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IRS Warning Follows Antiwar Sermon; Pasadena Parish Refutes Charges

November 7, 2005, LOS ANGELES – Warned that its tax-exempt status faces IRS examination after a 2004 anti-war sermon, All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California, refuted the charges in announcements to the congregation during November 6 Sunday services, and a news release. The Los Angeles Times carries a further report in its November 7 editions. The parish statement said: All Saints Church of Pasadena, California, notified by the IRS that it intends to conduct an examination for possible violation of its non-profit status, denies that any regulations were broken, and affirms its First Amendment freedoms of speech and religion.

96 Bishops Decry ‘Unjust and Immoral' Situation in Iraq

November 11, 2005 – Ninety-six United Methodist bishops have signed a statement repenting "of our complicity in what we believe to be the unjust and immoral invasion and occupation of Iraq." The signers include more than half of the denomination's active and retired bishops, both within the United States and in the Central Conferences outside the United States. Bishop Kenneth Carder, one of the signers, told United Methodist News Service on Nov. 11 that the statement had been nearly six weeks in the making. The statement confesses "our preoccupation with institutional enhancement and limited agendas while American men and women are sent to Iraq to kill and be killed, while thousands of Iraqi people needlessly suffer and die, while poverty increases and preventable diseases go untreated."

‘Torture Is Unacceptable,' NCC General Assembly Declares

November 11, 2005, HUNT VALLEY, Maryland – Delegates to the 2005 General Assembly of the National Council of Churches USA and Church World Service, held November 8-10 in Hunt Valley, Maryland, have deplored the fact that, as the House of Representatives begins debate on anti-torture provisions in the 2006 Defense Appropriations bill, some high-ranking U.S. government officials have declined to support the provisions. "We find any and all use of torture unacceptable and contrary to U.S. and international legal norms," the delegates said in a November 9 statement that passed unanimously. "We find it particularly abhorrent that our nation's law makers would fail to approve the pending legislation disavowing the use of torture by any entity on behalf of the United States government."

Church's Leaders Urge Bush to Provide Plan for Iraq Withdrawal

November 7, 2005, LAKE JUNALUSKA, NC – The United Methodist Church's bishops are calling on President George Bush to draw up a plan and timeline for withdrawing all U.S. forces from Iraq. The resolution, adopted Nov. 4, updates a statement that the Council of Bishops issued in May 2004. During the final session of the council's weeklong fall meeting, no bishops voted in opposition to the resolution, though some abstained from voting. In a poignant moment, Bishop Charlene Kammerer of Virginia told the council about her son, Chris, who is serving in the Navy in the Persian Gulf.

General News

Chaplains Help Hurricane Survivors Deal with Grief, Loss

November 9, 2005 – Hurricane Katrina has left thousands of people with "spiritual gaps" that will be hard to fill, says the Rev. Hugh Maddry, director of the National Chaplain Center for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Some of the people on the frontlines working to fill those gaps are chaplains for the 176 Veterans Affairs centers across the United States. "The grief is enormous," Maddry says. Bodies are still being found, and families are facing the possibility they may never be able to identify loved ones.

Pastor Answers Call, Gives Teen Second Chance at Life

November 8, 2005 – Laura England is running a mile, eating chocolate and preparing to go to college next semester. Typical things for most 18-year-olds, but not something she could even dream about until the Rev. J. Michael Davis gave her one of his kidneys. England's kidneys shut down last February, during her senior year in high school. At the time, Davis was pastor of St. Luke United Methodist Church in Springfield, Mo., where England has been a member all her life. He has since been transferred to Milan and Green City United Methodist Church.

Archbishop of Canterbury: ‘Becoming Trustworthy: Respect and Self-Respect'

November 11, 2005 – The Archbishop of Canterbury delivered the Temple Address – "Becoming Trustworthy: Respect and Self-Respect" – at Church House on Thursday, November 10, 2005. ‘Respect' is a well-travelled and flexible word. ‘The common cold is no respecter of persons,' we say. It doesn't matter how successful or important you are, some things just happen to you. There are a few modern translations of the New Testament which bring the same phrase into their version of the story about Jesus and the tribute to Caesar – Jesus is ‘no respecter of persons,' because he does not care for human status or privilege.

St. Columba's Blessed by Royal Visit

November 11, 2005, INVERNESS, California – Charles, the Prince of Wales, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, attended All Saints Sunday services at the Parish Church and Retreat House of St. Columba's in the quaint California seaside town of Inverness. The royals were in the middle of a visit that included stops to an organic farmers' market in the town of Point Reyes; lunch with farmers in the hidden coastal community of Bolinas; a visit to the long-running San Francisco cabaret show "Beach Blanket Babylon," accompanied by former Secretary of State George Shultz and his wife Charlotte Maillard Shultz, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, author Danielle Steel, and the Rt. Rev. William Swing and his wife Mary Swing; and a tour of the Berkeley Edible Schoolyard led by chef Alice Waters.

Bishops Act on Episcopal Address, Global Concerns

November 8, 2005, LAKE JUNALUSKA, NC – The United Methodist Church's bishops have chosen Sharon Brown Christopher to deliver their Episcopal Address when the denomination's top legislative assembly meets in 2008. Christopher, who leads the church's Illinois Area, was chosen during the Council of Bishops' Oct. 30-Nov. 4 meeting in Lake Junaluska. Christopher became the council's first woman president in 2002, serving in that role for a one-year term. Elected in 1988, she is one of the council's longest-serving active bishops. The Episcopal Address is developed with direction and input from the entire council, and it's a highlight of the church's General Conference, which meets every four years. The 2008 assembly will be in Fort Worth, Texas.

Church Helps Families Living Paycheck-to-Paycheck after Wilma

November 11, 2005, WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – An assembly line formed in the four-bay garage of United Methodist Church of the Palm Beaches. Flood buckets filled with supplies passed from one hand to the next. "Just keep swinging," volunteers called. The high winds and heavy rains Hurricane Wilma brought Oct. 24 are gone, but the devastation remains. In Palm Beach County, hundreds of thousands of people lost power. Many have been turning to ministries and churches such as the United Methodist Church of the Palm Beaches for help.

Online Survey on Interfaith Education Launched, First Findings to Be Presented at WCC's 9th Assembly

November 10, 2005 – More and more, learning about, from and with peoples of other faiths is being recognized as a vital aspect of education in faith communities and in state education systems. A web-based survey on interfaith education has just gone online to discover examples of good practice across the world. The Education and Ecumenical Formation programme of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and Hartford Seminary, USA have launched an interactive survey on interfaith education to catalogue such endeavours currently taking place in communities around the world.

High School Finds Benefits in Offering Classes Online

November 9, 2005 – It hasn't bought more land or built more classrooms, but Lutheran High School of Orange County (Calif.) is making its Christian education available to a wider range of students than ever before. The LCMS high school now offers 26 classes – about half of its curriculum – online, and administrators there say they are working toward making all courses accessible to students worldwide via a Web site.

Thanksgiving Day Telecast Will Focus on Gulf Coast's Future
Time Warner Cable to Carry Half-hour Special

November 11, 2005 Thanksgiving on the Gulf Coast will be especially poignant this year coming as it does near the official end of a disastrous hurricane season. "The Episcopal Church Presents: Gulf Coast Thanksgivings," documenting the challenges and joys of rebuilding the Gulf Coast, will be broadcast on the Time Warner Cable network on Thanksgiving Day, November 24. The 30-minute program, produced by the church's Office of Communication, will air on nearly every Time Warner cable system in the United States.

New Video Explores ‘Gifts of Aging'

November 10, 2005, NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A new video produced by the United Methodist Church's Board of Discipleship drives home the point that God's call doesn't end when a person retires and neither does the retiree's value to the church. "God didn't call us to be Christians just until we reach a certain age," says the Rev. Hazel Bennett, chairperson of the United Methodist Committee on Older Adult Ministries and one of the voices on "New Beginnings: The Gifts of Aging." The 20-minute video features vignettes demonstrating the active role older adults are playing in the life of the church and society.

Ecumenical News

Washington Cathedral to Host Two-Night Interdenominational Revival

November 8, 2005 – Devotions, gospel music, scripture readings, prayers, and preaching by Dr. James A. Forbes, one of the most inspiring preachers in the country, are just some of what's in store for participants of "Word to the City," a two-night revival November 15 and 16 at 7 p.m. at Washington National Cathedral. Forbes, senior minister of New York City's Riverside Church, will bring a message of spiritual renewal to attendees through his sermons titled "God's Response to Gideon's Question," and "God's Concern for Our Satisfaction."

Hanson, Noko Represent Lutheran World Federation in Audience with Pope

November 7, 2005, VATICAN CITY – The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, president, Lutheran World Federation (LWF), and the Rev. Ishmael Noko, LWF general secretary, Geneva, met here Nov. 7 with Pope Benedict XVI as a prelude to regular meetings between staff of the LWF and the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Hanson is also presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Chicago. In a prepared statement, Hanson greeted Pope Benedict XVI on behalf of the 140 member churches of the LWF, representing Christians in 78 countries. He expressed gratitude for an audience in the first year of pope's pontificate.

40 Years of WCC-Roman Catholic Church Collaboration:
Kasper and Aram I to Address the Renewal of Ecumenism in 21st Century

November 9, 2005 – Forty years after they set out on an ecumenical journey together, the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU) are celebrating their joint anniversary with a public event at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva on 17 November, and reflecting on the renewal of ecumenism in the 21st century. The public event begins at 16:00, and will be preceded by a press conference.

LWF President Praises Pope for His Personal Contribution to the Joint Declaration
Doctrine of Justification Belongs to the Whole Church

November 7, 2005, GENEVA – The president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Bishop Mark S. Hanson has commended Pope Benedict XVI for his personal involvement in the Lutheran-Roman Catholic Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. "We are aware of how you yourself, with the support of Pope John Paul II, actively contributed to the fulfillment of this ecumenical landmark," Hanson said in his greeting during an audience with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI today.

Spanish News

40 Años De Colaboración CMI – Iglesia Católica Romana: Kasper Y Aram I Sobre Renovación Del Ecumenismo En El Siglo XXI

9 noviembre 2005 – Cuarenta años después de haber emprendido un peregrinar ecuménico conjunto, el Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) y el Pontificio Consejo para la Promoción de la Unidad de los Cristianos (PCPUC) celebrarán el aniversario con un acto público en el Centro Ecuménico de Ginebra el 17 de noviembre, reflexionando sobre la renovación del ecumenismo en el siglo XXI. El acto público empezará a las 16:00, e irá precedido por una conferencia de prensa (ver abajo).

El Papa Y Líderes Luteranos Destacan Declaración De Justificación Como Hito Ecuménico

9 noviembre 2005, CIUDAD DEL VATICANO – Como un hito ecuménico calificó el obispo Mark S. Hanson, presidente de la Federación Luterana Mundial (FLM) la Declaración Conjunta Luterano-Católica sobre la Doctrina de la Justificación por la Fe, en la primera audiencia privada que sostuvo con el papa Benedicto XVI, celebrada el lunes. El obispo Hanson elogió el papel decisivo desempeñado por el teólogo Joseph Ratzinger, hoy papa Benedicto XVI, en la redacción del documento.

Preparan V Jornada De Oración a Celebrarse En El Parlamento

10 noviembre 2005, BOGOTÁ, Colombia – La pérdida de la moral y de valores cristianos que marca la época actual impone al pueblo cristiano la unidad en la oración, sostuvo Gonzalo Guzmán, presidente de la Asociación Internacional de Periodistas y Comunicadores Cristianos (ASIPEC) que se apresta a celebrar la Quinta Jornada de Oración en el Congreso de la Republica el próximo viernes 18. La ausencia de principios, expresada en la delincuencia juvenil y violencia política, es a juicio de Guzmán, un motivo valedero para que los cristianos busquen interceder mediante estas armas espirituales.

Explosión De Nuevas Iglesias Independientes En La Isla

8 noviembre 2005, SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Los ministerios o iglesias cristianas independientes han poblado todos los rincones de la isla, sus templos están llenos de feligreses que buscan respuestas sencillas a sus preguntas e incertidumbres, mientras las iglesias católica y protestantes históricas parecen distantes a la realidad de las personas. "Los programas de la iglesia católica y las iglesias protestantes ya no responden a la necesidad de la gente, especialmente en los campos y barrios marginados de los pueblos y la ciudad," sostiene el historiados y sociólogo de la religión Samuel Silva Gotay.

Iglesia Unida De Canadá Enviará Ayuda a 56 Mil Damnificados Del Huracán Beta

11 noviembre 2005, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – La Iglesia Unida de Canadá enviará a Nicaragua un barco con alimentos para mitigar las necesidades de unos 56 mil damnificados por el paso del huracán Beta el pasado 30 de octubre y las lluvias torrenciales e inundaciones que lo sucedieron. El pastor Norman Bent, de la Iglesia Morava de esta capital, dijo que la iglesia canadiense donará varias toneladas de alimentos del Banco de Granos de ese país, que serán descargadas en Puerto Cabezas y Blufields, en la Costa Atlántica, las zonas más afectadas por el huracán.

Evangélicos Se Movilizan Contra Intolerancia Religiosa En Ixmiquilpan

10 noviembre 2005, PACHUCA, México – Varios centenares de evangélicos procedentes de unas 300 iglesias del estado de Hidalgo y del Distrito Federal, se movilizaron el miércoles en la Plaza Juárez de esta capital para exigir la intervención del gobierno en la comunidad de San Nicolás, en Ixmiquilpan, donde más de 30 familias sufren amenazas de expulsión por razones religiosas. La protesta fue pacífica y se desarrolló frente a la sede del gobierno en una jornada de oración convocada días antes por diversas denominaciones cristianas.

National News

Lutherans Active in Disaster Relief in Indiana, Florida, Gulf Coast

November 11, 2005, CHICAGO – Lutheran Disaster Response is organizing spiritual care teams and volunteers to help repair and rebuild homes in Evansville and Newburgh, Ind., after a Nov. 6 tornado killed more than 22 people and destroyed property and land there. Lutheran Disaster Response, a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), also continues its hurricane-recovery work in Florida and the U.S. Gulf Coast.

International News

African Lutheran Communion Considers the past and Future at Historic Gathering
Bishop Kameeta Welcomes All Africa Lutheran Conference to Namibia

November 10, 2005, WINDHOEK, Namibia/GENEVA – "For the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), this gathering is a highly emotional experience that cannot be described with words, only tears of joy." This was the reply of LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko when asked what the 50th anniversary celebrations of the All Africa Lutheran Conference meant to the LWF. He was speaking at a November 9 press conference in the Namibian capital, Windhoek, where the celebrations are taking place.

Archbishop of Canterbury:
‘Religion Culture Diversity and Tolerance – Shaping the New Europe'

November 8, 2005 – The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams last week visited the European Institutions in Brussels the visit culminating with a call on the President of the Commission, President Josè Manuel Duro Barrosa on Tuesday afternoon. In the course of a three-day visit Dr Williams held meetings and consultations with politicians and officials from the European institutions and delivered a major lecture – Religion, culture, diversity and tolerance – shaping the new Europe.

Spain's Anglicans Celebrate Milestone in Salamanca
New Anglican Centre Opens Honouring a Priest Martyr

November 11, 2005 – The memory of the slain priest, the Revd Atilano Coco, murdered by General Franco as he seized Salamanca during the civil war, is honoured in the new Anglican Centre in the historic city, opened last weekend. A spacious well equipped conference facility, with modern accommodation for 50 persons, catering and a chapel, awaits those coming to use this new resource centre for the Communion. Bishop Carlos Lopez-Lozano, said, "Our church wants this to be a place for pilgrims, students and to serve the wider church, and especially the Anglican Communion."

Reviews

Is Jesus Enough?

November 8, 2005, MINNEAPOLIS – When stormy trials hit us, our recollection of Jesus' faithfulness can fade as worry, anger, jealousy, fear, sickness, and stress threaten to rob us of the love and hope that can be found in Jesus. And yet author Claudia May shows how we can experience comfort in the womb of these stormy seasons in her new book, Jesus is Enough: Love, Hope, and Comfort in the Storms of Life.