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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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The Church Prays as a Child Is Lost – and Found March 23, 2007 – "Easter came early to Greensboro!" proclaimed the Rev. Jan Brittain to open a special worship service celebrating the safe return of Boy Scout Michael Auberry to his family and community in western North Carolina. The congregation applauded in agreement March 21 as more than 400 people gathered at Christ United Methodist Church, where the 12-year-old has been part of the congregation all his life. Lost three days in the rugged mountains, Michael had been found the day before – about one mile from the scout camp where he had wandered away. He left Moses Cone Hospital on March 22 after being treated for severe dehydration. The family said he was recovering physically, with the sensation of feeling returning to his fingers and expected to return to his toes as well. Slave Trade Still Demands an Unambiguous Apology, Kobia Says March 22, 2007 – "People of African descent in the diaspora and in Africa await an unambiguous apology and clear sign from European nations that acknowledges their participation in this terrible part of colonial history" that was the slave trade, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia has told UK prime minister Tony Blair. While appreciating that Blair has had the "courage to remind people of this tragic part of the colonial history," Kobia says he hopes that under the prime minister's leadership, European nations can "begin a process of truth-telling, repentance and reconciliation in order to promote an honest and open dialogue in relation to the scars left [ ... ] as a part of the colonial legacy." ELCA Presiding Bishop's 2007 Easter Message March 22, 2007 – "They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. ... Then they remembered his words." (NRSV Luke 24:2,8) On the first Easter morning, the women entered an empty tomb expecting to find Jesus. They were looking for the body of Jesus, but were disappointed and perplexed. Today, when we look for peace and there is no peace, we, too, may wonder where Jesus is. When violence and wars escalate, we may wonder where Jesus is. When hunger and poverty continue to have a stronghold in neighborhoods here and around the world, we may wonder where Jesus is. When we experience the emptiness of the divisions among races, religions, and classes, our fear and confusion can cause us to wonder where Jesus is. March 23, 2007, LUND, Sweden/GENEVA – A live transmission of the festive celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Lund Sweden, will be available on the Internet. The celebrations will begin with a festive eucharistic service at 11:00 hrs on Sunday, 25 March in the Lund Cathedral, and continue in the afternoon at the campus of the Lund University, where the LWF was founded in 1947. A live web streaming and later video streaming of the events will be made available. The director of the LWF Office for Communication Services, Ms Karin Achtelstetter says the live transmission offers many people among the 140 LWF member churches an opportunity to participate in the festive anniversary celebrations. COSROW Calls for Work Against Racism, Sexism March 20, 2007, MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – A commitment to justice for all and continued efforts to exorcise sexism and racism are needed if The United Methodist Church is to meet new mission goals. That is the opinion of the 45-member United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women. During its Feb. 22-24 meeting in Myrtle Beach, the commission affirmed "in spirit" a proposed four-pronged mission emphasis by which the United Methodist Council of Bishops and worldwide Connectional Table would set the future course of the denomination's work and life. March 22, 2007, LUND, Sweden/GENEVA – The General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, has appealed to churches in the Lutheran communion to take up the urgent task of building bridges of healing between and among Lutheran churches that have no fellowship among themselves. "Our credibility as Lutheran churches is constantly undermined by the fact that we are not in pulpit and altar fellowship with each other in spite of the common confessional writings. This persistent division gives the impression that there are other reasons that divide us rather than confessional stands," said Noko in his report to the LWF Council gathering in Lund, Sweden from 20 to 27 March. A Message to God's People...From the Bishops of the Episcopal Church March 21, 2007, NAVASOTA, Texas – The Episcopal Church House of Bishops, met here at the Camp Allen Episcopal Conference Center from March 16-21, and issued the following statement. As we prepare for Easter and the joyous celebration of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we send you greetings from Navasota, Texas where we gathered for the spring meeting of the House of Bishops. We represent fifteen sovereign nations, the fifty United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, The Virgin Islands, and Micronesia bearing witness to the Gospel of Our Lord and the wonders of Christ's redeeming work in the world. We were reminded of the health and vitality of our Church as our new Presiding Bishop recounted her travels. We have experienced a sense of identity, clarity, and purpose in fulfilling our vocation as bishops. ELCA Consultation Examines Future of Word and Service Leadership March 23, 2007, CHICAGO – The future of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's professional public ministers of Word and service – associates in ministry, deaconesses and diaconal ministers – was the focus of an ELCA consultation in February in Delray Beach, Fla. The central question some 64 participants discussed was how the theology and experience of vocation and service should shape the 21st century roles of these ELCA leaders. Word and service ministries are based on the concept of "diakonia," or unconditional service to the neighbor in need. Equal numbers of associates in ministry, deaconesses and diaconal ministers were joined by two ELCA synod bishops and several ELCA churchwide staff members in the consultation, said the Rev. Stanley N. Olson, executive director, ELCA Vocation and Education. Discipleship University to Train Church Leaders March 22, 2007, NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The discipleship agency of The United Methodist Church will open a "Discipleship University" this fall to instruct teams of pastors and lay members on ways to revitalize their local congregations. A part-time, two-year learning experience, the school will launch in October in the board's Nashville headquarters as part of the agency's efforts to renew existing churches and help leaders of those congregations be more effective in their ministries, said the Rev. Karen Greenwaldt, the agency's top executive. "Discipleship University, a groundbreaking new initiative, will directly address the leadership needs of today's changing church," Greenwaldt said in her "state of the board" address. Military Chaplains Retreat Strengthens ‘Wounded Healers' March 19, 2007 – Oftentimes the most powerful person on the battlefield is an unarmed, praying chaplain. Military chaplains live side-by-side with soldiers. They eat, sleep and work with young men and women in dangerous and uncomfortable conditions thousands of miles from family, friends and their United Methodist connections. Circuit riders in Humvees, they bring a Bible as their only weapon. Teaching: ECF ‘Stewardship Sessions' Will Focus on Creating Campus Ministries March 20, 2007 – Budget development, capital campaigns, and stewardship will be the focus of a series of telephone conference calls with experts and peers from campus ministries around the country to grow this vital ministry. Stewardship Sessions, an initiative of the Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF), will begin March 27, from 1-2 p.m. EDT, on the topic, "Budgets: How much is enough?" Sessions on "Capital Campaigns: Lessons from the campaign trail," on May 1, and "Stewardship: What are we REALLY teaching our students?" on May 22, also from 1-2 p.m. EDT, have also been scheduled. Participants will have an opportunity to ask questions of the presenters in advance and during the call, and receive resource materials relating to the topic either before or after the session. "Campus ministries in the Episcopal Church are unique and geographically dispersed," said the Rev. Douglas Fenton, staff officer for Young Adult and Higher Education Ministries. "It is extremely helpful to provide opportunities for them to develop peer networks and learn best practices from each other." March 22, 2007, LUND, Sweden, GENEVA – At the opening worship service of the 2007 LWF Council meeting in the Swedish city of Lund, Argentine Lutheran pastor Rev. Sonia A. Skupch reminded representatives of Lutheran churches from around the world that the power and strength of communion lies in being inclusive of "all God's people." In a world where people become "nobodies" as a result of globalization, economic injustice, neoliberalism, violence, illiteracy and misuse of power, among other forces, the biblical message that "we are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household is a powerful message for us," said Skupch, an ordained pastor of the Evangelical Church of the River Plate in Argentina. Teólogo Reflexiona Sobre Las Religiones Y La Construcción De Una Agenda De Paz 22 marzo 2007, BOGOTÁ, Colombia – Fabián Salazar, coordinador del Centro de Estudios Teológicos y de las Religiones, de la Universidad del Rosario en Bogotá, reflexionó sobre "el papel de las religiones en el tema de paz," articulo publicado en la revista ´Vida de hoy´, indicando que cada día se presenta con más urgencia un diálogo interreligioso como aporte a la construcción de la paz, "máxime cuando en nombre de la religión se alimentan guerras cargadas de odio y venganza." Salazar consideró las reflexiones generales de una definición integral de paz desde la justicia, enmarcadas dentro de las visitas del doctor Hans Küng, en la Semana de la Ética y Paz Mundial desde la Religiones del Mundo: judaísmo, cristianismo e islamismo, y la próxima visita del doctor Elías Szczytnicki, director de la Oficina Regional Latinoamericana y Caribeña de la conferencia Mundial de Religiones por la Paz. Primado Anglicano Llama a La Iglesia a Asumir Metas Del Milenio 21 marzo 2007, BRASILIA, Brasil – Al retornar de África del Sur, donde lideró la delegación brasileña en la Conferencia para una Efectiva Misión Anglicana (TEAM, la sigla en inglés), el obispo primado Maurício José Araújo de Andrade llamó a los fieles a asumir las recomendaciones del encuentro y vivir la misión encarnada, el papel profético y el desarrollo social. La Comunión Anglicana llamó a conferencia TEAM, reunida en Boksburg, en las proximidades de Johannesburgo, del 7 al 14 de marzo, con el propósito de analizar como la iglesia puede desempeñar mejor la misión teniendo en cuenta los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio (ODM), definidos por la Organización de las Naciones Unidas (ONU). Aún No Se Han Presentado Disculpas Inequívocas Por El Tráfico De Esclavos, Dice Kobia 22 marzo 2007 – "Los descendientes de africanos en la diáspora y todos los africanos en África siguen esperando que las naciones europeas les presenten disculpas inequívocas y signos claros de que reconocen su participación en ese terrible período de la historia colonial," o sea el tráfico de esclavos, dijo el Secretario General del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), Rev. Samuel Kobia, al Primer Ministro del Reino Unido Tony Blair. Consejo De Iglesias Celebra Su Asamblea De Estudios 19 marzo 2007, LA HABANA, Cuba – Rhode González, Presidenta del Consejo de Iglesias de Cuba (CIC), estuvo al frente de la Asamblea de Estudios que se celebró en esta ciudad durante los días 13 y 14 de marzo en los locales de la Iglesia Bautista William Carey del Vedado con participantes de la mitad occidental del país. Según sus estatutos, el CIC desarrolla este tipo de reunión en años alternos, de igual manera que sus Asambleas Deliberativas en las cuales se rinden informes, se debaten mociones, aprueban presupuestos y se llevan a cabo las elecciones de de los 9 miembros de su Consejo Directivo. Mezcla De Religión Con Política En Contra Del Aborto 23 marzo 2007, MÉXICO, D.F. – Una iniciativa conocida estos días de los legisladores capitalinos del Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD) para despenalizar el aborto, así como las expresiones de rechazo formuladas ayer por el presidente Felipe Calderón, resucitaron un tema álgido que está presente en la sociedad azteca desde hace por lo menos 9 años. Ya en 1998 la Iglesia Católica y varios sectores de Iglesias Evangélicas se unían para hacer frente a lo que denominan "un flagelo social." En ese entonces la agencia Zenit del Vaticano daba cuenta de las expresiones de Vicente García Bernal, obispo de Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, quien consideraba que "como todo delito, el aborto también debe ser sancionado con una pena. Noko Recordó La Situación De Violencia Y La Deuda Externa En América Latina 22 marzo 2007, LUND, Suecia – El secretario general de la FLM, reverendo Ishmael Noko, hizo un llamado este jueves 22 a los líderes de las iglesias luteranas de todo el mundo, reunidos en Suecia, acerca de la situación de violencia y de la lucha en contra de la Deuda Externa Ilegítima en América Latina. Referente a la violencia, el secretario general de la FLM hizo mención al sufrimiento del pueblo de Colombia y de El Salvador. Después de Sudan, Colombia es el país con el mayor número de desplazados internos por la violencia armada (más de 2 millones de personas). Kansas Court Finds Demolition Permit Denial Was Free Exercise Violation March 21, 2007 – In the case of Mt. St. Scholastica, Inc v. City of Atchison, Kansas, a District Court Judge ruled that when the city denied the monastic community a demolition permit for their Administration Building, the city had violated the free exercise clause of the Constitution. March 20, 2007 – Seventeen religious and civil rights organizations, including the Queens Federation of Churches, submitted a brief to the Colorado Supreme Court as amici curae to defend the constitutionality of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA). The brief was filed in the case of Town of Foxfield v. Archdiocese of Denver, where the state's highest court will decide whether to strike down zoning regulations that targeted religious gatherings at the Rectory of Our Lady of Loreto Parish in Foxfield, Colorado. The unlikely coalition of amici came together, despite their vast differences, because "they are acutely aware, often by first-hand experience, that zoning laws are commonly applied in a manner that either imposes heavy and unnecessary burdens on religious exercise, or discriminates based on religion or particular denomination." Ecumenical Conference to Examine Role of Religious Community and Poverty March 22, 2007, NEW YORK – The Beck Institute on Religion and Poverty of the Graduate School of Social Service at Fordham Univeristy will be sponsoring an all-day conference on April 16, 2007 entitled "Celebrating Faith in Action – The Religious Community's Response to the Challenge of Poverty: What Works." The intent of this ecumenical conference is to explore the role of the religious community in dealing with the many faces of poverty, and to allow faith-based providers who offer services that have proven effective to share their knowledge and practice methods. The conference will offer an opportunity to learn what is currently being done to alleviate the burden of poverty in our city by faith community, to learn what types of programs "work," and serve as a catalyst and primer for individuals, congregations and agencies who wish to develop their own initiatives. Church Wants Stronger Bonds with Southern Hemisphere March 21, 2007, PANAMA CITY, Panama – The bonds between United Methodists and their Methodist counterparts in Latin America and the Caribbean can and should be strengthened. Such was the consensus that emerged from a March 1-4 consultation in Panama City that brought together United Methodists and Methodists from that region, along with representatives of the British Methodist Church. The dialogue was sponsored by a study committee created by the 2004 United Methodist General Conference, the denomination's top legislative body, to review relationships with the independent Methodist churches of Latin America and the Caribbean. Bishop Minerva Carcaño of Phoenix is the study committee's chairwoman. Latin American Methodists Eager to Rebuild Relationships March 21, 2007, PANAMA CITY, Panama – Years after their official separation, some Latin American Methodists are struggling to maintain church buildings and other physical structures inherited from The United Methodist Church. Uruguay is a case in point, according to the Rev. Oscar Bolioli, president of the Methodist Church there since 2003. Speaking during the March 1-4 consultation between The United Methodist Church and Methodist churches of Latin America and the Caribbean, Bolioli said many churches in the region "don't have the capacity to maintain what they have" or to develop new ministries. Methodism Has History in Latin America, Caribbean March 20, 2007, PANAMA CITY, Panama – The first Methodist congregation established outside of England and Ireland was in the Caribbean and its members were slaves. Nathaniel Gilbert, a lawyer influenced by Methodism founder John Wesley, brought his witness to the island of Antigua, where the congregation was born in 1759. During the next century, Methodists from the United States, embracing the American spirit of "manifest destiny," spread their own missions in various parts of South and Central America. Controversial Theologian's Opinions Rooted in Recent Writings March 23, 2007, MINNEAPOLIS – Today's New York Times featured an article about Catholic Bishops criticizing the writings of Catholic theologian and ethicist, Daniel C. Maguire. Eight bishops and two cardinals at the U.S. Catholic Conference in Washington D.C. issued a document on March 22, denouncing professor Maguire for his views on contraception, abortion, and same sex marriage. It is Maguire's position that these issues can be freely debated in the Catholic church and that the bishops are not the only source of nsight on these or other moral issues. NYC Bishop Shares Post-9/11 Spiritual Exploration March 19, 2007, MINNEAPOLIS – What sustains Christians when they are confronted with tragedy and grief? How do Christians live in the changed world of post-9/11 reality? Stephen Paul Bouman addresses these questions as he shares his own personal story and the stories of others in his latest book, Grace All Around Us: Embracing God's Promise in Tragedy and Loss. In Scripture God's promises are made real, says Bouman. God's faithfulness is expressed on the ground, in places of hurt and hope. The passion emanating from Ground Zero in New York has become, for him, a kind of Holy Land, and it is from that Holy Land that he offers this book as a kind of "diary of an urban bishop," looking at tragedy and loss through the eyes of a pastor called to be a bishop. March 23, 2007, MINNEAPOLIS – Fortress Press is happy to announce the release of Jesus: According to Earliest Witness. In these pages James M. Robinson, one of the premier scholars of the New Testament and the Sayings Gospel Q, asks what we can know of Jesus from what many believe was the earliest written source behind the Gospels. Robinson explores the trajectories in orthodox Christianity and Gnosticism alike, from this early witness to the canonical Gospels and beyond. Surprising insights abound and the author includes an autobiographical essay charting the important currents in New Testament scholarship over the last fifty years.
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