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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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Religious Leaders 4th of July Message to Bush: June 30, 2005, NEW YORK – Three religious leaders representing the Governing Board of the National Council of Churches USA announced today that about 630 religious leaders and more than 15,000 people of faith have endorsed a Fourth of July declaration that urges President Bush to develop an "early fixed timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops," to listen to a wider range of religious advisers and to re-evaluate his policy on Iraq. "It's clear that the administration has listened more closely to far-right religious leaders who agree with them," said the Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, NCC General Secretary, in an audio news conference Thursday. "It's a hard task to get the administration to listen to a broader evangelical and religious community." June 29, 2005, PHILADELPHIA, PA – This week, faced with documents that discredit his reasons for war and plunging poll figures among the American public, President Bush addressed the nation in the wake of the growing death toll in Iraq. Once again the President urged Americans to ‘stay-the-course,' rather than accept his responsibility for the nightmare scenario his Administration has created. He tells us that our sacrifice will prove worthwhile to the Iraqis and to Americans. We disagree. Far too many have already died in this failed, misguided war that dishonors the sacrifices Iraqis and Americans have made. Poverty Relief, Cross-Cultural Listening in Focus as ACC-13 Adjourns June 28, 2005, NOTTINGHAM – Agreeing that global poverty and environmental abuse must be reversed – and voting unanimously to continue a cross-cultural "process of mutual listening" to understandings of human sexuality – the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) adjourned its 10-day triennial meeting with many voices united in Christian mission. Looking ahead to the July 6-8 G8 summit of the world's wealthiest nations, ACC members voted to ask the council's president, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, to remind G8 state leaders "of their responsibility towards the eradication of poverty in the world" where millions cope daily with the ravages of hunger and disease, especially HIV/AIDS and malaria. Inmate Ordained to Priesthood in Solano State Prison June 30, 2005 – James Tramel, an inmate at the California State Prison-Solano, was ordained as a priest of the Episcopal Church on June 18th. The service, the first of its kind in a California prison, took place in a small courtyard off the prison's visiting room and was presided over by the Right Rev. William E. Swing, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California. Those in attendance included Tramel's parents, friends, other clergy, and inmates from the Episcopal congregation at the prison. Tramel, 37, was convicted of second-degree murder in 1986, after co-defendant David Kurtzman stabbed a man to death in a Santa Barbara park. Tramel has served 19 years of a 15-to-life sentence, and was granted a March 2005 parole date by the California Board of Prison Terms that was later reversed by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. June 30, 2005, GENEVA – The growing secularization in central and western Europe, as well as in the Nordic countries, affects the churches tremendously. Less and less people see themselves as believers or attend church services. What needs to be done against this development and how can the Church be renewed? These were two of the main questions that Lutheran women bishops and presidents dealt with at a recent consultation organized by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) desk for Women in Church and Society (WICAS). Guidelines on Use of Genetically Modified Food June 30, 2005, MONTREUX/GENEVA, Switzerland – When the Zambian government prohibited the distribution of genetically modified maize during the 2002 drought, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Department for World Service (DWS) country program there was put in a difficult situation. LWF/DWS Zambia was required, on the one hand, to keep 3,000 tons of maize locked in a warehouse. On the other hand, the country program had to justify its actions to a population in need of food aid. Such a situation, according to the program's director, Rev. Enos Moyo, points to the urgent need to establish guidelines for distributing genetically modified foods. Lutherans Offer Camp Noah, Not an Ordinary Kids Summer Camp June 30, 2005, CHICAGO – Among the millions of children in the United States attending camp this summer, about 2,000 of them are doing more than toasting the perfect marshmallow or successfully paddling a canoe across water. At Camp Noah children are not only engaged in summer fun, they're learning emotionally and spiritually to steer through storms of grief, loss and fear that can follow a natural disaster. Supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Camp Noah is a week-long day camp for children recovering from natural disasters. June 30, 2005 AUGSBURG, Germany/GENEVA – The General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, has urged facing up to the ecumenical challenges consequential to Christians' shared common faith. "Through faith we are the undisputed recipients of God's promise to Abraham," he said in his sermon during the celebration of the 475th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession (Confessio Augustana), which took place on Sunday June 26 in the Evangelical Lutheran Holy Cross Church in Augsburg, Germany. "God's promise to Abraham is the promise to the world," Noko said. "Building Understanding among Religions": June 28, 2005 Building understanding among people and religions of the world is one of the missions of the Council's new ecumenical research centre, said World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia at the official opening of the facility on Sunday 26 June. The renewed library and research facility being officially inaugurated this week is part of efforts to expand the Council's academic research capacity in ecumenism and theology – an effort made possible by a donation from the Banque Pictet & Cie. Situated outside Geneva, on the grounds of the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, the site complements the main library and archives located at the WCC's headquarters in Geneva. June 30, 2005, GENEVA – The role of lay leaders versus that of ordained ministers was a key discussion topic in an international gathering of women bishops from among the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) member churches. In his presentation titled "The Episcopal Ministry within the Apostolicity of the Church," Dr Theodor Dieter, director of the Institute for Ecumenical Research in Strasbourg, France, said the struggle to discern the appropriate extent of lay leadership involvement was rooted in the struggle to define a pastor's role. "We have lost the understanding of the task of the pastor," he told the conference participants who comprised ordained and lay church leaders. Diálogo Judeo-Cristiano: Un Milagro Exigente 30 jun 2005, Dada la historia de sus relaciones, el diálogo interreligioso entre cristianos y judíos puede ser visto como un "milagro," pero es también una tarea compleja y exigente. En el artículo que sigue, tres practicantes del diálogo interreligioso -dos judíos y uno cristiano- que participaron en una conferencia interreligiosa convocada por el Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) a comienzos de junio en Ginebra exponen sus opiniones sobre qué se requiere para promover un diálogo a menudo complicado por las cuestiones políticas. Iglesia Bautista Reclama Contra Interferencia Judicial En Asuntos Internos 1 jul 2005, GOIANIA, Brasil – La negativa de un pastor bautista de esta capital de celebrar una ceremonia religiosa porque la novia estaba embarazada motivó un debate sobre la interferencia del Poder Judicial en la Iglesia en un Estado laico, como el brasileño, y generó un proceso en el juzgado de familia de Goiania. El caso se inició en abril último, cuando el pastor Guilherme Ávilla Giménez, de la Primera Iglesia Bautista de Goiania, se habría negado a celebrar el matrimonio de una novia grávida de tres meses. Una Evangélica Entre 6 Mujeres Nicaragüenses Postulan Al Premio Nobel De La Paz 1 jul 2005, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Seis mujeres nicaragüenses con larga trayectoria en el campo de la defensa de los derechos humanos, la no violencia contra la mujer, la reconciliación y la paz, resultaron nominadas candidatas al Premio Nobel de la Paz, entre ellas una líder evangélica. Las seleccionadas fueron elegidas entre 20 postulantes por un jurado de la Asociación 1.000 Mujeres para el Premio Nobel de la Paz 2005 que ha recorrido 153 países del mundo buscando mujeres con experiencia de vida y compromiso social relevante, para ser presentadas en conjunto al premio de mayor reconocimiento mundial en los ámbitos de la Paz y la Ciencia. Asociación Evangélica Por Un México Mejor Surge Ante Manipulación De Gobernantes 30 jun 2005, MEXICO – Los líderes evangélicos de la asociación civil Por un México Mejor dijeron que su organización surge ante la manipulación de la verdad con que los gobernantes pretenden justificar sus actos. Adoniram Gaxiola, portavoz de la agrupación, dijo al diario El Universal que buscarán superar la "automarginación" de algunas de sus iglesias con relación al acontecer nacional y la falta de unidad entre los integrantes de las diferentes confesiones. La recién formada Asociación "Por un México Mejor," criticó a los aspirantes a la gobernación del Estado de México por el visible derroche económico de sus campañas propagandísticas, y lo calificó como una ofensa ante la situación de pobreza de miles de mexicanos. NCC Applauds High Court Ruling on Display of the Ten Commandments June 29, 2005, WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court's decision on the public display of the Ten Commandments upholds the Constitutional separation of church and state, the NCC said. The high court ruled Monday that the commandments may be displayed in state capitols but not in courthouses. "This decision reflects our belief that the Ten Commandments have played a significant role in history and in shaping the laws and policies that govern us today, but should not be displayed in a way that promotes one religion over others," the Council statement said. Grant Temporary Protected Status to Haitians, Campaign Urges June 30, 2005 NEW YORK CITY/WASHINGTON – Haitians in the United States desperately need Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to spare them from being sent back to their crisis-ridden country. That is the message of a campaign being launched this week by the global humanitarian agency Church World Service (CWS) and five other groups. The campaign builds on these groups' June 7 conference in Washington, D.C., at which they examined the deepening crisis for Haitians and set Temporary Protected Status as their top priority for follow-up. Africa Inter-Denominational Statement on Methanol – Makutano Tragedy June 30, 2005 – We would like to say "Pole" (send our condolences) to our people, especially the bereaved families of Chumvi, Kyemutheke, Katheka Kai, Lukenya, Kathome and Masii [villages of Machakos] and other parts of Kenya, after their dear ones took the poisoned brew with high concentration of methanol (Makutano Tragedy). The illicit brew has taken away some of our energetic young men and women and left many orphans, widows, widowers and parents mourning. We join the voices of those who of late have condemned the provision of such brews. Despite the grief, we would like to still affirm that our help is in the name of the Lord. World Relief Committee Hears Tsunami Relief Update June 28, 2005, DENVER – In semiannual session here yesterday the American Baptist Churches' World Relief Committee voted to fund a number of new and ongoing projects and programs and heard reports on One Great Hour of Sharing offering (OGHS) giving and tsunami relief efforts. The committee establishes policy for distribution of funds from OGHS. Projects presented were undertaken by American Baptist International Ministries and American Baptist National Ministries. G8 Summit, Korean Unification Addressed by ACC June 28, 2005, NOTTINGHAM – Requesting the Archbishop of Canterbury to remind the upcoming G8 Summit of its responsibility to eradicate poverty, the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) opened its June 27 business sessions advocating for the unification of Korea, where fears of war are escalating. Resolutions filled the business day for the council, which is meeting through June 28 at the University of Nottingham in England. ACC is the principal consultative body within the Anglican Communion and its 77 million people in 164 nations. Other key discussions focused on ecumenical and mission work. Recognizing that the G8 conference "is right around the corner," the Rev. Canon Mwita Akiri of Tanzania presented "a resolution of solidarity, shared responsibility and hope. June 30, 2005, GENEVA – Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), has learned with relief of the provisional release from police custody of Ngoy Mwanana Lusanga, general secretary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Congo (ELCC). Dr Noko said he welcomed the release and appreciated that Democratic Republic of the Congo Minister of Justice, Honorius Kisimba Ngoy, had considered an LWF appeal to release Lusanga. The LWF would immediately send a pastoral delegation representing the global constituency of the LWF communion to meet with the Congolese justice minister and other state authorities, Dr Noko told Lutheran World Information. Israeli-Palestinian Peacemaking Central in Anglican Network Report June 24, 2005 – Recognizing the suffering on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a report from the Anglican Peace and Justice Network (APJN) was received June 24 by the 13th meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) assembled at England's University of Nottingham. The presentation also addressed care for refugees in Africa and conflict resolution, as well as offering recommendations on theological education, interfaith relations and environmental issues in the Anglican Communion. Fortress Press Releases Matthew and the Didache June 28, 2005, MINNEAPOLIS – In Matthew and the Didache, scholars from the United States, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and South Africa analyze the complex relationship between the Gospel of Matthew and the Didache. They discuss the implications not only for scholars' understanding of these two ancient documents but for the development of Christianity, Jewish-Christian relations, and the history of liturgy. The True Story of a Congregation, an Arsonist, a Pastor . . . and Forgiveness June 29, 2005, MINNEAPOLIS – "My son burned down their church, brought great pain and loss to the congregation, destroyed years of work and memories. In return, Pastor Rick Rouse and the Trinity Lutheran Church family gave my son love, forgiveness, healing, and hope,"said George Keller. Early Sunday morning, August 9, 1992, the piercing sound of a phone ringing woke Pastor Rick Rouse from a deep sleep-and that is when his nightmare began as he listened in disbelief that his church was on fire. Trinity Lutheran Church, in Lynwood, Washington, was burned to the ground by one of the most prolific arsonists in the history of the United States. When Paul Keller was finally apprehended and imprisoned, one of his first visitors was Rick Rouse, pastor of the church he burned. Pastor Rouse said that he was compelled by Christ to visit Paul and offer him his personal forgiveness.
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