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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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CCT Is Formally Launched in Pasadena; Pasadena, Calif., February 9, 2007 – A consensus on the importance of evangelism and the need to eliminate domestic poverty marked the official formation of Christian Churches Together (CCT) meeting here February 6-9. The CCT is composed of 36 churches and national organizations from virtually all U.S. Christian groups who have been seeking to come together for fellowship, worship and opportunities to share in important ministries. "Remember that you belong to God and God does not belong to you," said the Rev. Dr. Larry Pickens, quoting his mother's early admonition. That, said Pickens, is the wisdom that will hold CCT groups together. "CCT is good news for American Christians," said the very Rev. Leonid Kishkovsky of the Orthodox Church in America. "Our gathering of the wider spectrum of U.S. Christian churches is succeeding in building mutual trust and overcoming stereotypes. Our common hope and expectation is that CCT will enable our churches to offer a strong and united Christian moral voice and vision in the public square." Shea Joins Religious Delegation Going to Iran to Talk Peace February 13, 2007 – A delegation of 13 U.S. religious leaders, including Maureen Shea, director of the Episcopal Church's Office of Government Relations, will visit Iran February 17-25 to deepen dialogue between religious and political leaders there in the hope of defusing tensions between the U.S. and Iran. The group is scheduled to meet with former President Mohammad Khatami and current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, according to a new release from the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) one of the trip's two organizers. The group's schedule also includes meetings with religious leaders in Tehran, Qom and Isfahan, including Iranian Evangelical Protestant leaders, the Archbishop of the Armenian Orthodox Church in Iran, and Muslim religious leaders in the city of Qom. Qom is considered a holy city in Shi'ite Islam. Faith Reigns for New Miss America February 16, 2007 – Lauren Nelson is relying on her faith to keep her grounded during the hectic year that lies ahead for the newly crowned Miss America. Nelson, 20, a member of Centenary United Methodist Church in Lawton, Okla., won the coveted title on Jan. 29 in Las Vegas. "It has been a whirlwind of a first two weeks," she said in a telephone interview with United Methodist News Service. "I have been in probably six different cities already, and I will probably travel about 20,000 miles a month. I am very excited about this opportunity." Seven ‘Global South' Primates Refuse to Share Holy Communion February 16, 2007 – Seven "Global South" archbishops refused to receive Holy Communion with their fellow Primates February 16, alleging that they were "unable to come to the Holy Table with the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church because to do so would be a violation of Scriptural teaching and the traditional Anglican understanding." In a similar action, as many as 19 Primates refused to attend Holy Communion at their February 2005 meeting in Northern Ireland because of the presence of former Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold and Archbishop Andrew Hutchison of Canada, according to reports. Presiding Bishop Brings Message of ‘Shalom' to Episcopal Urban Caucus Conference February 9, 2007, RALEIGH, North Carolina – Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori addressed nearly 200 members of the Episcopal Urban Caucus (EUC) on February 8 and commended the organization on its mission to relieve oppression and suffering in the world and encouraged members to further examine how its mission can connect to that of the larger church in reconciling the word of God because "the world is not reconciled as long as some live without." On ‘Super Bowl Sunday' Lutherans Claim a Win with ‘Souper Bowl of Caring' February 12, 2007, CHICAGO – As football fans across the country watched the Indianapolis Colts gallop to victory Feb. 4 in the NFL's "Super Bowl" championship game, faith groups also trotted to victory in a championship effort of their own – the "Souper Bowl of Caring," a national effort among faith groups aimed at raising millions of dollars for hunger-fighting organizations across the United States. As part of the effort, congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) arranged for young people to collect food and dollars in large soup pots as parishioners left worship on Super Bowl Sunday. February 15, 2007 – Offering an online overview of news and views "left, right and center," the Episcopal Church's Office of Communication has launched a new web log, or blog. Called "epiScope: looking over the Episcopal Church," the blog seeks "to add perspective and context to some stories, and to correct the record in other instances," said the Episcopal Church's communication director, Canon Robert Williams. Deacons Celebrate Milestones as Their Role Evolves February 15, 2007 – In the decade since the Order of Deacons was created, ordained deacons have taken The United Methodist Church outside its traditional brick walls and stained-glass windows. They have ministered to the homeless, worked with labor unions and served through fields as diverse as health care, education and even advertising and communications. "Deacons are trying to put a swinging door on churches, going out into the world and serving and bringing people back into the church," said the Rev. Anita Wood, a deacon who is director of professional ministry development at the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry. Soldier's Little Sister Sings in YouTube Hit February 12, 2007, CACHE, Okla. – Six-year-old Heather Martin, accompanied only by her mother on piano, has become an overnight Internet sensation for a song performed at their rural Oklahoma church. Written for her brother Shaun serving in Iraq, the song became one of YouTube's most requested videos of all time in December after a member at Cache First United Methodist Church recorded and posted Heather's performance on the video-sharing Web site. The video had received 1.7 million hits as of early February. Pastor Offers Lessons from Super Bowl Ads February 14, 2007, GRAPEVINE, Texas – A Texas pastor gave members of his congregation an unusual assignment – watch the Super Bowl and don't leave the room during the commercials. "I think the Super Bowl's a cultural event in our society," said the Rev. Dr. Ken Diehm, pastor of First United Methodist Church of Grapevine, near Dallas. "And so, I think it provides the church an opportunity to comment on what is going on in that culture." Diehm believes there are lessons to be learned in the much-hyped ads. For the past several years, his post-game sermons have focused on the advertising. Contest Between the Bible and MTV Will Shape February 14, 2007 – The future of the ecumenical movement is at stake in a contest between the Bible and MTV, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia said today in India. He affirmed the potential of young people to revitalize the ecumenical movement by posing challenging questions. Addressing a national ecumenical gathering of Christian youth leaders convened by the Student Christian Movement of India (SCMI) at its headquarters in Bangalore, Kobia spoke on the "Role of youth in revitalising the ecumenical movement." The WCC general secretary asserted that in addition to economic globalization, cultural globalization is affecting the identities of young people in all regions. El Secretario General Del CMI Hablará En La Mayor Reunión De Cristianos De Asia 12 febrero 2007 – El secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia será huésped de honor y uno de los oradores principales en la 112a Convención Maramon, que tiene lugar del 11 al 18 de febrero en Maramon, Kerala, India, y es considerada la mayor reunión de cristianos de Asia. La Convención Maramon es organizada cada año por la Asociación Evangelista Mar Thoma, órgano misionero de la Iglesia Siria Mar Thoma de Malabar, una de las iglesias miembros del CMI en la India. Durante una semana, cristianos de todo el país y de la diáspora se congregan en el lecho seco del río Pampa, cerca de los poblados de Maramon y Kozhencherry, en el centro-sur de Kerala. Consejo Nacional De Iglesias De El Salvador Llama a Ratificar Ante ONU Tema Desaparecidos 14 febrero 2007, SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – En el marco de la discusión en la palestra política nacional sobre la reciente aplicación de las Naciones Unidas (ONU) de denominar la desaparición forzada como Crimen de Lesa Humanidad sin prescripción, el Consejo Nacional de Iglesias de El Salvador (CNI) llamó al gobierno a ratificar dicho acuerdo, para avanzar en este país con la aplicación de justicia para los más de 8 mil desaparecidos durante el conflicto armado de 12 años. Three Bishops Urge New U.S. Budget Priorities February 15, 2007 – Three United Methodist bishops are asking President Bush and the U.S. Congress to place the needs of children and the poor at the heart of the budget debate. "The debate among elected leaders over the federal budget is at its core a debate over how the nation's abundance is shared," the bishops say in a Feb. 15 letter to the president and members of Congress. "We are alarmed by recent trends in the federal budget that have squeezed investments in education, child care, food nutrition programs and other anti-poverty measures to accommodate dramatic tax cuts for the wealthiest citizens in the United States and to fuel military conflicts abroad. These policies turn the teachings of Christ on their head." Archbishop of Canterbury Meets with President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania February 17, 2007 – In mid-afternoon (16th February), the Archbishop of Canterbury made a courtesy call on President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania and paid tribute to the progress the country has made in recent years. The Rev. Jonathan Jennings, Williams' press officer, quoted him as saying that "Tanzania has been a symbol of hope and stands for what can be achieved through democratic development." February 16, 2007, KHARTOUM, Sudan/GENEVA – After a visit to Sudan which included discussions with political and religious leaders in Khartoum and Juba, an African interfaith delegation has called on the international community to honor their political and financial pledges to sustain Sudan's peace process. "Peace in Sudan will be the base for stability and peace for the whole region and Africa," the delegation of religious leaders representing the Inter-Faith Action for Peace in Africa (IFAPA) said in a statement following their January 9-14 visit. WCC General Secretary Welcomes North Korea Nuclear Deal February 15, 2007 – The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia has welcomed as "a major breakthrough" the 13 February agreement at the Six Party Talks in Beijing, under which the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) committed itself to take initial steps towards denuclearisation in return for energy and economic aid. The agreement "is a major breakthrough in efforts to restore peace and normalcy in the region," says Kobia in a statement issued on 15 February. The agreement "vindicates the WCC longstanding policy of engagement and dialogue to resolve tension and conflict in North East Asia," he adds. Lutheran Leaders Join Call to Protect India's Drug Patent Laws February 15, 2007, CHICAGO – The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), and the Rev. Ishmael Noko, LWF general secretary, have joined other Christian leaders asking the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis to drop its law suit challenging the patent laws of India. "This case is about commitment to the right to health," Hanson said. "It is about the responsibility of governments to protect the health of their citizens and the right of countries to give priority to public health over the private interests of corporations." India refused Novartis' patent application for a cancer medicine, Gleevec, on the grounds that the medicine was simply a new form of an old medicine. WCC General Secretary to Address Largest Christian Gathering in Asia February 12, 2007 – World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia will be the chief guest and a main speaker at the 112th Maramon Convention, which takes place 11-18 February at Maramon, Kerala, India, and is the largest Christian gathering in Asia. The Maramon Convention is organized annually by the Mar Thoma Evangelistic Association, the mission and Evangelism wing of the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar, one of the WCC's member churches in India. The week-long event brings some 200,000 Christians to each session from all over the country and Diaspora Indians from other continents to the dry sandbed of the river Pampa between the villages of Maramon and Kozhencherry, in South Central Kerala. February 14, 2007, GENEVA – The General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko has welcomed the 8 February agreement for a Palestinian unity government by the Hamas and Fatah political parties. In a statement issued today, he expresses the hope that this accord would also provide for a more secure basis to resume peace negotiations and dialogue with the State of Israel. The agreement brokered by the Saudi authorities was signed in Mecca, Saudi Arabia by Mr Khaled Meshal of Hamas, which won the January 2006 Palestinian elections, and Mr Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority (PA) president and leader of Fatah, the former ruling party. The accord is also aimed at ending violence between both parties and an international boycott. Reckford Calls for a Hands on Mobilization to Build Poverty Housing February 14, 2007, MINNEAPOLIS – The chronic large-scale problem of homelessness and affordable housing has been dramatically and achingly portrayed in accounts of Hurricane Katrina, the South Asian tsunami, and other recent natural disasters. The newly released, Creating a Habitat for Humanity: No Hands but Yours, heralds a passionate plea for personal involvement in resolving these issues. Written by Jonathan Reckford, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity, Creating a Habitat for Humanity is intended primarily for use in congregations and by general readers who are interested in the issue of poverty housing and the Habitat story.
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