Front Page

The Council of Churches of the City of New York
Calls on All People of Faith to Come to the Aid of the Victims of Katrina

September 7, 2005, NEW YORK – Governor Pataki has made a personal appeal to the Council of Churches of the City of New York and the religious leaders in the State of New York to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. According to the most recent Census, among the countless number of Katrina victims there are at least 17,000 people just in New Orleans who claimed New York as their previous residence. This means many of the evacuees have friends and family here in New York. Each church is encouraged to adopt an evacuated family affected by Hurricane Katrina. If a congregation is able to offer long-term and vacant housing resources that could be used to house evacuees, they can call 1-888-7-NYS-AID (888-769-8243).

NCC General Secretary Says Katrina Response must Be Two-Fold:
Aid the Victims and End the Poverty That Made Them Vulnerable

September 9, 2005, NEW YORK – The General Secretary of the National Council of Churches USA today described the plans of member churches to aid the millions of persons displaced by Hurricane Katrina. But the Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar warned that catastrophes like Katrina will happen again unless national, state and local governments come to grips with the poverty that left so many people trapped in the path of the storm. "The real hurricane crisis began years ago, not only with the neglect of the levees in New Orleans but with the neglect of poor people who live in the city and throughout the Gulf coast," Edgar said. "When the hurricane approached, people who had the means to buy gasoline or public transportation or refuge away from the storm, left the city. Those who could not afford it stayed – and we are still waiting with horror to learn how many died." The NCC is working closely with Church World Service, its sister humanitarian and relief agency, to rush food, blankets and other supplies to New Orleans and to areas where hurricane victims are being sheltered. FaithfulAmerica.org, the council's online network of socially committed persons of faith, raised $40,000 for relief in the week following Hurricane Katrina.

WCC Calls Churches to Pray Together for Peace on September 21

September 5, 2005 – Calling on member churches and churches around the world to observe an International Day of Prayer for Peace on 21 September, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia observes that "Christian spirituality is not a call to retreat from social action and public life. As injustice and violence grow, [*] we have all the more reason to pray with and for one another and for our world." A brochure on this year's International Day of Prayer for Peace (in PDF form), liturgical resources from Asia and other resources are available on the website of the Decade to Overcome Violence.

A Message from NY Lutheran Bishop Stephen Bouman

September 11, 2005, NEW YORK: September 11, four years later – It was a small "local color" piece on the news. New York fire fighters are going to New Orleans. One of the trucks they are driving to the disaster is a truck donated by Louisiana which saw duty at Ground Zero. It was also a revelation to me. As we are days away from the fourth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks we are filled with pictures of unrelieved suffering from Hurricane Katrina. How much each of us desires to do something, anything, to alleviate the pain and suffering! There has been such heroic effort from around the country to be present, helpful, to touch and heal. We offer our prayers and we mean it and do it. There is the feeling we can't do enough. We feel helpless, powerless, yet filled with such compassion and a physical need to make a difference.

Mayor Bloomberg's 9/11 Greetings

September 11, 2005 – On this day four years ago, more than 2,700 of our loved ones, friends, and neighbors left home filled with hopes for the day ahead, and fully expecting to return to their families when it ended We know what happened instead, and we will never forget those we lost, or the enormity of the crime committed against them. On this fourth anniversary of 9/11, our City once again pays tribute to their memory. On 9/11 and during the days that followed, New Yorkers endured enormous loss and grief. The damage inflicted that day was so profound that many people expressed fears about New York's very future. But the resourcefulness and bravery that so many New Yorkers showed on 9/11 also gave us an extraordinary example to follow.

Churches Respond to Hurricane Katrina Devastation

Organizations accepting donations for Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts – Click for list

Augsburg Fortress Responds to Needs of Katrina Victims

September 7, 2005, MINNEAPOLIS – In response to Hurricane Katrina Augsburg Fortress is offering a 50% discount on all orders placed on our website for Act of God/Active God, a book that helps people wrestle with the spiritual questions brought on by natural disasters. The discount is effective September 7 through December 31, 2006. Additionally, Augsburg Fortress customers may donate to the ELCA Domestic Disaster Relief program when they place orders with us either via our toll-free customer service number 1-800-328-4648 or via our website.

Katrina Response Web Page Developed

September 8, 2005, VALLEY FORGE, Pa. – National Ministries has developed a Web page to report on American Baptist Churches USA's hurricane relief efforts. Reports from churches and associated ministries throughout the United States will be posted to the Katrina Response site at http://www.nationalministries.org/katrina/, also accessible from http://www.abc-usa.org/. The site will be updated with news about the denomination's coordination of its relief efforts across the country. Messages accessed at the site highlight the relief focus as expressed by key denominational leaders.

Letter from Lutheran Presiding Bishop Hanson on Hurricane Katrina

September 3, 2005 – The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) issued the following letter on Sept. 2, 2005.

Hurricane Evacuees Share Tears, Fears, Frustrations

September 6, 2005, DUMAS, Ark. – Tears streaked down Adlay Callahan's face and her voice shook with emotion. "Why can't they get them out? Why can't they help the old people?" she asked, waving her hands. "I just don't understand why. I could come up with an evacuation plan! I could tell them how to get water and food down there!" Then, in a softer tone, she said, "I'm just tired ... tired and frustrated with our city."

New Disaster-Relief Plan Supports Hard-hit LCMS Southern District

September 9, 2005 – LCMS President Gerald B. Kieschnick and Rev. Matthew Harrison, executive director of LCMS World Relief and Human Care, announced Sept. 8 a new plan to better assist and support congregations and church workers in the Synod's hard-hit Southern District in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The plan goes into effect immediately and partners LCMS districts with affected Southern District congregations, according to a memo from Kieschnick and Harrison to members of the Council of Presidents.

United Methodists Open Storm Center in Louisiana

September 10, 2005, BATON ROUGE – Louisiana's United Methodists, in response to the overwhelming communication and response needs resulting from Hurricane Katrina, have established the United Methodist Storm Center. "The center's focus is to connect resources with requests for help. People are offering volunteers services, goods and monetary donations. Through the center, these offers will be matched up with the many requests for assistance that will be generated by survivors of Hurricane Katrina," said Gordon Knuckey, disaster response field consultant for United Methodist Committee on Relief.

‘We Will Rise,' Louisiana Pastor Says of Flooded Church

September 10, 2005 – The day after Katrina whirled ashore, the Rev. Jerry Hilbun waded two and a half blocks through waist-deep water, avoiding balls of fire ants, snakes and rats, to get to his church, First United Methodist of Slidell, La. The 55-year-old pastor, a Memphis, Tenn., native and graduate of United Methodist-related Lambuth University in Jackson, Tenn., managed to drive back into Slidell before the barricades went up. He and his wife had weathered the storm with his aunt, Marilyn Hunt, a retired Air Force nurse, in her apartment in Ocean Springs, near Biloxi, Miss. "I went to Ocean Springs to get my aunt and take her to Memphis, but she refused to go," Hilbun said. "So my wife, Eleeva, and I, my aunt and a friend of hers were only four miles from the beach when Katrina came ashore."

Lutherans Raise $1.5 Million for Hurricane Response

September 9, 2005, CHICAGO – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has raised $1.5 million as of Sept. 8 to support Hurricane Katrina relief and recovery efforts. The funds were not only contributed by the 4.9 million members of the ELCA but from Lutherans around the world, who have shared prayers and expressions of sympathy. "Gifts and prayers are urgently needed in response to Hurricane Katrina. Gifts to the ELCA Domestic Disaster Response will help fund relief efforts, such as our commitment to feed people in the Astrodome, as well as our long-term recovery efforts for years to come," said Kathryn Sime, director, ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Appeal.

LCMS World Relief Seeks Volunteers

September 6, 2005 – LCMS World Relief/Human Care is compiling the names of volunteers to assist Hurricane Katrina survivors through opportunities to provide housing and help with future clean-up and recovery efforts.

Out of Deep Waters: Louisiana Church Provides Radical Hospitality to Evacuees

September 7, 2005, BATON ROUGE, Louisiana – Tirelessly reaching out to a community shattered by the aftereffects of Hurricane Katrina, the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana has temporarily relocated its offices to St. James Church in Baton Rouge, which is operating as a major distribution and sorting center and where staff and volunteers are working around the clock to meet the immediate needs of local evacuees. "St. James is open 24 hours day and night so that evacuees can come here and take a shower," said Bishop Charles Jenkins of Louisiana. "We are in the process of gathering food and essential items to take to our evacuation shelters. " The priests in Baton Rouge, especially those who've been trained by the Red Cross, have been working 24 hour shifts as chaplains in the shelters. St. James is coordinating with all the downtown Episcopal churches in providing ministry to those shelters. "The Episcopal Church is like a good family," Jenkins said, "and when a crisis comes a good family pulls together."

General News

Lutherans Celebrate God Gathering the World's ‘Fragments'

September 7, 2005, BALTIMORE – Almost 1,100 Lutherans gathered Aug. 25- 28 at the Baltimore Convention Center for a Global Mission Event (GME) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The theme "Gathered by God's grace for the sake of the world" inspired plenary sessions, "Global University" sessions, worship, prayer, song, art activities and fellowship. The ELCA has about 300 missionaries in more than 50 countries. During summer months many of those missionaries return to the United States to visit family and take continuing education classes. The ELCA uses this opportunity to invite its 4.9 million members to meet current and retired missionaries and to learn how Lutherans are involved in the world. The ELCA Division for Global Mission worked with local volunteers to host two GMEs. The first was July 14-17 in Fargo, N.D. Support for the events also came from other ELCA churchwide units and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, a nonprofit financial services organization based in Minneapolis.

Archbishop of Canterbury – Lecture to Mark the Centenary of Friends of the Elderly

September 7, 2005 – Here is the text of a lecture being delivered today by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, to mark the centenary of Friends of the Elderly, a charity of which he is Patron. The gifts reserved for age: perceptions of the elderly. A lot of human cultures have a very structured idea of the process of human ageing. It's most vividly illustrated perhaps in the traditional Indian idea that, having raised a family and discharged your duty to society in this way, you should abandon your home and devote yourself to meditation or pilgrimage, become a wandering ‘sannyasin.' We probably find this very strange.

Bishops Stress Commitment to Unity, Moving Church Forward

Sep. 9, 2005, LAKE JUNALUSKA, NC – Seven United Methodist bishops from across the United States discussed issues surrounding leadership, dialogue, homosexuality and other topics during a forum at a controversial church caucus event. The bishops emphasized their intention to work for unity in the church. During a panel discussion, they were asked how they should deal with divisions in their own ranks. "In this (most recent) class of bishops, we will be bishops of the whole church," said Bishop John Schol of the Washington (D.C.) Area. "We are here (at this event) because we are truly committed to working together...."

Principles for Theological Education

September 6, 2005 – At the meeting of the TEAC Steering Group and Convenors, held at Ripon College, Cuddesdon, in July 2005, the following statement about Principles for Theological Education was agreed. Theological Education for the Anglican Communion commends the following Principles for Theological Education to the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Primates of the Anglican Communion and, through them, all serving Anglican Bishops. TEAC does so in the firm belief that these are sound principles which can be applied to every part of the Communion and requests that Bishops be invited and encouraged to assent individually to these Principles. The Principles are based on the ‘Aim' of TEAC as defined in November 2003 following consultation with the Primates in Brazil, May 2003.

WFN – Ten Years Old and Googling up a Storm

September 9, 2005 NEW YORK – If you write news releases for a faith group, chances are Worldwide Faith News (WFN) is the first site you hit each day. If you wondered how churches responded to Hurricane Katrina, chances are also good you quickly found yourself on the WFN Web page. Persons who went directly to WFN on September 6 – or typed "Katrina" into Google and other search engines – found themselves linked to a score of stories on what Church World Service, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Sikhs and others were doing to assist victims. Persons who typed "Rehnquist" into the Google Search engine that day soon found themselves referred to WFN – and the revelation that the late Chief Justice was a "prominent Lutheran." "Google links more religion news hits to WFN than any other news source but the BBC," says the Rev. George Conklin, a retired professor of communication at the Pacific School of Religion who maintains WFN from his home in Berkeley, Calif. Conklin, a United Church of Christ clergyman, is awed by WFN's Google visibility. "The BBC is a little bit bigger than us," he concedes.

Spanish News

Obispo Metodista Postula a Cámara De Diputados

7 septiembre 2005, CONCEPCIÓN, Chile – Isaías Gutiérrez, obispo emérito de la Iglesia Evangélica Metodista y uno de los líderes religiosos que más contribuyó al retorno de la democracia en Chile, confirmó su candidatura a la Cámara de Diputados en las elecciones del 11 de diciembre próximo. "Es nuestro tiempo, es el tiempo de Dios, porque para los cristianos lo que Dios nos dice a través de su Palabra tiene más fuerza que lo que pretenden decirnos los tiranos de la historia. He tomado esta decisión cuando las desigualdades aumentan y la ética y los valores de la sociedad se diluyen," dijo el obispo.

Diócesis Anglicana De Recife Excluye a 32 Clérigos

3 septiembre 2005, RECIFE, Brasil – El obispo Filadelfo de Oliveira Neto, líder de la Diócesis Anglicana de Recife (DAR), decretó la exclusión de 32 clérigos (el 70 por ciento del total de ministros de la diócesis) de las sagradas órdenes y de la comunidad de la Iglesia Episcopal Anglicana de Brasil (IEAB), por razones de "desacato y desobediencia." El decreto que fue firmado el 23 de agosto y divulgado esta semana, concluye un episodio iniciado en las primeras semanas de julio cuando el obispo Oliveira Neto pidió a los 32 clérigos que esclarezcan por escrito sus vínculos canónicos con la IEAB.

Cardenal Ortega Rechaza Declaraciones De Embajador De Cuba Ante El Vaticano

9 septiembre 2005, LA HABANA, Cuba – El cardenal cubano Jaime Ortega Alamino, presidente de la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos, rechazó las declaraciones del embajador cubano ante El Vaticano, Raúl Roa Kouri, quien dijo que el episcopado Cubano históricamente ha sido una pieza estratégica de Estados Unidos en Cuba." Ortega afirma que el embajador cubano "acusa a la jerarquía católica cubana de haber tenido (...) una postura contraria a la Sede Romana" y hace "caer toda la responsabilidad de las dificultades de las relaciones Iglesia-Estado en Cuba en los obispos, ignorando cuánto corresponde al gobierno."

Una Paz Lejana En Medio Oriente

5 septiembre 2005, JERUSALÉN – "Resistir es existir," reza un graffiti en el gigantesco muro de hormigón construido por el gobierno israelí para aislar a la población palestina. Unos metros arriba, en la salida de Jerusalén a Ramalá, los caracteres escritos a salto de mata por algún militante anónimo claman por construir "puentes, no muros." ¿Es posible una solución pacífica a corto o mediano plazo al conflicto israelí-palestino? Es la pregunta que se formulan periodistas de diversos países del mundo, invitados por la Federación Luterana Mundial, mientras ingresan a este mundo duro y escarnecido que es el pueblo palestino, con una población que no llega a los 4 millones de habitantes, un millón de ellos en campos de refugiados.

Luteranos Intensificarán Lucha Contra El Vih/sida

6 septiembre 2005, JERUSALÉN – Las iglesias luteranas se han comprometido a intensificar el trabajo de prevención y lucha contra el VIH/SIDA y a demandar a Estados Unidos que levante el condicionamiento a países receptores del Fondo Presidencial de Ayuda de Emergencia. El compromiso fue tomado, el lunes, en la reunión de la Federación Luterana Mundial (FLM), en respuesta al efecto devastador y el enorme sufrimiento que causa la infección del VIH/SIDA en el mundo.

Alianza Ecuménica De Acción Mundial Aborda Tema Del Sida E Iglesias

6 septiembre 2005, LONDRES, Gran Bretaña – Bajo el lema "Hagamos una promesa. Sostengamos lo prometido. Juntos detengamos el SIDA" se reunió en Londres el Grupo Estratégico en VIH y SIDA de la Alianza Ecuménica de Acción Mundial para diseñar su plan de trabajo 2005 a 2008. La Alianza Ecuménica de Acción Mundial (EAA por su sigla en inglés) es una red internacional de iglesias y de organizaciones cristianas que coopera en acciones de justicia como las relacionadas con el SIDA y la defensa de un comercio internacional enfocado en el bienestar de los pueblos.

CMI Invita a Iglesias a Orar Juntas Por La Paz El 21 De Septiembre

5 septiembre 2005 – En un llamado a las iglesias en todo el mundo a observar un Día Internacional de Oración por la Paz el 21 de septiembre, el secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), pastor Dr. Samuel Kobia, subraya que "la espiritualidad cristiana no es una exhortación a retirarse de la acción social y de la vida pública. Cuando crecen la injusticia y la violencia [Š] tenemos cada vez más motivos para orar con otros y unos por otros y por nuestro mundo."

Organizaciones Evangélicas Rechazan Privatización Del Agua

9 septiembre 2005, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Organizaciones evangélicas rechazaron cualquier intento de privatización del agua después de que la Cámara de Diputados anunció un inminente debate sobre el proyecto de ley aprobado por la Asamblea Nacional que no definió cuáles serían los servicios y recursos del sistema de agua potable sujetos a ser vendidos a la empresa privada.

CMI Expresa Sus Condolencias Al Presidente De Irak

2 septiembre 2005, GINEBRA, Suiza – El secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias, reverendo Samuel Kobia, envió una carta de condolencias al presidente de Irak, Jalal Talaban, por la desgracia ocurrida el miércoles en la mezquita de Kadhimiya, donde murieron más de mil personas. "Este incidente, sin embargo, es resultado directo del actual ambiente de temor y las intensas medidas de seguridad que han empeorado la situación del país desde la ocupación por fuerzas militares extranjeras," afirmó Kobia tras expresar el dolor de los cristianos de todo el mundo por la "pérdida de vidas humanas."

New York Metro News

CD Tour of New York's Ground Zero Aims to Clarify God's Presence on 9/11

September 9, 2005 NEW YORK – This Sunday marks four years since the deadly and destructive September 11, 2001, terror attacks on New York City, Washington, DC and Pennsylvania. The physical recovery is over, yet the pit where the World Trade Center once stood has become a pilgrimage for many who visit the area nearly every day. Dr. Courtney Cowart, an adjunct professor at General Theological Seminary, recognized a need to provide a spiritual reference to this powerful moment in American history that would help people cope with 9/11 and its aftermath. Funding from the Templeton Foundation enabled her to produce a 72-minute compact disc called, "A Pilgrim's Walking Tour of Ground Zero: Stories from the 9/11 Recovery Community."

National News

Bishop Urges Churches to Help Home State, Other Affected Areas

September 7, 2005, LAKELAND, Fla. – For Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker, the disaster that has struck the Gulf Coast has personal significance. "It does weigh on me heavily," said Whitaker, who leads the United Methodist Church's Florida Annual (regional) Conference. "When you grow up in a place you have a certain feeling about it." That place is Mississippi. Whitaker grew up in Vicksburg, and his wife, Melba, has family in Laurel, Miss., on the coast. Whitaker said he has fond memories of visiting the state's coast and nearby New Orleans. "When I was a kid, we used to go to an amusement park on Lake Pontchartrain.

Middle East News

Lutheran Leaders Discuss Hospital Case with Israeli President

September 6, 2005, JERUSALEM – Leaders of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), including the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), discussed prospects for Middle East peace and expressed specific financial concerns about the future of Augusta Victoria Hospital in a 35-minute meeting with Israeli President Moshe Katsav. The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, LWF president and ELCA presiding bishop, Chicago, the Rev. Rev. Ishmael Noko, LWF general secretary, Geneva, and the Rev. Munib A. Younan, LWF vice president, met with Katsav Sept. 5.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Praises
Lutherans' Support for Just Peace Emphasis on Return to the Roadmap for Peace

September 5, 2005, JERUSALEM/BETHLEHEM – Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has commended the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) for its continued support and commitment toward the Palestinian people in their search for a just peace in the Holy Land. "I know how much you are doing for our people, [for] Muslims and Christians, and Jerusalem," Abbas told LWF President Bishop Mark S. Hanson; General Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko; and Vice-President for the Asia region, Bishop Dr Munib A. Younan, during a meeting with the LWF leaders at the PA offices in Gaza City, September 3. The LWF leaders met with Abbas in the context of this year's Council meeting hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) at the International Center of Bethlehem.

People in the News

US Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, Prominent Lutheran, Dies

September 6, 2005, CHICAGO – William H. Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the United States and member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), died Sept. 3 of thyroid cancer at his home in Arlington, Va. He was 80. Rehnquist's body will lie in repose Sept. 6-7 in the Great Hall of the Supreme Court of the United States. A funeral will be conducted Sept. 7 at St. Matthew's Cathedral, Washington, D.C. Burial at Arlington National Cemetery will be private. Rehnquist was a member of Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, McLean, Va. "Chief Justice Rehnquist never took his faith for granted. It was strong, central and, like him, without pretense. He was a genuine Lutheran Christian," said his pastor, the Rev. George W. Evans Jr.