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Joy of Living Returns after Tsunami Disaster
LWF/DWS India Program Pays off

December 21, 2007 THIRUMULLAIVASAL,Tamil Nadu, India/GENEVA – The memory is still very painful to me, G. Raju recounts in a faltering vice. Yet, there was nothing he could do. The flood waves were six or seven meters high and he could not reach his house and his family. He still vividly remembers the horrible scenes of devastation the tsunami left in its wake three years ago as it swept through his coastal village in southern India. On the morning of 26 December 2004, the now 45-year-old fisherman was sitting in a teashop in Thirumullaivasal in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Jerusalem Heads of Churches' Christmas Message 2007

December 24, 2007, JERUSALEM – "He came to his own, and his own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name; which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (St. John, ch.1 vv.11-13) Dear Sisters and Brothers, Greetings. 1. Another Christmas is upon us and still we seek Peace for this Holy Land amidst continuing hardships. At the sane time it is important for us to reflect carefully on what the Evangelist is trying to put before us about God's gift to us of Jesus, born in Bethlehem's manger, together with the clear response God asks of each one of us.

General News

CTCR Responds to Wyoming District Concerns

December 28, 2007 – "Christian participation in public debate requires the use of language, argumentation, and strategies that – according to Scripture itself – are most appropriate and effective for interaction in the public realm, where God's Word is not regarded as authoritative." That quote is the primary point of the Commission on Theology and Church Relations' response to a district's concerns about "Christian Faith and Human Beginnings," a report issued by the commission in 2005. The report focused on "Christian participation in public debate concerning the use of embryos for medical research and therapy." The commission unanimously adopted the response, titled "Defending Pre-Implantation Human Life in the Public Square," at its Dec. 3-5 meeting in St. Louis. The response addresses concerns expressed in a resolution from the 2006 convention of the Wyoming District. Because the issue of stem-cell research is a pressing and widespread concern, and because the response also deals with the broader issue of how Christians can faithfully and effectively engage moral and ethical issues in the public square, the CTCR decided to send copies of its response document to all LCMS congregations and rostered workers early in January 2008.

Church Preserves Nativity Built by German POWs

December 20, 2007, ALGONA, Iowa – A symbol of peace-and a piece of history-is being preserved by members of Algona First United Methodist Church. A concrete-and-plaster Nativity, built by German prisoners of war housed in a World War II camp at Algona, draws more than 2,000 visitors each year. The scene stretches 40 feet wide and includes 60 figures. "It's a labor of love for many of us," said Marvin Chickering, chairman of a United Methodist Men committee that oversees the display. "There's a history here which is very unique. You'll find no other one like it in the world."

Walking Together: Companion Relationships Strengthen Ties, Transform Lives

December 21, 2007 – One of the joys of Christmas is giving and receiving gifts. For decades, Anglicans in dioceses and parishes worldwide have shared – as more than just a seasonal standard – their gifts of friendship, knowledge and mutual support. They say the rewards of companion relationships are countless. For Sandy Smock of San Gabriel, California, it began with a trip to the Holy Land as a Lenten discipline. Dr. Ricardo Reznichek of Hermosa Beach, California, responded to a bishop's call and visited Selena in western Belize, a border farming community experiencing an influx of Guatemalan and Salvadoran immigration.

Spanish News

Navidad Católica En La Habana

26 diciembre 2007, LA HABANA, Cuba – Pese a que los medios oficiales ignoraron la tradicional celebración de la Navidad y se centraron en la reciente visita a Cuba del presidente de Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, cuya fotografía junto al general de ejército Raúl Castro Ruz, Ministro de las Fuerzas Armadas, y en funciones de jefe de estado, frente a una foto mural donde aparece Fidel Castro, encabezó el diario oficial Granma, los templos católicos, tanto como los evangélicos en sus propias celebraciones, se vieron abarrotados de feligreses y de curiosos, algunos rompiendo con su inhibición a frecuentar dominicalmente los templos. Muchos habaneros miembros del Partido Comunista de Cuba prefirieron acostarse temprano, siguiendo el criterio arraigado durante años de ateismo militante oficial, de no celebrar la Navidad, por considerarla una celebración religiosa -política abandonada, oficialmente, durante el IV Congreso del Partido Comunista de Cuba (1991)-, y esperar para celebrar un nuevo Aniversario de la Revolución, el cincuenta, el 31 de diciembre, con la llegada de un nuevo año, sin la aparición en público del presidente cubano Fidel Castro, quien se reunió el jueves 20 con Chávez, pero no se reprodujeron imágenes de este encuentro.

Religious Liberty News

Egypt Religious Freedom Cases Continued to 22 January

December 25, 2007 CAIRO, Egypt – Court hearings on two lawsuits filed by Baha'is over the government's policy on religious affiliation and national identity papers have been continued until 22 January 2007. The two cases, the first by the father of twin children who is seeking to obtain proper birth certificates for them and the second by a college student who needs a national identity card to re-enroll in university, had been set for "final judgment" by the Court of Administrative Justice in Cairo today. But, the hearings were unexpectedly postponed. The court indicated it is still deliberating on the cases. The cases both arise from the fact that the Egyptian government requires all identification papers to list religious affiliation but then restricts the choice to the three officially recognized religions – Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Baha'is are thus unable to obtain identification papers because they refuse to lie about their religious affiliation. Without national identity cards – or, as in the case of the twin children, birth certificates – Baha'is and others caught in the law's contradictory requirements are deprived of a wide range of citizenship rights, such as access to employment, education, and medical and financial services.