 |  |  |  |
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
|
Jerusalem Churches Call Palestinian Factions to Focus on National Priorities; WCC Concurs January 15, 2007 – In a message to all the Palestinian people, Jerusalem church leaders alarmed at worsening relations between two main political parties are calling for an end to violence and an urgent return to the "real priorities" of Palestinians. The plan is to work with Jerusalem's top Islamic leaders on a similar Christian-Muslim message as well. "The time has come for an all-out effort to unite our people and so concentrate on working for independence together," leaders of 13 different churches in Jerusalem said, "with the opportunity for all people in this Holy Land – Christian, Muslim and Jew – to know security and peace." The World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva has welcomed their action. Building
Synergies and Common Strategies: January 18, 2007 – Ceremonies in Nairobi's Holy Family Roman Catholic Basilica and All Saints Anglican Cathedral and a procession from one to the other church are part of events being organized by the All Africa Conference of Churches/Caritas Ecumenical Platform to mark the opening of the 7th World Social Forum (WSF). On the theme "People's struggles, people's alternatives," this year's WSF takes place in Africa for the first time. The venue is Nairobi, Kenya; the dates 20-25 January 2007; and the AACC/Caritas platform is coordinating a broad range of joint workshops, ecumenical worship services, and other events in Nairobi as well as providing for an ecumenical pavilion where church-related groups will be able to share, coordinate and show-case their concerns, insights and work. The goal is to ensure a visible and meaningful ecumenical presence at and contribution to the Forum; the Platform is being supported by a global ecumenical coalition of organizations led by the World Council of Churches (WCC). January 18, 2007 – The Executive Board of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia January 18 authorized Bishop Peter Lee to "take such steps as may be necessary to recover or secure such real and personal property" of 11 congregations where a majority of the members and leaders have left the Episcopal Church. The authorization came after the Executive Board declared the property to be abandoned under the diocese's canonical definitions (Canons 15.1, 15.2, 15.3), according to a statement posted on the diocese's website. Lee has not taken any immediate actions, diocesan spokesperson Patrick Getlein said. Commentary: A Child Shows the Way in Fight Against Malaria January 17, 2007 – At 48 years of age, it is quite a challenge to recall all of my emotions and habits at age 6. My memory was just being formed. I was just a boy – innocent, playful, and caught up in all of the things that make life wonderful for a 6-year-old. Katherine Commale is 6 years old. Last September, Katherine and her mother, Lynda, made a presentation on bed nets at her local church, Hopewell United Methodist Church, near Philadelphia. In less than 24 hours, they raised $1,500 to purchase bed nets to help combat the cruel reality that every 30 seconds a child in Africa dies from malaria. But Katherine and Lynda didn't stop there. Sometimes Pastors Need to Call ‘Time Out,' Speaker Says January 17, 2007, DALLAS – The Rev. Freddie Haynes has a message for busy pastors: "If you want to walk on water, you need to call a time-out." Haynes, pastor of Friendship West Baptist Church in Dallas, was speaking to more than 500 participants attending the Convocation for Pastors of African American Churches, sponsored by the United Methodist Church's Board of Discipleship. He took his text from Matthew 14:22-23. "In verse 22, Jesus dismisses the crowd and calls a time-out," he said. "Ego will cause you to kick it with the crowd, rather than dismiss the crowd. Jesus had sense enough to call time out." In Message for the Years Ahead, Kobia Suggests Tasks for "Ecumenical Christianity" January 15, 2007 – "It is together that we find our place in the world," the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary writes WCC member churches and ecumenical partners in a message about priorities for the years ahead. "Our calling is to be a people who seek and serve Christ together, to be churches alive in the promise of God's world-transforming love," the Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia says. The message, released in the season of Epiphany, is for the period until 2013 (reflecting plans made since the WCC's 9th assembly last year in Brazil). The message says "ecumenical Christianity for the 21st century" stands on that common experience of Christ and on "a common understanding of a world shared with all of humankind." January 15, 2007, ROME – This year's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity includes a call for the faithful to join forces in responding to human suffering, particularly that caused by poverty and AIDS. The theme is inspired by a proposal from the Christian communities of Umlazi, South Africa, a region affected by poverty, and where an estimated 50% of residents are infected with HIV. "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak," from Mark 7:31-37, is this year's slogan. Jointly prepared since 1968 by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the week of prayer is traditionally observed Jan. 18-25. Religiosos Se Comprometen a Trabajar Por La Niñez En América Latina 17 enero 2007, SANTA CRUZ, Bolivia – La II Sesión del Comité Ejecutivo del Consejo Latinoamericano y Caribeño de Lideres Religiosos, realizada en Santa Cruz de la Sierra, el pasado 10 de enero, aprobó una declaración interreligiosa sobre la situación de la infancia en América Latina y el Caribe. En la misma, se reafirma el valor indiscutible de toda vida humana, particularmente la de los niños, niñas y adolescentes y se subraya la necesidad de aunar esfuerzos para prevenir, difundir, educar, y concientizar a la sociedad para superar todas las formas de violencia que padece esta población. Reconocimiento Metodista a Dos Grandes Luchadores Argentinos 15 enero 2007, BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – El Consejo de Iglesias Metodista de América Latina (CIEMAL) instituyó una Orden de Reconocimiento a personas que han hecho contribuciones extraordinarias en bien del continente latinoamericano y caribeño. El 10 de diciembre fueron reconocidas con esta Orden, el doctor José Miguez Bonino y el obispo Federico Pagura, ambos argentinos. El primero ha sido una figura destacada en el plano de la docencia y la teología. Varias generaciones de pastores pasaron por sus aulas en el antiguo Instituto Superior Evangélico de Estudios Teológicos (ISEDET). En Cuba, La Violencia Afecta Sobre Todo a Las Mujeres 19 enero 2007, LA HABANA, Cuba – Aunque no faltan quienes identifican formas muy sutiles de violencia en su vida diaria, en Cuba muchas personas la siguen asociando, únicamente o en primer lugar, con acciones físicas muy evidentes, lo mismo dentro que fuera del hogar. Ejercer la violencia es, sobre todo, agredir físicamente a una persona o violarla, según declararon 341 entrevistados, el 53 por ciento mujeres, que fueron consultados por CIMAC/SEMlac en seis provincias del país: Pinar del Río, Ciudad de La Habana, Cienfuegos, Villa Clara, Camagüey y Holguín. En Su Mensaje Para Los Próximos Años, Kobia Apunta Las Tareas Para El "Cristianismo Ecuménico" 15 enero 2007 – "Juntos es como encontramos nuestro lugar en el mundo," escribe el secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) a las iglesias miembros y los interlocutores ecuménicos en un mensaje sobre las prioridades para los próximos años. "Estamos llamados a ser un pueblo que busca y sirve a Cristo en unión, a ser iglesias vivas en la promesa del amor de Dios transformador del mundo," dice el Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia. El mensaje, dado en el tiempo de Epifanía, se refiere al período hasta 2013 (en atención a los planes formulados desde la 9a asamblea del CMI celebrada el pasado año en Brasil). Construyendo Sinergias Y Estrategias Comunas: Coalición Ecuménica Para Participar En El 7º FSM 18 enero 2007 – Ceremonias en la Basílica católica romana de la Sagrada Familia de Nairobi y en la Catedral anglicana de Todos los Santos y una procesión de un templo al otro son parte de los actos que están organizando la Plataforma Ecuménica constituida por la Conferencia de las Iglesias de Toda el África (CCAA) y Cáritas para marcar la apertura del 7º Foro Social Mundial (FSM). Con el tema "Luchas del pueblo, alternativas del pueblo," el FSM tiene lugar este año en África por primera vez. Wesley Festival at Lincoln Center to Benefit UMCOR January 18, 2007, NEW YORK – A United Methodist-related concert at New York's Lincoln Center will honor hymn-writer Charles Wesley as it raises funds for relief work. The 2007 Wesley Choral Festival, presented by Music Celebrations International, commemorates the 300th anniversary of Wesley's birth. Events begin with a Feb. 15 gala dinner in Little Italy and culminate with a concert at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 18. The idea for the festival originated with James Ramsey, the director of worship and arts at St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Highlands Ranch, Colo. Communications Agency Pledges Bed Nets for Mutare Mission January 17, 2007, MUTARE, Zimbabwe – A tour of a hospital, children's homes, a maternity ward and a school for deaf children led the governing members of United Methodist Communications to pledge 175 bed nets for people using these facilities around Mutare. The action comes as part of the agency's involvement in a global campaign to raise funds to eradicate malaria in Africa, where the mosquito-borne disease causes the death of one-fifth of all children under 5 years old. The Commission on Communications made the pledge for the Old Mutare Mission Center and a deaf school in Mutambura during a Jan. 4-11 meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe's capital, and Mutare. Anglican Appeal: Famine and Floods in Burundi a National Crisis January 19, 2007 – The Government of Burundi has declared the situation in the country a national disaster and called for national and international assistance to deal with the crisis. After a period of poor rains in September when maize and beans are normally planted, the rains arrived but have been prolonged and heavy with severe thunder storms. The rains have caused much damage throughout the country. Houses and other buildings, such as schools and churches, have been destroyed. Bridges and parts of roads have been damaged disrupting travel and communication. Ramona Soto Rank, American Indian Leader, Lutheran Pastor, Dies January 19, 2007, CHICAGO – The Rev. Ramona Soto Rank, a leader in the Lutheran church on matters concerning American Indians, died Jan. 12. She was 62. An enrolled member of the Klamath Tribes of Oregon, she was an associate pastor for Augustana Lutheran Church, Portland, Ore. Services will be held Jan. 20 there and Jan. 22 at the Church and Tribal Community Center, Beatty, Ore. When Rank became a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in 2000, she was the second American Indian woman to be ordained in the Lutheran church and the first in the ELCA. Walter Wietzke, Lutheran Theological Education, Ministry Leader, Dies January 17, 2007, CHICAGO – The Rev. Walter R. Wietzke, a well-respected leader in theological education and ministry in the former American Lutheran Church (ALC) and retired pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), died Jan. 13. At the time of his death, Wietzke, 84, had been living in Golden Valley, Minn. Wietzke is best known for his service in the ALC as executive director of the Division for Theological Education and Ministry from 1972 to 1987. The ALC was a predecessor church body of the ELCA. Celebrating the History – and Future – of Feminist Contextual Theologies January 18, 2007 Minneapolis – In Feminist Theologies: Legacy and Prospect, Rosemary Radford Ruether and leading theologians provide a brief and informed survey of women's studies in religion, highlighting the emergence of contextual feminist theologies. This volume and its illustrious contributors trace the rapidly evolving feminist theological scene over the last generation and highlight specific contributions that have been and are being made on many fronts. January 15, 2007, ROME – His book about Jesus was announced at the end of November, and will be on sale next spring. But a week does not go by without Benedict XVI preaching about the book's protagonist: Jesus "true God and true man." It is as if Pope Joseph Ratzinger himself were already focusing on the book's publicity campaign. A year ago, he did the same thing with the encyclical "Deus Caritas Est": before its publication, he repeatedly spoke out to illustrate its essential contents, increasing the anticipation each time. New Volume Provides Journey into the Mystery of World Religions January 16, 2007, MINNEAPOLIS – The long and varied human encounter with ultimate meaning is on continual display in the ways and words of the world's many great living religious traditions, beautifully and poignantly captured in Inside World Religions by Kevin O'Donnell. The living faith of millions of people in the world's most important religious traditions is portrayed here with sympathy and intelligence, in each case emphasizing key elements. O'Donnell does not dissect each tradition, however. Instead he looks at each faith from a more personal angle, asking what it means for a person to belong to such a faith. January 16, 2007, VATICAN CITY – At the heart of the whole ecumenical movement is spiritual ecumenism, says the president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. In A Handbook of Spiritual Ecumenism, Cardinal Walter Kasper presents guidelines grounded in documents from the Second Vatican Council, Pope John Paul II's "Ut Unum Sint" and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Spiritual ecumenism is the "soul of the whole ecumenical movement," Cardinal Kasper explains in the handbook, published recently by New City Press. He encourages readers to contemplate Jesus who, during the Last Supper, prayed "that they may all be one." Revealing the Audience – and Purpose – of Paul's Most Enigmatic Letter January 19, 2007, MINNEAPOLIS – Why did Paul address a long discussion of Jewish themes to a gentile audience? Scholars have long debated the "double character" of Romans. Andrew Das promises to resolve the debate through a fresh understanding of the identity and attitudes of the gentile Christians in Rome and of the expulsion of Jews from Rome under the emperor Claudius. Solving the Romans Debate offers new insight into Paul's concern for the Jewish roots of the Christ movement. January 18, 2007, MINNEAPOLIS – Why read the Bible? In his latest book, The Bible and Contemporary Culture, Gerd Theissen shares the wisdom gained in decades of Bible instruction at a state university to address questions of the Bible's relevance in a postmodern, pluralistic society. He describes the enduring value of the biblical legacy for anyone seeking to be a well-informed, self-aware, and responsible citizen, and commends the contributions the Bible can make to inter-religious and secular conversation. In a concluding chapter he addresses how the Bible may still serve as an essential resource for Christian identity in the twenty-first century.
|
