Front Page

Faiths to Use Their Billions to Prompt Ethical Business

November 15, 2007 – "Faith organisations have the real potential to transform the global money markets, but are currently failing to ‘walk the walk' when it comes to ethical investment," Joost Douma, Secretary General of the International Interfaith Investment Group (3iG), is expected to tell a gathering of major faith fund leaders in Paris later today. Representatives of nearly two dozen Christian, Jewish and Buddhist faith organisations, with combined assets in excess of 135 billion dollars, will be advised to work together using shareholder activism to promote ethical, environmental and socially sustainable behaviour by companies in which they have funds invested.

U.N. Foundation Seeks Partnership with United Methodists

November 15, 2007, LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. – The United Nations Foundation wants to partner with The United Methodist Church in a major global health initiative that goes beyond the anti-malaria Nothing But Nets campaign. Foundation spokesman Michael Madnick said the organization hopes the denomination's 2008 General Conference will lay the foundation for an initiative encompassing the diseases of poverty: malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. With a grant from the foundation, the church is conducting a feasibility study to determine if support for an expanded health initiative exists among annual conference leaders, health care institutions and other groups.

Greed, Overproduction and Over-consumption Are Sinful, Say African Christians

November 15, 2007 – A severe reminder "of the wealth that was built and sustained on the continued extraction and plunder of Africa's resources as well as on the exploitation of Africa's people" was addressed to Christians in the global North by the participants in the African ecumenical consultation "Linking poverty, wealth and ecology" last week. At the 5-9 November gathering in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, some fifty women and men of faith from Africa and beyond – youth, activists, theologians and church leaders – worked on ecumenical strategies and actions for addressing the interlinked problems of poverty, excessive wealth, and ecological degradation.

United Methodist Bishops Urge Immediate Iraq Withdrawal

November 9, 2007, LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. – Declaring war "incompatible with the teachings and example of Christ," the bishops of The United Methodist Church called on leaders of all nations to begin an immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq. The bishops also urged against deploying additional troops to Iraq and against establishing permanent military bases in the Middle Eastern country. "This resolution is long overdue," said retired Bishop Clifton Ives before the Council of Bishops voted its approval on Nov. 9. The action came during the council's semi-annual meeting at a United Methodist retreat center in western North Carolina.

General News

Ex-Gang Member Helps Ex-Cons Get on Track

November 13, 2007 – While many "preacher's kids" have a reputation for trouble, Matthew Taufetee may be the worst "PK" of all. At 14, Taufetee joined a gang and began stealing purses from elderly women. By the time he was 28, he had been in prison twice for violent crimes and was addicted to alcohol and crystal methamphetamine. "I kept hearing stories that pastor's kids are the worst," he said. "I can testify to why we are the worst."

Global Gathering Increases General Conference Costs

November 14, 2007, FORT WORTH, Texas – General Conference, the worldwide assembly of The United Methodist Church, is becoming costlier to hold and falling more in the red, partially due to the growing number of international delegates. Held once every four years, the event's 2008 gathering next spring in Fort Worth is projected to cost $6.6 million, up from the $5.3 million price tag of the 2004 Pittsburgh assembly, even though its length has dropped from 12 to 10 days. A business report on the gathering was presented during the Nov. 12-13 meeting of the Commission on the General Conference, the convention's planning commission.

United Methodists Get Their Game on to Fight Malaria

November 13, 2007, RICHLAND HILLS, Texas – Under a cloudless Texas sky, the Rev. Claude Davison, 75, dribbles his basketball to the chalk "foul line" on his driveway, aims at the hoop, and shoots. The ball makes a perfect arc in the air, hits nothing but net and makes a "woosh!" sound. "Got it!" said the retired United Methodist clergyman as his pastor, the Rev. Howard Martin, watches with admiration.

UCC's Five Governing Bodies All Give Provisional Green Light to Streamlining Plan

November 10, 2007 – The boards of directors of the UCC's four national Covenanted Ministries Local have affirmed some general-direction recommendations for streamlining the denomination's national setting. Local Church Ministries, the largest of the UCC's four Covenanted Ministries, met Oct. 24-28 in Cleveland, where it voted 25 to 10 to accept "in principle" the recommendations of the UCC's Governance Task Force. The LCM board also urged that further conversations include broad testing of the proposals across various church settings, and it listed several affirmations, questions and concerns to be forwarded to the inter-ministry working group.

Texas Church Gets After-School Snacks to Needy Kids

November 14, 2007, FORT WORTH, Texas – As plastic bags are passed down a makeshift assembly line, volunteers stuff them with juice, pudding, cereal bars, fruit snacks and other kid-friendly treats. Members of Arborlawn United Methodist Church in Fort Worth are filling snack sacks for needy elementary and middle-school students who might not have access to meals when they go home. "I think a lot of people don't understand how many children are at risk ... (and) not getting fed," said Veronica "Ronnie" Crowley, an Arborlawn member who came up with the idea for a "snack sack" ministry in 2004.

‘Episcopal Life Focus' Features Native American, Inter-Anglican Partnerships

November 15, 2007 – The November edition of "Episcopal Life Focus" – a half-hour video "multicast" featuring church mission, ministries and news – is posted for online viewing. In observance of Native American Indian Heritage Month, the program features coverage of the New Jamestown Covenant Summit in Williamsburg, Virginia, which marks the beginning of the Episcopal Church's second Decade of Remembrance, Recognition, and Reconciliation (2007-2017) with the First Nations of the Americas, according to a resolution adopted by the 75th General Convention.

Ecumenical News

Resolution Closer on Papal Authority over Orthodox Bishops

November 14, 2007 – A Commission working to heal the 1000 year old rift between the Orthodox and Catholic Church has announced the Pope has primacy over all bishops – but the lines are still blurred as to what the Holy Father's authority entails. The Associated Press reports that the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue reached the agreement during talks in Ravenna, Italy last month. Pope Benedict said a "fundamental priority" of his pontificate is to heal the split of the two denominations.

Spanish News

El Mundo Evangélico Frente a La Participación Pública Política

13 noviembre 2007, C. CONCEPCIÓN, Chile – Más de 200 pastores y líderes de las diferentes iglesias evangélicas afiliadas a la Coordinadora Evangélica de la Región del Bío Bío participaron en el Seminario "De peregrino a ciudadanos: las Iglesias evangélicas chilenas frente a la participación pública-política; oportunidades y riesgos," que organizó el Servicio Evangélico para el desarrollo, (SEPADE), el lunes 12 de noviembre.

Nueva Ley Contra La Trata Y Tráfico De Mujeres

12 noviembre 2007, LA PAZ, Bolivia – "Entre las normas y compromisos internacionales, el más importante es el Protocolo de Palermo que especifica los compromisos de los Estados para luchar contra la Trata y Tráfico de personas y en especial de menores de edad. Bolivia, como signataria de este protocolo, cuenta con el Código Penal y el Código Niña, Niño y Adolescente, que lastimosamente no se cumplen," afirmó Elizabeth Salguero, vicepresidenta de la Comisión de Política Social de Diputados y gestora de una nueva ley contra estos delitos que esclavizan a mujeres, niñas y niños fuera de su lugar de origen.

‘América Latina No Se Calla,' Campaña En Defensa De La Soberanía Regional

16 noviembre 2007, BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Intelectuales y ciudadanos de todo el mundo pusieron en marcha una campaña en defensa de la soberanía de América Latina; el manifiesto lleva por nombre "América Latina no se calla" y los firmantes aseguran que lo ocurrido en la recién finalizada Cumbre Iberoamericana en Santiago de Chile testimonia "que los tiempos han cambiado en América Latina." El Rey Juan Carlos de España mandando callar al presidente venezolano Hugo delante de todos los líderes de los países iberoamericanos y las cámaras de todo el mundo, causó el repudio de intelectuales de América Latina y de Europa, que piden el apoyo al manifiesto con firmas vía e-mail.

Nuevo Diccionario De Seres Míticos Y Legendarios

15 noviembre 2007, LA HABANA, Cuba – Ante más de cien personas fue presentado ayer, en el Centro de Investigaciones y Desarrollo de la Cultura Cubana "Juan Marinello," el nuevo diccionario "Catauro de seres míticos y legendarios en Cuba," voluminoso volumen de unas 579 páginas, obra de Manuel Rivero Glean y Gerardo Spinola, cuyo proyecto original recibirá en el 2001 el Premio de Becas de Investigación Sociocultural, que otorga el propio centro. En cada entrada léxica, explicó Rivero Glean, se describe el mito o la leyenda a partir de su protagonista.

"Un Paso Histórico"-el Foro Cristiano Mundial Avanza E Invita a Participar En El Encuentro

13 noviembre 2007 – Después de cuatro días de reuniones, unos 240 dirigentes de una amplia gama de iglesias, confesiones y organizaciones intereclesiales de más de 70 países acordaron llevar adelante lo que denominan "el proceso del Foro Cristiano Mundial ," una plataforma abierta para el encuentro y el diálogo cuyo objetivo es "fomentar el respeto mutuo, y examinar y afrontar problemas comunes ." Los participantes prorrumpieron en una doxología espontánea cuando se aprobó el borrador final de un "Mensaje del Foro Cristiano Mundial a los hermanos y hermanas en Cristo de todo el mundo ," en la última sesión de su reunión que se celebró del 6 al 9 noviembre en Limuru, cerca de Nairobi, Kenya.

Primera Iglesia Protestante En Llegar a Guatemala Cumple 125 Años

12 noviembre 2007, GUATEMALA – Con cultos, talleres, concentraciones públicas, caminatas, conciertos de marimbas y varias actividades públicas, la Iglesia Evangélica Nacional Presbiteriana de Guatemala celebra en este mes de noviembre 125 años de presencia en el país y de haberse constituido como la primera Iglesia Protestante que ingresó a Guatemala, bajo el gobierno liberal del entonces presidente Justo Rufino Barrios. "En el año 1882 se concreta el decreto de la libertad religiosa, cuando ingresa la primera misión protestante bajo el cuidado del pastor estadounidense John Clark Hill" explica el Rev. Iván Haroldo Paz Andrade, Secretario Permanente de la Iglesia Evangélica Nacional Presbiteriana de Guatemala.

Fuerte Terremoto Sacude El Norte De Chile Y Se Siente En Tres Países Más

15 noviembre 2007, LIMA, Perú – Un sismo de 7,7 grados en la escala de Richter sacudió el miércoles 14 varias ciudades de la zona norte de Chile, dejando el saldo de dos víctimas mortales, 140 heridos y algo de 4 mil damnificados y 30 por ciento de las edificaciones dañadas. El epicentro del terremoto se dio en la localidad de Quillagua, en la región de Antofagasta, con una profundidad de 60 kilómetros, y se produjo a las 12.40 horas locales (15.40 GMT), con una duración de 40 segundos. Quillagua es cercana a la cordillera de Los Andes, y está a unos 1,650 kilómetros al norte de Santiago, capital de la nación trasandina.

Piden Diálogo Entre Iglesias, Ante El Avance Del VIH-SIDA

14 noviembre 2007, MANAGUA, NIcaragua – Al cierre del V Encuentro Centroamericano de Personas que Conviven con el VIH-Sida (Concasida) el 9 de noviembre, durante el desarrollo de un foro entre religiosos, se dio a conocer una proclama ecuménica donde se pide dialogo entre las iglesias tradicionales y la pentecostal para fortalecer la unidad en la lucha contra la epidemia del VIH-Sida. Carlos Salinas, teólogo y escritor nicaragüense, dijo que es hora que las iglesias se unan y busquen el diálogo para el combate de esta epidemia que cada día se incrementa en la región mesoamericana.

Un Paso Histórico. El Foro Cristiano Mundial Avanza E Invita a Participar En El Encuentro

13 noviembre 2007, GINEBRA, Suiza – Después de cuatro días de reuniones, unos 240 dirigentes de una amplia gama de iglesias, confesiones y organizaciones intereclesiales de más de 70 países acordaron llevar adelante lo que denominan "e proceso del Foro Cristiano Mundial," una plataforma abierta para el encuentro y el diálogo cuyo objetivo es "fomentar el respeto mutuo, y examinar y afrontar problemas comunes." Los participantes prorrumpieron en una doxología espontánea cuando se aprobó el borrador final de un "Mensaje del Foro Cristiano Mundial a los hermanos y hermanas en Cristo de todo el mundo," en la última sesión de su reunión que se celebró del 6 al 9 noviembre en Limuru, cerca de Nairobi, Kenya.

Secretario General Del CMI Visitará Filipinas En Un Clima De Preocupación Por Los Derechos Humanos

16 noviembre 2007, GINEBRA, Suiza – La preocupación de la familia ecuménica mundial por las crecientes violaciones de los derechos humanos en Filipinas será el foco de atención de la visita que, del 18 al 21 de noviembre, realizará al país el secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia. Durante su visita de cuatro días, Kobia se reunirá con víctimas de violaciones de derechos humanos – familias de víctimas de desapariciones forzadas o de ejecuciones extrajudiciales-, representantes del Consejo Nacional de Iglesias de Filipinas y jefes de iglesias miembros y no miembros del CMI. Dialogará también con la Conferencia Episcopal Católica.

Organizaciones Afirman Que, Con Botnia, Murió El Proyecto De Uruguay Natural

12 noviembre 2007, URUGUAY – Ante la confirmación por parte del ministro de Vivienda, Ordenamiento Territorial y Medio Ambiente de Uruguay, Mariano Arana, de que la planta de celulosa de la empresa finlandesa Botnia en Fray Bentos quedó habilitada para comenzar a funcionar, REDES-Amigos de la Tierra Uruguay, el Grupo Guayubira, la Comisión Nacional en Defensa del Agua y de la Vida (CNDAV) y RAPAL-Uruguay rechazaron públicamente esa decisión. Reiteraron sus críticas a la profundización del modelo forestal y celulósico, "que conducirá a la muerte del anhelado proyecto del "Uruguay Natural" y que atenta contra la Reforma Constitucional que prioriza el uso del agua para consumo humano."

Human Rights News

Coalition of Immokalee Workers Receives International Anti-Slavery Award
Farmworkers Rights Group Has Sights Set on Burger King

November 13, 2007, LOUISVILLE – Anti-Slavery International, a non-governmental organization based in Great Britain, has announced that it is presenting its 2007 Anti-Slavery Award to the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), a Florida-based farmworkers rights group that has been strongly supported by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The award, which was instituted in 1991 to draw attention to the continuing problem of slavery in the world today and to provide recognition for long-term, courageous campaigning by organizations or individuals in the country's most affected, will be given to the CIW at a ceremony in London on Nov. 21.

WCC General Secretary to Visit the Philippines Amidst Human Rights Concerns

November 16, 2007 – The global ecumenical family's concern about the growing human rights violations in the Philippines will be a major focus of the 18-21 November visit to the country by the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia. During his four-day visit, Kobia will meet victims of human rights violations – families of victims of enforced disappearances or extrajudicial executions -, representatives of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines, heads of WCC member and non-member churches. He will also dialogue with the Catholic Bishops Conference. On Sunday 18, at the Iglesia Filipina Independiente Kobia will deliver the commemorative sermon for the late Most Rev. Alberto Ramento, who was brutally slain in October 2006.

New York Metro News

Helping Homeowners Avoid Foreclosure

November 13, 2007, JAMAICA, NY – Taylor Solutions LLC offers foreclosure alternatives to homeowners who are delinquent on their mortgage payments and facing foreclosure. For a flat fee Taylor Solutions represents homeowners and works out an agreement with their lenders that will allow homeowners to get their payments back on track and stay in their home. Foreclosures are at an all time high among subprime borrowers many of whom have Adjustable Rate Mortgages or ARM's that charge an initial discounted rate for a period of time, and then adjust to market levels (i.e. reset). The number of subprime borrowers in New York quadrupled between 2002 to 2005 from 6.5 percent to 22.9 percent.

National News

UCC Leaders on ENDA: House-Approved, Transgender-Omitted Bill ‘Simply Not Enough'

November 7, 2007 – The U.S. House of Representatives passed its own version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act on Nov. 7, moving forward legislation that would prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation, but not gender identity and expression. The vote, 235 to 184, marks the first time ever that either chamber of Congress has passed employment protections based on sexual orientation, but the removal of transgender persons from protections has angered many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activists, including LGBT leaders in the UCC.

Support the Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act, EPPN Urges

November 16, 2007 – The Episcopal Public Policy Network (EPPN) is calling on Episcopalians to contact their Senators and urge them to support legislation S. 1668, the Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act of 2007. An EPPN alert, which is emailed to more than 16,000 Episcopalians and religious advocates, said: "In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Episcopalians across the country mobilized and responded in prayer, financial support and direct service to those in need in the Gulf Coast. Sadly many needs in the Gulf Coast remain unmet.

International News

United Methodist Institutes Changing Lives in the Philippines

November 16, 2007, MANILA, Philippines – Two 100-year-old United Methodist institutions of higher education in the Philippines are producing Christian leaders who are making a difference around the world. Union Theological Seminary and Harris Memorial College also have been instrumental in bringing Methodism to the South Asian country. Founded in 1907, Union Theological Seminary is an ecumenical theological institution offering bachelor's degrees in religious education, Christian education, early childhood education, church music and theology. Master's degrees in divinity and theology as well as doctorate degrees in theology are offered on the campus in Cavite, Philippines, on the southern shores of Manila Bay.

Message from the Global Christian Forum –
Our Journey with Jesus Christ, the Reconciler

November 12, 2007, LIMURU, NAIROBI, Kenya – Greetings to all who call on the name of Jesus Christ as Lord! As a wide variety of Christian leaders, men and women coming from 72 nations and five continents, from a broad range of churches, confessions and organizations, we rejoice at the unprecedented opportunity we have enjoyed in Limuru, Kenya, from 6 to 9 November 2007. We the 245 participants have reflected on our journeys with Jesus Christ the Reconciler. We have been challenged in our time of Bible study to reflect on the words of the Apostle Paul: no longer to be aliens to one another, but citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God in whom you are also built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God,

With UCC's Support, Ecumenical Bodies Urge U.S. House to Recognize Armenian Genocide

November 7, 2007 – The General Assembly of the National Council of Churches of Christ and Church World Service, holding its annual meeting Nov. 6-8 in Iselin, N.J., urged the U.S. House of Representatives to pass legislation recognizing the slaughter of Armenians in 1915 as a genocide. The resolution put forward by the Rev. Arem Jabejian, an Armenian Orthodox priest from Chicago, was passed by voice vote with six persons requesting to be counted as abstaining. The Armenian genocide statement as amended and approved by the NCC's General Assembly said it is "unacceptable that the United States has yet to officially recognize the Genocide of 1915, which in fact decimated a majority of the Armenian population then living in Asia Minor."

Turkish Forestry Officials Vandalize Historic Church

November 15, 2007, NEW YORK – In response to unlawful destruction of an historic Orthodox Christian Church by eight officials of a local Ministry of Forestry in Turkey, His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew sent an official letter to Mevlut Kurban, the District Elder of Princess Islands, expressing his "strong disappointment and shock." The Ecumenical Patriarch emphasized that Christ the Savior Monastery "had survived numerous fires and earthquakes throughout hundreds of years. In is uncivil to brutalize a sacred building that carries so much cultural history, and unjust to destroy it, especially when Istanbul has been picked to be the capital of civilized Europe in 2010."

At Korea's Anglican Peace Forum, Presiding Bishop Calls for ‘Tearing down Barriers'

November 16, 2007, SEOUL, Korea – "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." With those opening words of her sermon, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori set the tone for the five-day forum of the worldwide Anglican peace conference, Towards Peace In Korea (TOPIK), which started November 16 in Seoul, South Korea. "We have gathered here to do just that, and to work at tearing down the barriers between us that make enemies," Jefferts Schori told almost 300 people gathered for TOPIK's Opening Eucharist. "We are here to practice peace-making, to un-learn our ability to make war, to shape communities that seek peace and harmony rather than division."

In China, Presiding Bishop Meets with Bishop Ting, Nanjing Seminary Students

November 14, 2007 – Bishop K. H. Ting, an Anglican-ordained bishop whose impact on the church in China is far-reaching, hosted Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori in his Nanjing home on Wednesday, November 13 during her visit to China. Ting, a gracious and warm host, said, "It is great to have the opportunity to welcome you to China." "It is a great honor for me and all of us to be here," Jefferts Schori replied. At age 92, Ting is physically frail and uses a wheelchair, but his knowledge and spirituality were evident in his wise, aged and halting voice. His eyes sparkled as he told Jefferts Schori of his joy in meeting the first woman Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. Ting's legacy in the history of Christianity in China is unparalleled.

Middle East News

International Jewish Group Expresses Concern for Christians in Israel

November 15, 2007, NEW YORK – The International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations has asked the State of Israel to investigate the circumstances surrounding a group of Austrian Catholic clergy who were prevented from paying their respects at the Western Wall, and take appropriate steps to prevent future incidents. In a letter to Yitzhak Cohen, the Minister in Charge of Religious Affairs in the Office of the Prime Minister, IJCIC expressed concern over international negative impact on Israel and Jewish-Christian interfaith relations as a result of the incident. The incident occurred when a delegation of Austrian Catholic Bishops seeking to pay their respects at the Western Wall, a remnant of the Second Holy Temple, declined to remove their crosses before entering the wall area.

Holy Land Lutheran Bishop and Other Faith Leaders Make Peace Commitments
Advancing Trust and Reconciliation in Israel and Palestine

November 14, 2007, WASHINGTON/GENEVA – Bishop Dr Munib A. Younan of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) was among Israeli and Palestinian religious leaders who announced early November in Washington DC, new efforts toward limiting violence, protecting holy sites and opening dialogue for peace in the Holy Land. During the 5-8 November visit by representatives of the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land, Younan and other leaders of the body that groups Christian, Jewish and Muslim faith organizations held meetings with US Congress members and officials of President George W. Bush's administration to discuss support for their peace initiatives.

Lutheran Bishop in Holy Land Meets Former President Carter

November 16, 2007, CHICAGO – The Rev. Munib A. Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL), met in person with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter in Atlanta Nov. 12 to discuss the situation in the Middle East between Israelis and Palestinians. Younan was also invited by Carter that evening to speak about peace and justice to an audience of about 250 people who had been invited to the Carter Center to view the new film about Carter's life, "Jimmy Carter Man from Plains." Younan, who returned to Jerusalem Nov. 13, had been in the United States for several days with a group of Christian, Jewish and Muslim religious leaders from Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Israeli Peace Central to Washington Interfaith Initiatives

November 09, 2007 – Furthering the cause of Arab/Israeli peace was the focus of two major efforts this week when Episcopalians joined with interfaith leaders to engage in initiatives intended to bring a lasting stability to the Holy Land. Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem Suheil Dawani traveled to Washington, D.C., with the Council of Leaders of Holy Land Institutions for meetings with U.S. religious leaders, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, C. David Welch, and members and staff of the House and Senate. The Council, made up of 15 Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders of Holy Land institutions, is engaged in peace-building initiatives designed to decrease violence in the region and create an open dialogue for peace.

People in the News

Bouman to Lead ELCA Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission

November 14, 2007, CHICAGO – The Rev. Stephen P. Bouman, bishop of the Metropolitan New York Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), was elected Nov. 11 by the ELCA Church Council to a four-year appointment as executive director of ELCA Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission (EOCM) beginning Jan. 1, 2008. The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the legislative authority of the church between churchwide assemblies. The council met here Nov. 9-11. Assemblies are held every other year; the next is Aug. 17-23, 2009, in Minneapolis. "Saying good-bye is so incredibly difficult. I have shared so much of my life with the wonderful lives of the people of this synod and this metropolis. We went through Ground Zero together. We buried our dead and re-imagined the church in the wake of that tragedy," Bouman said.

Reviews

Book Offers Blueprint for Wesleyan Way of Living

November 16, 2007, NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In a world divided and filled with fear for what tomorrow may bring, comes a still, quiet voice saying "God loves us all." Rueben P. Job, retired bishop of The United Methodist Church, uses John Wesley's three general rules to give Christians a blueprint for a faithful life in a new book, Three Simple Rules: A Wesleyan Way of Living, published by the United Methodist Publishing House. The rules from Wesley, the founder of Methodism, are simple: "Do no harm. Do good. Stay in love with God."

Desire, Purity, and Pollution – New Testament Sexual Ethics in Context

November 14, 2007, MINNEAPOLIS – One of the most urgent tasks in contemporary discussions and controversies over sexuality, in churches and in wider society, is to put the biblical resources into their proper social and cultural contexts. In Dirt, Greed, and Sex: Sexual Ethics in the New Testament and Their Implications for Today, Revised Edition, L. William Countryman accomplishes this task in an exemplary way, showing how biblical conceptions regarding proper sexual behavior arose from concerns for purity and from cultures in which women and children were often conceived as property. What biblical texts say about sex often arises from concerns about dirt and greed.

Fortress Press Releases Hermeneia Volume on Mark

November 13, 2007, MINNEAPOLIS – In the newly released Hermeneia Volume Mark: A Commentary, Professor Adela Yarbro Collins brings to bear on the text of the first Gospel the latest historical-critical perspectives, providing a full treatment of such controversial issues as the relationship of canonical Mark to the "Secret Gospel of Mark" and the text of the Gospel, including its longer endings. She situates the Gospel, with its enigmatic portrait of the misunderstood Messiah, in the context of Jewish and Greco-Roman literature of the first century. Her comments draw on her profound knowledge of apocalyptic literature as well as on the traditions of popular biography in the Greco-Roman world to illuminate the overall literary form of the Gospel.

A 40-Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer

November 15, 2007 MINNEAPOLIS – Imagine spending forty days with a great spiritual guide who has both the wisdom and the experience to help you along the path of your own spiritual journey. Imagine being able to listen to and question spiritual guides from the past and the present. Imagine being, as it were, mentored by women and men who have made their own spiritual journey and have recorded the landmarks, detours, bumps in the road, potholes, and wayside rests that they encountered along the way-all to help others (like you) who must make their own journey.