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Rev. N. J. L'Heureux, Jr., Publisher & Editor
Rev. Pedro Bravo-Guzman, Editor-in-Chief
An Ecumenical Report of Local and Global News
in God's Household
Published by the Queens Federation of Churches
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April 18, 2008, NEW YORK – Using unusually strong words for an ecumenical prayer service, Pope Benedict XVI said the witness of Christians in the world is weakened not only by their divisions, but also by some communities turning their backs on Christian tradition. "Communion with the church in every age," he said, is needed particularly "at the time when the world is losing its bearings and needs a persuasive common witness to the saving power of the Gospel." The pope met April 18 with about 250 representatives of U.S. ecumenical organizations and a dozen Christian churches and denominations for evening prayer at St. Joseph's Church in New York. Among the ecumenical representatives attending to welcome the Pope to New York City were leaders of the Queens Federation of Churches, the Council of Churches of the City of New York and the Brooklyn Council of Churches as well as the leadership of the National Council of Churches USA, the National Association of Evangelicals, and the Long Island Council of Churches. April 18, 2008, LOUISVILLE – Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick and the Rev. Michael Kinnamon, the new general secretary of the National Council of Churches of Christ (NCC) will share leadership of a worship service at the Presbyterian Center here April 22 to mark Earth Day and celebrate the ecological vision contained in the new ecumenical Social Creed for the 21st Century. Agency Withdraws Petition on Caterpillar Divestment April 17, 2008 – After direct meetings with Caterpillar Inc., the United Methodist Church's social action agency says it will withdraw a petition calling for divestment from the heavy equipment manufacturer. The petition, sent to the denomination's top legislative body, charged that the company profits from illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and contributes to the occupation by supplying Israeli Defense Forces with heavy equipment. Orthodox Christians to Observe Easter (Pascha) April 27 April 18, 2008, NEW YORK, NY – Easter (Pascha) will be celebrated on April 27th this year by over 250 million Orthodox Christians worldwide. Holy Week will commence on Palm Sunday, April 20. "In his First Epistle to the Corinthians, Saint Paul, having detected some wrong ideas about the resurrection among the Corinthians, wrote specifically to underscore the centrality of the resurrection of Christ to the Christian faith," says Archbishop Demetrios, spiritual leader of 1.5 million Greek Orthodox Christians in America and Chairman of the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas, in his Easter Encyclical. UCC, NCC Call for Nationwide Preach-in on Race on May 18 April 3, 2008 – As a proactive response to the heightened interest surrounding Trinity UCC in Chicago, national and regional UCC leaders, joined by the National Council of Churches, today called for a nationwide "sacred conversation" about race in the United States. At a press conference held at Trinity UCC on the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s last sermon, the Rev. John H. Thomas, the UCC's general minister and president; the Rev. Michael Kinnamon, general secretary of the National Council of Churches; and the Rev. Otis Moss III, pastor of Chicago's Trinity UCC, called UCC pastors, congregations and others to participate in a May 18 preach-in on race. Migration: Welcoming the Stranger Is Not Optional, Says WCC April 17, 2008 – "Migration is a fact of life. It is as much an instinct to survive as it is an inevitable consequence of globalization. We can neither turn our backs on it, nor control it," declared in a statement participants at a 15-16 April Public Hearing on Migration and the Changing Ecclesial Landscape in Beirut, Lebanon. "Migrants are not commodities, illegal aliens or mere victims, they are human beings." Around the world, people are leaving their home countries in search of safety, freedom or a better life. Texas Church Builds on Eco-Friendly Foundation April 15, 2008, CEDAR PARK, Texas – At The Rock United Methodist Church, people are not only interested in saving souls, but nurturing God's green earth. "This congregation sees our neighbors not just as the people who live across the street from us, but also the deer that live on this property," says the Rev. Kristina Carter, the church's pastor. With a degree in engineering chemistry and a Ph.D. in applied chemistry, Carter is not your typical pastor. She worked 10 years in environmental remediation and even wrote parts of a 1997 mercury report to the U.S. Congress. April 17, 2008, SAN ANTONIO, TX – Churches practicing good evangelism are like aging adults working hard to stay physically fit, according to author and researcher the Rev. Martha Grace Reese. It's about practicing good habits and patterns and sticking with it, said the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) minister who recently directed a four-year evangelism research project funded by the Lilly Endowment. Reese discussed her findings in a keynote speech at the 2008 Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Multicultural Conference April 12. United Methodist Project Develops Clergywomen April 16, 2008 – A new United Methodist project aims to support clergywomen who lead churches with more than 1,000 members, research their leadership styles, and establish a mentoring program for women who have the potential to serve such churches. "After having a great celebration of 50 years of full clergy rights of women in Methodism in 2006, I believe that now is the time to reflect on something new and creative," said the Rev. HiRho Park, director of continuing formation for ministry at the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry. "Many clergywomen have been thriving in a context where the congregation and the surrounding community are accustomed to male lead pastors, while others have experienced difficulties as the first female lead pastor in their church," she said. Mennonite Editor Elected Chair of NCC Committee on the Uniform Series April 14, 2008 NEW YORK – When representatives from vastly different Christian traditions discuss the content of church school lessons, it is no small miracle that they usually agree. You don't need a smidgeon of church history to know it was not always so. Christians were burning each other at the stake so recently you can almost smell the acrid odor in our church yards. No Christian communion is more familiar with the hot end of that stick than Mennonites, many of whom still place The Martyr's Mirror next to the Bible on their bookshelves. April 18, 2008 Building a successful, multi-cultural ministry goes far beyond diversity work groups, occasional choir exchanges, or setting aside time on Sunday mornings to pray for an end to racism, says Edward Gilbreath, author of the recently released book "Reconciliation Blues: A Black Evangelical's Inside View of White Christianity.'‘ In a presentation on Friday at Calvin College's Festival of Faith & Writing, Gilbreath said breaking down racial barriers requires that members of a congregation be committed to opening themselves to the reality that everyone is equal in the eyes of God. ELCA Council Acts on Resolution on Racism, Other Proposals April 18, 2008, CHICAGO – The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) adopted a resolution on racism, asked for a formal proposal for full communion with the United Methodist Church, commended occasional services materials to the church, set the site and date of the 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, and acted on several other proposals. Archbishop of Canterbury: Society Still Needs Religion April 18, 2008 – The Archbishop of Canterbury gave a lecture in which he acknowledges the rise in interest in spirituality, particularly in the Western World, but underlines the crucial role traditional religious allegiance continues to play in a genuinely plural society. Dr William's lecture entitled "The Spiritual and the Religious: is the territory changing?," is the third in a series "Faith and Life in Britain" being given at Westminster Cathedral. Acknowledging the contribution that increased spiritual awareness can make to social and corporate life, Dr. Williams argues for the continued relevance of traditional religious commitment in developing and sustaining some of the deepest resources needed in a responsible plural society. April 14, 2008, PASO ROBLES, CA – When Tom Taylor was invited to preach at the Highlands new church development here on the Sunday after Easter, he never envisioned addressing an overflow crowd. "Imagine preaching to 700 people on the day the church traditionally calls ‘low Sunday,'" said Taylor, the PC(USA)'s deputy executive director of mission. "It completely wowed me, what God is doing. It's simply astonishing what is going on here in only a year and a half's time." Indeed since first launching and housing its ministry in a local movie theater in the heart of the city in the spring of 2006, the Highlands Church – a new church development of Santa Barbara Presbytery funded by the Mission Initiative: Joining Hearts & Hands (MIJHH) – has moved from one service of worship with an average attendance of 180 to three services with an average attendance of 550. Anglican Women Around the Globe Speak out on Poverty and Women's Empowerment April 17, 2008 – While worldwide attention is focused on discord and divisions within the Anglican Communion, Anglican women and girls are uniting to make their voices heard on issues of poverty and women's empowerment, express the power and depth of their faith, and to reveal their connections across cultural and economic differences, by contributing to a new book of women's prayers. Following on the popularity of Women's Uncommon Prayers: Our Lives Revealed, Nurtured, Celebrated, this all-new collection of prayers, with its multicultural global reach, will be organized according to themes of the Millennium Development Goals. April 12, 2008 – Participants at the Episcopal Communicators 35th annual meeting heard calls April 10 and 11 to help change the political discourse of the United States and to stake a claim in emerging online virtual communities. On the final evening of the meeting April 11, Communicators honored their colleagues' work in 2007 with the 28th annual Polly Bond Awards. Top honors, known as the General Excellence Award, went to four publications. Episcopal Life (Robert Williams, director of Episcopal Life Media, and Jerry Hames, editor emeritus) won in the Newspapers/Periodicals, Churchwide Group or Agency category. UCC Leaders Attend Pope's Ecumenical Gathering April 18, 2008, NEW YORK – Two UCC leaders will be attending an ecumenical prayer service with Pope Benedict XVI tonight in New York City. General Minister and President John H. Thomas and Ecumenical Officer Lydia Veliko will join an ecumenical contingency of 200 heads of communion and other ecumenical leaders at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Manhattan. "The opportunity to gather for prayer with key United States Catholic leaders in the context of Pope Benedict XVI's visit provides an occasion to encourage deeper Protestant Catholic relationships in our local communities," Thomas said. Oregon Pact Models Methodist, Lutheran Communion April 15, 2008 – When a United Methodist congregation and a Lutheran congregation in McMinnville, Ore., formed a cooperative ministry two years ago, the decision emerged out of a desire to share a common mission, not out of desperation. Neither the McMinnville United Methodist Church nor Trinity Lutheran Church, part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, was in danger of closing, according to the Rev. Stephan Ross, the United Methodist pastor. "Both of our churches could survive quite well on their own," he explained. But the congregations liked the idea of being "a model of and a testimony to the unity of the church, which transcends denominational distinctions." At New York Synagogue, Pope Encourages ‘Bridges of Friendship' April 18, 2008, NEW YORK – In a brief, movingly simple visit to a New York synagogue, Pope Benedict XVI expressed his respect for the city's Jewish community and encouraged the building of "bridges of friendship" between religions. The encounter April 18 marked the first time a pope has visited a Jewish place of worship in the United States, and it came a day before the start of the Jewish Passover. The pope said he felt especially close to Jews as they "prepare to celebrate the great deeds of the Almighty and to sing the praises of him who has worked such wonders for his people." He was welcomed at the Park East Synagogue by Rabbi Arthur Schneier, 78, an Austrian-born Holocaust survivor, who called his visit historic and "a reaffirmation of your outreach, good will and commitment to enhancing Jewish-Catholic relations." Líder Evangélico Afirma Que La Iglesia Ha Fallado En Su Misión Social 14 abril 2008, CIUDAD DE GUATEMALA, Guatemala – La iglesia debe trabajar desde las causas de la crisis social, económica, política de la sociedad y de la iglesia y no solo luchar contra las manifestaciones de esa crisis, dijo el Superintendente para Centroamérica de la Iglesia de Dios del Evangelio Completo, pastor Roberto Aldana. El viernes 11 de abril, 50 mil personas viajaron para representar a 250 mil miembros de las distintas iglesias locales, provenientes de 22 departamentos y de 333 municipios; se dieron cita desde las siete de la mañana, para celebrar los 75 años de esa Iglesia en el Estadio Nacional "Mateo Flores," ubicado en la ciudad capital. Ignorados Por Todo El Mundo" – Una Visita a Yambio, Sudán 18 abril 2008 – El Metropolita Dr. Zacarías Mar Theophilus, de la Iglesia Siria Mar Thoma de Malabar, India, fue uno de los miembros del equipo ecuménico que visitó recientemente la región de Yambio en Sudán. Yambio, capital del estado de Ecuatoria del Oeste, situada cerca de la frontera con la República Democrática del Congo, es verde y fértil. "Pero las personas que encontramos allí se sienten ignoradas," dice Theophilus, "ignoradas por Jartum, ignoradas por Juba, ignoradas por todo el mundo." Anglicanos Denuncian Situación Agraria En Paraná 14 abril 2008, CURITIBA, Brasil – La Cámara de los Obispos de la Iglesia Episcopal Anglicana del Brasil (IEAB) remitió carta al secretario de Seguridad Pública del Estado de Paraná, Luiz Fernando Ferreira Delazari, pidiendo el esclarecimiento del asesinato del líder campesino Eli Dallamole, muerto a fines de marzo por pistoleros. Los obispos reiteran "la necesidad de un esfuerzo más amplio y determinado, que incluya también a la sociedad, para que esos lamentables acontecimientos sean banidos," afirman. Obispos Anglicanos Cuestionan Visita De Primado Del Cono Sur 15 abril 2008, BRASILIA, Brasil – En protesta contra la visita del primado de la Provincia del Cono Sur, Gregory J. Venables, a la Diócesis ortodoxa de Recife, la Cámara de los Obispos de la Iglesia Episcopal Anglicana de Brasil (IEAB) remitió una carta al arzobispo de Canterbury, Rowan Douglas Williams y a los moderadores, alertando sobre el quiebre del respeto e interdependencia de la Comunión Anglicana. "La Diócesis de Recife ya está en la Provincia del Cono Sur," declaró Venables en ocasión de su visita a la ciudad de Recife, los días 27 de marzo al 1 de abril. Entrevista: Ignorados Por Todo El Mundo- Una Visita a Sudán 18 abril 2008, GINEBRA – El Metropolita Dr. Zacarías Mar Theophilus, de la Iglesia Siria Mar Thoma de Malabar, India, fue uno de los miembros del equipo ecuménico que visitó recientemente la región de Yambio en Sudán. Yambio, capital del estado de Ecuatoria del Oeste, situada cerca de la frontera con la República Democrática del Congo, es verde y fértil. "Pero las personas que encontramos allí se sienten ignoradas," dice Theophilus, "ignoradas por Jartum, ignoradas por Juba, ignoradas por todo el mundo." Iglesia Luterana Dice No a TLC Con Estados Unidos 16 abril 2008, COLOMBIA – Debido a factores como la impunidad estatal, el conflicto armado interno y las políticas económicas que lesionan al país, la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de Colombia (IELCO) reveló su preocupación por la crisis de derechos humanos generada y por la rampante injusticia social, manifiestando su rechazo al tratado de libre comercio (TLC) entre los gobiernos de Colombia y de Estados Unidos de América. Iglesia Luterana Lamenta Fallecimiento De ex Misionera En Colombia 16 abril 2008, COLOMBIA – El Rev. Sigifredo Daniel Buitrago, Obispo presidente de la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de Colombia (IELCO), lamentó el fallecimiento de Joyce Bergh, ex misionera canadiense en Colombia. Refiriéndose al pasado domingo 13, Buitrago dijo que "sus hijos e hijas espirituales, durante el Culto Mayor, alabaremos a nuestro Dios y Señor en acción de gracias, por el ministerio que ella ejerció en nuestra Patria." Causa Polémica Entre Gobierno Y Religiosos, La Suspensión De Elecciones 16 abril 2008, MANAGUA – EL Procurador Especial para la Participación Ciudadana (PEPC), Sixto Ulloa, desestimó las declaraciones del Arzobispo de Managua, Monseñor Leopoldo Brenes y de la Superintendente de la iglesia Morava, Rev. Cora Antonio, quienes apoyaron la demanda para que se realicen las elecciones en noviembre de este año en tres municipios de la región de la costa caribeña norte. Ulloa, copastor de una iglesia semiurbana bautista del área de Managua, dijo que el obispo Brenes debe visitar los municipios de Puerto Cabezas, Waspan y Prinzapolka para conocer la realidad que vive esa población y porqué el gobierno propone posponer hasta e próximo año las elecciones. Acoger Al Extranjero No Es Algo Facultativo, Dice El CMI 18 abril 2008 – "La migración es un hecho de vida. Es tanto un instinto de supervivencia como una consecuencia inevitable de la globalización. No podemos volverle la espalda, ni controlarla," afirmaron en una declaración los participantes en la Reunión pública de información y debate sobre la migración y el cambiante panorama eclesial, celebrada en Beirut, Líbano, los días 15 y 16 de abril. "Los migrantes no son productos comerciales ni extranjeros ilegales ni meras víctimas, son seres humanos." Líderes Luteranos Visualizan Semillas De Esperanza En Latinoamérica 17 abril 2008, TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras "Regresamos con grandes desafíos, y convivimos cuatro días en comunión e integración; creemos que logramos las expectativas de esta conferencia de obispos, presidentes y liderazgo," dijo el obispo colombiano Sigifrido Buitrago al término del encuentro cerebrado del 31 de marzo al 4 de abril en el Centro Agrícola Zamorano distante a 35 kilómetros al oriente de Tegucigalpa, la capital hondureña. presó el líder luterano que la conferencia del ministro ecuatoriano Ricardo Patiño sobre el tema de la deuda externa ocupó un espacio muy reflexivo y se dieron muchos aportes "que ojala fluyan por toda América Latina" dijo. Pope, at UN, Says No Government or Religion Can Limit Human Rights April 18, 2008, UNITED NATIONS – Neither government nor religion has a right to change or limit human rights, because those rights flow from the dignity of each person created in God's image, Pope Benedict XVI said. In his April 18 speech to the U.N. General Assembly, the pope insisted that human rights cannot be limited or rewritten on the basis of national interests or majority rule. But he also said the role of religions is not to dictate government policy, but to help their members strive to find the truth, including the truth about the dignity of all people even if their religious views are different. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the pope and met privately with him before the pope addressed the General Assembly. An Urgent Call for Help on the Gulf Coast April 17, 2008, VALLEY FORGE, PA – National Ministries needs more volunteers to build homes on the Gulf Coast during the 2008 Blitz Build in Baton Rouge, La., April 28 to May 17. On behalf of American Baptist Churches USA, National Ministries is partnering with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Baton Rouge and the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project 2008 to build 11 homes for 11 deserving families. Some of these families were displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita and have permanently relocated to Baton Rouge. April 15, 2008, LOUISVILLE – The co-founder of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)-backed Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) is to be among those testifying before a U.S. Senate committee today (April 15) about conditions facing farmworkers in the growing fields of southern Florida. The CIW, an Immokalee, FL-based group of farmworkers, receives support from the PC(USA) and other faith groups. April 14, 2008 – As political parties and campaigns strategically court the so-called "faith voters" and the Internal Revenue Service increasingly investigates churches both locally and nationally for political activity, some people may wonder what is the appropriate role for people of faith in this year's United States elections. Faithful Democracy, a web-based project, hopes to help people discern the answer this question. Faithful Democracy is launching a non-partisan, online clearinghouse of resources, both practical and theological, from national, faith-based organizations to educate and engage people of faith about the role they can and should play in the democratic process. Adventist Church to Develop Partnership with Pan American Health Organization April 15, 2008, SILVER SPRING, Maryland – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is seeking to engage in partnerships with Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs), including the Seventh-day Adventist Church's Health Ministries, as part of their effort to connect with FBOs who deliver as much as 40 percent of health care in many developing nations. PAHO, the World Health Organization's regional office in North and South America, is based in Washington, D.C., and has scientific and technical experts at its headquarters, in its 27 country offices, and its nine scientific centers, all working with the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean in dealing with priority health issues. Distance Learning Center Launched in Mozambique April 14, 2008, MAPUTO, Mozambique – A newly launched distance learning center will help train future leaders of The United Methodist Church and connect its Mozambique Annual Conference to the rest of the world. After three years of planning, the Africa Training and Learning Center was dedicated March 31 as a satellite campus of Africa University, a United Methodist-related school in Zimbabwe. The center is housed in the church's Mozambique conference offices in Maputo. "This day is very significant as it marks a stage in the growth of the university," said Fanuel Tagwira, the university's interim vice chancellor. "Ignored by the Whole World" – a Visit to Yambio, Sudan April 17, 2008 – Metropolitan Dr Zacharias Mar Theophilus, from the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar, India, was a member of an ecumenical team that recently visited Sudan's Yambio region. The capital city of West Equatoria state, close to the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Yambio is green and fertile. "But the people we met there feel ignored," says Metropolitan Theophilus, "ignored by Khartoum, ignored by Juba, ignored by the whole world." Khartoum and Juba, the capital cities of Northern and Southern Sudan respectively, are separated by some 1,700 kilometres and the wounds of 21 years of civil war. World's Reformed Churches Asked to Pray for Zimbabwe April 18, 2008 – The general secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) is calling on the worldwide Reformed family to pray for Zimbabwe on the occasion of its 28th Independence Day. "The people of Zimbabwe have been suffering," said Setri Nyomi. "It is our prayer that Zimbabweans would be able to celebrate future independence days devoid of the political and economic hardships they are undergoing. "It is our prayer that those who fought for justice would have the wisdom to let the democratic process take its course so that the will of the people in a free Zimbabwe will all be fulfilled. Lebanon: Muslims and Christians Tackle Migration Together April 15, 2008 – "Migration is a human concern, not a Muslim or a Christian one, and therefore Christians and Muslims must act on it together." Representatives of Lebanon's six most numerous faith communities shared this view as the Public Hearing on Migration and the Changing Ecclesial Landscape was officially opened in Beirut on April 14. Representatives of the Druze, Shi'ite and Sunni Muslim communities joined their words of welcome to those from Metropolitans of the Maronite (Catholic) Church and the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch as well as Catholicos Aram I, head of the Armenian Orthodox Church (See of Cilicia), who hosts the hearing. Both Muslim and Christian leaders stressed that Lebanon with its diverse religions not merely coexisting but "living together under one roof" has a message for those countries who struggle with the diversity that accompanies immigration. April 18, 2008, WASHINGTON – The push for a two-state solution to the protracted Israel-Palestine conflict continues April 20-22 when representatives of 22 U.S. church and church-related organizations – including the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) – gather here for the annual advocacy conference sponsored by Christians for Middle East Peace (CMEP). The theme of the conference is "Calming the Storm: Middle East Peacemaking in a Turbulent Time." "The Annapolis peace process now underway deserves robust support from the U.S. Congress," said Warren Clark, CMEP's executive director. |
