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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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LIRS Report Reveals Mistreatment of Detained Immigrant Families February 23, 2007, WASHINGTON, D.C. – A report released Feb. 22 details "disturbing" conditions at the two U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) facilities which house families undergoing immigration proceedings. "Locking Up Family Values: The Detention of Immigrant Families," released by Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) and the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, lists several key problems with the treatment of detained families in the T. Don Hutto Residential Center in Taylor, Texas, and the Berks Family Shelter Care Facility in Leesport, Pa. Families are detained in "prison-like conditions" for days, months, and sometimes years while awaiting resolution of their immigration proceedings, according to the report. Many experience widespread psychological trauma and are subject to inadequate medical and mental health care, food service, recreation, and disciplinary practices, the report said. Presiding Bishop of ECUSA Reflects on Primates' Meeting February 21, 2007 – The Primates of the Anglican Communion have called for the formation of a "Pastoral Council" that would work in cooperation with the Episcopal Church to facilitate and encourage healing and reconciliation, particularly for those who feel unable to accept the ministry of their bishop or the presiding bishop. The request came in a communiqué issued at the close of the Primates' February meeting near Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, during which extended discussions were devoted to the Episcopal Church's response the Windsor Report, a document that recommends ways in which the Anglican Communion can maintain unity amid differing viewpoints. U.S., Iranian Religious Leaders Promote Peace February 21, 2007 – A United Methodist is among religious leaders from the United States and Iran meeting in Iran to find common ground among faith groups as a step toward international peace, particularly as political tensions grow between the two nations. The 13-member U.S. delegation arrived in Tehran on Feb. 19 and includes Jim Winkler, top executive of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, the church's social action agency. The delegation met with the Archbishop of the Armenian Church in Iran and the Tehran-based Ayatollah who leads Friday prayers and is a member of the Iranian Council of Experts. WCC Supports Groundbreaking Global Framework to Fight Climate Change February, 20, 2007 – The World Council of Churches (WCC) has endorsed a groundbreaking climate change statement, fruit of an unprecedented consensus among high-level representatives of the corporate world as well as civil, religious and educational institutions. This statement is "carefully drafted and urgently needed," wrote WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia in a letter endorsing "The Path to Climate Sustainability: A Joint Statement by the Global Roundtable on Climate Change" on behalf of the WCC. The Council "will continue to participate in the process of bringing the concerns this statement addresses to the world," he added. Endorsed by an unprecedented group of companies and organisations from around the world, the statement calls on governments to set scientifically informed targets for greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Chaplains Offer Ideas, Resources for Churches February 20, 2007, NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Military chaplains bring "holy vision" to the battlefield and are the church's best resources for helping congregations understand, welcome and support returning warriors. That was one message that came out of a Feb. 12-13 task force meeting of active and retired United Methodist military chaplains brainstorming on ways for the church to be in ministry with U.S. military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Each chaplain has a unique story of ministry, pain and joy to share with congregations. A Season of Fasting: Reflections on the Primates Meeting February 20, 2007 – Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori offered the following reflections following the February 15-19 meeting of Anglican Primates near Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The recent meeting of the Primates in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, was a challenging one. Fourteen new primates joined the group; three longer-serving primates were unable to be present. It was a great joy to meet and begin to know a number of the primates, and to renew friendships with others. While much of our time and energy was focused on the Episcopal Church, several other agenda items were of considerable interest to many of those who gathered. Medical Ministry Shares Crutches, Wheelchairs and More February 21, 2007, CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. – When a doctor told Pat Galasso she had two bad knees that would require surgery, she knew she would need a lot of support-literally. "My husband's had nine surgeries and he walks with a crutch. He couldn't have been any help to me," said Galasso, 77. "I really needed a walker." Fortunately, Galasso knew exactly where to get one on loan. At a former high school classroom in the Community Center in downtown Connellsville, the United Methodist Men's Hospital Equipment Loan Service keeps an inventory of wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, canes, portable commodes and even mattresses for people who need medical equipment. So instead of renting a wheelchair for $136 a month, a person can take out a loan at no charge. The equipment is available for whoever needs it, as long as they need it. Pastor to Guide Bible Society into Technology Age February 21, 2007 – As a self-proclaimed lover of words, the Rev. Anne Robertson is frustrated by the "extreme resistance" of some local congregations to newer forms of communication. During the past year and a half, she's offered podcasts of her Sunday sermons at the United Methodist Church of Westford, Mass., and sent weekly devotions via e-mail. Still, "people aren't quite sure if I ought to be spending my time doing that." So when the Massachusetts Bible Society asked the 47-year-old pastor to usher it into the age of technology, she agreed. "They recognize that's how people interact and communicate in a huge way," she said. Pastor's Compassion Gives Rabbi Gift of Life February 20, 2007 – It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke: A minister and a rabbi walk into a hospital. But the Rev. Karen Onesti and Rabbi Andrew Bossov of Mount Laurel, N.J., don't care if people laugh-as long as they get the message that being an organ donor is the ultimate act of compassion. On Jan. 23, Onesti, pastor of Masonville-Rancocas United Methodist Church, donated her left kidney to her friend Bossov, rabbi at Mount Laurel's Adath Emanu-El synagogue. Town Learns its Rich and Storied Black Heritage February 23, 2007, GAINESVILLE, Ga. – If a life's significance is measured by contributions to society, how can that legacy be celebrated if there is no record of those contributions? It was a question that Linda Rucker Hutchens and Ella Wilmont Smith asked themselves as they began to collect information on African Americans who had helped shape their northeast Georgia town. Hutchens, a former school teacher, and Smith, a library historian, had read history books about other southern towns and were amazed at the role that black Americans played in local business, medicine, civil rights and education. Surely, similar African-American contributions had been left behind in Gainesville as well. February 19, 2007 – The text of a proposed Anglican Covenant, intended to affirm the cooperative principles that bind the Anglican Communion, was released February 19 toward the end of the Primates' five-day meeting. The sections address topics including common catholicity and confession of faith; Anglican vocation; unity and common life; and common commitments. Among other suggestions, the proposed Covenant would ask the Anglican Communion's 38 Provinces to commit themselves to "essential matters of common concern, to have regard to the common good of the Communion in the exercise of autonomy, and to support the work of the Instruments of Communion..." It also notes that "in the most extreme circumstances, where churches choose not to fulfill the substance of the covenant," such churches may be seen as having "relinquished ... the force and meaning of the covenant's purpose, and a process of restoration and renewal will be required to re-establish their covenant relationship with other member churches." Autoridades Luteranas Internacionales Visitan El Salvador 20 febrero 2007, SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – El obispo luterano de la Arquidiócesis de Turku, Finlandia, Kari Alovi Mäkinen, su esposa Aija y una delegación eclesial arribaron a El Salvador con el propósito de compartir las experiencias comunitarias y fortalecer las demandas de justicia y paz. Según informa la Iglesia Luterana salvadoreña, durante su estadía en este país, del 20 al 26 de febrero, el obispo Mákinen se encontrará con funcionarios públicos, sectores sociales, iglesias y comunidades para profundizar en la situación de vida del pueblo salvadoreño, con especial énfasis en temas como la violencia juvenil, la pobreza y la marginalidad. Comienza La V Asamblea General Del Consejo Latinoamericano De Iglesias 19 febrero 2007, BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Con un culto en la Iglesia Cristiana Bíblica del barrio de Devoto en la ciudad de Buenos Aires, dará comienzo formalmente esta noche la la V Asamblea General del Consejo Latinoamericano de Iglesias, bajo el lema "La Gracia de Dios nos justifica, su espíritu nos libera para la vida." La asamblea tendrá lugar hasta el día 25 en el Colegio Ward de Ramos Mejía, en el oeste de la ciudad capital, y en ella se debatirán diversos temas de trascendencia para el andar ecuménico de las iglesias que conforman el Consejo. La Vigencia De La Teología De La Liberación, En El Análisis De Organizaciones Sociales 21 febrero 2007, CARACAS, Venezuela – Hace un año atrás, y como parte de las actividades del Foro Social Américas celebrado en Caracas en enero de 2006, Ecuvives de Venezuela, la Red de Centros Laicos del Cono Sur, CEBI de Brasil y el Centro Memorial Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr. de Cuba, realizaron un taller para reflexionar acerca de la vigencia de la Teología de la Liberación (TL) en América Latina. La Carta de Caracas, un documento recibido a principios de febrero expone las conclusiones. Representantes De Iglesias Europeas Comprometidos Con La Superación De La Violencia 20 febrero 2007 – "Hazme un instrumento de tu paz" fue el tema elegido para celebrar el compromiso común con la superación de la violencia en una reunión de representantes de iglesias ortodoxas, católicas, anglicanas y protestantes el pasado 17 de febrero en Wittenberg, Alemania. En 2007 Europa es el foco de atención especial de la iniciativa ecuménica "Decenio para Superar la Violencia (DSV): Las iglesias en busca de reconciliación y de paz (2001-2010)." El hecho fue recibido con intercambio de experiencias, compartir de reflexiones y orando juntos. Los focos anuales de años anteriores fueron Palestina/Israel, el Sudán, los Estados Unidos, Asia y América Latina. Representantes De Iglesias Europeas Comprometidos Con La Superación De La Violencia 20 febrero 2007, GINEBRA, Suiza –"Hazme un instrumento de tu paz" fue el tema elegido para celebrar el compromiso común con la superación de la violencia en una reunión de representantes de iglesias ortodoxas, católicas, anglicanas y protestantes el pasado 17 de febrero en Wittenberg, Alemania. En 2007 Europa es el foco de atención especial de la iniciativa ecuménica "Decenio para Superar la Violencia (DSV): Las iglesias en busca de reconciliación y de paz (2001-2010)." El hecho fue recibido con intercambio de experiencias, compartir de reflexiones y orando juntos. Celebran Fiesta De La Cosecha Como Resistencia Ante La Depredación 19 febrero 2007, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – La Iglesia de Cristo de Barrio Nuevo, al suroeste de esta capital, celebra la Fiesta de la Cosecha desde el año 1944. Este año la celebró una vez mas, el domingo 18 de febrero, con un culto de acción de gracias por los frutos cosechados, al concluir la estación lluviosa. El pastor de la Iglesia, Carlos Silva Mejia, dijo que en la actualidad se ha convertido en una fiesta solemne y popular de la Iglesia de Cristo, donde los frutos de la tierra, el trabajo digno, la protección de los recursos como el agua, el bosque, la tierra, y el compartir los recursos en equidad, son los temas centrales. Lutheran Disaster Response to Expend $8.3 Million for Hurricane Response February 19, 2007, CHICAGO – In 2007 Lutheran Disaster Response – a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod – is expending $8.3 million in response to the 2005 hurricane season. Since that season Lutherans have raised more than $26 million to organize and fund recovery work. According to Lutheran Disaster Response, the 2005 hurricane season yielded 26 "named storms," 15 of which were hurricanes that caused total insured losses of more than $47 billion. Among the most powerful storms were Hurricanes Dennis, Katrina, Rita and Wilma, which caused widespread destruction in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. MCC Leader Expresses Outrage over Attacks on Gays in Jamaica February 20, 2007 – Nancy L. Wilson, Moderator of the Metropolitan Community Churches expressed outrage today at the attacks on gays in Jamaica. She issued a statement urging prayers and a call to action to support Jamaicas who have been targeted for violence and abuse. February 22, 2007, NEW YORK/GENEVA – Namibia's Lutheran bishop Dr Zephania Kameeta has stressed the commitment of civil society to the fight against poverty in the country, despite criticism that a proposed basic income grant (BIG) they are advocating would encourage people to be lazy. Responding to questions after his presentation at a panel session of the 45th session of the United Nations Commission on Social Development in New York, Kameeta highlighted the opportunity of skills' improvement and job creation in the BIG process, contending that the grant would enable the poor to break the scandalous circle of poverty. He pointed out that skepticism about the scheme did not discourage him and others in the campaign, and they would continue with cautious optimism to struggle together for the sake of the poor. European Church Representatives Committed to Overcome Violence February 19, 2007 – "Make me a channel of your peace" was the theme for a celebration of common commitment to overcome violence at a gathering of Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican and Protestant church representatives on 17 February in Wittenberg, Germany. Sharing of experiences, reflection and common prayer welcomed the 2007 focus on Europe of the ecumenical initiative "Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV) – Churches Seeking Reconciliation and Peace, 2001-2010." The annual foci of preceding years were Palestine/Israel, Sudan, the United States, Asia and Latin America. Rev. Dr Geiko Müller-Fahrenholz explained that the theme of the European focus is taken from the opening of a prayer attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi. Former Charismatic Episcopal Archbishop Joins Roman Catholic Church February 19, 2007, RICHMOND – A former archbishop of the Charismatic Episcopal Church (CEC), Randolph Sly, has been received into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church, along with his wife, Sandra. Sly was a founder of the CEC in 1992. He recently shared how their decision to join the Roman Catholic Church came from an extended time of discernment. They were welcomed into the Church in November 2006 at St. Benedict Parish in Richmond. They currently reside in northern Virginia in Potomac Falls and are members of Our Lady of Hope Parish. "We were at a point last summer, personally and ecclesiastically in the CEC, where I felt a change was coming," he said in a statement released over the Christian Newswire.
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