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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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NCC Deflects Watt's Allegations May 26, 2005, WASHINGTON, DC – In response to "The Religious Left's Lies," an editorial by James Watt in the May 21 edition of The Washington Post in which he accuses the National Council of Churches USA of using the environment for political gain and trying to divide people of faith, the Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, NCC's General Secretary has issued a statement calling for Watt to be an advocate for the environment in word and deed. Watt was President Reagan's Secretary of the Interior from 1981 to 1983. According to Edgar's statement, NCC's "God's Earth is Sacred: An Open Letter to Church and Society in the United States," which Watt challenges in his editorial, "calls on those who have preached against environmentally sustainable living either in voice, practice, or apathy to begin a new path – one that glorifies God and protects God's creation. The path to which we are called is not ‘business as usual,'" said Edgar. Episcopal Church Leaders Praise New Stem Cell Research Bill May 25, 2005 – Episcopalians offered praise for the passage of rare bipartisan legislation expanding research of donated stem cells derived from human embryos after in vitro fertilization. The bill, H.R. 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005, passed by a vote of 238-194 and was co-sponsored 200 legislators, including 13 Episcopal members of Congress. Domestic policy analyst John Johnson, of the church's Office of Government Relations in Washington, D.C., praised the action by the House of Representatives. NCC's Edgar Meets with Palestinian Authority President Abbas May 26, 2005, WASHINGTON, DC – National Council of Churches USA General Secretary Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, along with other Christian leaders, will meet at 4 p.m. today with Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, who is in Washington to meet with government officials and religious leaders. Following an official delegation to the Middle East earlier this year, NCC wrote to both Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President Abbas to express alarm and worry for the people in the region and to ask for a meeting to discuss the longstanding concern for peace, security and justice in the Holy Land. Marriage Equality Proposal to Face ‘Real Opposition' May 25, 2005 – Proposed marriage equality resolution will face ‘real opposition,' some UCC Conference Ministers predict A proposed resolution that would affirm same-gender marriage equality will face "real opposition," when the United Church of Christ's General Synod meets in Atlanta, July 1-5, to debate the issue, according to several UCC Conference Ministers. "The complexity of this particular issue is real, it's out there with real opposition," says the Rev. Steve Gray, Indiana-Kentucky Conference Minister, who worries that a pro-gay marriage equality vote will exact the "cost of discipleship" from the UCC's national setting ? including decreased revenues. "I just grieve that this issue is so toxic." May 23, 2005, NEW YORK – Using prayer, song and personal experiences, the Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, senior minister of New York City's historic Riverside Church, helped re-launch the Episcopal Church Center's anti-racism training program for employees on May 19. "We have a journey to fuller inclusion, fuller respect and to deeper and more meaningful dialogue," the Rev. Jayne Oasin, social justice officer at the Church Center, told the staff. "It is my hope that as we re-begin our journey together we will be better able to discern the roles that we can play "as citizens, as staff of the Episcopal Church Center and as people of integrity." UCC's Calvin Synod Says it May Leave If Marriage Equality Resolution Passes May 26, 2005 – The UCC's Calvin Synod says it might consider leaving the denomination if a proposed resolution affirming same-gender marriage equality is passed by the church's General Synod during its biennial meeting in Atlanta July 1-5. The Calvin Synod, a Hungarian church-based Conference and the only one of the UCC's 39 Conferences not defined by geography, said in a resolution passed at its annual meeting in Somerset, Pa., last week that the proposed marriage equality resolution is the "latest manifestation of heresy" and at odds with "the holy scriptures" and "the age old pages of church history." If passed, the Calvin Synod – which will send three voting delegates to Synod – may consider withdrawal from the UCC, according to its resolution. Jewish and Christian Dialogue Shows Signs of Maturity May 25, 2005, NEW YORK – A dialogue table begun a year ago between staff and representatives of several Christian denominations and mainstream Jewish organizations is showing signs of maturity, says the National Council of Churches USA executive who coordinates the Christian partners in the dialogue. "The table, which sometimes experienced intense negotiations and often felt tenuous, has held," Dr. Shanta Premawardhana, NCC Associate General Secretary for Interfaith Relations, said Wednesday. "There was hardly a ‘tea and sympathy' phase in this dialogue," he said, citing a phrase attributed to Rabbi Leon Klenicki. "The stakes for peace in the Middle East were too high." At its most recent meeting May 13, the table members agreed on plans for a Jewish-Christian trip to the Middle East September 18-23, and reached a consensus on a set of principles about how the groups speak to one another and to the media. In planning for a scheduled Jewish-Christian trip to the Middle East, Premawardhana said, "each side agreed to put themselves in the others' hands for two days so that each could hear and experience the other's "narrative," i.e., their distinctive way of viewing the situation. "This demonstrates a remarkable level of trust that has developed around the table," said Dr. Jay Rock of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Global Launch of ARCIC Document on Mary May 27, 2005 – Celebrating the completion of ARCIC's work on MARY has included launching the book on three major occasions. On May 16 the principal launch took place in the Cathedral of St James (Roman Catholic) in Seattle, with the ARCIC Co-Chairs leading the celebration. Anglican Co-Chair Archbishop Peter Carnley of Australia preached at Solemn Vespers following a press launch in the Chancery Office, with wide press and media coverage both nationally and internationally as a result. Roman Catholic Co-Chair Archbishop Alex Brunett hosted the day and presided at the service. Sexo Y Fe Tratan En Reunión De Personas Portadoras De Discapacidad 23 mayo 2005, CIEGO DE ÁVILA, Cuba – Un evento destinado a lograr mayor calidad en las relaciones de parejas con discapacidades de diversa índole, concluyó el jueves último (19 de mayo) en el municipio de Bolivia, peteneciente a esta provincia cubana, ubicado a unos 498 kilómetros de la capital del país. Brindar conocimientos y propiciar debates en torno a las relaciones matrimoniales, el sexo y la fe, fue el objetivo de esta cita que unió a personas interesadas y especialistas en un amplio intercambio de ideas. Presentan Libro Sobre Líder Evangélico De La Revolución Cubana 27 mayo 2005, LA HABANA, Cuba – Un libro que recoge la vida de Frank País, el joven evangélico que marcó a la revolución cubana con la impronta de su ejemplo, acaba de ser presentado ayer, en esta capital, por el periodista y escritor español Juan Antonio Monroy. El título Frank País: Un líder evangélico de la revolución cubana, surge, según sus propias palabras, a partir de conocer la historia del joven bautista que fuera asesinado por la dictadura de Fulgencio Batista durante los hechos sangrientos anteriores al triunfo de Fidel Castro en 1959. El CMI Insta Al G8 a Fijarse Como Objetivo El Reparto Equitativo De Los Recursos Mundiales 27 mayo 2005 – Los países del G8 deberían repensar la lógica de la globalización empresarial y los modelos económicos de competición excesiva que han acentuado las distancias entre ricos y pobres y han agravado la destrucción del medio ambiente, dice el secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia en una carta al primer ministro del Reino Unido Tony Blair. El gobierno del Reino Unido preside el G8 en 2005. Pastores Denuncian Penalmente a Fundador Del PRD Y a Políticos Evangélicos 27 mayo 2005, LIMA, Peru – El fundador del Partido de Reconstrucción Democrática (PRD), Ricardo Flores Chipoco, la ex-diputada evangélica, Juana Avellaneda y el pastor Antonio Chauca, fueron denunciados penalmente por la abogada Beatriz Mejía y un grupo de pastores y laicos de diferentes iglesias cristianas evangélicas por los delitos de asociación para delinquir, estafa y contra la fe pública. La denuncia fue presentada el 11 de este mes y divulgada en conferencia de prensa convocada, el miércoles último, por Mejía y una Comisión de Defensa Legal del Pueblo Cristiano, constituido por representantes de comités regionales y distritales del PRD. Arizona Pastors Rally in Opposition to Proposed Anti-Gay Amendment May 2, 2005 – Over 100 people gathered at a UCC church in Tucson, Ariz., on May 17 to oppose a campaign launched the day before that aims to put a proposed constitutional amendment before Arizona voters next year that would ban same-sex marriage. Spearheaded by the Rev. Briget Nicholson, pastor at First Congregational UCC in Tucson, the gathering at Tucson's Rincon Congregational UCC included 24 clergy representing at least half a dozen different faith communities. "We don't believe that this measure is reflective of our faith," Nicholson said. NCC Applauds Senate Compromise Avoiding Extreme Actions on Judicial Nominees May 24, 2005, WASHINGTON, DC – The National Council of Churches USA expresses gratitude to God and appreciation to the U.S. Senate for eliminating the threat to our democracy posed by what has been called the "nuclear option" that would have seriously undermined the democracy in which we live and greatly damaged the fabric of our society. We are encouraged that partisan politics took a backseat to the spirit of cooperation and collaboration and we salute the courage and the will of the 14 Senators who accepted the challenge to craft an acceptable compromise. Disaster Child Care Trains Project Managers, Critical Response Volunteers May 26, 2005, ELGIN, IL – A Disaster Child Care (DCC) Level II Leadership Seminar was held at the New Windsor (Md.) Conference Center of the Church of the Brethren on April 25-27. A DCC Critical Response Child Care (CRC) orientation was held at the Red Cross chapter in Little Rock, Ark., on May 2. DCC is a program of the Church of the Brethren General Board. Potential and experienced disaster project managers and a selected group of CRC team administrators were involved in the leadership seminar. WCC Appeals to Libyan Leader for Clemency May 24, 2005 – Reacting to the verdict of a Libyan court which has condemned to death six foreign health workers, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia has asked H.E. Mu'ammar al-Gaddafi, Leader of the Revolution, to spare their lives on humanitarian grounds. The health workers – five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor – have been convicted of deliberately infecting some 400 children with HIV in an attempt to find an AIDS cure. The health workers have protested their innocence and claimed that they were tortured by the police. WCC Urges G8 to Set Sights on Equitable Sharing of Global Resources May 27, 2005 – The G8 should rethink the logic of corporate globalization and economic models of excessive competition that have widened the gap between rich and poor and aggravated destruction of the environment says World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia in a letter to UK prime minister Tony Blair. The UK government is presiding the G8 in 2005. The letter, sent to Blair ahead of the next meeting of the G8 in Scotland in July, holds up a vision of life in dignity for all in just and sustainable communities, and suggests that only promoting an economy of sharing and justice can provide a solution to poverty and environmental destruction. May 27, 2005, WASHINGTON, DC – Episcopal Bishop John Bryson Chane of Washington joined Roman Catholic Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and other religious leaders at a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on May 27. Abbas, the first democratically elected Palestinian leader, was in Washington to meet with President Bush, his administration, and members of Congress, as well as Jewish and Christian groups. The Gift of a Cross: Symbolism Is Rich at Opening Prayer Service May 27, 2005 The wood of olive trees uprooted near Bethlehem during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian crisis is transformed into an emblem of hope and reconciliation. On the shore of the Aegean Sea, a small craft delivered a cross of olive wood from Bethlehem at morning prayer on the first day of the Conference on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) near Athens. It came as a gift from the Christian churches of Jerusalem, a reminder of the birthplace of Christianity and the contemporary struggles of the people there. An ecumenical delegation from Jerusalem also presented cross-shaped pendants for each participant. The crosses, large and small, had been fashioned from olive trees uprooted in and around the city of Bethlehem, from Palestinian land that was confiscated as barriers were constructed. As the cross was lifted ashore, a throng of worshippers greeted the delegation from Jerusalem with liturgical chants and litanies, and then processed behind the cross from the seashore to the worship tent, singing a song based on the CWME theme, "Come Holy Spirit, heal and reconcile!"
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