Front Page

Letter to Bush Says Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Threatens U. S.

January 21, 2005, WASHINGTON, DC - In a full-page ad in today's national edition of The New York Times, leaders of Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Protestant and Evangelical churches and institutions urge President Bush to have the courage to seize the opportunity and bring his leadership to ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The 57 signers, including National Council of Churches USA General Secretary Robert Edgar (leading an official NCC delegation to the Middle East Jan. 21-Feb. 4 - see NCC Delegation to Middle East Urges: Make Peace a Reality) and top leadership of a dozen NCC member churches (denominations), begin with their concern for the security and freedom of Israelis and Palestinians. Then they add an appeal to the security and reputation of the United States itself. "The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has become a threat to the people of the United States," they write in their open letter to the newly inaugurated President. "Every day the conflict continues, hatred of the United States government is fueled. With each news report of Palestinian suffering . . . popular support in Arab and Muslim countries for terrorism grows and the threat of attacks directed at the United States increases. The continuing conflict has also resulted in suffering and loss of life among Israeli citizens. We want Israelis, too, to live without fear or threat in their own country."

General News

ELCA Studies Lutheran Legacy in Education

January 20, 2005, CHICAGO - The 5 million members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) can spend much of this year studying their "legacy in education." A 16-member Task Force on Education developed the study materials, "Our Calling in Education: A Lutheran Study," as one of the early stages in preparing a possible social statement on education for the ELCA's 2007 Churchwide Assembly. The ELCA Division for Church in Society published the 82- page booklet with an Oct. 1 deadline for responses to the study. Based on the responses and on its own study, the division's task force will prepare a first draft of the proposed social statement for distribution throughout the ELCA at the beginning of 2006. "This study has sought to give a comprehensive view of our calling in education. It has offered a theological basis for this calling and related it to education in Church and society," Our Calling in Education said.

Learning Spanish, Latino Ministry: Courses Set in Mississippi, Texas

January 18, 2005, CANTON, Mississippi - A Total Immersion Spanish language course is scheduled for February 25-27 at the Duncan M. Gray Episcopal Camp and Conference Center, near Canton, Mississippi. The workshop is presented for the third consecutive year by the Diocese of Mississippi, and for the first time Province IV Hispanic Ministries. This intensive course in the Spanish language is the vision of the Rev. Canon Yamily Bass-Choate, canon for Hispanic Ministries of the Diocese of Mississippi and coordinator for Hispanic Ministries in Province IV.

First Latina Bishop: Rivera to Be Ordained Olympia's Suffragan

January 20, 2005 – The Rev. Bavi Edna "Nedi" Rivera will be ordained and consecrated as the first bishop suffragan for the Diocese of Olympia during a service at 1 p.m. on Saturday, January 22, at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, Washington. Rivera, 59, will be the first Latin American woman bishop and only the 12th woman bishop to be ordained in the historic episcopate of the Episcopal Church. Nedi, as she prefers to be called, has been rector of St. Aidan Episcopal Church in San Francisco since 1994. She has served at several churches in the Dioceses of California and El Camino Real and as a member of various committees and boards - particularly in areas of youth and young adult ministries - since her ordination in 1976.

Canadian Church Leaders Write Parliament/ Prime Minister on 'Equal' Marriage

January 17, 2005 – Below is the text of two letters sent today by Canadian Church offices on the subject of gay marriage following a recent decision of the Canadian Supreme Court – The Moderator's letter to Members of Parliament and the United Church of Canada letter to the Prime Minister.

Take Precautions When Giving Online, UMCOR Executive Says

January 19, 2005, NEW YORK - Online giving came of age for the United Methodist Committee on Relief and for many people in the church in response to the tsunami disaster in the Indian Ocean. More than a fourth of the $2 million given to UMCOR in the first two weeks of the relief efforts came from online credit card gifts. The online giving option was developed through a partnership between UMCOR and United Methodist Communications. "We have had very few problems in making a major shift to electronic giving," says Glenda Survance, director of information services at the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, UMCOR's parent organization. "Online giving is extremely safe, but there are a few ways in which scam artists can mess up an occasional transaction," she continued. "So we have developed a short list of precautions that donors to UMCOR should follow."

Ecumenical News

Archbishop and Cardinal Celebrate Christian Unity Week at Catholic National Cathedral

January 17, 2005 – The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Rowan Williams, attended solemn vespers on Friday 14 January at the Roman Catholic Westminster Cathedral and preached at the service at the invitation of the Cardinal Archbishop, HE Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, to mark Christian Unity Week. It was his first official visit to the cathedral. Before the service, Archbishop Rowan opened and toured an exhibition being held in the cathedral on Anglicanism. "Anglicanism and the Western Tradition" was previously on show at the Vatican but has been exhibited since at several cathedrals across the UK. The exhibition will remain at Westminster Cathedral for the next month. Charting the history of Anglicanism, it highlights important ecumenical initiatives, such as ARCIC (Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission) and the International Anglican Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission. The Archbishop and Cardinal also prayed in the Chapel of Holy Souls for the victims of the Asian Tsunami.

Spanish News

Obispos Católicos Exhortan a Buscar El Bien Común

ene 24, LIMA - Ante la violencia y la corrupción, que imperan en la sociedad peruana, los obispos católicos exhortaron a la clase política y a la ciudadanía a buscar ante todo el bien común como fuente de paz y de solidaridad. En un mensaje publicado el viernes 21 la Conferencia Episcopal Peruana, con el título "La búsqueda del bien común: fuente de paz y de solidaridad," los obispos señalan que en estos días la asamblea de obispos ha enfocado su reflexión en la familia, "reafirmando los signos de fidelidad y el esfuerzo por mantener viva la unidad familiar."

Políticos Cristianos Buscan Unidad

ene 24, BOGOTA, Columbia - Más de 25 líderes de los partidos políticos cristianos de Colombia, se reunieron el jueves 20 para analizar el marco jurídico y el aspecto legal de estas organizaciones y acordaron buscar la unidad de sus partidos. El encuentro tuvo lugar en la sede de la Casa España de la capital colombiana, convocado por la Asociación Internacional de Periodistas y Comunicadores Cristianos (ASIPEC). Tras examinar la necesidad de la unidad desde una perspectiva bíblica, los presidentes de los partidos presentes acordaron la formación de un comité de trabajo para establecer los lineamientos de la consolidación, junto con los líderes políticos que aún no han definido su vinculación.

New York Metro News

'Repairing the World: Anglican Women's Faith in Action' Is Topic for Gathering
at New York's Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine

January 14, 2005 – Marian Wright Edelman, president of the Children's Defense Fund, will be the keynote speaker for a worldwide panel of Anglican women on Sunday, March 6, from 3 - 5 p.m. in Synod Hall at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York. The topic is "Repairing the World: Anglican Women's Faith in Action." The public is invited. Edelman's entire career has been devoted to promoting human rights. After graduating from Spelman College and Yale Law School, she became the first black woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar and directed the NAACP Legal and Educational fund office in Jackson, Mississippi. After working in public interest law in Washington, D.C., she founded the Children's Defense Fund to ensure that every child has a "successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities." The panel will be drawn from Anglican women gathering in New York as delegates to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW). Each woman will tell how her personal faith has led and sustained her while working to improve the lives of women and children. Panelists will also discuss how all individuals can answer God's call in their work.

Three Kings Day in Queens Is a Big Hit Again this Year

January 20, 2005, ASTORIA, Queens - Underprivileged Ecuadorian children in Queens gathered at St. George's Episcopal Church in Astoria for a Three Kings Day celebration on January 9th, where Lutheran Bishop Pedro Bravo-Guzman and other well-wishers served refreshments and then filled their arms with hundreds of toys. The celebration was cosponsored by the Ecuadorian News and the Ecuadorian Consulate, and Mrs. Mary de Molina, wife of the Ecuadorian Consul General, was on hand to help put dolls, play-houses, and toy trucks in the hands of the children.

National News

United Methodist Pastor Preaches at National Prayer Service

January 21, 2005 – Not only does America have a future, but it is a future that is good and full of hope, a United Methodist pastor said during the National Prayer Service Jan. 21. "We all have a future, and the Bible tells us the future is good," said the Rev. Mark Craig, pastor of Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas. "The reason the future is good is because God loves each and every one of us." The National Prayer Service at the Washington National Cathedral wrapped up four days of inaugural celebrations for President George W. Bush. Highland Park is the home church of George and Laura Bush. The interfaith service included prayers by Christian, Jewish and Muslim clergy as well as choral and instrumental music. The Rev. Billy Graham led the opening prayer of the service. The National Prayer Service is a tradition set by George Washington.

International News

'The Fruits of Our Mission' - a PC(USA) Missionary Letter from Bangladesh

January 21, 2005, RAJSHAHI, Bangladesh - One of the hardest things about being a missionary is that I don't often get to see the results of my efforts. Although the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) invests a lot in sending me here to advise health programs and treat the sick, it's not always clear in the end if the church's efforts actually affect people's lives in a long-term, sustainable way. Occasionally, however, God shows us that what he has called the church to do is indeed worthwhile. He encourages us by giving us a glimpse of the fruits of our mission. God gave me such a glimpse a few days before Christmas when a young man named Milon Hasda dropped by my home in Rajshahi to show me his new sewing machine. He had brought it on the bus from Savar, where he had just graduated from a two-year training course in tailoring at the Church of Bangladesh Nazareth Centre Trade School. Each student who finishes the course receives a brand new manual sewing machine.

United Methodists Forge Ties with Indonesian Church for Recovery Work

January 16, 2005, MEDAN, Indonesia - A United Methodist team's visit to the island of Sumatra following the Dec. 26 tsunami has laid the foundation for a future partnership with the Gereja Methodist Indonesia (Methodist Church of Indonesia). United Methodist Bishop Joel Martinez of San Antonio said he found Indonesian church leaders "genuinely pleased and appreciative" about the Jan. 12-16 visit. Martinez, who is president of the denomination's Board of Global Ministries, co-led the delegation with the Rev. R. Randy Day, the board's chief executive.

UMCOR Stays Course in 'Mega-disaster' Relief

January 18, 2005, NEW YORK - How well do relief operations follow through with rehabilitation after "mega-disasters" such as the earthquake and tsunamis that swept the Indian Ocean Dec. 26? The New York Times posed that question in a front-page story Jan. 11, using as examples the 1998 hurricane Mitch in Honduras, the 2000 floods in Mozambique and the 2003 earthquake in Iran. The story described unfinished housing dotting the Honduran landscape and uncompleted projects in Bam, Iran. "We are abandoned," a resident of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, said. "In big, complex recoveries from mega-disasters, we plan to be in place for a long time - for years," said the Rev. Kristin Sachen of the United Methodist Committee on Relief.

LWF Sends Fact-finding Team to Indonesia Australian Group Leader Commends Lutheran Generosity

January 18, 2005, GENEVA - The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has sent an assessment team to Indonesia to determine ways of assisting LWF member churches there and respond in concrete ways to the devastating impact of the tsunami disaster that struck on 26 December 2004. The seven-person LWF Pastoral Team appointed by LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, will also provide pastoral care and support to the affected churches in visible expression of the solidarity of the global Lutheran communion. The team led by Lutheran Church of Australia (LCA) Secretary and Mission Director, Rev. Wayne Zweck, gathered in Sumatra's northern city of Medan on January 16 prior to the two-week mission. Indonesia is the worst affected among South East Asian and East African countries that were struck by the massive tidal waves (tsunamis) triggered by a strong undersea earthquake of which the epicenter was near the north western coastline of Sumatra. Indonesian authorities say the country's death toll from the catastrophe has risen to 110,229, representing more than two thirds of the over 158,000 total deaths reported so far.

WCC Salutes Sudan's Peace Agreement and Proposes Steps for Reconstruction

January 18, 2005 – Calling it a "significant event in contemporary Africa," World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia hailed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed on 9 January 2005 by the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SLPA/SPLM). In a 17 January letter to the churches and people of Sudan, Kobia also stated that the agreement "brings a new life and a new hope to the people of Sudan" and, hopefully, "will bring a holistic, just and durable peace." Among a dozen measures suggested as "building blocks for a post-conflict economic recovery and reconstruction programme," the WCC general secretary proposed establishing "a well-equipped and robust international peacekeeping force that is able to investigate reported violations of the agreement and oversee its implementation," as well as to "set up a strong mechanism on the ground that can deter any violations of ceasefire."

ELCA Staff Visit Tsunami-hit India, Thailand

January 19, 2005, CHICAGO (ELCA) - Staff of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) churchwide organization are assessing needs for short-term relief and long-term community building first-hand as they visit tsunami-struck areas of India, Jan. 13-20, and Thailand, Jan. 20-22. In response to a special invitation from the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India (UELCI), staff of the ELCA and others are meeting and expressing their solidarity with survivors of the tsunami which claimed lives in several coastal countries of the Indian Ocean last month. The Rev. Chandran Paul Martin, executive director, UELCI, issued the invitation and referred to the visiting Lutheran delegation as a "walking letter." "We are a living letter. We are here to show solidarity and to make initial personal contact," said the Rev. Rafael Malpica- Padilla, executive director, ELCA Division for Global Mission (DGM). "We are here to define how the ELCA will live in partnership with brothers and sisters in India." Malpica-Padilla is leading the 10-member Lutheran delegation.

Middle East News

NCC Delegation to Middle East Urges: Make Peace a Reality

January 19, 2005, NEW YORK CITY - The question "How can we make the current opportunity for peace a reality?" will be central to the mission of a National Council of Churches USA official delegation to the Middle East Jan. 21-Feb. 4. The 11-member group, led by the NCC's President, Christian Methodist Episcopal Bishop Thomas L. Hoyt, Jr., and NCC General Secretary Robert W. Edgar, will press their conviction that governments and people of faith must seize the opportunity presented by recent developments - for example, election of new Palestinian leadership and Israeli government movement on the settlement issue - to get the Middle East peace process back on track. "We will ask the question, 'Is this the opportunity for peace?,' state our conviction that it is, and explore ways communities of faith can help,'" Dr. Edgar said.

People in the News

New Secretary General Commissioned in Anglican Communion

January 18, 2005 – A new chapter of history in the Anglican Communion began today as the Revd Canon Kenneth Kearon was officially commissioned as Secretary General in a service in St Andrew's House Chapel in London. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Rowan Williams, presided at the liturgy and preached the homily. In his homily Archbishop Rowan Williams spoke of the challenges that await the new Secretary General and spoke of our identity as a Communion. "So Christ takes hold of us and we of him. He becomes part of our life, our identity. He has made it by his grace and freedom, so that we become part of him, his body," he said. "As we seek to live out the apostolic calling, we have to see ourselves as bound, bound up, in him, and bound up in each other. To minister to a Communion - not just to one church, one congregation, one locality - to minister to a Communion worldwide, is surely to minister into this reality. We are bound together, because we are bound in Christ; bound in the one hope of our calling. Prisoners of hope, together. There is nothing we need more than to be reminded of how we are bound with Christ and with one another in that way."

Reviews

How the Jews Were Blamed for the Death of Jesus

January 21, 2005, MINNEAPOLIS - In Presumed Guilty, a premier New Testament scholar explores how Jesus' trial and execution are portrayed in the New Testament and how that portrayal has affected biblical studies, Christian theology, and Jewish-Christian relations through history. Peter J. Tomson has written an accessible, responsible analysis of the biblical accounts of Jesus' death, demonstrating how, through compounded misunderstandings, they contributed to anti-Jewish sentiment in the early church and later history. Tomson's question of how Jesus is to be understood in his first-century Judean context is a critical one not only for biblical scholars, but for anyone concerned about human rights and interreligious dialogue today.