompaniment and active advocacy approaches, the ecumenical movement is making a vital contribution to the work for peace in crisis regions around the world. A case in point - Sudan - was the main focus of the third public seminar at a 14-19 November World Council of Churches (WCC) international affairs and advocacy week at the UN in New York. "Moral outrage and fear everywhere" define the current situation in Sudan according to seminar keynote speaker Jan Egeland, the Humanitarian Relief coordinator for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Although the signs of crisis in Sudan were present many months beforehand, the international response was "too little, too late" he said. Foreign Debt and Sex Education Emphasized in WCC General Secretary's Argentina Agenda November 17, 2004 – "Everybody knows that the Argentinean debt has been paid several times while people continue to languish in poverty," said World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, speaking at the University of Buenos Aires on 15 November. For this reason, he said, the Council stands with its member churches in the country, "declaring the so-called external debt of Argentina illegitimate and unethical." On the topic of "economy - a matter of faith," Kobia observed that human life is threatened in today's world by a profound crisis that is the result "of structures that do not serve life, but reflect rather human sin." He called on Christians to "confront idolatrous assumptions, unjust systems, politics of domination and exploitation in our current world economic order." "The lives of the poor are being sacrificed for the gains of the rich," he said. Council Lifts Lutheran World Federation Action on Sudan November 17, 2004, CHICAGO (ELCA) - The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) "raised up" a September 2004 resolution of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) that calls for solidarity with survivors of violence in Darfur, Sudan. It also encouraged the 5 million members of the ELCA to pray for peace in Sudan. ELCA Vice President Recounts Visit with West Bank Lutherans November 16, 2004, CHICAGO - Carlos Pena, vice president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and chair of the ELCA Church Council, told the council about a one-week tour of Israel and the West Bank that he took in September. The ELCA Division for Global Mission organized the visit to focus "on people living in severe need and the primary factors that cause those needs."
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