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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 General Secretary: God's Commandments, Not Politics, Drive the NCC August 9, 2005, WASHINGTON, DC – In remarks today at the Progressive National Baptist Convention's (PNBC) 44th Annual Session in Detroit, the Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches USA, told the gathering of Baptist pastors, ministers and lay leaders that it is the priorities and commandments of Christ rather than partisan politics that leads the NCC to advocate for peace, ending poverty and protecting God's creation. "There are those who try to dilute our witness and mislead our friends by suggesting that the National Council of Churches is a partisan, left-leaning organization," said Rev. Edgar. "But you know who it is that calls us to pursue peace, fight poverty and injustice, and care for the earth. It is the Prince of Peace who each day of his life showed his bias for the poor and prayed to the Creator who gave us this beautiful world," he said. Episcopalians Remember Nuclear Victims August 9, 2005 – The sweet smell of burning sage began and ended a four-day interfaith event to remember the victims of nuclear bombing and nuclear testing. The University of Nevada-Las Vegas was the site of a conference, "Many Stories, One Vision for a Nuclear Free World." The Episcopal Peace Fellowship was one of 27 religious and non-profit groups co-sponsoring and endorsing the conference, put on by Pax Christi USA and the Nevada Desert Experience, on August 4-7. Janet Chisholm from Nyack, New York, chair of EPF's national executive council, was the first speaker. "You might say I fell in love with the bomb," said Chisholm, who grew up in Las Vegas. September 21: Churches to Pray for Peace in Asia and the World August 8, 2005 – In 2005, for the second year running, churches representing over 560 million Christians world-wide are being invited to mark the UN International Day of Peace, 21 September, as an International Day of Prayer for Peace. Launched in 2004 by the World Council of Churches in the framework of its Decade to Overcome Violence: Churches Seeking Reconciliation and Peace (2001-2010), the initiative calls on Christian churches all over the world to arrange for services or vigils on 21 September, as well as to include prayers for peace in their services on the Sunday before or after that day. The theme for this year's International Day of Prayer for Peace is "Building communities of peace for all." ELCA Assembly Acts on Key Sexuality Proposals August 13, 2005, ORLANDO, Fla. – The 2005 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) affirmed pastoral care for all people including people who are gay or lesbian, and continued to encourage the church to welcome gay and lesbian people into its life. In a related action, the assembly rejected a proposal that would have allowed the church, under special circumstances, to ordain gay and lesbian candidates for ministry who are involved in lifelong, committed same-sex relationships. While the assembly did not create formal rites for blessing couples in same-sex relationships, it entrusted pastoral care to individual pastors and congregations. ELCA church leaders said that the actions affirmed the ELCA's current standards for ministry and reaffirmed the pastoral guidance of a 1993 pastoral letter issued by the ELCA Conference of Bishops. August 12, 2005, NEW YORK – Standing at France's Caen Peace Memorial earlier this year, Episcopal priest George L. W. Werner was moved by memories of life during wartime. "Having been shaped by the Depression and World War II, our visit to Normandy brought back visible and poignant memories for me," said Werner, 67, who is currently president of the Episcopal Church's House of Deputies and the retired dean of Pittsburgh's Trinity Cathedral. "… as someone who is glad to see the additional flags and the ribbons of support for our military at this time, I wonder, ‘Should there be more?'" Werner's reflections are among a growing collection of essays and comments posted on line as a new, permanent archive of the Episcopal News Service. August 12, 2005, ORLANDO, FL – Millions of Lutherans will be able to sing a new song – actually, about 300 new songs – from an updated worship book with more options for contemporary worship and less emphasis on masculine images of God. The Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) gave the new prayer book and hymnal a thumbs-up by a 740-250 vote on Wednesday during its biennial meeting here. The action authorizes final revisions of the new volume, which is scheduled for publication in October 2006. Not everyone is happy about it. Some delegates said the church has been too distracted by issues of sexuality to give proper attention to the new worship book. Others protested a "totalitarian" process of eliminating male imagery for God. Amateur Radio Network Tunes in Help for Storm-stricken Areas August 10, 2005, LAKELAND, Fla. – When telephones, cell phones and even police radios quit working after a devastating hurricane hit Florida, United Methodist amateur radio operators became a vital link to the outside world. Now, AMEN (Amateur Methodist Emergency Network) Radio wants to extend its mission further by offering lifesaving medical assistance via the airwaves. "I don't think the importance (of amateur radio) can be overstated," said the Rev. Tom Norton, one of two disaster coordinators for the United Methodist Florida Annual (regional) Conference. Norton is pastor of Christ United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, Fla. Episcopal Divinity School Explores Faith and Contemporary Issues August 9, 2005, CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) has planned a fall lineup of lectures and events that explore contemporary issues, from empire building to the Millennium Development Goals. Author and theologian John Dominic Crossan returns to EDS on September 26 at 10:00 a.m., along with biblical archeologist Jonathan L. Reed, to talk about his new book, In Search of Paul: How Jesus' Apostle Opposed Rome's Empire with God's Kingdom. Using new historical analysis and archeological discoveries, Crossan and Reed examine vital questions about Paul and the first Christians. Clergy and lay people are invited to attend the lecture which will be followed by an off-campus luncheon and talk by Crossan on stewardship titled, "Paul and Generosity, Paul and Giving, Paul and Wealth." August 12, 2005 – Rev. Sharon Watkins, General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), has been in communication with interfaith partners from the Jewish community following the Disciples adoption of the "Breaking Down the Dividing Wall" resolution at the July 23-27 General Assembly. The 2005 General Assembly Brings Thousands to Portland, Oregon More than 5000 people participated in the 2005 General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). ELCA Assembly Told to Make God's Work Serious August 12, 2005, ORLANDO, Fla. – Under the theme, "The Christ-Marked Life," the Rev. Ruben Duran told voting members of the 2005 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) that never before – in the social experiment we call the United States – do Lutherans, as disciples of Christ, have the opportunity to take God's work seriously in fighting hunger and eradicating racism. The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA, is meeting here Aug. 8-14 at the World Center Marriott and Convention Center. ELCA Assembly Embraces ‘Unity' Resolution August 12, 2005, ORLANDO, Fla. – Voting members at the 2005 ELCA Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) began official deliberations on matters of sexuality by urging the ELCA to remain united as a church, despite its widely differing beliefs on homosexuality. The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA, is meeting here August 8-14 at the World Center Marriott and Convention Center. About 2,300 people are participating, including 1,018 ELCA voting members. The theme for the biennial assembly is "Marked with the Cross of Christ Forever." In the first resolution, adopted by a vote of 851-127, the ELCA stated that "its members, congregations, synods, churchwide organization, and agencies and institutions – be urged to concentrate on finding ways to live together faithfully in the midst of disagreements, recognizing the God-given mission and communion that we share as members of the body of Christ." Two World War II Veterans Make Mark on Dallas Church August 10, 2005, DALLAS – About four years ago, the young couples class at Oak Lawn United Methodist Church changed its name to honor two veterans. Not longtime teachers or beloved ministers, but veterans as in "military." As in World War II, Pacific Theater. As in VJ Day (Victory over Japan), Aug. 15, 1945. On that day, 60 years ago, Navy Seaman 2nd Class Truitt Brinson was "never working harder in my life," overseeing military supplies coming and going on the island of Kwajalein. U.S. forces had captured the island from the Japanese in the Pacific campaign. ELCA Presiding Bishop Says ‘Walking on Water Is Permitted' August 8, 2005, ORLANDO, Fla. – At opening worship of the 2005 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, told Lutherans that "walking on water is permitted but not required at this assembly." In his sermon, Hanson said the miracle of the 2005 Churchwide Assembly is occurring "even before I declare us to be in session, before one word of debate is uttered, before the results of any votes are known. It is the miracle that we, by the power of the Holy Spirit, will with one voice confess our faith, ‘We believe in one God. We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ.'" Lutherans Approve Interim Agreement with United Methodists Aug. 12, 2005 – Representatives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have overwhelmingly approved an "interim Eucharistic sharing" agreement with the United Methodist Church. The 877-60 vote occurred Aug. 11 during the ELCA's 2005 Churchwide Assembly, in Orlando, Fla. The assembly is the denomination's chief legislative authority. Bishop William Oden, ecumenical officer of the United Methodist Council of Bishops, was at the assembly and called the vote "an historic moment" for both denominations. ELCA Assembly Hears from Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod August 12, 2005, ORLANDO, Fla. – The Rev. Gerald B. Kieschnick, president of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS), told the 2005 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Aug. 12 that LCMS members are praying for "harmonious conclusions" to differences between the two church bodies – the largest among North American Lutherans. The ELCA has 4.9 million members and LCMS, 2.4 million. "We humbly and respectfully pray that we will be able to come to harmonious conclusions regarding the authority and interpretation of the Word of God, so that the distance between us will not be widened, but will be bridged," Kieschnick said. ELCA Assembly Receives Greetings from Full Communion Partners August 11, 2005 ORLANDO, Fla. – The five full communion partners of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) brought official greetings to the 2005 Churchwide Assembly, each expressing gratitude and blessings for the deepening ecumenical relationships that have developed. The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA, is meeting here Aug. 8-14 at the World Center Marriott and Convention Center. About 2,300 people are participating, including 1,018 ELCA voting members. The theme for the biennial assembly is "Marked with the Cross of Christ Forever." ELCA Assembly Hears Rabbi on Jewish/Christian Relations August 11, 2005, ORLANDO, Fla. – After almost unanimously approving a memorial Aug. 11 that calls for stepping up dialogue with those in the Jewish community, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Churchwide Assembly heard a national Jewish leader thank the ELCA for its work with his community. "I am particularly appreciative of the role played by the [ELCA] in forging meaningful relations between Christians and American Jews," said Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, who added, "you have been a path setter in this regard." The Union for Reform Judaism consists of 920 synagogues, representing 1.5 million Jews. La IECLB Necesita Crecer Y Cambiar Si Quiere Tener Futuro Afirma Gottfried Brakemeier 11 agosto 2005, SÃO LEOPOLDO, Brasil – Para ser viable, la Iglesia Evangélica de Confesión Luterana en Brasil (IECLB) necesita crecer, y para ello precisa cambiar, ya que bajo las condiciones actuales no tiene futuro dijo el doctor Gottfried Brakemeier, ex presidente de la iglesia y expresidente de la Federación Luterana Mundial. Según Brakemeier "la temida división de la IECLB está en proceso" debido a las diferentes corrientes que subsisten en su interior y advirtió que si ella cerrase sus puertas haría mucha falta en el movimiento ecuménico brasileño. Las Clases De Religión Evangélica Deben Aplicarse El 2006 Dice Alcalde 11 agosto 2005, COYHAIQUE, Chile – Las vacilaciones de algunas autoridades municipales para implementar la enseñanza de religión evangélica a los alumnos que profesan esa fe, fueron respondidas por el alcalde David Sandoval de la comuna de Coyhaique, capital de la XI Región, quien dijo que "las normas no están sujetas a acuerdo, hay que aplicarlas." Sandoval dijo al Diario de Aysén que no existen limitantes que impidan a los niños evangélicos de la ciudad contar con clases de religión desde el año 2006, con el único requisito de que sus padres expresen claramente la confesión religiosa de sus hijos al momento de matricularlos. Nuevo Ministro Estuvo Comprometido En Caso De Cartas Falsas Que Incriminaban a Prelados Católicos 11 agosto 2005, LIMA, Peru – El ex embajador peruano en España Fernando Olivera, que enfrenta cargos ante la justicia peruana por el caso de las cartas falsas que llevó hasta El Vaticano para incriminar al cardenal peruano Juan Luis Cipriani, juramentó hoy como ministro de Relaciones Exteriores. La ceremonia celebrada en Palacio de Gobierno sin la presencia de varios ministros oficialistas y de algunos importantes miembros de Perú Posible, el partido gobernante, coincidió con la renuncia del jefe del Consejo de Ministros, el abogado Carlos Ferrero. 21 De Septiembre: Iglesias Oran Por La Paz En Asia Y En El Mundo 8 agosto 2005 – En 2005, por segundo año consecutivo, iglesias que representan a más de 560 millones de Cristianos en todo el mundo han sido invitadas a celebrar el Día Internacional de la Paz de las Naciones Unidas (21 de septiembre), como un Día Internacional de Oración por la Paz. Esta iniciativa, instituida en 2004 por el Consejo Mundial de Iglesias en el marco de su Decenio para Superar la Violencia: las iglesias en busca de la reconciliación y la paz (2001-2010), pide a las iglesias cristianas de todo el mundo que, el 21 de septiembre, organicen cultos o vigilias y que incluyan oraciones por la paz en sus cultos del domingo anterior o posterior a dicho día. Pastores Por La Paz Realizan Caravana De Protesta Por Confiscación De Ayuda 12 agosto 2005, HIDALGO, Mexico – La organización ecuménica Pastores por la Paz, que anualmente lleva donaciones a Cuba en una caravana que recorre más de un centenar de ciudades de Estados Unidos y de Canadá, anunció que hará el camino de regreso protestando en cada pueblo por la confiscación de parte de la ayuda por el gobierno de los Estados Unidos. La ruta incluye la residencia de verano del presidente George W. Bush, ubicada en Crawford, Texas, donde los líderes religiosos planean detenerse y hacer escuchar su rechazo por la confiscación de computadoras. Luego continuarán por otras ciudades hasta llegar a Washington DC, donde aseguran que se quedarán "todo el tiempo necesario" hasta lograr que la ayuda llegue a Cuba. Conferencia Interreligiosa Abordará Avances En El Perú De Los Objetivos Del Milenio. 9 agosto 2005, LIMA, Perú – Numerosas organizaciones religiosas peruanas se reunirán en esta ciudad los días 25 y 26 de agosto para abordar los avances registrados en el país con respecto a las metas que estableció la Organización de las Naciones Unidas (ONU) para erradicar la pobreza en el mundo para el 2015, conocidos como los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio (ODM). La reunión congregará a líderes de distintas comunidades religiosas, como evangélicos, católicos, budistas, islámicos, judíos, adventistas, ortodoxos, así como de organismos académicos y sociales. Construction Begins on Desmond Tutu Education Center August 9, 2005, NEW YORK – Visible construction has now begun on the Archbishop Desmond Tutu Education Center, located in one of New York City's fastest-growing commercial areas. The $23 million project, now being created in three landmark buildings along Tenth Avenue, will provide new facilities for programs in continuing education, peace and reconciliation, interfaith relations, and Christian spirituality. Established and administered by General Theological Seminary (GTS,) the Tutu Center is scheduled to open in 2007, bringing a new range of activities-and fresh, gardenlike beauty-to an increasingly bustling neighborhood. Physically and programmatically, the Center expresses a more outgoing presence in the city for GTS and its historic grounds, known as the Close. Global Mission Network Certifies Diocesan Mission Agents, Launches Young Adult Program August 8, 2005 – At its 10th annual Mission Institute, held at Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis on June 23-24, the Global Episcopal Mission Network (GEM Network) awarded certificates to the first graduates of a new program that prepares Episcopalians to be Global Mission Agents in their home dioceses. A Global Mission Agent, as defined by GEM Network, is someone who works to equip and organize individuals, parishes and diocesan organizations for effective global mission engagement. The agent's job is not to direct or control global mission within a diocese, but to encourage and support everyone involved in it and get them talking to one another. August 11, 2005, WINNIPEG, Canada/GENEVA – At its Tenth Biennial Convention, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) rejected a proposal to allow its pastors to perform blessings for same-sex relationships. ELCIC delegates attending the July 21-24 governing body meeting voted against the measure in a resolution that fell short of the two-thirds majority needed for it to pass. Of 408 ballots cast, 183 (45 per cent) were in favor and 220 (54 percent) were opposed. There were five abstentions. Delegates were voting on a recommendation from the ELCIC National Church Council to permit blessings for same-sex couples under certain conditions. The resolution would have allowed a "local option" for blessings for same-sex couples in committed relationships. August 6, 2005, MANAGUA, Nicaragua/GENEVA – Lutheran churches in Central America warn that a free trade agreement with the United States of America poses a threat to the region's most disenfranchised people, and are calling for broader consultation before any such deal goes into effect. Prior to the US Senate's approval of the pact June 30, followed by the July 28 House of Representatives' endorsement by a narrow margin, the Nicaraguan Lutheran Church of Faith and Hope had voiced its opposition to the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA). The DR-CAFTA, the church argued, would only benefit large US businesses and the 10 percent of Nicaraguans who control 85 percent of the country's wealth, perpetuating "the system of poverty, hunger, malnutrition and dehumanization in which we live ... so that every day the number of poor people increases and the rich become richer." United Methodist Is Likely Frontrunner in Liberia's Presidential Race August 11, 2005, MONROVIA, Liberia – It is likely a United Methodist will become the first woman elected president of Liberia, according to interviews with faculty members and students at Liberia's United Methodist University. University faculty members and students identified Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, formerly an official with the United Nations, the World Bank and Liberia's finance agency, as the frontrunner in Liberia's presidential race during impromptu conversations and interviews. The faculty members interviewed included, among others, a political scientist, a theologian, and the university president. Johnson Sirleaf is a "very strong, very focused leader," said university President J. Oliver Duncan. Many Liberians "are dreaming of bringing forth the first woman president of Liberia," he said. Kobia Invites Haiti to Move from Dislocation to Reconciliation and Dignity August 8, 2005 – Haitians should work together to build a new and alternative nation, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia told church leaders and members during an ecumenical service at the Methodist Church of Port-au-Prince on Sunday 7 August. The challenge, according to Kobia, is to move from "dislocated communities" and fear to reconciliation and dignity. "We are called to work to transform Haiti from a violent to a peaceful state," Kobia said. In an earlier (5 August) meeting with Haiti's interim president Boniface Alexandre at the presidential palace, Kobia promised that Haiti's "serious problems" would be on the agenda of the Council's forthcoming assembly in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in February 2006. ELCA Assembly Adopts Arab and Middle Eastern Ministry Strategy August 11, 2005, ORLANDO, Fla. – The 2005 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) adopted an Arab and Middle Eastern ministry strategy Aug. 11 by a vote of 858 to 6. The strategy's recommendations support Lutheran Christians of Arab and Middle Eastern ancestry in congregations, develop ministry with this ethnic community, and educate the general membership in appreciation of Arab and Middle Eastern heritage. Members of the Arab and Middle Eastern community and ELCA staff members together developed the strategy beginning with a consultation in 1992. August 10, 2005 – Counting the 20 new volunteers who recently arrived in Jerusalem, the total number of people to have participated in the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) has now passed the 200-mark, as the programme completes its third year of existence. The latest group of ecumenical accompaniers includes a Muslim participant for the first time. She comes from South Africa. Chaos Theory Illumines God's Actions in Creation August 11, 2005, MINNEAPOLIS – In Creation and Double Chaos: Science and Theology in Discussion, scientist and theologian Sjoerd Bonting offers a new overarching framework for thinking about issues in religion and science. Creation and Double Chaos first offers an original model for the religion-science discussion, then looks at the creation controversy itself, including biblical perspectives, traditional doctrines, and the particular potential contribution of chaos theory. Finally, Bonting extends this perspective, a combination of chaos theory and chaos theology that he calls "double chaos," into a framework that addresses traditional questions about evil, divine agency, soteriology, the understanding of disease, the possibility of extraterrestrial life, and the future.
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