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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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United Methodist Relief Agency to Help FEMA with Case Management October 27, 2005, NEW YORK – Eight weeks after Hurricane Katrina displaced more than a million Gulf Coast residents, United Methodist Committee on Relief officials said the agency will lead a consortium of providers in a two-year case management grant worth $66 million. The agreement with the Federal Emergency Management Agency will benefit 300,000 people scattered by the winds throughout the 50 states. Survivors often have a tough time knowing their rights and understanding the daunting application process, federal officials said. Using a review panel, UMCOR will select up to 12 other agencies with expertise in disaster response to help these vulnerable citizens become self-sustaining. National Council of Churches Celebrates the Life and Legacy of Rosa Parks October 25, 2005, WASHINGTON, DC – The National Council of Churches USA has released the following statement about the passing of civil rights champion Rosa Parks: "It is with sadness and a deep sense of loss that we receive the news about the death of Rosa Parks. She was a heroine in our midst – one who taught our nation about courage and determination. She will truly be missed. Rosa Parks, who was known as the "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement," was a trailblazer and a pioneer. She was a powerful witness to all of us who believe that one person can make a difference and she will forever be remembered for her quiet resolve. Miami Churches Work on Drying Out, Reaching Out to Community October 28, 2005, ORLANDO, Fla. – The Rev. Debbie McLeod has been busy visiting churches and communities in Miami, assessing damages and needs in the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma. McLeod, the superintendent of the South East District of the Florida Annual (regional) Conference, is finding United Methodists in Broward County working hard to help their neighbors, despite their own challenges and a shortage of supplies. Since Wilma barreled across South Florida Oct. 24, food, water and gas have been scarce. Religious Leaders Call on Hastert to Oppose Housing Restrictions October 25, 2005 – Speaking October 25 at a press conference at the Capitol with members of Congress and faith community leaders, Bishop John Bryson Chane of Washington declared: "No organization should be asked to choose between providing homes for those in need or enabling citizens to participate fully in our democracy." Participants called upon the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dennis Hastert (R-IL), to remove provisions from the Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2005 (H.R. 1461) that would prohibit faith-based and non-profit groups that receive federal affordable-housing money from using separate funds to engage in voter registration and get out the vote activities. Cross Cultural Music Tour Visits Church of the Brethren Congregations October 27, 2005, ELGIN, IL – A cross-cultural music tour will travel to Church of the Brethren congregations in Missouri and Kansas Oct. 29-Nov. 3 to share testimonies, Bible study, and music that emphasize God's desire for the church to reflect racial and ethnic diversity. Participants in the tour are Gilbert Romero, pastor of Bella Vista Church of the Brethren in Los Angeles, Calif.; Don Mitchell, a music leader at First Church of the Brethren in Harrisburg, Pa.; Marilyn Montauban, a singer from First Haitian Church of the Brethren in Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Duane Grady, a staff member for the denomination's Congregational Life Teams. In Hiroshima, Presiding Bishop Preaches at Resurrection Church October 23, 2005 – Visiting at the invitation of Japan's Anglican Church (Nippon Sei Ko Kai), Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold preached October 23 during the principal Sunday service at the Church of the Resurrection in Hiroshima. Griswold's sermon text is reprinted below. The liturgy immediately followed a visit to Hiroshima's Peace Park where the Presiding Bishop, accompanied by Japan's Anglican Primate, the Most Rev. Joseph Toru Uno, laid a wreath at the memorial to the more than 200,000 persons who died in when the U.S. atomic bomb leveled the city on August 6, 1945. Pastors Face Unexpected Challenges after Storm October 25, 2005, BILOXI, Miss. – A team of volunteers arrived at the woman's house to remove a tree that had fallen on the structure during Hurricane Katrina. The team members, all strangers to the homeowner, discovered the house had structural damage and wasn't safe. They recommended the senior-aged woman move. Where could she turn for advice? She called the Rev. Ed Moses, her pastor. Moses said he went over and asked the volunteers to leave him alone with the woman. After talking for a time, she accepted that she would have to move temporarily. Evolution Controversy Puts Wichita Woman's Faith under the Microscope October 19, 2005 – Carol Rupe has heard it all – the snide remarks, the laughs, the jokes by Jay Leno. Rupe, a parishioner at St. Stephen's, Wichita, is a member of the Kansas State Board of Education, and that puts her smack in the middle of the statewide controversy over the teaching of evolution in Kansas public schools. She makes no bones about her position. She opposes the idea of teaching intelligent design alongside evolution in science classrooms. As a lifelong Episcopalian, Rupe says her firm belief in God, and God's hand in the creation of the world, shouldn't be taught in a science class. Politicians, United Methodist Theologian Pen Book on Hunger October 24, 2005, NEW YORK – People of faith can end world hunger if they combine their efforts, according to a new book by a bipartisan team of veteran politicians and a theologian. Former Senators Robert Dole, R-Kansas, and George McGovern, D-South Dakota, are major contributors to Ending Hunger Now: A Challenge to Persons of Faith, published this fall by Fortress Press, an agency of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The editor and major writer is the Rev. Donald E. Messer, a United Methodist theologian on the faculty of Iliff School of Theology in Denver. McGovern is a member of the United Methodist Church. Dole is Presbyterian with strong United Methodist connections. Lutheran Pastor from New Orleans to Help Debut Television Program October 28, 2005, CHICAGO – The Rev. Patrick Keen, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, New Orleans, will be part of the first one-hour "New Morning" television program on the Hallmark Channel on Oct. 31. Keen, a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), was interviewed days after Hurricane Katrina scattered his congregation and damaged his church. The program's theme is "Perseverance." "New Morning" is produced for Faith & Values Media, the United States' largest coalition of Christian and Jewish faith groups dedicated to media production, distribution and promotion. Japan's Anglican Leaders Welcome Presiding Bishop of ECUSA October 25, 2005 – Traditional customs of respectful dialogue and graceful hospitality – and a clear spirit of mutual appreciation and renewed friendship – were central as Japan's Anglican leaders welcomed Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold in a five-day visit affirming peacemaking 60 years after the end of World War II. "Our two churches, here in Japan and the United States, are on a journey of reconciliation," Griswold said in a sermon October 23 at Hiroshima's Resurrection Church, where he preached just after visiting the nearby Peace Park memorializing the more than 200,000 lives lost when the United States dropped the atomic bomb there August 6, 1945. Taize Pilgrimage for Young People Slated October 26, 2005, VALLEY FORGE, Pa. – An ecumenical experience for American Baptist young people that will be centered in the Taize community of France is scheduled for May 31-June 13, 2006. "The purpose of the trip to Taize is to introduce young people age 17 to 29 to the ecumenical movement and to begin their ecumenical journey in prayer," said the Rev. Rothangliani Chhangte, director of Ecumenical Formation for American Baptist Churches USA. She noted that participants will spend a week in Taize "and join the community for sung prayer three times a day, meet with the Taize brothers for Bible study and belong to a small group of other young people from around the world." Cristianos Preparan Marcha Para Jesús Y Día De La Biblia 28 octubre 2005, BOGOTÁ, Colombia – "Estamos listos para realizar esta semana dos grandes eventos que influirán el rumbo de la historia de la Iglesia en Colombia: la "Marcha Nacional para Jesús" y la celebración del "Día Mundial de la Biblia," dijo Roosevelt Muriel, presidente del Consejo Evangélico de Colombia (CEDECOL). La Marcha Nacional para Jesús se llevará a cabo mañana 29 de octubre de manera simultánea en todas las ciudades importantes de Colombia y será "un día en el que toda la iglesia cristiana caminará por las calles de Colombia tomando autoridad y sentando un precedente de unidad y cambio en nuestra nación," dijo Muriel a ALC. Una Perspectiva Protestante Sobre Las Elecciones De 2006 25 octubre 2005, MÉXICO – Ante la cercanía del proceso electoral del año próximo, y en vista de que algunas jerarquías eclesiásticas han entrado de lleno al jaloneo típico de la política mexicana, parece que no resulta muy precipitado plantear algunas observaciones e hipótesis desde espacios eclesiales, en este caso, protestantes. Si consideramos que a partir de 1992, a raíz del cambio de estatus constitucional de todas las iglesias comenzó a surgir un interés inusitado en el protestantismo por las cuestiones políticas, es posible advertir algunas líneas de comportamiento eclesiástico que permiten ahora, después de casi tres lustros, construir un modelo de análisis. Dramático Pedido De Ayuda Al Mundo Lanzan Evangélicos 27 octubre 2005, PACHUCA, México – Un dramático pedido de ayuda al mundo formuló el abogado Carlos Ramírez, en representación de unas 40 familias evangélicas del poblado de San Nicolás, en el Estado de Hidalgo, México, a pocos días del vencimiento del plazo que les fijó una asamblea comunal de la mayoría católica para que abandonen la localidad. "!Por favor avisen de esto a todo el planeta... no puede seguir la discriminación! Necesitamos de su ayuda en la comunidad de San Nicolás, reza el pedido de auxilio de Ramírez, dirigente laico de la Iglesia Shalom, de Ixmiquilpan." Hambruna Deja Cuatro Muertos En Comunidades Indígenas 27 octubre 2005, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Cuatro personas murieron por hambre y falta de medicinas en las comunidades indígenas y criollas de los municipios de Waspan, Wiwili y San José de Bocay, en el Atlántico Norte del país, después de que la hambruna se instaló en la zona a causa de la pérdida de las cosechas. Algunos organismos no gubernamentales ligados a las iglesias lanzaron el fin de semana un llamado a la comunidad internacional para socorrer a unas 123 poblaciones que padecen hace varios meses los efectos devastadores del hambre y la enfermedad. Las organizaciones Acción Médica Cristiana, el Consejo de Iglesias Evangélicas Pro Alianza Denominacional (CEPAD) y el Centro Intereclesial de Estudios Teológicos y Sociales (CITES), que integran Acción Conjunta de las Iglesias (ACT), confirmaron el deceso de las primeras víctimas de la emergencia y precisaron que la situación demanda una ayuda inmediata. Líderes De Iglesias Evangélicas Respaldan Expulsión De Nuevas Tribus 27 octubre 2005, CARACAS, Venezuela – Un grupo de líderes evangélicos y de organizaciones de servicio venezolanas respaldó la decisión del presidente Hugo Chávez de expulsar a la misión religiosa estadounidense Nuevas Tribus (MNT), "por las acusaciones que pesan sobre esa institución y las pruebas que las ameritan." En un pronunciamiento difundido, el miércoles, los líderes evangélicos advirtieron que de ninguna manera la medida debe ser vista como una persecución desatada contra las iglesias, pues Nuevas Tribus, aún cuando realiza actividades de proselitismo religioso, no es una iglesia y tampoco pertenece a ninguna iglesia reconocida en Venezuela. October 22, 2005, SANTIAGO, Chile/GENEVA – Chilean President Ricardo Lagos Escobar has commended Lutherans for playing an "important role" in sustaining humanitarian rights in Chile, particularly during a time of military dictatorship. Lagos paid his tribute during an October 17 meeting in the Chilean capital with the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA); Rev. Gloria Rojas, president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chile (IELCH); and Bishop Rolando Holtz, Lutheran Church in Chile (ILCH). Hanson was in the South American country October 16-18 to learn more about the ministries of the IELCH and ILCH, and the impact of both LWF member churches on Chilean society. Archbishop Gomez: Focus on Haitian-Bahamian Relationships at Provincial Synod October 28, 2005 – Anglicans attending the 105th session of Synod were informed about four major areas of concern in The Bahamas, including HIV/AIDS and Bahamian Haitian relations. In his charge on Monday, October 17th at the opening of the week-long Synod of the Diocese of The Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos Islands, Archbishop of the Province of the West Indies and Diocesan Bishop, His Grace Drexel Gomez said the Church must play an integral role in awareness building. The Episcopal Diocese of Egypt Welcomes the Third Anglican Global South to South Encounter October 20, 2005 – From 25th – 30th October 2005, about 120 delegates, representing 20 provinces within the Anglican Communion, from Africa, Asia and Latin America, will be meeting in Egypt for their third Global South Encounter. The Conference will take place at the Red Sea. We, here in Egypt, are honored and privileged to be hosting this historic gathering of Anglican Archbishops, bishops, priests and laypersons from throughout the Global South. We also believe it will be a special time of encouraging one another, learning from each other, and most importantly, praying together. Army Helps Church World Service Teams Drop Aid to Inaccessible Allai-Battagram October 28, 2005, BISYAN, PAKISTAN – Fri Oct 28- In the tent village established in Bisyan, humanitarian agency Church World Service aid workers say they are noticing a sad trend: an increasing number of those now showing up to take residency in the camp are children with no elders to support them. Church World Service (CWS) reports it is now expanding the tent village to provide shelter and medical services for 2,450 of the quake's most vulnerable survivors. The Church of Pakistan will provide medical services within the camp. Korean Peninsula Reunification Affirmed by Presiding Bishop Griswold October 25, 2005, SEOUL – Emphasizing the work of Anglicans locally and internationally in support of reunification of the Korean peninsula, Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold met October 25 in Seoul with South Korea's President Roh Myoo-hyun and issued a message of solidarity to the Anglican Church in Korea. October 27, 2005, WEST BANK/GENEVA – "Travelling to a conflict zone, to meet people and understand the way they live was a privileged moment. It has deepened my own faith," is how Canadian Lutheran pastor, Dr David Pfrimmer, summed up his visit to Jayyous, a small Palestinian village near Tulkarem in the West Bank. Pfrimmer and other representatives of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) member churches attending the August 31-September 6 annual Council meeting, had taken part in a three-day exposure visit with the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI). Jerusalem's Coadjutor Bishop-elect Outlines Vision for the Diocese October 24, 2005, JERUSALEM – The Rev. Suheil Dawani was elected Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Jerusalem in June 2005. In an interview at his parish – St. Andrew's Church, Ramallah, in the West Bank – Duwani outlined his vision for the future and spoke about some of the political challenges that face the Episcopal Church. Peace in Jerusalem Means Peace for the World, Bishop Riah Says October 25, 2005, JERUSALEM – The Rt. Rev. Riah Abu El-Assal is the Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem, a diocese that includes Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria within the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. In an interview with Episcopal News Service, El-Assal speaks about the church's role in justice and reconciliation and his hopes for peace in the Holy Land. New Bishop for the Diocese of Belize October 28, 2005 – The Standing Committee of the Synod of the Anglican Diocese of Belize has received with pleasure the news of the appointment of the Rev. Canon Philip Wright to be the 14th Bishop of the Diocese of Belize in succession to the Rt. Rev. Sylvestre Romero who resigned in 2004. Canon Wright is a Belizean born in Belize City on 10th February 1967. October 25, 2005, VIENNA, Austria/GENEVA – Bishop Herwig Sturm of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Austria has been elected new chairperson of the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Austria. He was chosen by a large majority at the council's annual general meeting on Tuesday, 18 October, in Vienna. His two-year term in office begins 1 January 2006. The bishop expressed thanks for the trust placed in him by the 14 member churches of the council, which he described as a "great social force," reports the Protestant Press Service, Austria. Bonhoeffer and Bethge – a Remarkable Friendship October 28, 2005, MINNEAPOLIS – The compelling story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, his resistance to the Nazi regime, and his sweeping postwar influence owe much to his close friendship with his fellow pastor Eberhard Bethge. In Daring, Trusting Spirit: Bonhoeffer's Friend Eberhard Bethge, distinguished theologian John de Gruchy narrates the course and consequences of that friendship, building on interviews and newly available primary sources. Duncan Explores the Magic of C.S. Lewis October 24, 2005, MINNEAPOLIS – Since The Screwtape Letters catapulted C. S. Lewis into fame in the 1940s, he has been among the world's most widely read apologists for the Christian Faith. Few writers have touched so many lives and excited so many fans. Since his death in 1963, more than 200 million copies of his books have been sold worldwide, and none has ever been out of print. In December 2005, a full-length movie based on his beloved tale, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, will be released. In this one-of-a-kind "oral history," several people who knew C. S. Lewis explore how he emerged as one of the most powerful literary figures of his time. McFarland Envisions the Invisible God October 25, 2005, MINNEAPOLIS – Humans are the image of God. What does that tell us about God? Theologian Ian A. McFarland claims that Christians have mainly misappropriated the ‘image of God' language for 2000 years and thereby missed a rich resource for our knowledge of God. Rather than referring to some germinal divine element in humans, such as reason, McFarland claims in his new book, The Divine Image, that the image of God in us tells us something about God's characteristics and how we know them.
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