Front Page

Peace Conference: Where Is the Church's Voice?

February 6, 2008, LAKE JUNALUSKA, NC – "If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes." Luke 19:41 Seasoned peacemakers, social justice advocates and seminary students spent three days at a peace conference grappling with the question: "How can The United Methodist Church find its voice in a world of violence?" The Rev. Peter Storey, a renowned peace advocate and the former Methodist bishop of South Africa, set the tone for the three-day gathering as he welcomed 400 participants to "the conference of impossible things."

Prayer Changes Spark Further Alarm

February 7, 2008 – Jewish groups and traditionalist Catholics have condemned Pope Benedict's replacement of the contentious Good Friday prayer which calls for the conversion of Jews. The prayer has been amended to remove language which was offensive to Jews, however some groups say it is still offensive. Likewise, some Catholics say they prefer the original prayer. The New York Times reports the director of the International Religious Affairs American Jewish Committee director Rabbi David Rosen called the new prayer "disappointing."

Former President Clinton Urges Baptists to Confront Faith Differences
with Outstretched Hands and Not Clenched Fists

February 4, 2008, ATLANTA, GA – Former President and longtime Baptist, Bill Clinton abandoned his prepared speech and addressed a 16,000-person Baptist gathering at the Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant event in Atlanta, GA on February 1, 2008. Clinton put aside his prepared speech and spoke from his heart. He urged the approving crowd to respect and love Baptists with differing understandings of the Scripture. In talking about the differences that have traditionally kept the Baptist denominations separate, Clinton challenged the gathering to discover, "how we might go beyond those of us in the crowd to find the journey that we might begin together."

WCC Congratulates Archbishop Hieronymos II
upon His Election as Head of the Church of Greece

February 8, 2008 – Joyful anticipation of a continued "close cooperation with the Church of Greece in serving the cause of Christian unity" under the leadership of Archbishop Hieronymos II was expressed in a congratulatory message to the newly elected head of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Greece by WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia. The former Metropolitan of Thebes and Livadia was elected Archbishop of Athens and All Greece by the church's Holy Synod on 7 February. He succeeds Archbishop Christodoulos, who died on 28 January.

Mother, Son Speak out Against Iraq War

February 6, 2008, LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. – Celeste Zappala and her son Dante are members of a distinguished order they never would have chosen. They are part of Gold Star Families, an organization of families who have lost loved ones in the Iraq war. Sgt. Sherwood Baker, 30, died on April 26, 2004, in an explosion while guarding people who were looking for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. He was a son, brother and father.

Archbishop of Canterbury's Inept Intervention

February 8, 2008 – The Archbishop of Canterbury yesterday used a lecture in the Royal Courts of Justice to propose that sharia law should be applied in certain circumstances. The idea is not as outlandish as it may first appear. There are already sharia councils in this country to which Muslims turn for advice and religious sanction in matters such as divorce. Likewise, Orthodox Jews have recourse to the Beth Din over, for example, dietary laws, divorce and tenancy disputes. A further instance of legal sensitivity to religious belief is the ability of Christian doctors to opt out of abortions.

General News

American Baptists Celebrate 25th Anniversary of the McKee Consultation

February 5, 2008, VALLEY FORGE, PA – African American members of American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) make up nearly 48 percent of the denomination's total membership, which makes ABCUSA the most ethnically diverse Protestant denomination in the country. One way that diversity is celebrated is through the annual McKee Consultation, a gathering of ABCUSA's African American executive leadership and special guests. Named in honor of Dr. William T. McKee, the first African American to serve as executive director of an ABC Program Board, the consultation will be held in Miami, FL, Feb. 6-8.

2008-09 Gioles Scholarships Applications Available

February 8, 2008 – Applications are available for scholarships to be awarded from the George and Naouma (Gioule) Gioles Scholarship Fund of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. The Gioles Scholarship Fund was established in 1997 with a generous gift in memory of George and Naouma Gioles. At least three scholarships of $1500.00 each will be awarded for the 2008-09 academic year.

United Methodists Explore Church's Global Structure

February 6, 2008, FORT WORTH, Texas – Would making The United Methodist Church in the United States a regional body be the best way for the denomination to function as a worldwide body? Ten speakers explored that question during a Jan. 25 panel discussion on "The Worldwide Nature of the Church: What It Means" 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. During its meeting April 23-May 2 in Fort Worth, the 2008 assembly will consider proposed structural changes to the denomination that acknowledge the fact that the church is growing outside of the United States and that 30 percent of United Methodist members now live outside the United States.

Ethnic Ministries Seek Funds for Community Development

February 7, 2008, FORT WORTH, Texas. – The six ethnic ministries of The United Methodist Church are requesting a $12.3 million slice of the denomination's $642 million pie for the next four years. Representatives of the plans and initiatives highlighted accomplishments and outlined plans to expand their ministries during a Jan. 26 breakfast during the church's Pre-General Conference News Briefing. The $642 million denominational budget proposed to the 2008 General Conference, the church's top legislative body, represents a 1.2 percent annual increase, for a total increase of 4.8 percent over four years.

Second Wave of Immigrants Become Pastors

February 6, 2008 – Rev. Jacob Harris has just one explanation for why he wasn't killed during the civil war in his native Liberia, West Africa: "It was God's grace." Three times he came close to death when rebels pointed their guns at his head, he says, and three times God saved him. Now he is prepared to serve the Lord, he says, by preaching God's Word to everyone, including fellow Liberians who have sought refuge in the United States. Harris is one of 14 men who graduated Jan. 24 from the Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology (EIIT) – a distance-education program based at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, that's designed to prepare immigrants as pastors and deaconesses.

Judicial Council to Be ‘On Call' at General Conference

February 5, 2008 – The top judicial body of The United Methodist Church has a light docket of cases for its spring meeting but will be "on call" to handle questions of law that rise from the floor of the 2008 General Conference. The closing of General Conference, the denomination's top legislative meeting, also will serve as the beginning of the new eight-year terms of Judicial Council members who are re-elected or elected by the churchwide assembly. The nine-member Judicial Council acts as the church's supreme court and often is asked from the floor to make rulings during General Conference, which meets every four years.

Young Faces Bring Hope to Peace Conference Leaders

February 6, 2008, LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. – Students from Candler School of Theology, Duke Divinity School, Gammon Theological Seminary and Asbury Theological Seminary became symbols of hope for planners and leaders of a three-day peace conference. Time after time, speakers scanned the audience and spoke gratefully of seeing young faces at a gathering that tackled the tough questions of war and peace and the church's role in peacemaking in a violent world. "I am grateful to the lives of students who are such an inspiration to me," said the Rev. Peter Storey, a former Methodist bishop in South Africa, at the opening of the 2008 Lake Junaluska Peace Conference.

Archives Launches African American Web Exhibit

February 8, 2008 – The Archives of the Episcopal Church has launched an electronic publication and online exhibit titled "The Church Awakens: African Americans and the Struggle for Justice." The multimedia exhibit covers the period of enslavement to the present, with emphasis on the Civil Rights era. As an educational resource for Church settings, the exhibit is designed to expand on the strength of reader input and future research. This web-based project offers an examination of the compelling story of how African American Episcopalians struggled to claim their rightful place as full and equal members of the Church community.

Ecumenical News

Anglican Communion Network for Interfaith, NIFCON, Launches ‘Generous Love'

February 7, 2008 – Generous Love: the truth of the Gospel and the call to dialogue – An Anglican theology of inter faith relations. This short treatise is the culmination of work in which NIFCON has been engaged over the last four years. The discernment of a distinctively Anglican theology of inter faith relations is set against the backdrop of and builds on similar work in other Christian traditions, notably Nostra Aetate. Why do we need a theology of inter faith relations? Much has been said about the pressing need for serious engagement and understanding between faiths so that it might be a solution to rather than the cause of disharmony or even violence.

Spanish News

Iglesias De Burundi Y Personalidades Ecuménicas Africanas Se Comprometen a Estabilizar El País

7 febrero 2008 – En Burundi, donde las elecciones democráticas de 2005 permitieron abrigar esperanzas de paz y democracia, los recientes crímenes y violencias han hecho que las iglesias teman por la estabilidad de la nación. Una delegación ecuménica, presidida por el ex presidente de Mozambique, Joaquim Chissano, visitó el país de África central por invitación del Consejo Nacional de Iglesias de Burundi, del 28 al 31 de enero. Chissano se ha hecho acreedor del reconocimiento internacional por el exitoso programa de desarme realizado en Mozambique.

Las Iglesias De Kenya Buscan La Paz Para Un País Que Se Halla "Al Borde Del Genocidio"

4 febrero 2008 – En su lucha por contribuir a evitar que el país caiga en el genocidio, las iglesias de Kenya prevén un esfuerzo de sanación a largo plazo que exigirá el compromiso constante de los asociados ecuménicos internacionales. Kenya se enfrenta con la peor crisis desde su independencia hace 45 años, al aumentar cada día el número de muertos y de personas desplazadas dentro del país. Tras la disputada elección presidencial del pasado diciembre, han sido asesinadas más de 800 personas, entre las que figuran dos miembros del parlamento.

, Cartas Vivas – del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias en solidaridad con las iglesias que se enfrentan con situaciones de violencia.

Haced La Paz Ahora, Ha Instado Una Delegación Ecuménica Internacional
a Los Principales Líderes Políticos De Kenya

5 febrero 2008 – Cuando la mediación para resolver la elección presidencial impugnada en Kenya entra en una fase crítica, personalidades del más alto nivel de ambas partes se reunieron con una delegación ecuménica internacional, la cual les pidió que abandonen la disputa electoral para buscar una solución de compromiso.

National News

United Methodists Respond to Storms

February 7, 2008, NASHVILLE, Tenn. – United Methodists are helping communities in four states recover from a series of tornadoes that killed at least 57 people in one night. A rare midwinter storm spawned the tornadoes that struck the U.S. South Feb. 5, flattening homes and businesses. Alabama, Arkansas and Kentucky all suffered fatalities, with Tennessee experiencing the highest death toll at 32, according to news reports. Bethpage (Tenn.) United Methodist Church is collecting donations to help pay for the funeral of a young mother, Karey Beth Stowell, whose infant was ripped from her arms during the deadly rampage.

ELCA Synod Bishop Expresses ‘Shock, Sadness' over Missouri Shootings

February 8, 2008, CHICAGO – The Rev. Gerald L. Mansholt, bishop of the Central States Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), expressed "deep shock and great sadness" in the wake of the Feb. 7 shooting incident in Kirkwood, Mo., that left six people dead, including the gunman. The shootings happened as a meeting of the Kirkwood City Council was beginning. A lone gunman shot and killed a police officer outside Kirkwood City Hall, and took the officer's gun and his into the council meeting.

International News

Continuing Assistance Offered to the Victims of the Wildfires in Greece

February 8, 2008, NEW YORK – Members of the Special Committee of the Greek Fire Relief Fund met on Wednesday, February 6, 2008, to review matters previously discussed and to hear a report from Bishop Andonios, Coordinator of the Fund, on his fact-finding trip to areas of Greece affected by the recent wildfires. The meeting took place at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese under the leadership of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios.

ELCA Presiding Bishop Asks for Prayers for Peace in Kenya

February 7, 2008, CHICAGO – In a Feb. 8 message to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, asked members to "join brothers and sisters throughout the world in prayer for peace and reconciliation in Kenya." The presiding bishop's message also served as a report to the church with updates about mission personnel serving there, contacts with Kenyan Lutheran churches and information about how the ELCA has responded to the crisis in Kenya. Following a disputed presidential election Dec. 27, there has been widespread violence in Kenya that has left more than 1,000 people dead. Political and civic leaders have been assassinated.

Two U.S. Foundations' Grants for Rapid Disaster Response Deliver Quick Relief to Kenyans in Crisis

January 31, 2008, NEW YORK – Two U.S. foundations have helped speed disaster relief to Kenyans displaced and threatened by the country's post-election violence, through their support of a new Emergency Response Revolving Fund. The fund is part of a strategy by global humanitarian agency Church World Service (CWS) to improve the speed and effectiveness of immediate aid delivery when disasters strike around the globe.

American Baptist Delegation to Visit Burmese Refugee Camps in Thailand

February 6, 2008, VALLEY FORGE, PA – Under the auspices of the Burmese Refugees Task Force, American Baptist Leaders, Pastors and Lay People will travel to the refugee camps along the Thailand border with Myanmar, traditionally known as Burma, Feb. 11-21. Their goals are numerous and include ministering to the ethnic Karen people group in the camps, gaining a better understanding on the refugee-to-resettlement process, and reaffirming the historic ties between American Baptists and the Burmese people.

CRWRC Grant Brings Relief to Kenyans Displaced by Violence

February 6, 2008 GRAND RAPIDS, MICH: On the evening of December 31, 2007, a vehicle pulled into the yard of St. Luke's Cathedral in Western Kenya. Rev. James Mbawa paused in the doorway of his church to ask God for courage and protection in whatever was about to happen. As he walked out to the churchyard, 7-year-old girl ran from the truck with open arms, sobbing, "Oh, they want to kill us! Oh, they hate us!" She clung to Rev. Mbawa in terror and shock. More stunned children and adults began to unload from the vehicle in the darkness.

Joint Effort Brings Medicines to the Congo

February 7, 2008, KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo – A diverse coalition of organizations have come together to provide medicines worth up to $14 million to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The first and largest shipment of medicines arrived Feb. 2 in Kinshasa through a cooperative effort by Saint Paul School of Theology, Kansas City, Mo.; The United Methodist Church of North Katanga; Islamic Relief USA; the United Methodist Committee on Relief; and Interchurch Medical Assistance. The U.S. Department of Defense and American Embassy in Kinshasa facilitated the shipment. A second shipment is planned.

Make Peace Now, an International Ecumenical Delegation Has Urged Kenyan Top Political Leaders

February 5, 2008 – As mediation to solve the disputed Kenyan presidential election enters a critical phase, top-level figures from the two parties met an international ecumenical delegation, which asked them to move on from the electoral dispute and seek a compromise solution. The seven-member group of church representatives sent by the World Council of Churches as part of its Living Letters initiative in solidarity with churches facing situations of violence, visited Kenya from 30 January to 3 February.

World Mission Re-Evaluating Situation in Kenya

February 1, 2008 – LCMS World Mission has asked its missionaries to Kenya to remain indefinitely in Ethiopia after they attend regularly scheduled meetings there, according to Travis Torblaa, the mission board's personnel care manager. The move came in the wake of post-election rioting in the East African country that has left more than 600 dead, hundreds of thousands displaced, and widespread destruction of property, including as many as 10 churches of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK), an LCMS partner.

Missionary Tends to International Congregations in Germany

February 5, 2008 – A growing number of international United Methodist congregations now exist within Germany, where their members range from Americans to Africans, diplomats to asylum seekers, students to business people. All, according to Bishop Rosemarie Wenner of the Germany area, are welcome within the United Methodist Church in Germany. Wenner believes that differences in language and culture need not create barriers within the church but, rather, can offer rich opportunities for connection and exchange.

Middle East News

Interfaith Conference Held in Jordan

February 7, 2008, BEIRUT, Lebanon – Under the patronage of His Royal Majesty King Abdallah II, senior Christian and Muslim religious leaders attended the Third International Conference sponsored by the "Jordanian Interfaith Coexistence Research Centre" in Amman – Jordan (22 – 23 January 2007). MECC General Secretary, Heads of Churches in the Middle East, Presidents of Islamic centers, religious leaders and experts on Christian-Muslim dialogue participated in the conference.

People in the News

Borgdorff Appointed President of Reformed Ecumenical Council

February 4, 2008, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Rev. Peter Borgdorff, former executive director of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, has been named president of the Reformed Ecumenical Council, a group that represents some 39 denominations and about 12 million Christians worldwide. Borgdorff takes over from Rev. Douwe Visser, who resigned the presidency of REC to take a position with the World Alliance of Reformed Churches WARC), based in Geneva, Switzerland. Both Borgdorff and Visser were in Grand Rapids on Monday for a special chapel service at which the transition was announced.

‘Twick' Morrison, Racial Justice Advocate, Dies

February 8, 2008 – Martha Cooper "Twick" Morrison, 76, a champion of racial justice and reconciliation in Mississippi and across The United Methodist Church, died Feb. 7 at home in Vicksburg with her family, following a 20-month battle with lung cancer. "My wife was a remarkable woman who was loved dearly by her family," said Robert Morrison, husband of 55 years. She was born in Turner's Station, Ky., and graduated from Blue Mountain College with a bachelor of arts degree. She later was awarded an honorary doctor of humanities degree. She also received a master of arts degree in English from the University of Mississippi.

Rochester Elects Prince Singh as Eighth Bishop

February 2, 2008 – The Rev. Dr. Prince Singh was elected February 2 to be the next bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester. Singh, 45, rector of St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Oakland/Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, in the Diocese of Newark, was elected on the second ballot from a slate of five candidates.

Pope Accepts Resignation of Syrian-Catholic Patriarch

February 2, 2008, VATICAN CITY – Benedict XVI has written a Letter to His Beatitude Ignace Pierre VIII Abdel-Ahad, for the occasion of the latter's resignation from the office of patriarch of Antioch of the Syrian Catholics. In his Letter the Pope refers to another letter, which the patriarch sent him explaining the reasons for his decision, and he recalls how "you presented your resignation from the office of patriarch following a period of reflection and prolonged prayer before the Lord." "I very much appreciate," the Holy Father goes on, "this gesture of ecclesial love, motivated above all by your concern for the spiritual progress of the faithful and for harmony among bishops, and in which I perceive an admirable confirmation of your apostolic zeal."