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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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Church Leaders Denounce Bush Budget as ‘Unjust' to Poor March 9, 2005, WASHINGTON – Church and state collided March 8 as leaders of five mainline Protestant denominations, including a United Methodist executive, blasted President Bush's federal budget plan, denouncing proposed cuts in programs for the poor and tax breaks for the wealthy. "The 2006 federal budget that President Bush has sent to Capitol Hill is unjust," the group said in a statement released at a press conference in Washington. It criticized the White House, charging that the budget would move 300,000 people off food stamps, cut day care for 300,000 children and reduce funding for Medicaid, the joint federal-state health care program for low-income people, by $45 billion over the next 10 years. "For even as it reduces aid to those in poverty, this budget showers presents on the rich," the church leaders said. "If passed in its current form, it would make permanent tax cuts that have bestowed nearly three-quarters of the ‘relief' on one-fifth of the country. Jesus makes clear that perpetrating economic injustice is among the gravest of sins. If passed in its current form, it would take Jesus' teaching on economic justice and stand it on its head." New Ecumenical Organization Launches in June March 8, 2005 – A new ecumenical organization known as Christian Churches Together in the United States of America (CCT-USA) will be launched June 1-3, 2005 at El Retiro, the Jesuit Retreat Center in Los Altos, California. Executive Council, meeting in Austin, Texas, February 11-14, 2005, committed the Episcopal Church to be a founding member of a new organization. The Episcopal Church has been involved in discussions for several years, with the National Council of Churches and others, about how to "broaden the ecumenical table" in the US, bringing together Roman Catholics, Orthodox, mainline Protestants, primarily ethnic churches, Evangelicals and Pentecostals in a new forum for prayer, dialogue, and action. For the foreseeable future, CCT-USA will not replace the National Council of Churches, but will exist alongside it with its full support. Worker Coalition Ends Boycott of Taco Bell March 9, 2005 –An ecumenically-backed consumer boycott against Taco Bell has ended. The Florida-based Coalition of Immokalee Workers announced March 8 that it is ending the boycott after Taco Bell agreed to work with the organization to address working conditions and the wages of farm workers in the Florida tomato industry. In a joint press release with the coalition, Taco Bell President Emil Brolick said the company recognized "that Florida tomato workers do not enjoy the same rights and conditions as employees in other industries and there is need for reform." Any solution must be industry-wide, he said, but Taco Bell will play a leadership role to be part of the solution. March 8, 2005 – Hailing weblogs as the "next great revolution in journalism," the United Church of Christ today (March 8) released its network-rejected "bouncer ad" on nearly 50 of the most widely-read blogs. The UCC's blogads will run for two weeks on a mix of liberal, moderate and conservative sites, including many of the most prominent political, cultural and religious blogs ? such as Escaton, Power Line, Talking Points Memo, Andrew Sullivan, DailyKos and This Modern World, among dozens of others. A blog ? short for "web log" ? is basically an online journal that, typically, is updated daily with chronological postings by the site's author. Many now argue the increasing availability of affordable, easy-to-use blog technology is revolutionizing news reporting because far greater numbers are participating in gathering and sharing information. Bishop Challenges Clergy to ‘Indulge' in Self-care During Lent March 4, 2005 – A United Methodist bishop is willing to put her money where her mouth is and donate a portion of her salary for clergy to "give their fat to the Lord" and get healthy. Bishop Sally Dyck is challenging all the clergy in the Minnesota Area to adopt healthier eating habits during the 40 days of Lent leading up to Easter. And if they lose a little weight along the way, she will donate $2 per pound to the Minnesota Annual Conference Bishop's Mission Challenge. Proceeds will benefit a project for Russian United Methodists and the building fund of La Puerta Abierta United Methodist Church, a predominantly Spanish-speaking congregation in St. Paul. Annual Good Friday Offering Set for Jerusalem and the Middle East March 11, 2005 – This year marks the 83rd anniversary of the Episcopal Church's Good Friday Offering, its major grassroots effort to respond to the numerous needs of the church in the Holy Land. In an annual letter to all congregations, Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold has asked that Episcopalians join him again this year "as we work and pray for a lasting peace" and to continue to support the Episcopal Church's Good Friday Offering "as we share generously from all the gifts we have been given with our sisters and brothers in the Middle East." Anglicans and Roman Catholics Discuss Windsor Report March 8, 2005 – At the 58th meeting of the Anglican Roman Catholic dialogue in the United States (ARC-USA) substantial time was given to a discussion of the Windsor Report and the Primates' Communique in response to the Lambeth Commission's Report. This long-standing and productive ecumenical dialogue held its March 3-6 meeting on the campus of the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria. Dr. Ellen Wondra and Dr. Ruth Meyers, both faculty members at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, and members of ARC-USA, led the group of some twenty Roman Catholic and Episcopal bishops, scholars, priests, and lay persons in an overview of the two documents and a sampling of responses thus far from various institutions and groups, ranging from the Episcopal Church's House of Bishops and Executive Council to the African Anglican Bishops Conference. Clearinghouse of Liturgical Items Launched by the Department of Outreach & Evangelism March 7, 2005 – The Department of Outreach & Evangelism of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America has launched a Clearinghouse of Liturgical Items to provide small parishes with censers, chalice sets, baptismal fonts, kouvouklia, and more. Parishes throughout the Archdiocese that find themselves in need of these basic items are being put in contact with established parishes that have several, some of which are rarely used. All parishes of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America have been supplied with a checklist to indicate items needed or available. The Department will review the checklists and match up parishes to arrange for delivery of liturgical items. Donor parishes will receive a list of parishes needing those items that they have available and will be contacted by the Department to expedite their transfer. Shipping expenses are the responsibility of the receiving parish and the Department does not accept or store liturgical items. Objections Remain to Moose Lodge Tenets March 4, 2005 – Objections remain to tenets and rituals of the Loyal Order of Moose, says a new evaluation of the lodge prepared by staff of the Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR). "The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod recognizes that the Loyal Order of Moose, like other fraternal organizations of its kind, is engaged in many commendable humanitarian efforts ... and social opportunities that contribute significantly to the common good of our society," says the new evaluation. "... Regrettably, however, the rituals and ceremonies of the lodge continue to require and assume acceptance of religious truths that conflict with our Synod's understanding of what is taught in the Holy Scriptures, and they do so in ways that compromise the Christian's confession of the biblical Gospel," it adds. March 11, 2005 – April Harman's dad always tells her: If you can dream it, you can make it happen. Now, April is following that advice to help survivors of the tsunami in South Asia. At last count, she was 12,320 stuffed animals closer to turning her dream into a reality. "I got an idea of what I wanted to do after seeing pictures on the news of a little girl holding a dirty Barbie doll and standing beside a stuffed animal that was squished in the mud," says April, 15, a United Methodist in Woodstock, Ill. "I knew I wanted to do something for the children." Origami Teaches Bible Verses and Cross-making March 8, 2005 – Two North Carolina United Methodist pastors and a print shop owner have created an interactive card to give children and youth a way to learn Bible verses as they make a cross. The three men came up with a concept of Fun + Scripture = Memory Cross. Memory Cross is an interactive card that puts God's word at the tips of young fingers and into their hearts. The cards are designed in the Origami style (a Japanese paper-fold) and each card contains a selected Scripture. As a card is flipped and folded, words are revealed with the last few words of the Scripture ending in the shape of a cross. ELCA Bishops Send Message to Church on Sexuality Recommendations March 9, 2005, DALLAS – The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), acknowledging its members are "not of one mind" on issues related to homosexuality, sent a message to the church at the conclusion of its spring meeting here. The conference urged the church to affirm two recommendations resulting from a three-year study on homosexuality conducted by a task force of the church, but could offer no definitive advice on the most controversial of the three recommendations. The ELCA Conference of Bishops is an advisory body of the church, consisting of the 65 ELCA synod bishops, ELCA secretary and ELCA presiding bishop. It met here March 3-7. Church must Be Sanctuary to Domestic Abuse Victims, Survivor Says March 4, 2005 – The first time Debbie Harsh was beaten by her husband, the injuries sent her to the hospital. Scared, demoralized and confused, she got out of the house, healed physically and immediately turned to the only place she felt safe: her church. "I always thought that the church would be the first place you go for help," she remembers. But the pastors at her nondenominational Christian church didn't know how to help Harsh. With good intentions, they sent her to a Christian counselor, who urged her to forgive her husband and drop an order of protection against him. The counselor's message was that "wives submit to your husband and husbands are the head of the house ... and he pointed out to me that I didn't have my husband's permission for that order of protection," Harsh said. Ministry Revives to Plant Crosses Across U.S. March 11, 2005, VICKSBURG, Miss. – Beginning in 1984, Bernard Coffindaffer spent all the money he had – around $3 million – erecting thousands of crosses throughout the United States as a roadside testimony. Now a Mississippi-based ministry hopes to pick up where the late businessman and United Methodist lay minister left off, and plant crosses along every interstate. "I just think it's a marvelous project," said United Methodist Peggy Griffin, executive assistant for Crosses Across America, an all-volunteer, nondenominational ministry dedicated to scattering the Christian symbol nationwide. March 14, 2005 Come, let us enter the inner chamber of our soul Ministry Blesses Murder Scenes to Reclaim Spaces from Violence March 10, 2005, TACOMA, Wash. – The yellow crime tape had been removed, but a disturbing sense of sadness, loss and tragedy hovered over the tidy, white house on a quiet street. The man who lived here with his wife and son was accused of stabbing them both last December. The 8-year-old boy survived and called for help, but his mother died. While the man was arrested for the crime, the neighborhood struggled to deal with the aftermath. That is why pastors of Associated Ministries stood in front of the home one chilly evening several weeks later for a powerfully symbolic act. Joined by neighbors who knew the family, a police officer who didn't and anyone who was touched by the tragedy, the pastors officiated over a ceremony designed to help heal wounds left by violent crime and reclaim spaces tainted by fear, anger and pain. Duplicidad De Obispos Y Catedrales Anglicanos En Recife 4 mar 2005, RECIFE, Brazil – Un Concílio Extraordinario de la Diócesis Anglicana de Recife, reunido en esta capital del estado de Pernambuco, el pasado 26 de febrero, resolvió, por unanimidad, reconocer a Edward Robinson de Barros Cavalcanti como su obispo diocesano en pleno ejercicio de su ministerio. Desconoció así una decisión del obispo primado de la Iglesia Episcopal Anglicana de Brasil (IEAB), Orlando Santos de Oliveira, de suspender a Cavalcanti del ejercicio de su ministerio con caracter preventivo, adoptada cuatro dias antes del Concílio Extraordinario, y nombrando al obispo Filadelfo de Oliveira Neto como autoridad eclesiástica de esta diócesis del este de Brasil. Las Iglesias No Tienen La Exclusividad De Jesús, Dice Profesor 11 mar 2005, SAO LEOPOLDO Brasil – Las diversas imágenes de Jesús que se presentan en el cine, siempre estuvieron sujetas a un determinado tiempo histórico, afirmó el profesor y teólogo presbiteriano Carlos Eduardo Calvani. Además, dijo, están sometidas a las interpretaciones y a los conflictos personales de cada director. Ya se trate de un hippie, un galán norteamericano o un hombre bañado en sangre, la verdad es que la figura de Jesucristo suscitó y suscita polémica y controversia. Conferencia De Obispos Aclara Incidente Con Cardenal En Miami 4 mar 2005, LA HABANA, Cuba – La Conferencia de Obispos católicos de Cuba emitió una nota de prensa para aclarar un incidente entre las autoridades estadounidenses en Miami y el cardenal cubano Jaime Ortega, el 25 de febrero último. La nota, dice, tiene por objeto aclarar "algunas imprecisiones" difundidas por varios medios de comunicación en días pasados. 15 feb 2005 – El Consejo Ejecutivo ha comenzado con su parte en el proceso consultivo en respuesta al llamado del Informe Windsor. Reconocemos que será un peregrinaje largo en la labor hacia la meta de la reconciliación y sanación. Instamos a toda la Iglesia Episcopal a unirse a nosotros en este proceso de considerar el informe y a crecer en comunión los unos con los otros y con la Comunión Anglicana entera. Como representantes de la Convención General de la Iglesia Episcopal entre reuniones, somos los responsables de llevar a cabo la misión y ministerio aprobados por la Convención General anterior. Estamos entonces profundamente preocupados que "nuestras dificultades actuales [puedan tener] un efecto negativo...sobre la misión de la Iglesia a un mundo sufriente y desconcertado." (Informe Windsor, Prefacio, p.6) Mensaje De Pascua Del 2005 Del Obispo Presidente Mark S. Hanson March 7, 2005 – "Jesús entró y, poniéndose en medio de los discípulos, los saludó diciendo: ¡Paz con ustedes!" (Juan 20:19) Jesucristo resucitado se aparece a sus discípulos la noche de Pascua. Escondidos tras puertas cerradas con llave, ellos se sienten aterrados. ¿Se puede dar una descripción más adecuada que ésta de nuestro contexto contemporáneo? Somos personas temerosas: asustadas por la posibilidad de un ataque terrorista, temerosas del extranjero que vive entre nosotros, preocupadas por el futuro. Jesucristo resucitado está ante nosotros hoy de igual manera que como estuvo ante sus atemorizados discípulos. En medio de nuestro temor, nos saluda de una forma normal que se convierte en un regalo sumamente extraordinario: "La paz sea con ustedes." Iglesias Levantan Boicot a Taco Bell 10 mar 2005, NUEVA YORK – El boicot contra la gigantesca empresa de comida rápida Taco Bell terminó el pasado martes al llegarse a un acuerdo con el Consejo Nacional de Iglesias de Estados Unidos (NCC por sus siglas en inglés), promotora de la medida. El boicot empezó a aplicarse hace tres años, a raíz de una disputa en torno a los salarios y condiciones de trabajo de los cosechadores de tomates en el sur de Florida, agrupados en la Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW). Religious Leaders Join Presiding Bishop to Support Protection of Arctic Refuge March 04, 2005 – Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold, joined by leaders from Jewish, Catholic and Protestant faith traditions, sent a letter to Congress March 1 in support of protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge – land sacred to the predominantly Episcopalian Gwich'in Nation – from oil and gas development. "To risk the destruction of an untouched wilderness and an ancient culture violates our theological mandate to be caretakers of creation," the statement said. "While the ecological and human rights values of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge are recognized by many, the cost from exploitation of the potential resources that may exist there does not justify exploration or development." March 8, 2005, LOUISVILLE – Five mainline Protestant leaders will call on the U.S. Congress this afternoon to urge legislators to reject President Bush's federal budget for 2006. The leaders, who have scheduled a press conference for 3:30 at the National Press Club in Washington, say the president's budget proposal is unjust because it fails to adequately care for America's poor. The Protestant group, one member of which is the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly, will present a joint statement followed by individual addresses on specific areas of concern. In Denmark, Kobia Helps in Record Appeal for Africa March 11, 2005 – "It is nice to see how the money for aid to Africa comes from ordinary people," said Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, while going from house to house in the snowy streets of Copenhagen. "Some Africans rather associate help from Europe with big organizations and states." During his first visit to Denmark as WCC general secretary, Kobia lent a helping hand to the DanChurchAid Lenten appeal ‘Stop the silent hunger,' which raised a record 15 million Danish Krones (2m Euro) in just one day. Denmark (4-7 March) was Kobia's last stop on a tour of WCC member churches in Scandinavia, including also Sweden and Norway. In all three countries he met with WCC partners, church leaders and government representatives. In Denmark, Kobia visited representatives from the National Council of Danish Churches, including the Baptist and Methodist Churches, and talked with the minister for church affairs, Bertel Haarder. Toys from Soldiers Win Hearts of Iraqi Children March 10, 2005 – Maj. Chris Cerniauskas carries the weapons of war as he patrols the streets of Iraq, but his pockets also bulge with small, stuffed animals and toys for Iraqi children. Thanks to his Sunday school class at First United Methodist Church of Baton Rouge, La.-and a community that embraced the idea-"Operation Stuffed Animal" has distributed more than 3,000 toys to youngsters in war-torn Iraq. "I'm not saying a stuffed animal will save the world or will end the violence," Cerniauskas wrote in an e-mail home. "There are some very bad people over here that do horrible, horrible things. But it does show goodness, kindness (and) love of children" by Americans through the small gestures of their soldier ambassadors. Deployment: New Director Seeks Best Matches of Clergy, Congregations March 10, 2005, NEW YORK – The Rev. Rebecca McClain says starting her new post as executive director of the national Church Deployment Office (CDO) feels a bit like "crossing from the South rim to the North rim of the Grand Canyon." "It's a huge leap of faith, to leave behind so much that was known, and to know that sense of starting again," she says. It isn't the first such leap for McClain, 57, who as dean of Trinity Cathedral, Phoenix, oversaw restoration efforts after a $5 million fire gutted the organ and forced the congregation to meet in the parish hall on Sundays. Analyzing the Bonhoeffer Phenomenon March 11, 2005, MINNEAPOLIS – Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), a German pastor and scholar, played a central role in the Confessing Church during the Nazi period and became one of the most influential theologians of the twentieth century. His role in a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler ultimately cost him his life: he was hanged by the Gestapo on April 9, 1945. His theology and personal witness continue to challenge Christians of all denominations. As we near the 60th anniversary of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's death, readers will find The Bonhoeffer Phenomenon: Portraits of a Protestant Saint by Stephen R. Haynes a provocative assessment of the Bonhoeffer mystique.
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