Front Page

ELCA Bishop Plans Ecumenical Prayer Service in Response to S.D. Execution

August 29, 2006 – The Rev. Andrea DeGroot-Nesdahl, bishop of the South Dakota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), said an ecumenical prayer service will be held at 9:30 p.m. in Sioux Falls Aug. 29, 30 minutes before the start of the planned execution by lethal injection of death-row inmate Elijah Page. Page was sentenced to death in 2000 for his role in the murder of a 19-year-old man. If Page is executed at the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls, it will be the first execution in the state in almost 60 years.

"Take Risks to Welcome the Stranger," Kobia Appeals

August 31, 2006 – In a volatile global context, the massive migration of people around the world has a deep impact on societies and churches, and poses fundamental questions for ecumenical relationships and responsibility, the general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) stated in his report to the organization's main governing body. Migration "is one of the main features of the changing global context, with decisive consequences for the ecumenical movement locally and globally," Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia noted in his opening address to the WCC's central committee, meeting in Geneva 30 August-6 September 2006. The UN estimates that over 175 million people are on the move worldwide, and the trend is growing as economic globalization, civil conflicts and transport links transform traditional societies.

Lutherans Planning to Remember Fifth Anniversary of September 11 Attacks

September 1, 2006, CHICAGO – Lutherans will mark the 5th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks through worship and special remembrances throughout the church. The attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., and the crash of a plane controlled by hijackers near Shanksville, in south-central Pennsylvania, killed nearly 3,000 people and left thousands injured. In the New York City area – where leaders and members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) worked together to respond to people in need – Lutherans will commemorate the fifth anniversary with worship and reflections Sept. 8, at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, an ELCA congregation in Manhattan.

General News

As Church Recovers, Pastor Sees Expanded Ministry Role

August 28, 2006, BURAS, La. – The harshest winds from Hurricane Katrina first hit a remote community on the tip of the Louisiana coast destroying most of the town, including Buras Trinity United Methodist Church. Buras was once a beautiful coastal town located near Empire, touted as one of the top three fishing spots in the world. Now, groves of gray, dying trees line the lonely highway and FEMA trailer villages are scattered among the slabs and splinters of former houses. "If it wasn't for the weeds, nothing would be green," says Debbie Faurie, wistfully. She and her husband, the Rev. Gene Faurie, pastor of Buras Trinity, lost their home and all their possessions in the storm.

Katrina Cost Vietnamese Fishermen Their Livelihood

August 31, 2006, BILOXI, Miss. – Sweat glistening off their backs, Hung Van Lai and a young friend struggle to load a heavy ice chest onto the deck of the Tiger Shark. Selling one or two ice chests full of shrimp will not give Lai's family all they need to survive but it is the best he can do these days. Fishing is not the same since Hurricane Katrina cost him his livelihood. Lai is one of many Vietnamese shrimp fishermen who have lived on the Gulf Coast for 20 years or more.

ABC-Sponsored House in Brazil Closer to Reality

August 29, 2006, VALLEY FORGE, PA – Habitat for Humanity has announced plans to proceed with the building of 40 houses in a poverty-stricken area of Porto Alegre, Brazil. Construction now is set for the 40 days of Lent, 2007, according to a Habitat fact sheet. The plan to build houses in Porto Allegre was originally an initiative by the World Council of Churches, which held its Ninth Assembly last February in Porto Allegre. Various complications delayed a start on the project, but it will now go forward with partners that include Habitat for Humanity, churches, local government, and private businesses. General Board members of American Baptist Churches USA contributed $5,000 for one of the houses during an unusual offering at their meeting in Green Lake, Wisconsin, last November.

Ecumenical News

WCC Central Committee Called to Bring New Life into the Ecumenical Movement

August 30, 2006 – A plea to "bring new life into the ecumenical movement" was issued by Rev. Dr Walter Altmann in his first report as World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee moderator. He also emphasized the Council's role as "the privileged instrument of the ecumenical movement" and rejected the possibility of "a minimalist agenda." Opening the first meeting of the WCC's governing body, elected at its 9th Assembly in Porto Alegre last February, Altmann spoke about the "beautiful, though difficult, ecumenical commitment which has brought us together, in spite of the many differences that exist among us." "The ecumenical movement," he argued, "must not be understood as based on a lowest common denominator." Instead, it is "driven by a much higher and challenging vision." That vision is "full and visible unity among the churches," its basis is the unity that the Holy Spirit grants "through the gospel and baptism," and it is received "in faith."

Spanish News

Kobia Insta a "Correr Riesgos Para Acoger Al Forastero"

31 agosto 2006 – En un contexto global volátil, la migración masiva de personas a nivel mundial repercute profundamente en sociedades e iglesias, y plantea preguntas fundamentales para las relaciones y la responsabilidad ecuménicas, afirmó en su informe al órgano directivo del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), el secretario general de la organización. La migración "es una de las principales características del inestable contexto mundial, que trae aparejada consecuencias decisivas para el movimiento ecuménico tanto en el ámbito local como mundial," señaló el pastor Dr. Samuel Kobia en su discurso inaugural, dirigido al comité central del CMI, que se reúne del 30 de agosto al 6 de septiembre de 2006.

Comité Central Del CMI Llamado a Infundir Nueva Vida Al Movimiento Ecuménico

30 agosto 2006 – La urgencia de "infundir nueva vida al movimiento ecuménico" fue destacada por el moderador del comité central del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), pastor Dr. Walter Altmann, en su primer informe al cuerpo. También enfatizó el papel del Consejo como "instrumento privilegiado del movimiento ecuménico" y rechazó la posibilidad de una "agenda minimalista." En la apertura de la primera reunión del órgano directivo del CMI, elegido por la IX Asamblea celebrada en Porto Alegre el pasado febrero, Altmann habló sobre "el hermoso, aunque difícil, compromiso ecuménico que nos ha reunido, a pesar de las muchas diferencias que hay entre nosotros."

El SIDA Nos Ha Obligado a Reconsiderar Nuestras Relaciones Como Seres Humanos

30 agosto 2006 – "El SIDA nos ha obligado a reconsiderar nuestras relaciones como seres humanos, a reconocer nuestra mutua responsabilidad los unos para con los otros," dijo la Dra. Agnes Abuom sobre la pandemia del VIH y SIDA. Y esto es así, porque "nunca antes la comunidad humana enfrentó un reto tan serio al derecho a la vida." Abuom, de la Iglesia Anglicana de Kenya, habló en un encuentro con la prensa el primer día de la reunión del comité central del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), que tiene lugar en Ginebra desde hoy y hasta el próximo 6 de septiembre. Abuom es miembro del comité central del CMI, que dentro de su agenda considerará hacer pública una declaración sobre el VIH y el SIDA la semana próxima.

Metodistas Reafirman Búsqueda De Iglesia Diversa E Inclusiva

28 agosto 2006, MONTEVIDEO, Uruguary – La Iglesia Metodista de Uruguay (IMU), reafirmó su compromiso de buscar una iglesia diversa e inclusiva. Al mismo tiempo, destacó que los desafíos de los metodistas uruguayos abarcan la propia vida comunitaria, en su dimensión confesional y ecuménica, y su acción en la sociedad, frente a sus problemas más urgentes. La Asamblea, celebrada en el Instituto Crandon de esta ciudad del 25 al 27 de agosto, enfatizó la lucha por la defensa de la vida y la comunidad humana, y su compromiso con los familiares de los desaparecidos, hasta lograr una justicia reparadora.

National News

Boy Scouts Do Good Deeds for Mississippi Residents, Fire Department

August 30, 2006, D'IBERVILLE, Miss. – Their red shirts and caps say SEMA, but they are not to be confused with staff of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a federal organization that has been criticized for its sluggish response to victims of Hurricane Katrina. SEMA stands for Scouting Emergency Management Assistance, a title coined by Boy Scout Troop 566, sponsored by Trinity United Methodist Church in Warner Robins, Ga. "We've come here seven times now," said Michael Hilton, 13, a member of the Georgia troop that rebuilds homes on the Mississippi Gulf coast.

Hurricane Rita Survivors Get Help Rebuilding Homes, Lives

September 1, 2006, ABBEVILLE, La. – Raywood Sons has a little house that love built. Hurricane Rita, which smashed into the Texas-Louisiana border last Sept. 24, took away his family home, which had stood strong since 1926. Sons never thought he would live in another place he could call home, but a volunteer group from Oconto Falls (Wis.) United Methodist Church changed that for him.

United Methodist Pastor Ministers to Hispanics on Gulf Coast

August 31, 2006, BILOXI, Miss. – The Rev. Sally Bevill spends a lot of time in dark places looking for her flock. Bevill, pastor of Beauvoir United Methodist Church, serves as coordinator of Hispanic Ministries for the Katrina Response Team of the Mississippi Annual (regional) Conference. For Bevill, that means seeking out those on the edges of society – the "invisible" immigrant population.

Remembering Katrina: Mississippi Coast Clergy, Members, Mark Anniversary with Action

August 31, 2006 – Action was the operative word along the Mississippi Gulf Coast this week as Episcopalians observed the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina by continuing their commitment to rebuilding. August 28 was a typical south Mississippi day. It was hot and humid – not the perfect day to be working in the sun. Yet, that is exactly what the Rev. Elizabeth Wheatley, rector of the destroyed Christ Episcopal Church in Bay St. Louis, did. Along with her fiancé, Butch Jones, Wheatley spent the morning working with other local volunteers on one of ten "Kaboom!" playgrounds damaged by Katrina along the Gulf Coast.

International News

Archbishop Calls for Key Church Role in Global AIDS Fund

August 31, 2006 – The global fund for tackling HIV and AIDS should be distributed through churches because they have the best access to the populations affected. That appeal was made during the World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee meeting by the Most Rev. Bernard Ntahoturi, Archbishop of the Episcopal Church of Burundi, at a press briefing on the WCC's Ecumenical HIV/AIDS Initiative in Africa (EHAIA). Central Committee, meeting 30 August to 6 September in Geneva, is expected to make a statement on churches' compassionate response to HIV and AIDS, saying the world possesses the means to reverse the global epidemic and that churches have a unique and critical role to play.

Middle East News

Kobia Calls for Comprehensive Response to Middle East Crisis

August 31, 2006 – World Council of Churches' (WCC) general secretary the Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia has called for a comprehensive ecumenical response in seeking lasting peace in the Middle East. In his report to the meeting of the WCC Central Committee meeting, Geneva 30 August to 6 September, Kobia proposed the establishment of a Palestine/Israel Ecumenical Forum that will provide a space for coordination of advocacy based on "moral and theological principles" and "translate recommendations into actions that influence the political process." He said, "We need further analysis and deeper engagement on complex issues-such as the ‘right of return,' Israel's legitimate security concerns and its full recognition within mutually agreeable borders-topics which have impeded previous peace processes."

Reviews

New Bilingual Small Catechism Now Available!

August 30, 2006, MINNEAPOLIS – Thanks to requests of customers all over the country, Augsburg Fortress with the Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission unit of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is pleased to announce the release of a bilingual edition of Luther's Small Catechism. El Catechism/Catechism Menor Por Martin Lutero/Luther's Small Catechism features English and Spanish texts conveniently laid out in a readable 4"x7" side-by-side page format. The Spanish translation is sensitive to texts used in Spanish liturgies, Bibles currently used in classrooms, traditional order of the parts of the Catechism, and Luther's German translation of biblical texts.

Fiery Insights on the Prophetic Call from Walter Brueggemann

September 1, 2006, MINNEAPOLIS – Fortress Press is happy to announce the release of Like Fire in the Bones: Listening for the Prophetic Word in Jeremiah, a collection of essays by Walter Brueggemann, edited by Patrick D. Miller. "Brueggemann is unabashed about overlaying his careful reading of texts with powerful claims about their significance for our lives. He is unable to speak about them simply as ancient words. Indeed, while he seeks to uncover the resonance of the texts with their times and circumstances, that is finally only in order to convey the powerful and often abrasive impact of these texts on our times and circumstances. He never quits preaching and is always meddling. That was Jeremiah's way.

Theology That Matters

August 29, 2006, MINNEAPOLIS – What difference does theological thinking make? Do the myriad and sometimes arcane traditions of Christianity have any relevance for our secular, globalized, environmentally threatened world? Specifically formulated for undergraduate and seminary courses, Theology That Matters: Ecology, Economy, and God answers with a resounding yes. Gathering many respected and original Christian thinkers who have been inspired by the example and work of theologian Sallie McFague, this book engages such topics as God, Christ, revelation, eschatology, and church in three intertwined and pressing areas: (1) our religious life and language in a secularized, pluralistic society, (2) our newly globalized economic life, and (3) our threatened environmental life. Each area and its dilemmas can be rethought in light of Christian commitments, which themselves take on new pertinence today.

Stories of Love and Service Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

August 29, 2006, MINNEAPOLIS – Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused enormous damage and loss of life in the Gulf Coast region in late summer and fall of 2005. Lutherans living in the region and church buildings near the destruction were hit with great losses. The crisis called forth an outpouring of aid and service that continues even today. God in the Raging Waters by Paul Blom tells the story of how the Lutheran church and its people have responded to the suffering of those most affected by the storms. Following Jesus' admonition to love and serve those in need, the church has worked in partnership with synods and congregations to bring hope and healing to many in the region. Included are powerful firsthand accounts, insightful theological reflections, and questions for group use.