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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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January 28, 2006, MANILLA – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said an interfaith dialogue is the best solution to terrorism as evidenced by peace efforts in Mindanao. Arroyo said in her speech at the launching of the Centrist Democrat International (CDI) Asia Pacific and Global Interfaith Dialogue at the Manila Hotel last Friday that inter-faith understanding and dialogue is very essential to stability and progress. "Faith is the greatest antidote to terrorism," she added. Arroyo urged religious leaders to reach out across cultural and religious barriers saying that what they are doing is just as important as building up military forces to fight terrorism and injustice across the globe. However, she said faith is being used by some sectors to divide, not to unite, and to bring despair and destruction among peoples and nations. "We must not mistake tolerance and understanding of other faiths and belief systems as a blank check for abuse. We must never accept terrorist violence cloaked in religion by anyone at any time. Terrorism is murder and no religion anywhere can abide by the faith of the faithless, value-less terrorists who kill in the name of a false god," Arroyo said. Panels of Canadian and U.S. Councils of Churches Begin Planning a 2007 Biotechnologies Conference January 26, 2006, New York – Committees of the Canadian Council of Churches and the National Council of Churches USA met in Niagara, Ont., earlier this month to lay plans for an international biotechnology conference in Fall 2007. A communique issued today by the Canadian Council's Biotechnology Reference Group and the NCC's Human Biotechnologies Policy Development Committee termed their joint meeting, "History in the making." The groups met to lay the groundwork for a conference "that will bring together church delegates with expertise in the area of biotechnology from the various . . . regions of the world." In May 2006, biotechnology professionals from the Latin America Council of Churches and the Middle East Council of Churches will join the U.S. and Canadian panels in Toronto to continue planning the biotechnology conference. January 25, 2006, NEW YORK – Interfaith leaders from the United States and West Africa meeting this week in Liberia vowed to work together to monitor government activity, work toward justice and equality, and minimize corruption in West Africa to help achieve lasting peace in the region. The action plan concluded a three-day international conference held in the capitol city of Monrovia, aimed at raising the visibility of peace efforts by the religious community and consolidating those peace efforts in fragile, post-conflict Liberia and other Mano River Union countries. The gathering, keynoted by Liberia's new Vice President Dr. Joseph N. Boakai, was the first international conference held in Liberia since the recent election of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. It also attracted participants from the diplomatic community, civil society, and non-governmental organizations. Interfaith Organization Releases ‘Faithful' State of the Union Address January 27, 2006, WASHINGTON – FaithfulAmerica.org, a Washington D.C. interfaith advocacy organization, today released its "Faithful State Of The Union Address" in anticipation of President Bush's address to be delivered next week. The address offers an assessment of the nation's priorities through the lens of faith, conscience, and moral values. "We want to get past the political posturing, party rhetoric, and examine the state of our union in light of our most enduring religious traditions," said Vince Isner, the program's director. "It's going to inspire some people and anger others – we're not mincing words here – but our hope is that people of faith and conscience will begin talking seriously about their role in shaping a more perfect union." Using a passage from the Hebrew prophet Micah, the address reflects on how the United States is "doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly," and offers views on the federal budget, torture, the war in Iraq, and the courts. Celebrating Bonhoeffer – Documentary Airs February 6, 10 P.m. ET on PBS January 26, 2006 – Martin Doblmeier, director of the critically acclaimed documentary Bonhoeffer, says the German theologian's struggle against Nazism leading up to and during World War II speaks to every Christian today who struggles with how to respond to evil and to understand at a deep level the cost of following God. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, one of the first clear voices to be raised against Adolf Hitler and the rise of Nazism, eventually was arrested for his participation in the resistance and a plot to kill Hitler, imprisoned and at the age of 39 executed, just weeks before the war's end. "In the world of religion and spirituality, Bonhoeffer is clearly one of the most inspiring writers of the 20th century," said Doblmeier. Appeals Ask Judicial Council to Reconsider Two Decisions January 27, 2006 – United Methodist leaders in Virginia have filed requests for reconsideration of two Judicial Council decisions that have stirred debate within the church on the issues of homosexuality and pastoral authority. Bishop Charlene P. Kammerer, who leads the Richmond (Va.) Area, and the Virginia Annual (regional) Conference Board of Ordained Ministry have separately filed motions for reconsideration of Decisions 1031 and 1032. Both rulings relate to the Rev. Ed Johnson, senior pastor at South Hill (Va.) United Methodist Church, who was placed on involuntary leave last summer by the clergy executive session of the Virginia Conference for refusing to admit a practicing gay man into membership at the church. At its Oct. 26-29 meeting in Houston, the Judicial Council ruled in favor of Johnson, reinstating him with all salary and benefits. Affirming Catholicism Welcomes Civil Partnerships as Pastoral Opportunity for Church January 27, 2006 – The Anglican organisation Affirming Catholicism will publish today, 27 January 2006, a booklet calling on the Church to welcome civil partnerships as a pastoral opportunity and a means of listening to the experience of lesbian and gay Christians. In a foreword to the booklet, the Very Rev'd Dr Jeffrey John, the Dean of St Albans, thanks God for the legislation which came into effect in England and Wales on 21 December 2005. He says that same-sex couples who commit their lives to each other ‘are expressing the deepest and most godlike instinct in human nature.' Acknowledging that many in the Church have yet to recognise this, he nonetheless believes that civil partnerships will help to change attitudes: ‘We know that the road to full and equal acceptance of gay relationships throughout the world will be long and hard, but we can rejoice that in this country the partnership law is a very big step along it.' United Methodist Men's Ministry Gets New Home January 26, 2006, NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The United Methodist agency responsible for men's ministries will soon have a home of its own for the first time since its creation in 1996. The Commission on United Methodist Men will move to Music Row, an area populated by the country music industry. Until now, the nine-member staff has occupied crowded rooms in the Kern Building, a structure owned by the United Methodist Board of Discipleship. The building also houses offices of the discipleship agency and the Board of Higher Education and Ministry. The commission bought a building formerly owned by the Nashville office of the General Council on Finance and Administration. January 27, 2006 – As the new lunar year 4703-4704 dawns on Sunday, January 29, many Asian communities worldwide will mark the occasion with traditional observances – centuries-old customs that now unfold in an era of unprecedented globalization. The significance of Asian contexts – and corresponding ministries in the Anglican tradition – increases with population growth: India's 1-billion-plus populace is forecast to surpass China's current 1.3 billion mark by the year 2050, according to several research sources. Moreover, economic expansion – including China's current boom market and preparations for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games – also creates major international impact. Meanwhile, women's voices in particular are being upheld increasingly in various Asian-Anglican settings. Singer, Scholar Receive Top Evangelism Award January 26, 2006, NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A renowned singer of sacred music and a scholar who has spent his life exploring the depths of the Christian faith are recipients of one of the highest awards in evangelism. Bill Mann and the Rev. George E. Morris are this year's Philip Award winners, chosen by the National Association of United Methodist Evangelists. The association, affiliated with the United Methodist Board of Discipleship, presented the awards at the annual Congress on Evangelism, held in early January in Atlanta. Over Decades, Methodists Make Significant Contributions to WCC January 24, 2006 – Methodist contributions to the World Council of Churches have been significant over the decades since its birth. Betty Thompson, who participated in five WCC assemblies – beginning with New Delhi in 1961 and ending with Canberra, Australia, in 1991 – knew and worked with some of those contributors and was herself a firm supporter of ecumenism. A retired executive of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, she also was a communicator for the WCC from 1955-1956 in Geneva and 1956-64 in New York. Statement by the Archbishop of Canterbury on the Occasion of Holocaust Memorial Day 2006 January 26, 2006 – The importance of Holocaust Memorial Day is in its role in continually bringing to mind the unique significance for Europe in general and for Christians in particular, of the Holocaust. It is essential for each generation to be able to enter into the terrible events of the Holocaust at the level of knowledge and of feeling and I welcome the Government's grant to the Holocaust Educational Trust to enable more schools to make a visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau. While it is true that human history has been stained by other genocides, including those of our own generation, the events of the Nazi era stand alone in their nature and causes. The development of a range of inter religious dialogues in recent years has been welcome and fruitful, and further new initiatives such as the Christian Muslim Forum and the work towards a full Hindu Christian dialogue carry real promise. Interreligious Dialogue: Neither Relativism Nor Syncretism January 23, 2006, ROME – Interreligious dialogue is based on the pillars of identity and openness in order to combat relativism and syncretism, says a theologian. This conviction was expressed by Carmen Aparicio, whose book "Diálogo entre Religiones. Identidad y Apertura" (Dialogue Between Religions: Identity and Openness) has just been published in Spain by PPC. From 1989-1999 Aparicio worked in the Pontifical Council for the Laity. She has been an assistant professor of theology at the Gregorian University since 1994. Interfaith ‘Common Cause' Central as Presiding Bishop Visits Los Angeles January 20, 2006, LOS ANGELES – A sense of common cause that unites faith traditions was central during Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold's January 13-16 visit to Los Angeles, where some 30 interfaith leaders were among honored guests for a diocesan ordination service and an evening panel discussion. "A fundamental unity transcends our traditions," Griswold told the panel gathering of some 250 people hosted by the Los Angeles Baha'i Center at its headquarters near L.A.'s Crenshaw district. "We are enriched as we seek ways in which to make common cause for the good of our communities and this nation." Inaugural Meeting of the Christian-Muslim Forum January 25 2006 – Archbishop of Canterbury: Remarks at a reception to mark the inaugural meeting of the Christian-Muslim Forum 24th January 2006 – Prime Minister, friends it's a very great delight to be able to welcome you here on this, I hope, historic occasion. Although today is overshadowed very seriously for all of us by our great loss in the death of Zaki Badawi earlier today, this event also helps to focus something of what we might hope for in the work of this forum. Because one thing that certainly could be said of Zaki was that he managed to make Islam ordinary and expected, a part of the British scene. Someone who was a spokesman for an important and recognised element in the British community overall. Someone who spoke, you might say, for Muslims as citizens of this country. Hopes Rise for Catholic-Orthodox Dialogue Commission to Meet in Belgrade in September January 20, 2006, VATICAN CITY – This is the year to relaunch the dialogue between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, says an article in L'Osservatore Romano. The report of Monsignor Eleuterio Fortino, undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, published in Thursday's Italian edition of the newspaper, explained that relations between these Churches have been unblocked in the last few months. Next Sept. 18-25, the Serbian Orthodox Church will host the plenary session of a mixed commission made up of representatives of the Catholic Church and various Orthodox Churches, the works of which have been at a standstill since a meeting in 2000. January 26, 2006 – "Whether it's been in social ministry, theological education, congregational or campus ministry, we are living out the intent of being in common mission for the sake of the Gospel and the life of the world," said Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), as he delivered the 2006 Huntington Lecture at Saint Peter's Church in New York City on January 18. Hanson gave "thanks to God for ‘Called to Common Mission' and the five years of the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America being in full communion together." Called to Common Mission is a relationship of full communion between the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. ELCA Presiding Bishop Preaches in Historic Ecumenical Service January 24, 2006, NEW YORK – In a culture that values consumerism, fears diversity, seeks unity, demands certainty, shuns ambiguity, accepts deception and is often defined by arrogance and dominance, how do churches today work together to live out their mission? That question was the focus of a sermon by the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), who addressed more than 200 Lutherans and Episcopalians here Jan. 18 at Saint Peter's Lutheran Church, Manhattan. Hanson preached during a service that celebrated the relationship between the churches. It also celebrated the Rev. William Reed Huntington, a 19th century Episcopal priest who advocated for early church unity. Praying for God's Grace – and Transformation – for Africa January 27, 2006, LEGON, Ghana – Transformation has become almost a cliche. Everything needs to be transformed: individual lives, cultures, economies, societies ... But it is not often that God or grace are named in this context. We simply state the need for transformation, as if we hoped to lift ourselves up by our boot straps – that is, for those of us who have any footwear at all. It is, therefore, the prayer for God's grace that attracts attention in the theme of the upcoming World Council of Churches 9th Assembly: "God, in your grace, transform the world." "God, in your grace," "There, but for the grace of God," "God be gracious to us" – these and similar phrases are common in the language of Christian spirituality. We pray for grace. Now we ask God to be gracious and bring transformation to the world. Transformation Calls for Metanoia January 26, 2006 – What steps must we take to achieve transformation? In this article on the theme of the WCC's 9th Assembly "God, in your grace, transform the world," His All Holiness Bartholomew I addresses this question and reflects on self-discovery, the healing of the community and of the earth. The Philokalia, a classical anthology of early Christian texts on prayer, underlines the astonishing paradox that transformation is achieved through silence: "When you discover silence in your heart, then you will discern God in the world entire!" In other words, transformation begins with the awareness that God is at the centre of all life. World's Churches Will Focus on Transformation at Assembly January 24, 2006 – Transformation – of the earth, of society, of the church and of individual lives – will be the focus of the World Council of Churches' 9th Assembly Feb. 14-23 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Up to 1,200 "core participants" – such as church delegates and representatives of related organizations – are expected to attend the event at Catholic Pontifical University, along with about 1,800 others. The United Methodist Church is sending an official delegation, and other United Methodists and Methodists from around the world will take part. Norman Shanks of Scotland, moderator of the assembly planning committee, said the theme, "God, in your grace, transform the world," reflects both the global and individual need "for healing and change, recognizing our dependence of God, acknowledging that we all have a part to play in the process of transformation." Autoridades Garantizan Seguridad En La IX Asamblea Del CMI 25 enero 2006, PORTO ALEGRE, Brasil – Una empresa de seguridad particular, la Brigada Militar de Río Grande do Sul y el personal de la Pontificia Universidad Católica (PUC), sede de la IX Asamblea del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), van a trabajar en conjunto para ofrecer total tranquilidad a las más de cuatro mil personas que asistirán al evento más importante del organismo ecuménico. "No tendremos ninguna vigilancia armada circulando por el campus de la PUC," afirmó el secretario ejecutivo de la Asamblea, Rui Bernhard, en entrevista concedida a ALC. Asunción De Evo Morales Cumple Profecías De Túpac Katari Y De Iglesia Metodista De Bolivia 24 enero 2006, LA PAZ, Bolivia – Para la Iglesia Metodista de Bolivia, que eligió en 1978 al primer obispo aymara, la asunción a la presidencia de la República del dirigente cocalero indígena Evo Morales, no es otra cosa que el cumplimiento de una profecía. El obispo metodista Carlos Poma, dijo a ALC que la presidencia del sindicalista indígena Evo Morales, demuestra que se ha cumplido la profecía de Túpac Katari: "volveré y seré millones," y la de la Iglesia Metodista: "algún día sucederá en Bolivia lo que está sucediendo en la Iglesia Metodista." Hace 27 años el pastor Zacarías Mamani fue consagrado como primer obispo aymara de su iglesia. Líder Metodista Es Flamante Ministra De Justicia 24 enero 2006, LA PAZ, Bolivia – La nueva ministra de Justicia de Bolivia, Casimira Rodríguez Romero, es una laica metodista que el año 2003 recibió un premio del Concilio Mundial Metodista y es secretaria general de la Confederación Latinoamericana y del Caribe de Trabajadoras del Hogar (CONLACREAHO). Esta mujer quechua de 39 años que combina sus tareas sociales y políticas con sus estudios de Antropología en la Universidad Católica, nació en Mizque, cerca de la ciudad de Cochabamba. Protestantes Y Católicos Celebran Semana De La Oración Por La Unidad Cristiana 23 enero 2006, LA HABANA, Cuba – Con una inspiradora celebración, se dio inicio el último miércoles en la Primera Iglesia Presbiteriana Reformada de La Habana la Semana de Oración por la Unidad Cristiana, que desde 1968 es convocada por la comisión conjunta del Vaticano y el Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI). El Rev. Héctor Méndez, pastor de la Primera Iglesia Presbiteriana, destacó la importancia de la celebración, que este año tiene como lema "Cuando dos o tres estén reunidos en mi nombre, allí estaré yo con ellos" (Mateo 18:20), sobre todo cuando se está celebrando el centenario del templo presbiteriano Méndez recordó que en el año 1941 se fundó en ese mismo lugar el Consejo de Iglesias y desde ese entonces ha sido la sede de múltiples eventos ecuménicos de importancia en la historia de la Iglesia en Cuba. Anuncio De Clases De Religión En Las Escuelas Abre Debate Sobre Sus Contenidos 26 enero 2006, BOGOTA, Colombia – El anuncio del gobierno de que se volvería a impartir el curso de religión en las escuelas primarias, secundarias y media vocacional, reavivó en el país antiguos debates sobre los contenidos de la asignatura, en especial si ésta privilegiará algunas religiones en desmedro de otras. La viceministra de Educación, Juana Inés Díaz, informó que la cátedra de Religión se impartiría por decreto como una materia básica, aunque admitió que aún no están listos los patrones curriculares, debido a que "se debe consultar a otras confesiones." 25 enero 2006, MÉXICO – La Secretaría de Gobernación (SG) -Ministerio del Interior- del estado mexicano no cuenta con personal e infraestructura para verificar y sancionar la eventual injerencia proselitista de los ministros de culto en las próximas elecciones, por lo que se limita a formular invocaciones y pronunciamientos de prensa. La no intervención partidaria de los líderes religiosos está establecida por ley y en el reglamento de asociaciones religiosas y culto público, pero la Dirección General de Asociaciones Religiosas, con apenas 70 trabajadores, resulta insuficiente para atender las 6.382 asociaciones religiosas y las actividades de los 50 mil ministros de culto, contabilizados por el gobierno, afirmó el diario La Jornada. Acuerdo De Religiosos De No Injerencia En Elecciones Fue Suscrito Ante Autoridades Electorales 20 enero 2006, MÉXICO – Un documento suscrito por las iglesias ante el Instituto Federal Electoral estableció importantes precisiones sobre el controvertido tema iglesias y procesos electorales. "No dice nada nuevo, afirmó el obispo anglicano Carlos Touché, uno de sus impulsores, pero pone por escrito lo que se supone debe ser la actitud de las iglesias ante las elecciones." En entrevista con ALC, Touché, obispo primado de la Iglesia Anglicana de México y vicepresidente del Consejo Interreligioso de México (CIM), sostuvo que el llamado "Decálogo por la Transparencia y la Legitimidad" de la contienda electoral del 2006, fue muy bien recibido, el martes 10 de enero, por las autoridades electorales y el presidente Vicente Fox. La Transformación Exige Metanoia 26enero 2006 – ¿Qué debemos hacer para lograr la transformación? En el presente artículo sobre el tema de la IX Asamblea del CMI "Dios, en tu gracia, transforma el mundo," Su Santidad el Patriarca Ecuménico Bartolomeo I aborda esta pregunta y reflexiona sobre el descubrimiento de sí, la sanidad de la comunidad y de la Tierra. La Philokalia, una antología clásica de los primeros textos cristianos sobre la oración, destaca una asombrosa paradoja: la transformación se efectúa por medio del silencio. "Cuando descubras el silencio en tu corazón, discernirás a Dios en el mundo entero." En otras palabras, la transformación empieza con la conciencia de que Dios está en el centro de toda vida. Integración Continental Y El Caso Caribeño Se Abordarán En Encuentro Del Foro Social Mundial 23 enero 2006, CARACAS, VENEZUELA – Dos importantes encuentros ecuménicos que abordarán los temas de integración continental y el caso específico del Caribe, se desarrollarán desde mañana martes en esta ciudad, en el marco del Foro Social Mundial. Se trata de la reunión convocada por el Consejo Latinoamericano de Iglesias (CLAI) sobre el Proyecto de Integración Social, Económica y Cultural del Continente, analizado desde la perspectiva de las iglesias evangélicas. NCC's Edgar Is Tonight's Guest on CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight January 25, 2006, NEW YORK – The General Secretary of the National Council of Churches USA, the Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, will be a guest this evening on CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight from 6-7 p.m. EST. The show's producers have asked Edgar to discuss U.S. immigration policies, including the treatment of undocumented aliens, and the church's efforts to influence these policies. Edgar said the NCC supports the McCain-Kennedy bill in Congress that would allow 11-million illegal immigrants to work toward legalization or citizenship by paying a fine and passing background checks. Like Church World Service and scores of religious and secular relief agencies, the NCC would like to see U.S. immigrations laws reformed to deal fairly with undocumented immigrants, provide them with a path to citizenship, protect workers' rights and provide for the reunion of families. Institute Condemns Google's Decision to Self-Censor Chinese Website Washington, D.C. – In a letter to Google, Inc's Chairman and CEO, Dr. Eric Schmidt, Institute on Religion and Public Policy President Joseph K. Grieboski decried the decision of Google, Inc to self-censor its Chinese language website. "The decision by Google Inc. to acquiesce to Chinese government policy contradicts the freedom of information ideology that Google Inc. has embraced throughout the world since its inception," Mr. Grieboski stated in the letter. "With a censored Google website, only propaganda speaking against minority groups will circulate, expurgating any unbiased information from the Chinese public and further forcing underground faiths to smuggle information out of the country." Sri Lanka: WCC Backs Churches' Call for Return to Peace Talks January 23, 2006 – "Dismayed and concerned" about the "recent lethal escalation of armed violence" in the North and East of Sri Lanka, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia wrote on 20 January to the country's president, Mahinda Rajapaksa. In his letter, Kobia says that the WCC supports the Sri Lankan churches' call to the president, leaders of political parties and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) "to take immediate steps to stop this spiral of violence and sit at the peace talks without delay." Referring to a 2002 cease-fire agreement and subsequent peace talks between the government and the LTTE that ended over two decades of conflict, in which over 64,000 people lost their lives, the letter warns that "if the rapidly deteriorating situation is not brought under immediate control," another long-drawn-out war might be the result.. Church Stands with New Liberian President, Bishops Declare January 23, 2006, MONROVIA, Liberia – God has given Liberia a new leader, and it is the church's responsibility to "surround her with a new heart for our nation," said the country's United Methodist bishop. Bishop John Innis, who leads Liberia's 170,000 United Methodists, urged support for President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf during a worship service the day before the inauguration. "You are going to be a sweet mother to us all," he told her a few days later, when a delegation of United Methodists from the United States and Liberia met with the new president on her third day in office. January 23, 2006 – The working group Theological Education for the Anglican Communion (TEAC) took time out of its January 14-21 meeting in South Africa to visit local church-based HIV/AIDS projects and to see some of the realities that theological education must address. TEAC member Elizabeth Appleby of Brisbane, Australia, said that the churches' work alongside people living with AIDS was a sign of "hope in the midst of despair" because it showed unconditional acceptance of people when they were most vulnerable. The 34-member body gathered January 14 to draft its proposals for the reshaping of Anglican theological education, as mandated by the Primates in 2002. Cultural contexts continue to challenge women's efforts to join equally in church leadership, Phoebe Griswold said after returning from meetings with women during a two-week trip to Asia. "Traditionally, cultural values place women in a secondary role, especially, particularly, as that applies to their public voice," she said. "The policies and attitudes have to be adjusted to permit women into leadership circles." In October, Griswold and her husband, Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold, traveled the continent with other Episcopal Church officials, meeting with Anglican leaders in Japan, Korea, China and Taiwan. She also met many women in various positions throughout the church, who described their struggles to share leadership. "Pakistan Recovery Situation Getting Grim," Says Church World Service January 23, 2006, NEW YORK – In the first 100 days since a powerful earthquake hit northern Pakistan in October last year, killing 73,000 and leaving up to three million people homeless, the humanitarian aid community has encountered a host of challenges and is now facing its biggest test: harsh winter weather settling in over the quake-affected mountainous areas. Despite the current let-up in precipitation in the beleaguered region, the situation still teeters on a second-wave disaster. "It has been a challenge from day one to respond to this emergency because of the high terrain, culture, security – all the challenges you can imagine," said Marvin Parvez, director of Church World Service-Pakistan/Afghanistan (CWS). Winter Bears down on Earthquake Survivors January 25, 2006 – As predicted, winter weather has made life more difficult for the survivors of the Oct. 8 South Asia earthquake. Church World Service, Action by Churches Together, Norwegian Church Aid and other nongovernmental organizations continue to work with survivors, particularly in hard-hit northern Pakistan and Kashmir. The United Methodist Committee on Relief has assisted through CWS, International Blue Crescent, Church's Auxiliary for Social Action and other groups. Usman Adam, who works in the information department at CWS Pakistan, reported in mid-January that distribution of relief supplies is continuing, along with the psychosocial ministries and training programs. January 27, 2006, LOUISVILLE – Although there is still no word from the captors of four Christian peace activists in Baghdad, the international Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) there is resuming its work of helping the families of Iraqi detainees find imprisoned family members. On Dec. 26, unidentified militants abducted four male team members, who hail from Canada, Britain and the United States. The kidnappers threatened to kill them unless Iraqi prisoners were released from jails, but postponed the executions. There has been no word since then. In a statement issued on Jan. 26, the CPT said: "Today, 26 January 2006, marks two months since our brothers – Jim Loney, Norman Kember, Tom Fox and Harmeet Sooden – were pulled away from their work in Iraq. Good Friday Offering Destined for Jerusalem and the Middle East January 23, 2006 – In his annual Epiphany letter, Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold has asked that Episcopalians continue to pray for their sisters and brothers in the Holy Land and to support the Good Friday Offering as an opportunity to demonstrate solidarity with Anglicans and all Christians in that troubled region of the world. For the past 84 years the Episcopal Church has taken up a Good Friday Offering to be sent to the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, symbolizing unity with and passionate concern for those who witness to Christ throughout that region. The Province of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East covers an enormous area: the whole southern Mediterranean coast from Algeria to Lebanon and Syria, and down to the Persian Gulf and the Horn of Africa. January 24, 2006, OSLO, Norway/GENEVA – Fifteen years ago Katrine Bratane was treated at Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital (SRH) in Nesodden outside Norway's capital city, Oslo. Since 16 January 2006 she is back there, but this time round as the first woman in the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church of Norway (ELFCN) to work as a hospital chaplain. "I've been dreaming of a job like this for a long time and I'm so grateful for this opportunity. In this line of work you meet people in a very fragile period of their lives, and you can show them that there is hope," 26-year-old Bratane told Budbaereren, the ELFCN bi-weekly newspaper. Methodist Activist Joins Cabinet of New Government in Bolivia Jan. 25, 2006 – The recipient of the 2003 World Methodist Peace Award has been named minister of justice for the new government of Bolivia. Casimira Rodriguez Romero has become part of the cabinet of President Evo Morales, who was inaugurated Jan. 22 in La Paz. She attends Emmanuel Methodist Church in Cochabamba. Rodriguez is chief executive of the National Federation of Household Workers, a union that successfully lobbied the Bolivian Parliament to pass the Household Workers Law in 2003. Since 2001, she also has headed the Confederation of Household Workers of Latin America and the Caribbean. Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Birthday of Dietrich Bonhoeffer January 23, 2006, MINNEAPOLIS – February 4, 2006 is the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Fortress Press is commemorating the event with the release of the centenary edition of Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Life in Pictures to coincide with the showing of the Martin Doblmeier's award-winning film, BONHOEFFER: Pastor, Pacifist, Nazi Resistor, on PBS stations throughout the country. When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, igniting the Second World War, a group of German conspirators were already plotting a coup d'état; over the next six years, there were as many as fifteen assassination attempts against Hitler. |
