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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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National Call to Prayer for Debt Cancellation, December 1 – 10 November 25, 2005 – "Shall we let our children die of curable or preventable illnesses; prevent them form going to school; let people drink polluted water- just to pay off this debt?" –William Mkapa, President of the United Republic of Tanzania. The American Friends Service Committee launches Ten Days of Africa Debt Action, December 1 – 10. Here's why: Every year in Africa, six million children die of malnutrition before their fifth birthday. More than 800 million people go to bed hungry. Thousands die of starvation. HIV/AIDS kills more than 2 million people every year and adds to the league of millions of orphans in developing countries. More than 4 million children under five have died since seven of the world's wealthiest nations began to consider 100% debt cancellation for impoverished countries in June 2004. Scholar Denounces Hijackers of Religion November 23, 2005, NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Politicians, liberals and conservatives have hijacked Christianity and polarized Americans, according to Huston Smith, author of 14 best-selling books, including The World's Religions, which has sold 2.5 million copies in 12 languages. In the week of the baseball playoffs, Smith lectured at Vanderbilt Divinity School. He pitched a slider at conservative Christians for being "trapped in a dogmatic literalism which isn't true but is held to dogmatically." He tossed a curveball at liberals for being "unqualifiedly secular and having little to offer church members other than rallying cries to be good." Smith saved his brush-back fastball for politicians. However, his anger at politicians who use religion to baptize war would frighten major leaguers. Fear must Not Become Our Defining Reality November 23, 2005 GENEVA – In this year's Christmas message, the president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Bishop Mark S. Hanson, appeals to the worldwide Lutheran communion to let faith rather than fear become "our defining reality." "Fear hardens lives, dares not acknowledge failures, and closes borders. Fear leaves us cynical, immobilized, and turned in upon ourselves," cautions Hanson, who is presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The LWF president affirms that to be human is to have fears. "Fear has permeated life in this past year and haunting images will remain with us," he says. He recalls children's fear of abandonment as their parents die from HIV/AIDS; parents clutching their children, terrified there would not be enough food to keep death and disease away; and people struggling for survival amid natural disasters. But, he notes, God sends messengers to hold back the walls of fear and people can hear the good news of God's love in Christ Jesus for the whole creation. "We entrust our lives to God's promise. Faith rather than fear defines us," Hanson affirms in his message. Lecture Delivered by the Archbishop of Canterbury at the Islamic University, Islamabad November 23, 2005 – Imagine someone watching, over a period of about one year, the things that happen in a Christian church. They would be aware that one day of the week had special significance. Particularly if they were observing what happens in a historically Christian country, they would notice that Sunday is seen as important for meeting and praying. They would see that Christians met to sing and speak to a God whom they describe as the maker of all things and the judge of all things, and that they knelt or bowed in the presence of this God, thanking him and acknowledging their failures and wickedness. ELCA Produces ‘Joy to the World,' ABC Television Christmas Special November 21, 2005, CHICAGO – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) produced "Joy to the World," a television special that will air across the United States on many ABC-TV stations this Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. ELCA Communication Services prepared the one-hour program for the National Council of Churches USA and the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission. "We really value our relationship with major networks like ABC through the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission and the National Council of Churches. It allows us to share Christmas celebrations with millions of people across the country," said Ava Odom Martin, director for public media, ELCA Communication Services, and the program's producer. GCFA Resolution Notes United Methodist Generosity November 22, 2005, NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The generosity of United Methodists will be needed more than ever for the remainder of 2005 and throughout 2006 as the Louisiana and Mississippi Annual (regional) conferences struggle to recover from Hurricane Katrina. That fact was noted in a resolution passed by the denomination's General Council on Finance and Administration, which met Nov. 17-20 in Lake Junaluska, N.C. The resolution requests that annual (regional) conferences increase their support for the church's global outreach to help reduce the financial shortfalls congregations along the Gulf Coast have suffered since the hurricane struck Aug. 29. Storm Relief Stations Established Throughout Louisiana November 21, 2005, BATON ROUGE, La. – First Street United Methodist Church, located in the central part of New Orleans, is one of six storm relief/recovery stations being established in areas of Louisiana affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The United Methodist Committee on Relief is working with the Louisiana Annual (regional) Conference in setting up the stations, carefully chosen to offer close proximity to storm victims in hard hit areas. "First Street United Methodist Church offers a prime location for one of these stations," said the Rev. Lance Eden, pastor. "Although our facilities were blessed to virtually be spared from the devastation, the area surrounding the church for miles was severely impacted." November 21, 2005, MINNESOTA – When 175 Hmong refugees from Southeast Asia, formerly Roman Catholic Christians, were officially received into the Episcopal Church November 3 at St. Mark's Cathedral in Minneapolis, their congregation became the first of its kind in the Anglican Communion. Holy Apostles is the only predominantly Hmong congregation in the Anglican Communion, according to the Rev. Dr. Winfred Vergara, missioner for Asian American Ministries of the Episcopal Church. Vergara, whose office has provided both financial and leadership resources to Holy Apostles in recent months, was the preacher at the historic confirmation and reception service. November 22, 2005 – Becoming a "trusted partner" for one another "has been perhaps the most enduring achievement of the past four decades" of collaboration between the Roman Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches (WCC), and this continued cooperation "must be considered one of the significant achievements of the modern ecumenical movement." This assessment was offered in a communiqué issued at the end of a two-day consultation on the mandate and role of the Joint Working Group (JWG) between the Roman Catholic Church and the WCC. The 17-19 November 2005 consultation was held on the occasion of its 40th anniversary. Should Heterosexuals Be Ordained? November 20, 2005 – The Vatican recently announced that it will inspect seminaries to make sure that they are taking steps to screen out homosexuals. They will be examining many other aspects of training for the priesthood, of course, but, inevitably, it is their inquiries about sex that have grabbed our attention. Other denominations are being torn apart by their own interminable debates over homosexuality. Jesus is not known to have ever said a word about homosexuality himself. The Bible does not even tell us anything at all about whether Jesus dated, had a girlfriend, or got married. At most, one can argue, "If he had a wife and children, I'm sure we would have heard about it," or "Everyone else in Galilee got engaged and married as a teenager; no other rabbi remained single." Arguments "from silence," however, are the weakest of all arguments. La Iglesia No Está Siendo Luz Para Los Más Postergados 22 noviembre 2005, CONCEPCIÓN, Chile – "La iglesia Evangélica Luterana ha perdido su voz profética y no está siendo luz para los más postergados," admitió el pastor y secretario de la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana en Chile (IELCH), Oscar Sanhueza Rodríguez, en la Segunda Jornada sobre "la Política Social de la Iglesia" celebrada el jueves último en esta ciudad. El líder luterano dijo que el actual sistema neoliberal es "un virus que ha sido globalizado y en la mayoría de los países dependientes, lo están sufriendo" e instó a la iglesia a "hacer su denuncia y el anuncio de la gracia." El CMI Es Voz De Los Que Claman Por Justicia En Los Pueblos 24 noviembre 2005, PORTO ALEGRE, Brasil – El Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) constituye una voz poderosa en la lucha por la justicia en el mundo y en la defensa de los derechos humanos de los débiles, dijo el miércoles el sacerdote y filósofo Pedrinho Guareschi, en el acto de presentación oficial de la IX Asamblea General del organismo eclesial ante la prensa brasileña. La Asamblea, que se realizará por primera en suelo latinoamericano, del 14 al 23 de febrero de 2006, es la más alta instancia de decisiones del CMI y se reúne cada siete u ocho años desde 1948; año en que se constituyó el organismo ecuménico. Iglesia Y Estado Confrontados Por Ley De Educación Sexual En Las Escuelas 23 noviembre 2005, BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Contra lo que dicen las encuestas, el proyecto de ley de educación sexual en las escuelas, ha sido rechazado en varias movilizaciones de padres de familia que estiman que sus creencias están siendo amenazadas, en una reacción similar al movimiento Pro Vida de los Estados Unidos y España. Una encuesta divulgada el domingo 13 de noviembre por el diario "Página 12" muestra que más del 90 por ciento de los entrevistados cree en los aspectos beneficiosos de la educación sexual y el 91 por ciento está de acuerdo con que se expliquen todos los métodos anticonceptivos en las escuelas. Ministros Evangélicos Superan En Más Del Doble a Sacerdotes Católicos 22 noviembre 2005, MÉXICO – La Iglesia Católica perdió en los últimos años su liderazgo para llegar a los fieles donde sea que se encuentren, contando con 18 mil ministros, desde sacerdotes de parroquia hasta cardenales, contra unos 50 mil pastores y líderes evangélicos que difunden su credo prácticamente en todo el territorio nacional. Según un articulo aparecido en El Universal, el censo de sacerdotes católicos es de 18 mil 87 personas con vocación, estudios y reconocimiento formal, mientras sólo la iglesia evangélica pentecostal, la tercera en importancia del país en el listado del Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática (INEGI), cuenta con 19 mil 168 líderes que guían a su grey. Sociedad Bíblica: Retirar Monumento a La Biblia Es Acto De Intolerancia Religiosa 24 noviembre 2005, MÉXICO – La Sociedad Bíblica de México (SBM) dijo hoy que las intenciones de las autoridades de la Delegación Cuauhtémoc de retirar el monumento a la Biblia erigido a finales de octubre en el centro de esta capital, es un acto de intolerancia religiosa y de trato desigual a los ciudadanos mexicanos. La SBM enfrenta una contienda administrativa con esa delegación del Distrito Federal, hoy en manos del Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD), que a los pocos días de inaugurado el monumento, envió una cuadrilla de obreros para que lo retiren, argumentando que no había sido levantado en el lugar autorizado. Metodistas Rendirán Homenaje a Julio Barreiro 21 noviembre 2005, MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay – Un homenaje al recientemente fallecido Julio Barreiro, líder evangélico, ensayista, profesor y editor uruguayo, le rendirán la Iglesia Metodista del Uruguay (IMU) conjuntamente con el Consejo de Iglesias Evangélicas Metodistas de América Latina y el Caribe (CIEMAL), el próximo miércoles en esta capital. Berta Barreiro, su viuda, así como sus hijos Eduardo y Alvaro, recibirán el reconocimiento de la Orden Metodista Latinoamericana de CIEMAL, en un acto que será presidido por el obispo (emérito) Aldo Etchegoyen, secretario general de CIEMAL, acompañado por Mortimer Arias, pastor uruguayo, obispo emérito de la Iglesia Metodista de Bolivia y por Oscar Bolioli, pastor presidente de la IMU. Líder Evangélico Postula a La Presidencia De La República 25 noviembre 2005, LIMA, Peru – El Jurado Nacional de Elecciones (JNE) oficializó hoy la inscripción del partido político Restauración Nacional (RN) que postula a la presidencia al pastor Humberto Lay Sun , el primer líder evangélico en toda la historia republicana del Perú que aspira a ocupar el alto cargo. "Lo fundamental es acabar con la corrupción," dijo Lay en una entrevista exclusiva con ALC. "Tenemos un Plan de Gobierno, tenemos planes para sacar adelante al país porque creemos que el Perú sí tiene salida, pero lo básico es liquidar la corrupción," afirmó poco después de recibir las credenciales que, espera, le abrirán las puertas del Palacio de Gobierno en el 2006. Evangélicos Denuncian Falta De Voluntad Política Para Combatir La Pobreza En Perú 24 noviembre 2005, LIMA, Peru – Pastores y laicos de numerosas iglesias y organizaciones evangélicas peruanas denunciaron la persistencia del gobierno en aplicar un modelo económico neoliberal que oprime a los pobres y dijeron que los poderes del Estado no tienen voluntad política para combatir realmente la pobreza. Los evangélicos se manifestaron contrarios a la existencia de un sistema social desigual que produce corrupción e inequidad en la distribución de la riqueza y afirmaron que la deuda externa absorbe la mayor parte del presupuesto nacional y del Producto Bruto Interno (PBI), en detrimento de una mejor calidad de vida para la población.
Creation Catechism Is Resource in Public Debate November 22, 2006 Eighty years after the trial of John Scopes, much public discourse continues to portray evolution and religion as incompatible. Recently elected members of local school boards are for or against evolution. Courtroom proceedings in Dover, Pennsylvania, considering the constitutionality of "intelligent design" have recently concluded. The Kansas State School Board declared evolution "flawed science" at the same time that a new evolution exhibit opened at the Kansas University Natural History Museum. Newspapers from Maine to California opine on the controversy. Since its publication earlier this year, the "Catechism of Creation," produced by the Episcopal Church's Committee on Science, Technology and Faith, has countered the "conflict" view for Episcopalians, and been a key resource for church members who know they do not have to choose between Christianity and good science. ELCA Presiding Bishop, Others Urge Congress to Adopt Darfur Legislation November 22, 2005, CHICAGO – Citing a "recent upsurge in violence," the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and five other U.S. religious leaders urged members of the U.S. Congress to "co-sponsor and take all necessary action" to pass the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act (S. 1462 and H.R. 3127) before Congress adjourns this year. On Nov. 18 the U.S. Senate approved the bill with unanimous consent. Advocates have now turned their attention to a companion bill, expected to be considered by the U.S. House of Representatives when members return from the Thanksgiving break. Children Helping Children Recover in Louisiana November 23, 2005, BATON ROUGE, La. – Children around the country have an opportunity to help rebuild Sunday school classrooms destroyed by Hurricane Katrina using construction paper, glue and some unbroken crayons. "Kids Helping Kids-Sharing God's Love," a new ministry started by the Christian education office of the Louisiana Annual Conference, is a way for children to get involved in the recovery efforts. Construction paper, glue, notebook paper, markers, crayons, stickers, and all the typical supplies needed to operate a children's Sunday school class are now being collected by the Louisiana conference. Post-Hurricane Housing Crisis Called Worst since Dust Bowl November 23, 2005 – Hurricane evacuees living in hotels and motels all over the country face looming and ever-changing deadlines to find new housing and the alternatives do not look promising. Officials in the Diocese of Louisiana have criticized the federal government's approach to what is being called the largest national housing crisis since the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. The Rev. Canon Chad Jones, canon for program for the Diocese of Louisiana, said recently that FEMA's approach is wrong. Any solution that will potentially leave people homeless is unacceptable, he said. November 22, 2005, NEW YORK/ISLAMABAD – International humanitarian agency Church World Service says it was encouraged by world pledges at Saturday's donor conference in Pakistan but voiced strong concern about increasing the burden of Pakistan's debt. The NGO also urged donors to convert pledge promises to immediate funds to aid survivors and avert further deaths following the country's devastating October 8 earthquake. "We are heartened by the generosity of the world's major donors and particularly by the U.S.'s expanded pledge," says Church World Service Emergency Response Program Director Donna J. Derr, "but historically, following major disasters only about half of the pledges made by donors ever materialize. Archbishop of Canterbury – Visit to Pakistan November 25, 2005 – The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams has begun an eight-day visit to Pakistan with a church service in Rawalpindi. Speaking in Christ Church, Rawalpindi on Tuesday [22nd November] Dr Williams told the congregation that their situation was similar to the boy whose loaves and fishes fed the five thousand (in John 6 v 5-14): "For us, gathering as a small church in the middle of a society that is mostly not Christian, we think ‘what can we do and what can we give?' We give our love, we give our compassion to those around us; we give our service and our witness: and the apostles of Jesus Christ say to us ‘Don't worry; give it to Jesus, he knows what to do with it.' "
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