Front Page

Fire Destroys Historic Episcopal Church in Woodside

January 4, 2008 – Unattended candles caused a late-night fire that ripped through the oldest Episcopal church in the New York borough of Queens December 26, gutting the interior and leaving several congregations without a meeting place, New York Fire Department (FDNY) officials have told the Queens-based Times Ledger newspaper. The future of the older of St. Paul's Woodside's buildings is in question as its parishioners search for funds, the newspaper reported. The Rev. Anandeskar Manuel, who leads the Episcopal congregation at the church, told the newspaper that the congregations want to rebuild. "That is our Christian hope, but the reality is we don't have that kind of money," he said.

Letter to Martin Luther King Notes Major Shift in U.S. Ethos

January 7, 2008 – Dear Martin: April 4, 1968, is a date seared in our collective memory. For many, it is the demarcation of time itself – before and after King. In some ways, it seems so long ago, yet it is so vivid it seems like yesterday. As we approach the 40th year since your tragic death, the nation is preparing to remember you. Our alma mater, Boston University School of Theology, The School of the Prophets, is planning special services to honor you, our most prominent prophet.

4.6 Million Iraqis Still Longing for a Durable Solution, Church World Service Says

December 11, 2007 Initial media reports that Iraqi refugees are beginning to return home in large numbers due to improved security in some parts of the country are now being tempered with a more complex, and more realistic, assessment of the conditions they are finding there, the relatively small number of returnees, and their reasons for returning. Even the most optimistic estimates of returnees' numbers leaves unchanged a sobering fact: 4.6 million Iraqis are displaced within Iraq or to neighboring countries, and are in desperate need of protection and durable solutions. Church World Service is pressing the U.S. government to increase humanitarian aid to Iraq's displaced, and to keep its commitment to resettle 12,000 Iraqis to the United States during FY2008.

WCC Sees Signs of Hope in Kenya, Praises Churches for Peacemaking Role

January 9, 2008 – The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia has called on Kenyan political leaders to keep moving towards dialogue while praising the countries' churches for their role in peacemaking. "While the situation continues to be critical, some signs of hope can be seen," Kobia said in a public statement today. He welcomed recent developments in the country and expressed hope that the "political stalemate" may be broken. "We call on the political leaders, especially President Kibaki and Hon. Raila Odinga, to refrain from taking decisions that might frustrate the process towards dialogue for a peaceful resolution of the conflict," he said.

National Council of Churches' Justice for Women Working Group
Calls for Observance of National Day of Human Trafficking Awareness

January 10, 2008, NEW YORK – The National Council of Churches' Justice for Women Working Group call upon people of faith to not only observe National Day of Human Trafficking Awareness on January 11, 2008; but to also move beyond awareness to collaborative actions that will end this exploitation. The day of awareness was established in June 2007 by a concurrent resolution of the U.S. Congress. Everyday people worldwide are coerced into bonded labor, bought and sold in prostitution, exploited in domestic servitude, enslaved in agricultural work and in factories, and captured to serve as child soldiers. While estimates of the numbers vary widely, the U. S. Government recently reported that 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders each year; 80 percent of them are female and almost half are minors.

In Kenya, Desmond Tutu Joins Church-Backed Bid to End Violence

January 4, 2008 – Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town Desmond Tutu has arrived in Kenya to assist in a church-backed bid aimed at stemming the violent reaction to the country's presidential election results and reaching a peaceful outcome to the political crisis. "I appeal to both leaders to meet and talk about points of disagreement," said Tutu on his arrival in Nairobi from South Africa on January 3. Tutu said he was responding to a call by Mvume Dandala, a former leader of South Africa's Methodist Church and now general secretary of the Nairobi-based All Africa Conference of Churches who is among church leaders seeking to play a peacemaking role. Violence erupted after it was announced that President Mwai Kibaki had won in what was seen as a close vote in the election for president held on December 27.

General News

‘Golden Compass' Resources Available

January 8, 2008 – What are Christians to make of "The Golden Compass," the controversial new fantasy film based on the book of the same title by self-proclaimed atheist Philip Pullman? Should they take their kids to see it? Two resources are available that offer insight that's designed to help Lutherans answer those questions and others.

World Mission, POBLO Sponsor ‘Jesus and Muslims' Conference

January 9, 2008 Can you imagine what an encounter between Jesus and a Muslim person would be like today? Do you think Jesus would unleash a barrage of condemnation? Or do you think He'd ask for an invitation to dine in a Muslim's home? Those questions and others will be explored at the first-ever Friendship of Jesus and Muslims Conference, April 3-6 at the Crowne Plaze (airport) Hotel in Detroit. Open to all LCMS members, the conference is co-sponsored by LCMS World Mission and People of the Book Lutheran Outreach (POBLO), a Dearborn Heights, Mich.-based mission society that reaches out to Muslims in the United States and South Asia.

Youth Poll: ‘My Own Faith' Top Concern

January 7, 2008 – In the tally of the Lutheran Youth Fellowship (LYF) Youth Poll conducted at last year's National LCMS Gathering in Orlando, young people saw "my own faith" as their number-one concern. Of the 2,152 participants who took the multiple-choice poll, 28 percent cited that top concern. Rounding out their top-five concerns were "the future" (23.8 percent), "family relationships" (23.3 percent), "college" (23.1 percent), and "unbelievers" (16.3 percent). Among other choices on their top-concerns list, they identified "terrorism" (9.4 percent) and "war" (7.9 percent). Dr. Terry Dittmer, director of LCMS Youth Ministry, who released the poll results in late November, indicated that home-schooled youth who took the poll listed "boy/girl relationships" almost four times as often (34.4 percent to 9.4 percent) as "the general response" to their top concern.

‘A Home Where God Is': San Juan Capistrano Church Offers Do-It-Yourself Blessing Kits

January 9, 2008 – Jason and Tracy Engel's San Juan Capistrano home hadn't been blessed before Epiphany Sunday but on January 6 they moved from room to room with a do-it-yourself kit from their church. For 10-year-old Sarah, who lingered a few additional seconds over Sparkle Jr., Marie and Martha, her fish, taking charge of the bright blue vial of holy water was especially fun but also very serious. "Fr. Rob talked about the difference between believing and beholding in his sermon today," she recalled. "He said this is a time we could bless our home, so in the next year before we do it again, we remember that this is a home where God is." The Rev. Canon Robert Edwards, rector of St. Margaret's Episcopal Church, said the interactive, intergenerational liturgy was designed to empower parish families to develop spiritual practices.

Ecumenical News

Joint Working Group on Catholicity and Globalization Issues Communiqué
Full Communion Partners Stress Shared Eucharist Vision

January 8, 2008 – Three Christian traditions that are in full communion with each other say in a communiqué from a recent meeting that their shared Eucharistic vision is an ethical one through which "our churches may seek to transform the dehumanizing effects of economic, social, and cultural globalization." The Good Shepherd Communiqué stems from a November 12-16 meeting of members of the Episcopal Church, the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (the Philippine Independent Church), and the Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht. The full communion partners met at the Desmond Tutu Center at the General Theological Seminary (GTS) in New York to consider the theme "Catholicity and Globalization: Being Catholic Churches in the Context of a Globalized World." Representatives of the Church of Sweden participated.

Spanish News

Día De Los Tres Reyes En Iglesia De Queens Consigue Amplio Apoyo

7 enero 2008, ASTORIA, NY – Una celebración anual para ayudar a niños menos privilegiados en una sección de Queens durante el Día de Reyes, recibió a docenas de niños felices y a sus padres quienes estuvieron contentos al ver a sus hijos recibir algunos de los cientos de juguetes repartidos en la iglesia el sábado, 5 de enero. Esta celebración fue la cuarta celebración anual sostenida en la Iglesia Luterana de San Pedro y de San Pablo en Astoria, y co-patrocinada por la Federación de Iglesias de Queens, la Iglesia Episcopal de San Juan, la Iglesia de Scientology, y Ecuador News.

Comunidad Luterana Apoya Los Reclamos De Los Mapuches Y Aboga Por Justicia

10 enero 2008, HUALPEN, Chile – La Iglesia Evangélica Luterana, Congregación San Pablo de la Comuna de Hualpén, dio a conocer un comunicado ante los acontecimientos acaecidos recientemente vinculados al movimiento del pueblo Mapuche y sus reivindicaciones por la recuperación de sus tierras ancestrales. La declaración afirma que como cristianos "tenemos la misión de anunciar la palabra del Señor y denunciar las injusticias. Pensamos que nuestros hermanos del pueblo mapuche en sus justas demandas exigen precisamente la posibilidad de transitar en un país libre y con dignidad."

El Vaticano Se Hace Cargo De Los Abusos De Sacerdotes, Con "Oraciones Perpetuas"

7 enero 2008, ROMA, Italia – Para superar el terrible escándalo de abusos sexuales de niños y niñas por parte de sacerdotes católicos, el papa Benedicto XVI decidió reconocer estos terribles delitos a través de una oración perpetua "mundial" para la "reparación" de las faltas cometidas por los religiosos, y "por las víctimas de las graves situaciones de conducta moral y sexual de una pequeñísima parte del clero." Considerada por algunos analistas "sin precedente," la iniciativa de Joseph Ratzinger fue ilustrada por el cardenal brasileño Claudio Hummes, prefecto de la Congregación para el Clero, en una entrevista publicada en L Osservatore Romano , el diario de la Santa Sede.

150 Años De Presencia Valdense En El Río De La Plata: Concurso De Logotipo

9 enero 2008, COLONIA VALDENSE, Uruguay – En el año 1858 llegó a esta zona del país, el primer contingente de inmigrantes valdenses oriundos de la región del Piamonte, norte de Italia. Estos colonos agricultores llegaron a estas tierras vírgenes con una metodología de trabajo y austeridad, que rápidamente marcó un camino de progreso que los llevó a expandirse por casi todo el litoral del país y por Argentina, fundando otras prósperas colonias de agricultores. La apertura a otras culturas, propició la integración de inmigrantes de diversas nacionalidades, franceses, italianos, suizos, españoles. Esto dio a la colonia el dinamismo y fermento cultural que la caracteriza y que hoy se ve claramente en su gente e instituciones.

New York Metro News

Three Kings Day at Queens Church Gets Broad Support

January 7, 2008, ASTORIA, NY – An annual celebration to help underprivileged children in Queens share in Three Kings Day, hosted dozens of happy children and parents who were pleased to see their children get some of the hundreds of toys handed out at the church Saturday, Jan 5th. The celebration was the fourth annual such celebration held at St. Peters and St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Astoria, and co-sponsored by the Queens Federation of Churches, St. John's Episcopal Church, the Church of Scientology, and Ecuador News.

National News

Lutherans Survey Tornado-Affected Areas in Wisconsin

January 10, 2008 – The Rev. Paul Stumme-Diers, bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Greater Milwaukee Synod, and the Rev. Gary A. Grindeland, state coordinator, Lutheran Disaster Response, and vice president of church and community relations, Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, Milwaukee, toured tornado-affected areas in Wisconsin's Kenosha County, particularly the town of Wheatland. Tornadoes and high winds swept through the Midwest on Jan. 7. "The situation on the ground is just as the commercial media is reporting," stated Daniel Ross-Jones, director of communication, ELCA Greater Milwaukee Synod.

International News

CWS Helps Equip Chilean Churches to Welcome Refugees

January 2, 2008 – New Jerusalem Pentecostal Church in Arica, Chile, is made of scrap plywood and the metal from an old shipping container. Thirty-five plastic chairs serve as pews for the members, whose worship is notable for its excellent music. "It's a poor church in a poor neighborhood," said Aaron Tate, Director of Refugee Services for Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston, Texas, a Church World Service local resettlement affiliate. "Nonetheless, it wants to be involved with refugees." Tate visited the church during his recent three-month deployment to Chile. There, he helped launch a new CWS program to assist Colombian refugees resettling in Chile, a significant destination for Colombians fleeing violence in their home country. Up to 100 will be admitted in 2007 through a Chilean government program much like the U.S. Refugee Program.

CWS Appeal: Bangladesh Cyclone Response

January 4, 2008 – Cyclone Sidr hit the southern coast of Bangladesh November 15, leaving behind an enormous trail of devastation. The Category-5 storm made landfall on the Khulna and Barisal coasts with winds of up to 150 miles per hour. The full extent of the destruction and loss of life caused by Sidr is not yet known, though initial estimates are that up to 4,000 people perished. In addition to the loss of life, the cyclone caused extensive damage to crops, houses, school buildings and roads, disrupting electricity and telecommunication systems and destroying water sources and water supplies. A complicating factor in recovery efforts has been the high level of saline and poison of the ground water and the water sources. Some 1.5 million people are currently living in shelters and there is an immediate danger of water-borne diseases and epidemics. Immediate humanitarian needs include dry foods, clean drinking water and blankets.

CWS Appeal: Kenya Post-Election Civil Unrest

January 2, 2008 – Reaction to results from the Dec. 27, 2007, national elections in Kenya has prompted riots and other acts of violence throughout the east African nation. Religious leaders, including the Rev. Samuel Kobia, the general secretary of the Geneva-based World Council of Churches (WCC), have condemned the violence and have called upon churches and church groups within Kenya not to become involved in what Kobia has called "ominous signs of ethnically targeted hatred and violence." As many as 300 persons are believed to have been killed in violence in Kenya and a number of humanitarian groups within Kenya, such as the Kenya Red Cross, are calling the recent turn of violence a national humanitarian disaster. There have been reported estimates of between 100,000 – 300,000 persons who may be displaced according to the Red Cross.

More Refugees Crowd into South African Church

January 7, 2008, NEW YORK – Twelve hundred refugees sleep each night at Central Methodist Mission in Johannesburg, South Africa. That number is up from 900 during the first few months of 2007. Another 500 to 800 refugees can be found in the street immediately outside the building, according to Bishop Paul Verryn, who leads the staff there. Verryn, who visited the New York headquarters of the United Methodist Committee on Relief on Jan. 3, noted that most of the refugees are from Zimbabwe.

Religious Violence Aimed at Christians in India

January 11, 2008, VALLEY FORGE, PA – Several people (reports range from 3 to 10) were killed as 90 churches and some 600 homes were burned by a violent Hindu faction in Orissa state in eastern India. The incidents, targeting Christians, began on Dec. 23 and lasted for several days. Swarupananda Patra, general secretary of the All Orissa Baptist Churches Federation, reported that, on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, in Bamunigham in the Kandhamal District of Orissa, two Christians were shot and injured, many shops operated by Christians were destroyed, 20 churches were damaged, and three churches were razed to the ground. Patra further reported that on Christmas Day, Christians were terrorized, Christmas worship services were disrupted, churches were forced to close, and Christians hid in forests to evade attacks.

Post-Tsunami Sri Lanka Rebuilds amid Worsening War

January 9, 2008, COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Three years ago, Susantha Jayalath survived the tsunami that swept across the Indian Ocean and devastated the coast of Sri Lanka. He lost his fishing boat and nets, and within weeks sold his wife's jewelry to make the down-payment on a new boat. Then a war got in the way of earning a living, and life for Jayalath remains stalled long after the waves receded. Jayalath's struggles reflect larger challenges that Sri Lanka has faced in the three years since the Dec. 26, 2004, tsunami killed 35,000 people and left more than half a million people homeless on the island nation. Yet hope seems an integral element of the character of those who take to the sea in small boats, so Jayalath has not given up.

United Methodists Provide Relief, Prayers for Kenya

January 10, 2008 – United Methodists were responding to emergency relief needs in Kenya following post-election violence that displaced up to a quarter of a million people. The violence, which also left hundreds of people dead, occurred after the Dec. 27 re-election of President Mwai Kibaki – a vote disputed by the supporters of opposition leader Raila Odinga. On Jan. 10, The Associated Press reported that former U.N. Secretary- General Kofi Annan will lead a panel to mediate between the two political leaders in Kenya. Ghanaian President John Kufuor, president of the African Union, said the rivals also agreed to end the violence.

Zimbabwe Economic Crisis Cripples Mission Station

January 10, 2008, MUTARE, Zimbabwe – The sewage system is overloaded, buildings are decaying, electricity is unreliable, and economic turmoil in Zimbabwe make operating two schools, a hospital, a children's home and church nearly impossible. Yet Old Mutare Mission, a ministry of The United Methodist Church for 110 years, is determined to continue its ministry to the people of Zimbabwe, its leaders say. "Our sewage system is so overloaded that ZINWA (Zimbabwe National Water Authority) is now giving a fine to the mission every quarter," said the Rev. Solomon Mudonhi, mission chairman. "We are trying to do what we can, but it's challenging in the current economic situation."

Middle East News

Emergency Appeal Update: Assistance to War Affected Iraqis

December 19, 2007 Ongoing conflict has forced more than 4.6 million Iraqis from their homes, with some 1 million having been displaced prior to the 2003 U.S. invasion, and another 3.6 million displaced, both inside and outside Iraq, since 2003. As many as half of those have sought safety in neighboring Jordan and Syria. It is estimated one in every six Iraqis has fled to seek safety. A recent report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) indicated that: "Shelter consistently remains a top priority need listed by IDPs. The majority (59%) of IDPs assessed live in rented shelter, often without basic services, which is not sustainable for the many IDPs who do not have income and whose displacement has become protracted. An additional 19% stay with relatives or host families, causing overcrowded conditions and placing a burden on their hosts.

As 2007 Ends, Progress in Afghanistan Proving Elusive

December 14, 2007, KABUL, Afghanistan – How, after six years since the fall of the Taliban, is it possible to measure progress in Afghanistan? It is a frustratingly difficult question to answer, especially for someone who recently made his third visit to the country since 2001 and has seen Afghanistan in three distinct periods. Let me retrace my steps. It is hard to convey how hauntingly devastated the capital of Kabul appeared in the summer of 2001 (immediately before Sept. 11), when I and a Danish colleague visited Afghanistan on behalf of the Action by Churches (ACT) International network. We were in Afghanistan to report on a drought that together with oppressive Taliban rule and the effects of years of internecine warfare were crippling the country.