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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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December 10, 2004, LOUISVILLE - A group of Presbyterian ministers and laypersons is urging members of the Presbyterian Church (USA) to work toward reversing last summer's controversial General Assembly action to begin a process of phased, selective divestment from certain companies doing business in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. In a statement released Wednesday, the New York-based Presbyterians Concerned for Jewish and Christian Relations (PCJCR) called on the denomination's General Assembly Council to impose a moratorium on shareholder actions and other steps related to divestment until the PC(USA)'s General Assembly convenes again in 2006. Episcopalians Seek Global Reconciliation Through Millennium Development Goals December 13, 2004, NEW YORK - When Bishop Jeffrey Rowthorn returned to the United States in late 2001 after serving as Bishop of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe for eight years, he was dismayed at the level of "self-preoccupation" he witnessed both within the church and throughout the country. Heeding "a sense that I needed to be doing something," he discovered there were many friends and colleagues in the Episcopal Church who felt the same. More than three years later, Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation (EGR) - a growing movement dedicated to empowering individuals, parishes and dioceses to "carry on Christ's work of justice and reconciliation in the world" - is the result of those initial conversations. Faith Triumphs over Adversity in Florida December 13, 2004 – Adversity may bring out the best in some people, if the financial giving of United Methodists in some areas is any indication. "Our connectional giving is up this year," reported Randy Casey-Rutland, treasurer of the denomination's Florida Annual (regional) Conference, which includes all of the state except the panhandle. Giving increased despite the fact that "many of our churches were negatively affected by three hurricanes this year." Some 30 percent of all United Methodist properties in Florida were damaged by the storms. More importantly, Casey-Rutland noted, members lost homes, businesses, jobs and sometimes friends or loved ones. Bishop Rejoices at Progress in Letter to Martin Luther King Jr. December 14, 2004 – Each year, United Methodist Bishop Woodie W. White writes a "birthday" letter to his late colleague, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., about the progress of racial equality in the United States. Now retired and serving as bishop-in-residence at United Methodist-related Candler School of Theology in Atlanta, White was the first top staff executive of the denomination's racial equality monitoring agency, the Commission on Religion and Race. Americans honor King's memory on the third Monday of January. ELCA Task Force Hones Recommendations on Homosexuality December 16, 2004, CHICAGO - The task force of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Studies on Sexuality discussed key issues regarding the church and homosexuality, and it made significant decisions about recommendations it will place before the church Jan. 13 for action in August by the ELCA Churchwide Assembly. The task force met here Dec. 10-12 and drafted recommendations on how the ELCA should answer two key questions on homosexuality - 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. December 17, 2004, WINNIPEG, Canada/GENEVA, - Commemorating the fifth year of the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ) in Winnipeg, Canada, was an occasion to express the significance of the Lutheran-Roman Catholic agreement for church life. Participants in a festive Lutheran-Roman Catholic worship on November 14 in Winnipeg voiced their hope that such services could be held more often, and that eventually the two Christian communities would be able to celebrate the Eucharist together. "The joint declaration has helped reconnect justification with Christian formation and prayer life," said National Bishop Raymond L. Schultz, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC). He noted that the JDDJ "has created a more familiar and friendly environment" among Lutherans and Catholics in Canada. December 11, 2004, HANOVER, Germany/GENEVA - The chairpersons of the negotiation commissions of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany (VELKD), Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) and the Union of Evangelical Churches in the EKD (UEK), have initialed agreements that will determine the future roles of the UEK and VELKD within the EKD. VELKD Presiding Bishop, Dr Hans-Christian Knuth (Schleswig), UEK General Conference Chairperson, Bishop Dr Ulrich Fischer (Baden) and EKD Council Vice-Chairperson, Bishop Dr Christoph Kaehler (Thuringia), initialed the proposed agreements and submitted the latter for approval to the EKD member churches. Mission in One's Own Home Town - Interview with George Mathew Nalunnakkal December 13, 2004 – The countdown has started for a conference that will comprise something new: in six months representatives of Pentecostal and other evangelical churches will meet as equal partners with women and men from WCC member churches and the Roman Catholic Church. At the World Council of Churches' Conference on World Mission and Evangelism in Athens, Greece (9-16 May 2005), these participants aim to draw up some common visions for the future of Christian missions. "I am excited about the unique possibilities of interaction with Christians from all these other theological and church traditions," said the Orthodox theologian George Mathew Nalunnakkal from India. Dr. George Mathew Nalunnakkal is vice-moderator of the WCC Commission on World Mission and Evangelism, which is preparing the World Mission Conference in Athens. Dr. Mathew, who directs a programme for mentally disabled children at the India Centre for Social Change, in Kottayam in the southern Indian state of Kerala, is a priest in the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, India, and author of the book Green Liberation. Towards an integral ecotheology (New Delhi 1999). He gave the following interview during a consultation in preparation for the World Mission Conference, held in the Mission Academy at the University of Hamburg, Germany. At the consultation he gave an introductory lecture on the theme of the World Mission Conference: "Come, Holy Spirit, heal and reconcile! Called in Christ to be healing and reconciling communities." United Methodists Urged to Join 'Week of Prayer' December 14, 2004, NEW YORK - United Methodists are invited to join with Christians around the world in a week of prayer for peace. The United Methodist Church's top ecumenical officials are encouraging congregations to set aside Jan. 18-25 to participate in the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Bishop William B. Oden, ecumenical officer for the denomination's Council of Bishops, and the Rev. Larry D. Pickens, top executive of the churchwide Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, sent a letter to bishops and other church leaders asking them to encourage participation in this annual observance. WCC and CEC Declare Support for Orthodox Patriarchate December 13, 2004, GENEVA - In the face of the recent "new pressures and difficulties being brought upon the Ecumenical Patriarchate," the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC) have expressed their solidarity to the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, His All Holiness Bartholomew I. Writing on behalf of their respective organisations in a letter of 10 December, the Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, General Secretary of WCC, and the Rev. Dr Keith Clements, General Secretary of CEC, expressed their "profound sorrow at the reports we are receiving of new pressures and difficulties being brought upon the Ecumenical Patriarchate. We are pained to read of the public criticisms and attacks being made upon yourself and upon the Christian community in Turkey. Such hostility must be very hard to bear, with the added sense of isolation that it brings." Celebración Ecuménica Por El Día De Los Derechos Humanos 15 diciembra 2004, QUITO, Ecuador - Con el objetivo de examinar la responsabilidad de los cristianos frente a las injusticias que enfrenta la nación en los actuales momentos, la Iglesia Luterana "El Adviento" celebró una reunión ecuménica. Se celebró así, el pasado diez del corriente mes, un aniversario más de la firma de la Declaración de los Derechos Humanos, cuyo tema central de reflexión fue: la equidad, la no discriminación y el compromiso. Fundación Luterana De Diaconía Inaugura Nueva Sede 17 diciembre 2004, PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil - La Fundación Luterana de Diaconía (FLD), que funcionaba en el mismo local que las secretarías de la Iglesia Evangélica de Confesión Luterana en el Brasil (IECLB), en Porto Alegre, inauguró una nueva sede, situada siempre en el centro de la capital del estado de Río Grande do Sul. Definida como una organización de la sociedad civil de interés público, la FLD, creada el 17 de julio del 2000, tiene por objetivo prestar servicios a la comunidade, en forma especial a los más pobres, sin distinción de raza, género o credo religioso. Líder Evangélico Apoya El Diálogo Y La No Reelección Presidencial 16 diciembra 2004, MANAGUA, Nicaragua - El pastor Adolfo Sequeira, presidente del Centro Intereclesial de Estudios Teológicos y Sociales (CIEETS) se pronunció a favor de las tres propuestas de reforma de la Constitución que planteó el presidente Enrique Bolaños. Agregó que ante la crisis que vive el país, tanto económica y social como política por el enfrentamiento entre los poderes Ejecutivo y Legislativo, emitirá una Carta Pastoral antes de fin de año. La Misión En El Propio País - Entrevista Con George Mathew Nalunnakkal 13 diciembra 2004 – La cuenta regresiva de una conferencia que será un hecho inédito ha comenzado: en seis meses representantes de comunidades pentecostales e iglesias evangélicas se reunirán en un plano de igualdad con hombres y mujeres de las iglesias miembros del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) y de la Iglesia Católica Romana para participar en la Conferencia Mundial sobre Misión y Evangelización - que tendrá lugar en Atenas, Grecia, del 9 al 16 de mayo de 2005. Allí tratarán de formular de manera conjunta proyectos para el futuro de la misión cristiana. "Estoy encantado con estas oportunidades únicas que la Conferencia y sus preparativos ofrecen para relacionarnos los cristianos de las tradiciones eclesiásticas más diversas," dice George Mathew Nalunnakkal, teólogo ortodoxo de la liberación y organizador de la Conferencia Mundial sobre Misión y Evangelización. El Dr. George Mathew Nalunnakkal es vicemoderador de la Comisión de Misión Mundial y Evangelización del CMI, que planifica y organiza la Conferencia de Atenas. El Dr. Mathew, que dirige un programa para niños discapacitados mentales en Kottayam, en el estado de Kerala, al sur de la India, es sacerdote de la Iglesia Ortodoxa Siria de Malankara, y autor del libro "Liberación Verde. Hacia una eco-teología integral" (Nueva Delhi, 1999). La siguiente entrevista fue realizada en el marco de una consulta preparatoria para la Conferencia de Atenas, que tuvo lugar en la Academia de Misión de la Universidad de Hamburgo, Alemania. En ella presentó una ponencia sobre el tema de la Conferencia: "¡Ven, Espíritu Santo, sana y reconcilia! Llamados en Cristo a ser comunidades sanadoras y reconciliadoras." Navidad, Entre La Esperanza Y El Temor Viven Los Niños De Irak 17 diciembre 2004, GINEBRA, Suiza - Mientras en casi todo el mundo, los niños esperan los juguetes que les traerá el Niño Dios en esta Navidad, los niños de Irak solamente esperan que cese la guerra y la violencia, poder satisfacer sus necesidades y recuperar la esperanza en el futuro. "Quiero dormir sin miedo y sin que los helicópteros rujan sobre nuestro vecindario en las noches," dice Maro, una niña de nueve años que vive en Bagdad. "Me cubro la cabeza con la frazada, pero sigo oyéndolos," agrega. CSEA Members at QSAC Achieve Substantial Gains in Historic First Contract December 16, 2004, NEW YORK - CSEA and Quality Services for the Autism Community have reached an historic first contract that will cover over 400 workers, provide a 10% wage increase over the next three years, 4% retroactive pay dating back to February and includes substantial employee rights and benefits. Both sides ratified the contract earlier this week. "This agreement is a testament to the courage and determination of the QSAC workers," said George Boncoraglio, CSEA Regional President. "It brings a new era of equality and dignity for the work force there. We also look forward to forging a new relationship with QSAC to support its important mission in serving adults and children who suffer from autism spectrum disorders." December 17, 2004, SANTIAGO, Chile/GENEVA - The president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Chile (IELCH), Rev. Gloria Rojas, has criticized the tendency to generalize responsibility for torture crimes committed during the country's military dictatorship. In a statement following the recent completion of the report of the National Commission on Political Imprisonment and Torture, and the army's public acknowledgment of wrong doing during General Augusto Pinochet's military rule, Rojas said she strongly opposed the idea "that institutions ask the victims for forgiveness because this covers up for the individuals who are responsible for the barbaric actions." Prior to the report's release, the Chilean army declared it accepted responsibility for human rights violations carried out during the military rule. This recent stance is seen as a reversal of the army's previous position that individual officers were directly responsible for abuses carried out between 1973 and 1990. "Individualizing those who committed these crimes and/or were the intellectual authors, will make it possible to do justice," Rojas said in the IELCH statement, December 3. Iraqi Church Trashed; Kirkpatrick Urges Bush to Pursue New Security Strategy December 15, 2004, LOUISVLLE - The Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, stated clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), is urging President Bush to seek an alternate approach for bringing stability to Iraq following recent vandalism to a Presbyterian church there. Noting an increase in kidnappings, high civilian and military death tolls, inhumane conditions and attacks on Iraqi churches, Kirkpatrick told Bush in a letter dated Dec. 10 that the Presbyterian Church has been watching with "grave concern the chaotic situation in Iraq." He asked the president to "alter the course of your policy" and take "swift steps" to bring about the "necessary transformation to which all the people of Iraq aspire, beginning with giving your immediate attention to the security situation for all Iraqi citizens." Fortress Press Releases Richardson's New Approach to Clergy Health December 13, 2004, MINNEAPOLIS - Among the most helpful and widely acclaimed resources for addressing church conflict and the quality of church life is Ronald W. Richardson's groundbreaking volume Creating a Healthier Church (Fortress Press, 1996). His application of family systems theory to congregational life has enormously clarified its operative systems and especially its emotional system. Fortress Press is happy to announce the release of his latest work, Becoming a Healthier Pastor.
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