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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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WCC Urges Israel
to Recognize Theophilus III October 3, 2006 – "The World Council of Churches (WCC) calls for the prompt and unqualified recognition of His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilus III as the primate of the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem by the Government of Israel," said WCC general secretary, Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia in a letter sent to Israel's prime minister Ehud Olmert on 29 September. Under long-standing agreements, the election of the patriarch of Jerusalem, the oldest and largest church in the Holy Land, is endorsed by the Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian authorities. The Israeli authorities have, however, refused to validate the August 2005 election of the leader of the WCC's largest member church in the Holy Land, and have thus prevented the church from fulfilling its regular functions. October 4, 2006 – The Most Rev. Godofredo J. David, 11th Obispo Maximo of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI), or the Philippine Independent Church, has rebuked the brutal killing of Bishop Alberto B. Ramento of Tarlac, former IFI Obispo Maximo, in an October 4 statement that said his death has enflamed the hearts of the clergy and members of the Philippine-based church "to remain faithful to her pro-people and pro-labor heritage." Ramento was found stabbed to death at his rectory in the Parish of San Sebastian, Tarlac City, on the morning of October 3. NCC's Edgar Looks to ‘Middle Church' to Restore Values October 5, 2006, NEW YORK – The Rev. Bob Edgar has a wake-up call for those he thinks can help restore America's moral values. The call can be found in his new book, Middle Church: Reclaiming the Moral Values of the Faithful Majority from the Religious Right, published by Simon & Schuster. Edgar, 63, has announced he will leave his position as chief executive of the National Council of Churches at the end of 2007. The United Methodist pastor also served six terms as a congressman from Pennsylvania and was president of Claremont (Calif.) School of Theology. October 3, 2006 – Presiding Bishop-elect Katharine Jefferts Schori October 2 told a historic gathering of ordained Episcopal women part of her story and connected it to the way she thinks about leadership. October 5, 2006 – Two researchers told the "Imagine: Claiming & Empowering Ordained Women's Leadership" conference October 3 that more needs to be done to document the stories of women clergy. The conference is the first church-wide gathering of ordained women in the 32 years since women were admitted to the orders of priest and bishop. Women of the ELCA Raises up Healthy Women and Girls October 6, 2006, CHICAGO – "Raising Up Healthy Women and Girls" is the health initiative of Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The women's organization of the ELCA gathered about 60 women and girls for its first Healthy Hearts Event here Sept. 29-Oct. 1. Worship, prayer, singing, yoga, water aerobics, walking, stretching, journaling and meditation rounded out the program of speakers, small-group discussions and exhibits. Participants came from as far away as Florida. Speakers discussed emotional, spiritual and physical health. All three speakers emphasized the importance of balancing all forms of health. Women must Form Alliances for Mission and Transformation, Conference Told October 5, 2006 – Panelists and participants at an October 4 session of the "Imagine: Claiming & Empowering Ordained Women's Leadership" conference agreed that women need to stand together and create alliances across perceived boundaries in order to move in the Episcopal Church's leadership positions and transform the Church. The conference is the first church-wide gathering of ordained women in the 32 years since women were admitted to the orders of priest and bishop. First Anglican Women Priests Ordained in Church of Ceylon October 3, 2006 – The first women priests in Sri Lanka's Anglican Church have said their ordination is a dream come true. The Rev. Chandrika Mayurawathie, along with the Rev. Malini Devananda, whose husband is an Anglican priest, and the Rev. Glory Jeyaraj, were ordained on September 14 by Bishop Duleep de Chickera of Colombo in the presence of hundreds of church members at the cathedral in the capital. "I have no words to describe my joy," said Mayurawathie, who completed a bachelor's degree in theology in 1996. "I have waited and prayed for this ordination for years." "This is a historic event," Chickera said. "We are all happy finally that we have our women priests." Campus Ministers Seek Church Help with "Helicopter Parents" October 3, 2006, NASHVILLE – College students having trouble making the transition to adulthood increasingly rely on cell phone calls and e-mails to their parents, a United Methodist campus ministers group says. So campus ministers are asking local churches to develop ministries that help parents and college freshmen adjust to this transition. "I've had faculty members tell me they'll be discussing a grade with a student, and the student will take out their cell phone and call their mother, then hand the cell phone to the professor," said the Rev. Bill Campbell, co-chairperson of the United Methodist Campus Ministers Association and a campus minister at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. "Campus ministers have seen a real change in the last few years of students not being ready to take on adult responsibilities when they get to college and parents struggling with how to deal with this, not knowing how much to help," Campbell said. Horizon Uses Interfaith Dorm to Transform Prison Inmates September 27, 2006, MARION, Ohio – John Burroughs admits he was a "punk" when he started an 11-year prison term at Marion Correctional Institute. But a faith-based program that "made me feel like a human again" and strengthened his belief in God allowed him to change his life when he was released in 2004. Today, he has a wife, a job, a congregation, and soon, a bachelor's degree in English. Burroughs is so convinced of the worth of the Horizon program that he has returned as a volunteer, despite the two-hour drive from his home in Elyria, Ohio. Workshop on Christian Unity to Meet in Washington October 2, 2006 – The quest for unity among Christian denominations isn't always evident from the pews of the local church. That's why Allen Johnson is encouraging United Methodists to participate in the 2007 National Workshop on Christian Unity Jan. 29-Feb. 1 in the Washington area. Johnson, a layperson from White Bluff, Tenn., is chairman of the workshop planning committee and a member of the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns. United Methodists Put Pact with Episcopalians into Practice September 27, 2006, COLUMBUS, Ohio (UMNS) – Members of the United Methodist Church's ecumenical commission put a new agreement with the Episcopal Church into practice by participating in a communion service led by a bishop from each denomination. The service opened the Sept. 21-23 annual meeting of the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns. United Methodist Bishop Bruce Ough, based in the Columbus area, and the Right Rev. Phillip Duncan II, Episcopal bishop of the Central Gulf Coast in Pensacola, Fla., served as the co-celebrants. Ough is a former member of the commission and Duncan is a current member, representing Churches Uniting in Christ. 3 octubre 2006 – La pastora Dra. Bernice Powell Jackson es ministra ordenada de la Iglesia Unida de Cristo en los Estados Unidos. Miembro desde 1998 del comité central del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), ha trabajado durante más de treinta años en cuestiones de derechos civiles, derechos humanos y justicia. En febrero de 2006 la IX Asamblea del CMI la eligió como una de los ocho presidentes del Consejo. En esta entrevista, habla sobre su vida al servicio de la justicia, sus fuentes de inspiración espiritual y algunos de los desafíos que enfrentan las iglesias en el movimiento ecuménico. Celebran Primera Convivencia De Religiosos Y Religiosas Con Discapacidad 3 octubre 2006, LA HABANA, Cuba – La primera convivencia de pastores y pastoras, misioneros y misioneras y sacerdotes portadores de discapacidad tuvo lugar recientemente en el centro que se conoce como Casa del Cariño, de la Iglesia Presbiteriana en Varadero, provincia de Matanzas. Organizado por la Pastoral con personas diferentemente capacitadas del Consejo de Iglesias de Cuba (CIC), el encuentro reunió a una veintena de líderes de diversas denominaciones eclesiales que se dieron cita para intercambiar experiencias y animarse en la realización de tareas comunes por compartir las Buenas Nuevas del Evangelio. Iglesia Episcopal Celebra Su Centenario 5 octubre 2006, CEBALLO, Cuba – La celebración en el santoral episcopal del Día de San Miguel y todos los ángeles, el 29 de septiembre, sirvió para festejar el centenario de una iglesia rural, que lleva ese nombre, en el poblado de Ceballo, provincia de Ciego de Ávila al centro de Cuba. Con la presencia del Obispo de la Iglesia Episcopal de Cuba, el reverendísimo Miguel Tamayo Zaldívar, tuvo lugar la celebración en la cual su pastor, el reverendo José Ángel Gutiérrez Ferro, manifestó que "Somos una pequeña comunidad de fe que se persevera en servir a Cristo y se inspira en el ejemplo de todos aquellos fieles cristianos que nos antecedieron." Cultos No Católicos Piden Igualdad De Financiación 5 octubre 2006, LA CORUÑA, España – La Federación de Entidades Religiosas Evangélicas de España (FEREDE), felicitó al Ejecutivo y a la Iglesia católica por el acuerdo de la renegociación sobre el espinoso tema de la financiación estatal a la confesión mayoritaria, según el cual el Estado sube del 0,5 al 0,7% la asignación tributaria en la Declaración de la Renta de los contribuyentes que se declaren católicos y se pone fin así a la "compensación" económica adicional del Estado a la Iglesia Católica. El CMI Insta a Israel a Reconocer a Teófilo III Como Jefe De La Iglesia Ortodoxa Griega De Jerusalén 4 octubre 2006 – "El Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) pide el reconocimiento rápido y sin reservas por el Gobierno de Israel de Su Beatitud el Patriarca Teófilo III como primado de la Iglesia Ortodoxa Griega de Jerusalén," ha dicho el secretario general del CMI, pastor Dr. Samuel Kobia, en una carta enviada al primer ministro de Israel Ehud Olmert el 29 de septiembre. En virtud de acuerdos tradicionales, la elección del patriarca de Jerusalén, cabeza de la iglesia más antigua e importante de Tierra Santa, es respaldada por las autoridades de Israel, Jordania y Palestina. Rechazo De Evangélicos a Pastores Que Bendicen a Políticos 5 octubre 2006, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Pastores de distintas iglesias tradicionales e instituciones educativas cristianas, buscan reactivar el Bloque Evangélico y expresan su rechazo a la aparición de algunos pastores que, en nombre del pueblo evangélico, peticionan y bendicen a los candidatos presidenciales. El profesor y teólogo bautista Carlos Villagra, comentó que es vergonzoso que ciertos lideres evangélicos aparezcan en el escenario político bendiciendo formulas electorales y lo peor es que organizaciones religiosas le pasen al estado una obligación que le corresponde a las mismas denominaciones, al pedir seguro social para los pastores jubilados. La Despenalización Del Aborto En El Centro Del Debate Social Y De Las Iglesias 6 octubre 2006, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – En la tarde de hoy, la iglesia católica nicaragüense, apoyada por sectores evangélicos ultra conservadores, prepara una gran marcha en contra de la despenalización del aborto en todas sus modalidades. El debate sobre el tema abarca ya todos los sectores de la sociedad. La ingeniera Damaris Albuquerque, directora del Consejo de Iglesias Evangélicas Pro Alianza Denominacional (Cepad), afirmó en recientes declaraciones que "Las mujeres ante el riesgo de sus vidas tienen pleno derecho a defenderla;el Cepad rechaza todo aborto por un embarazo no deseado, pero el aborto terapéutico lo entendemos cuando está en peligro la vida de la madre. Buscan Formar Parejas Entre Personas Afectadas Con VIH 4 octubre 2006, SURAT, India – Un encuentro para buscar pareja entre hombres y mujeres seropositivos organizado en el occidental estado indio de Gujarat se saldó con varios compromisos matrimoniales. Los organizadores dicen que la iniciativa busca aliviar la soledad de las personas afectadas con el VIH que causa el SIDA. Efectuado en la ciudad de Surat, 45 hombres y 15 mujeres participaron en el encuentro, del que salieron tres parejas con intenciones de casarse. Lutherans Pray, Donate Funds on Behalf of Amish Schoolhouse Tragedy October 4, 2006, CHICAGO – The Lutheran Disaster Response Network of the Lower Susquehanna Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is urging Lutherans to pray for the Amish community in Lancaster County, Pa., after a gunman invaded the West Nickel Mines Amish School there Oct. 2. Three students died at the scene, two others died in hospitals Oct. 3 and five remained hospitalized Oct. 4. According to Barbara A. Myers, staff of the synod received inquires offering help for people affected by the shootings. "Two funds have been established – one for the shooter's children and one for the Nickel Mines Children's Fund," said Myers, director for communication, ELCA Lower Susquehanna Synod, Harrisburg, Pa. Amish School Tragedy Prompts Diocesan, ERD Response October 6, 2006 – Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) is providing emergency assistance to support families affected by the October 2 tragedy when five students were killed and five others hospitalized following a shooting at an Amish schoolhouse in Bart Township, Pennsylvania. "There are four [Episcopal] parishes in Lancaster proper, four others in the county and they have all been open for vigil and prayer," said Bishop Michael W. Creighton of Central Pennsylvania. "Many Episcopalians have neighbors who are Amish. We are learning a lot from the Amish, who have a strong sense of community. There is a communal sense of forgiveness that is pervasive." Global Fundraising Campaign Launched to Save Canterbury Cathedral October 5, 2006, LONDON – £50 million is urgently needed to save Canterbury Cathedral. A global fundraising campaign to finance an extensive conservation and development programme for the Cathedral has been launched today. The Cathedral Trustees have been forced to act as the Cathedral is suffering serious damage through a combination of old age and modern pollution. If action is not taken now, the rate of decay and damage being inflicted on this unique building will increase dramatically with potentially disastrous results. Already urgent repairs are needed to certain key areas of the Cathedral in order to avert them being designated as health and safety hazards. Malaria, Poverty Kill Children in Angola October 5, 2006, MALANJE, Angola – At 3:50 p.m. on Sept. 25, 8-month-old Domingos Antonic died. Malaria and poverty killed him. A $10 mosquito net might have saved his life. A clean neighborhood sprayed with pesticide surely would have. Forty-six percent of all the deaths in Malanje are related to malaria. Malaria is the No. 1 cause of death for children under 5 in this southwest African country. October 1, 2006, MINNEAPOLIS – In Encountering Jesus and Buddha two premier scholars of Christianity and Buddhism engage in a lively and insightful dialogue about the figures at the wellsprings of those two religions. Themes include the relative importance of Jesus and the Buddha within Christianity and Buddhism and their different perspectives on the self, the self's future, love, and ethics. They explore Jesus' and the Buddha's different notions of passion and suffering, meditation, prayer, and commitment to the world, history, and community.
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