Front Page

Seeking an End to Millenniums-Old Feud,
United Church of Christ Announces Advertising Outreach to Scientists

January 29, 2008 Cleveland, OH – With hopes of mending a millenniums-old feud between religion and science, the 1.2-million-member United Church of Christ is today launching a new web-based advertising campaign geared toward the scientific and technological communities. "Our hope is to begin to move the church to the place where its public image, public witness and public identity is one of a community of faith that is eager to engage science and to welcome and honor scientists," said the Rev. John H. Thomas, the UCC's general minister and president.

Kenyan Churches Seek Peace for Country "On the Verge of Genocide"

February 1, 2008 – As Kenyan churches are struggling to help prevent the country from descending into genocide, they envision a long term healing effort that will require the sustained engagement of international ecumenical partners. With a death toll increasing by the day and a growing number of internally displaced people, Kenya is facing its worst crisis since independence 45 years ago. After the disputed presidential election of last December over 800 people have been killed, including two members of parliament. As a result of the violence, several thousand people have fled their homes and are sheltered in some 130 camps around the country.

American Baptists Gather in Unity with Fellow Baptists at Covenant Celebration

January 31, 2008, ATLANTA, GA – "This is the most momentous event of my religious life," said former President Jimmy Carter in his opening message in the first session on Wednesday evening of the Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant gathering in Atlanta. The gathering, running from January 30 to February 1, brings together participants from all the major Baptist groups in Canada, the United States and Mexico that are member bodies of the North American Baptist Fellowship, one of the six continental federations of the Baptist World Alliance.

ELCA, Episcopal Presiding Bishops Urge Advocacy in Immigration Policy

January 31, 2008, CHICAGO – The presiding bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Episcopal Church called for members of their churches "to advocate for just national policies on resettlement and migration." The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, and the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, made the comment in joint statement released Jan. 30 at a gathering here with refugees, staff and friends of Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Ministries (IRIM).

WCC Mourns the Death of Greek Orthodox Leader Archbishop Christodoulos

January 31, 2008 – Tribute to His Beatitude Christodoulos "No one of us lives, and equally no one of us dies, for himself alone. If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord" (Rom. 14:7-9). It is with deep sadness that we were informed about the passing away of Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and all Greece, a church leader that literally "belonged to the Lord," as he faithfully served his people in Greece and the worldwide Orthodox Church, while encouraging all Christian efforts and initiatives fostering unity and common witness in our world. I had been blessed with the privilege of knowing the late Archbishop personally.

United Methodists Explore Divestment Proposals

January 29, 2008, FORT WORTH, Texas – Would divestment from companies connected to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land help bring about change in the Middle East? Four United Methodist speakers explored that question during a Jan. 25 panel discussion on "Divestment, the Middle East and Sudan" during the Pre-General Conference News Briefing sponsored by United Methodist Communications. General Conference, which meets every four years, is the denomination's top legislative body. The 2008 assembly will be April 23-May 2 in Fort Worth.

General News

Ash Wednesday

February 3, 2008 – Next Wednesday (6th February) is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Church's 40-day season of Lent. For many Australians, especially the young, the term ‘Ash Wednesday' is associated more strongly with bushfires than with an important date in the liturgical calendar. On Ash Wednesday 25 years ago bushfires swept across Victoria and South Australia, resulting in the deaths of more than 70 people, destroying hundreds of buildings, killing thousands of livestock and razing millions of hectares of countryside.

Anglican Covenant Design Group Meets in London

January 30, 2008 – The Anglican Covenant Design Group, chaired by the Archbishop of the West Indies, the Most Revd Drexel Gomez, is currently meeting at the Anglican Communion Office in London. Provinces represented on the Covenant Design Group are: Wales, Southeast Asia, Indian Ocean, USA, Canada, West Africa, Southern Africa, West Indies, England, as well as the Diocese of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), as well as Anglican Communion and Lambeth Palace staff.

2010 Congress to Explore Faith Communication Issues

January 31, 2008, NEW YORK – Changes in perceptions about religion, its influence in the public arena and how technology delivers the message are among the issues communicators will consider at Religion Communication Congress 2010. The congress, with the theme "Embracing Change: Communicating Faith in Today's World," is scheduled for April 7-10, 2010, at the Marriott Downtown Hotel in Chicago. Participants will represent a broad spectrum of communications specialties, faith traditions and theological perspectives.

Lauran Bethell Speaks about Sexual Exploitation at the New Baptist Covenant

February 1, 2008, ATLANTA, GA – American Baptist International Ministries' Global Consultant, Lauran Bethell called on all Christians to address the international crisis of women and girls who are trafficked into prostitution, during a panel at the Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant meeting in Atlanta on Jan. 31, 2008. Trafficking in human beings and sexual exploitation typically grows out of economic need where teenage girls are required to help their families earn income to help provide for food and basic necessities, according to Bethell.

You Are the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin':
Hundreds Offer Support at ‘Moving Forward, Welcoming All' Celebration

January 26, 2008, HANFORD, California – Hundreds of people-from as far south as San Diego and as far north as Seattle-packed the historic Church of the Saviour in Hanford January 26 in joyous celebration and support for remaining Episcopalians who are "Moving Forward, Welcoming All" and claiming their status as the official Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin. "You are the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin," House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson told more than 350 people amid sustained applause and a standing ovation.

Churches Urged to Remember Heroism of ‘The Four Chaplains'

January 31, 2008, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Chaplaincy director Rev. Herman Keizer is asking Christian Reformed congregations to take a moment this Sunday to remember four chaplains who died 65 years ago aboard the Dorchester, a United States Army transport ship that sank in the frigid North Atlantic. The chaplains, who perished when the ship went down on Feb. 3, 1943, are credited with saving dozens of passengers as the result of their calm in the midst of the chaos after the ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat. "The four chaplains of the Dorchester embody the ministry of presence in the most humble, yet heroic manner," says Keizer, who heads the CRC's Chaplaincy Ministries.

‘Traces of the Trade' Premieres at Sundance, Gets Bought by PBS
Reviewers Debate its Stance on Atonement;
Utah Bishop Calls Film ‘Deeply Moving Story, Amazingly Told'

January 25, 2008 – After premiering January 21 in Park City, Utah, at the Sundance Film Festival, "Traces of the Trade," a film that documents one family's part in the slave trade, became one of three documentaries bought by Public Broadcasting System's Point of View (P.O.V.) series. Filmmaker Katrina Browne, an Episcopalian who in 2001 began tracing the northern United States' role in the slave trade and her family's participation in it, said that P.O.V. will show "Traces" during its 2008 season.

Group of Priests Tells Duncan They Will Not Leave Episcopal Church

January 30, 2008, PITTSBURGH – Twelve priests in the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh have told Bishop Robert Duncan that they will not support his efforts to re-align the diocese outside the Episcopal Church. The one-page letter was addressed to "the people and clergy of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh" and read as follows: "We are rectors and clergy in good standing of the Diocese of Pittsburgh who believe the best way forward for renewal and reformation of the Episcopal Church is support for the Windsor Report and its recommendations. While we understand the need of many of our brothers and sisters to leave the Episcopal Church, we have determined to remain within, and not re-align out of, the Episcopal Church. We intend to ‘keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.'

Ecumenical News

WCC Fellowship's 60th Anniversary – Making a Difference Together Then and Now

January 28, 2008 – Celebrating a 60th birthday for some is a milestone marked by visions of retirement – celebrating achievements and dreaming of new endeavours. The World Council of Churches (WCC), however, on its 60th "birthday" in 2008 does not want to rest on past feats as it looks ahead to the challenges of the 21st century. The largest, most inclusive fellowship of churches in the world, and the pre-eminent face of 20th century ecumenism, is grappling with a very different world today – politically, economically, religiously – than the one it faced following the second world war.

The Vatican in Full-Court Ecumenical Press

January 25, 2008 – Today brings to a close the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, and I'm in Rome watching an all-star ecumenical cast mark the occasion. Although there's been no historic breakthrough on the path to reunion, collectively the week's events have offered a more hopeful counter-point to perceptions of an ecumenical "big chill." Pope Benedict XVI led an ecumenical vespers service today at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, after an audience earlier in the day with the World Council of Churches, the main global umbrella group for Protestant and Orthodox Christians, and other ecumenical figures.

Spanish News

60º Aniversario De La Comunidad Del CMI: Marcando Juntos La Diferencia Entonces Y Ahora

28 enero 2008 – Para algunos, cumplir 60 años es un hito caracterizado por las visiones de la jubilación: celebrar los logros conseguidos y soñar con nuevos empeños. El Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), sin embargo, en su 60º "cumpleaños" en 2008 no quiere detenerse en las hazañas pasadas pues mira hacia el futuro a los desafíos del siglo XXI. La mayor y más inclusiva comunidad de iglesias del mundo, y rostro preeminente del ecumenismo en el siglo XX, lucha a brazo partido con un mundo muy diferente hoy en día -política, económica y religiosamente- a aquel al que se enfrentaba tras la Segunda Guerra Mundial.

Iglesias Apoyan Reclamos De Los Mapuches

29 enero 2008, SANTIAGO, Chile – Varias iglesias evangélicas en Chile, entre ellas la metodista, la anglicana, la luterana e iglesias pentecostales reclaman una acción solidaria con la causa mapuche. "Es importante considerar que la cuestión mapuche es un problema social, derivado de la exclusión de la vida económica, política, social y cultural que ha sufrido por siglos la población indígena de nuestro país. Los esfuerzos primordiales del Gobierno no deben concentrase en los aspectos policiales del tema, sino más bien en encauzar los procesos sociales utilizando medios que no impliquen el uso de la fuerza," dicen las iglesias en diversos comunicados.

Políticas Públicas En La Agenda De La Juventud Evangélica

28 enero 2008, BELO HORIZONTE, Brasil – La asesora de la Secretaria Nacional de la Juventud, Patrícia Oliveira, invitó a la juventud evangélica brasileña a levantar banderas en defensa de los derechos. "La juventud es un mosaico," comparó, refiriéndose a la riqueza de la diversidad representada por ese segmento. El ex-consejero nacional de la juventud y coordinador de la Pastoral de Juventud del Consejo Latinoamericano de Iglesias (CLAI) – regional Brasil, Thiago Machado, comentó en la Conferencia Libre: La juventud Evangélica y Políticas Públicas, reunida en Belo Horizonte el sábado 19, el cambio de paradigma en la comprensión de lo que es juventud, relacionándolo a algunas políticas del gobierno federal dirigidas al sector.

El Abuso Sexual Se Cobra Más Víctimas Infantiles: Exigen Aborto Terapéutico

31 enero 2008, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Dos niñas de 10 años que fueron violadas han quedado embarazadas provocando un amplio debate entre organismos no gubernamentales, el Ministerio Mi familia y la Red de mujeres contra la violencia, que son partidarias que, mediante un dictamen de especialistas, se practique el aborto terapéutico en casos que sus vidas corran peligro.

Iglesia Bautista Internacional Festeja Sus 50 Años

1 febrero 2008, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – La Convención de Iglesias Evangélicas Misión Bautista Internacional, una agrupación con 50 iglesias organizadas, 60 campos misioneros y más de 100 pastores y diáconos, festeja este año sus 50 años de fundación. En reciente asamblea se eligieron nuevas autoridades, resultando electo el laico Fabio Flores como presidente; Josué Pérez como vice presidente; Armando Reyes como secretario y Leopoldo Sequeira como tesorero.

El CMI Llora La Muerte Del Líder Ortodoxo Griego, Arzobispo Christodoulos

29 enero 2008 – La noticia del fallecimiento de Su Beatitud Christodoulos, Arzobispo de Atenas y de toda Grecia, que murió ayer en su hogar de Psyhico (Atenas) a la edad de 69 años, fue recibida con "profundo pesar" por el Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) y por su secretario general, Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia. En la carta de condolencia enviada a la Iglesia de Grecia, que el arzobispo fallecido dirigió desde 1998, Kobia rinde homenaje "a un virtuoso y carismático jefe de iglesia, a un primado ortodoxo que miraba al mundo moderno de una manera interesante y estimulante, a un dirigente eclesial comprometido en seguir el camino de la unidad cristiana con valentía y visión, con perseverancia y paciencia, con atención y humildad."

La Distribución De Biblias En Perú Bate Nuevo Record Histórico

29 enero 2008, LIMA, Perú – La Sociedad Bíblica Peruana dio a conocer un informe, donde por tercer año consecutivo, establece un record histórico de distribución de biblias en el Perú. En el año 2005 la distribución de biblias fue de 253,916 unidades, en el 2006 la cifra alcanzó las 273,021 unidades y en el 2007 superó esta cantidad logrando 311,578 biblias.

Murió Líder De La Iglesia Ortodoxa Griega

28 enero 2008, GINEBRA, Suiza – Esta madrugada, a la edad de 69 años, murió en su hogar en el suburbio ateniense de Psyhico el líder de la Iglesia Ortodoxa Griega, Su Beatitud Arzobispo Cristodoulos I. El prelado, que padecía de cáncer del hígado y del intestino grueso, rechazó el tratamiento hospitalario en las últimas semanas. "Perdió la voluntad de vivir y decidió entregar su alma," comentó el obispo Anthimos de Salónica a la televisión estatal griega. El primer ministro griego, Costas Karamanlis, rindió hoy tributo al desaparecido primado, al que llamó "clérigo ilustrado" y "líder religioso que fortaleció el papel de la Ortodoxia en el mundo."

La FLM Y La Iglesia Luterana Sínodo De Missouri Instan Al Diálogo Mutuo

30 enero 2008, GINEBRA, Suiza – Reunidos en Ginebra del 21 al 24 de enero, representantes de la Iglesia Luterana-Sínodo de Missouri (ILSM) y la Federación Luterana Mundial (FLM) han afirmado la necesidad de establecer comunicaciones directas entre ambas organizaciones, para poderse beneficiarse mutuamente de su herencia común en la reforma. "No obstante que en nuestras reuniones y conversaciones hemos podido verificar que existen sospechas mutuas entre nuestros respectivos cuerpos eclesiales y sus miembros, tenemos mucho en común debido a nuestra herencia luterana común," comentó el Rvdo.

National News

Bush Library Opponents Question Process for Approval

February 1, 2008, DALLAS – Officials of Southern Methodist University say they have approval to give the George W. Bush Foundation a 99-year lease to build a presidential library, museum and policy institute on school property. The lease is renewable up to 249 years. However, United Methodists who oppose building the library and institute here argue that only the church's South Central Jurisdictional Conference can give final approval for the lease. The jurisdictional conference, which meets once every four years, is scheduled to meet this July in Dallas.

More American Baptist Volunteers Needed to Build Houses on Gulf Coast

January 29, 2008 VALLEY FORGE, PA – Once again National Ministries, on behalf of American Baptist Churches USA, will partner with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Baton Rouge in spring 2008 to build five homes for families that have permanently relocated to Baton Rouge, following displacement by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. More than 300 volunteers will be required to complete the homes in this "Blitz Build." "Taking part in a ‘Blitz Build' is an amazing opportunity to let others see the love of Jesus Christ in you," says Victoria Goff, National Ministries' national coordinator of Volunteer Ministries.

Second Woman Seeks Sanctuary in Chicago Church

January 31, 2008 – Adalberto United Methodist Church in Chicago has opened its doors once again to a woman seeking protection from deportation to Mexico. Flor Crisóstomo, 28, says she is "picking up the torch" from Elvira Arelleno, another congregation member who lived in the church for a year before leaving last August. Arelleno was arrested and deported within days of leaving Chicago and arriving in Los Angeles, where she had planned to speak out for compassionate immigration reform. "Today we respond as a church to another request for sanctuary from one of our members," said a statement released Jan. 28 by the church. "We respond by standing together with her as Jesus calls us to do."

International News

Canadian Churches Urge Healing in Afghanistan

Jan. 31, 2008, BURLINGTON, Ont. – Christian Reformed churches in Canada are ramping up efforts to push for peace and reconciliation and an end to the war in Afghanistan. The church's mobilization and advocacy comes in the wake of the release of the Manley Panel report, which was commissioned by the Canadian government to examine the country's future role in Afghanistan. Chaired by former Deputy Prime Minister John Manley, the panel has just delivered its recommendations to Canadians. In the process, the panel's report has drawn widespread discussion and debate across the country, says Mike Hogeterp, spokesperson for the Committee for Contact with the Government (CCG), a justice ministry of the Christian Reformed churches in Canada.

AACC and WCC Peace Delegation Visit Burundi

February 1, 2008 – A delegation from the All Africa Conference of Churches and the World Council of Churches headed by His Excellency former President Joachim Chisano of Mozambique arrived in Burundi on 29th January 2008 for a 3-day visit at the invitation of the National Council of Churches of Burundi.

Kyrgyzstan: Will New Presidential Decree Ban Small Religious Communities?

January 31, 2008 – A planned Presidential Decree could ban many of Kyrgyzstan's small religious communities, Forum 18 has learnt. Regulations attached to the Decree – if adopted – insist that religious communities must gain registration with the State Agency for Religious Affairs and must have 200 adult citizen members. "A provision for 200 founders would be bad, even for the Orthodox and the Muslims," Fr Igor Dronov of the Russian Orthodox Church told Forum 18.

United Methodists in Liberia, Norway Sign Pact

February 1, 2008, MONROVIA, Liberia – United Methodists in Norway and Liberia have signed a partnership agreement to develop and promote community-based projects throughout Liberia. The memorandum of understanding, signed in mid-January, emphasizes mutual cooperation and clarifies the authority and responsibility of the Liberia Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church and The United Methodist Church of Norway. Funding for the development program, based on a document prepared and approved by both parties in March 2007, will come from the Norwegian church and its donors.

Relief Staff Worried by Ongoing Violence in Kenya

January 30, 2008, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Christian Reformed Church relief officials say they remain very concerned by the violence that continues to ebb and flow across parts of Kenya. Just as the situation seemed to be moderating, yet another round of killing, rape and burning of buildings erupted, causing CRC staff this week to fear that no immediate resolution of the bloodshed is in sight. "You have political, ethnic and issues of economic disparity at work here," says Ida Mutoigo, the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee director in Canada. "All three of these things are pulling at the people. We are just waiting and praying" and hoping that order and sanity can be restored in the major towns affected by conflict.

Kenya Missionaries Return to Work Despite Continuing Unrest
Global Crisis Consultant Commends Episcopal Church's Response

January 30, 2008 – Kenya's Episcopal missionaries Nan and Gerry Hardison are steadfastly committed to continuing their ministry as teachers and health care specialists in Maseno, despite tribal and criminal gang violence that has roiled the east African nation since the December 27 contested presidential election. The Hardisons returned to Maseno in west Kenya January 25 and are back to work, Gerry as the medical director of Maseno Mission Hospital and Nan as a teacher at St. Philip's Theological College. They had been evacuated to Nairobi January 11 following the post-election conflict that threatened their security and is responsible for the deaths of more than 900 people.

Middle East News

Gaza's Ahli Arab Hospital Receives Support from American Friends, ERD

January 25, 2008 – The Ahli Arab Hospital, one of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem's oldest institutions, has been severely affected after Israel's blockade of Gaza on January 17 created fuel shortages throughout the territory, resulting in the closing of the region's main power plant. Emergency funding from the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) is ensuring critical assistance reaches the hospital as it struggles to serve the predominantly Muslim population in Gaza where about 80 percent of the 1.2 million residents are living below the World Health Organization poverty line.

People in the News

AJC Mourns Mormon Leader Gordon B. Hinckley

January 28, 2008, NEW YORK – The American Jewish Committee mourns today the passing of Gordon B. Hinckley, the president and prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "When a delegation of AJC leaders met with President Hinckley and the First Presidency in 2003, we found him to be wise and witty, proud of his Church's positive history with the Jewish community and a good listener as well," said Rabbi Gary Greenebaum, AJC's U.S. director of Interreligious Affairs.