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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
Sunday, June 29, 2008 [No.314 Vol. 9]
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ELCA Presiding Bishop Addresses Climate Change, Other Global Concerns June 26, 2008, ARUSHA, Tanzania – The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) can help create a global movement to limit or halt environmental degradation, but it must have many partners and large numbers of people to be effective, said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). State Ecumenical Bodies Taking Lead in Creative Immigration Ministries June 23, 2008 – State and regional councils of churches are implementing exciting and effective immigration ministries, and the National Council of Churches USA is featuring those ministries on its Web page. "The church is called to minister to all our neighbors, new and old," said the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, NCC General Secretary. "As the issue takes on more and more importance in our country, the urgency of that calling intensifies. The National Council of Churches and state and local councils are talking together so we know what each other is doing." Church immigration ministries are most effective when they are done ecumenically, Kinnamon said. Church Unity and Interreligious Dialogue Discussed at WCC Visit to Egypt June 26, 2008 – Challenges facing Christians today are too strong for a divided church, said World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia in Egypt recently as he called for church unity both locally and globally. Kobia was speaking during a 16-21 June visit to WCC member churches in the country. Among the most urgent challenges for Middle Eastern churches are the regional peace process and the migration of Christians, both of which are addressed by the 2007 Amman Call, a document in which some 130 representatives of churches and Christian organizations from six continents agreed on guiding principles for their work in the region. Lutheran Communion Urged to Remain Focused on Root Causes of Food Insecurity June 26, 2008, ARUSHA, Tanzania/GENEVA – In a wide-ranging report to the Council of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) meeting in Arusha, Tanzania, LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, emphasized the critical role of the LWF in remaining focused on the underlying causes of food insecurity and their impact especially on the poor. "Food security or ‘food sovereignty' may be emerging as one of the major challenges of the 21st century," said Noko in his report to the Council on 26 June. Thomas to Bush: ‘Not in My Name Will You Justify Torture' June 25, 2008 – "Today I join many in saying to my President, ‘not in my name,'" said the Rev. John H. Thomas, UCC general minister and president, in a widely covered news conference held on June 25. "Not in my name will you justify torture and allow it to be used." As a representative of the UCC's national setting, Thomas is part of a diverse coalition of 200 high-profile religious leaders, government officials and military officers who are calling on President Bush to ban torture. Thomas spoke to multiple reporters from national media outlets, as did the Rev. David P. Gushee, president, Evangelicals for Human Rights; Alberto Mora, former general counsel to the U.S. Navy; Retired General Paul J. Kern, who led the internal Army investigation of abuses at Abu Ghraib; and Douglas A. Johnson, executive director of the Center for Victims of Torture. "To call for an end to torture is not to be naïve about the very real threats we face," Thomas told reporters. "It is, however, to attest to the truth that no threat is so great as to justify our surrendering the most central values of what it means to be a Christian." Conservative Anglicans, Meeting in Jerusalem, Struggle to Find a United Voice June 24, 2008, JERUSALEM – The diversity of opinions expressed by some of the 1,000 participants attending the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) reveals that the current divide in the Anglican Communion is more than simply a conflict between liberals and conservatives. The language adopted in a 94-page document, "The Way, The Truth, The Life," released on June 19, appears to indicate that the GAFCON leadership had already made up its mind that division was inevitable. The document, however, was drafted by a small number of GAFCON leaders. July 4, 2008 – The annual observance of Independence Day is an instance for us to be thankful for the peace, freedom and opportunities we have in this nation, the United States of America. It is a day when we celebrate ideals that have been realized for the benefit of humankind, when we remember what so many have offered for the sake of liberty, and when we recommit ourselves to the cause of freedom and to building a society that upholds all that is good and just. Clergy Effectiveness Study Will Enhance Training, Says Leader June 24, 2008 – An analysis of what makes an effective pastor will enhance training provided this summer to United Methodist annual (regional) conferences. The Rev. Sharon Rubey, director of candidacy and conference relations at the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry, said the study would provide useful information for those who work with candidates for ministry, assign pastors to churches, and do clergy supervision. Richard P. DeShon, a psychology professor at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich., used focus groups to conduct the study. "The breadth of tasks performed by local church pastors, coupled with the rapid switching between tasks and roles prevalent in this job is unique," he reported. "It is remarkable how complex this job is." Chaplain Works with Prisoners on ‘Maximum' Ministry June 25, 2008 – Corey Wagner will never be free again. But the cold cinderblock walls and barbed wire that surround him have become his sanctuary. "If life imprisonment is going to keep me worshipping God and changing lives, so be it." June 26, 2008 – An ecclesiastical court has found that Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania Bishop Charles E. Bennison engaged in conduct unbecoming of a member of the clergy. Bennison, 64, faced two counts of the charge. The first count of the presentment that formed the basis of a recent four-day trial dealt said that 35 years ago when Bennison, as rector of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Upland, California, failed to respond properly after learning that his brother, John Bennison, a 24-year-old newly-ordained deacon whom he had hired as youth minister, was "engaged in a sexually abusive and sexually exploitive relationship" with a 14-year-old parishioner. Book of Faith Resolutions Adopted at ELCA Synod Assemblies June 25, 2008, CHICAGO – Participants in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Book of Faith initiative met here June 24-25 to consult over directions for the initiative through 2012. According to its mission, the Book of Faith initiative "invites the whole church to become more fluent in the first language of faith, the language of Scripture, in order that we might live into our calling as a people renewed, enlivened, and empowered by the Word." ELCA Presiding Bishop Addresses Environmental Concerns to LWF Council June 26, 2008, ARUSHA, Tanzania – It is "spiritual blasphemy" to abuse the environment, said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). In a June 25 address here to the LWF Council, Hanson called on LWF member churches to advocate for changes in policy and practice, adding that "hope compels us to be disciplined, courageous, faithful stewards of the whole creation." The LWF Council, which Hanson chairs, is meeting here through June 30. The LWF is a global communion of 140 churches in 78 countries, representing 68.6 million of the world's Lutherans. Church Members Asked for Input on Paperwork June 27, 2008 – Over the next three weeks, United Methodists are invited to share their thoughts on the official paperwork of the church. The Committee on Official Forms and Records, under the denomination's General Council on Finance and Administration, is for the first time asking for input through an electronic public comment system. The committee is responsible for overseeing the design and content of all official documentation for the worldwide 11.5 million-member denomination. "The Committee on Official Forms and Records is offering members of The United Methodist Church an opportunity to weigh in on the look and content of these forms," said Lisa King, the committee's chairperson. People from the Anglican World Encouraged to Join Their Bishops in Bible Study June 23, 2008 – The faithful around the Communion have a unique opportunity for Bible Study with their Bishops during the Lambeth Conference as the series ‘Signs on the Way' makes its debut on the Lambeth Conference website. This special series – focusing on St John's Gospel – complements the Bible studies in which the bishops and their spouses will take part during the Lambeth Conference 2008. Orthodox Women: Church Participation Improved but Concerns Remain June 26, 2008 – Over the last decade, Orthodox women reached significant milestones regarding their participation in church life, but many of their concerns have not yet been fully addressed, an international gathering of Orthodox women stated. A long decade has past since the last inter-Orthodox women's consultation took place in Istanbul, Turkey in 1997. In the intervening years, the participation of Orthodox women in the life of the church has improved. June 23, 2008 – Public Broadcasting System's (PBS) Point of View (POV) documentary show begins its 21st season on June 24 with the national broadcast premiere of "Traces of the Trade." "Traces," one of three documentaries bought by POV at the Sundance Film Festival in January, tells the story of the DeWolf family, the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history and also a prominent part of the Episcopal Church in Rhode Island. James DeWolf Perry was the 18th Presiding Bishop. 26 junio 2008 – La segunda vuelta de la elección presidencial en Zimbabwe debería ser aplazada, afirmó un joven dirigente del Movimiento de Estudiantes Cristianos del país, durante una visita a Suiza para pedir apoyo de las iglesias por la crisis humanitaria en ese país sudafricano. Prosper Munatsi, secretario general del Movimiento de Estudiantes Cristianos de Zimbabwe, esperaba visitar Ginebra la tercera semana de junio para dar testimonio de la crisis política y humanitaria en Zimbabwe ante el Consejo de Derechos Humanos de las Naciones Unidas. Iglesias Cristianas En Indonesia Son Obligadas a Cancelar Sus Cultos 26 junio 2008, BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – La congregación metodista Sola Gracia Dilarang Beribadah, localizada en la provincia de Banten (anteriormente parte de la Gran Yakarta), Indonesia, tuvo que cancelar su culto dominical por presión de una turba que irrumpió en su salón; esta acción es parte de una presión de grupos civiles contra comunidades cristianas. El día domingo, 22 de junio, alrededor de las 8:30 a.m. un grupo de personas en 20 motos-bicicletas llegaron a la iglesia durante el culto para pedir que cancelen el servicio. Organismos Ecuménicos Mundiales Piden a La Comunidad Internacional Más Esfuerzos En Zimbabwe ALC/CMI 25 junio 2008, GINEBRA, Suiza – Dos organismos ecuménicos internacionales apelaron a la ONU, la Comunidad Sudafricana para el Desarrollo y la Unión Africana solicitándoles "que aumenten los esfuerzos dedicados a abordar la situación de Zimbabwe, que se deteriora rápidamente." La ayuda de emergencia, el aplazamiento de la segunda vuelta de las elecciones y la responsabilidad de la comunidad internacional de intervenir para proteger a las personas son algunas de las principales inquietudes. Mujeres Ortodoxas: Aumentó Su Participación En La Vida De La Iglesia, Pero Subsisten Preocupaciones 26 junio 2008 – La participación de las mujeres ortodoxas en la vida de la iglesia ha registrado importantes avances durante la última década, pero muchas de sus preocupaciones no han recibido aún una respuesta satisfactoria, dijeron participantes en una reunión internacional de mujeres ortodoxas. Una larga década ha pasado desde que se celebró la última consulta de mujeres ortodoxas en Estambul (Turquía), en 1997. Iniciativa Mundial De Iglesias Contra La Violencia Presta Especial Atención Al Pacífico 25 junio 2008 – Iglesias de todo el mundo orarán por los pueblos del Pacífico en el marco de una iniciativa internacional de iglesias contra la violencia cuyo foco de atención cae este año en esa región. Las iglesias del Pacífico también orarán y reflexionarán juntas sobre la mejor forma de promover la paz en sus comunidades. Asivida, Programa De La Iglesia Luterana, Participa Del Mecanismo Coordinador De Colombia 25 junio 2008, COLOMBIA – Al cabo de los primeros cinco años de continua labor, con el cumplimiento de estándares internacionales en calidad de prevención y atención a quienes viven y conviven con el VIH/Sida, el ministerio AsiVida de la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de Colombia (IELCO), ha sido invitado a participar en la mesa multisectorial del Ministerio de la Protección Social, representando a las entidades eclesiales. Presidente De Iglesia Luterana Argentina Anuncia Centenario Del Trabajo En Ese País GINEBRA, Argentina – La Iglesia Evangélica Luterana Unida (IELU), que actúa en la Argentina y en Uruguay, va a conmemorar, el día 2 de noviembre, el centenario de la misión luterana en tierras de habla española. El anuncio, en rueda de prensa concedida en la sede de la Federación Luterana Mundial (FLM), en Ginebra, fue del presidente de la IELU, pastor Alan Eldrid. La Pobreza Va Contra La Voluntad De Dios, Afirma Gustavo Gutiérrez 27 junio 2008, LIMA, Perú – Según el teólogo peruano Gustavo Gutiérrez, uno de los iniciadores de la Teología de la Liberación, la pobreza es contraria a la voluntad de Dios. Así se expresó durante una conferencia sobre el caminar de la Iglesia latinoamericana durante los 40 años transcurridos desde la Segunda Conferencia General de Medellín hasta la V Conferencia de Aparecida. Pastoral Juvenil Del CLAI Capacitando Jóvenes Para La Paz 27 Junio 2008, MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay – Nicolás Schneider La pastoral Juvenil del Consejo Latinoamericano de Iglesias, CLAI, en el Río de la plata viene desarrollando una serie de encuentros de capacitación para lideres juveniles, en la temática de educación para la paz. Son talleres organizados por la pastoral juvenil en Argentina, Uruguay y Paraguay. La coordinación está a cargo del programa de Educación para la Paz del CLAI y cuenta con el asesoramiento del CLAVES, iniciativa de Juventud para Cristo, en Uruguay. Equipo De Solidaridad Ecuménico Visita Alemania, Comparte Experiencias Sobre Noviolencia 25 junio 2008 – "Cartas Vivas" de las iglesias miembros del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) de Burundi, Brasil, Grecia y los Estados Unidos visitarán Alemania del 27 de junio al 4 de julio para intercambiar experiencias sobre la superación de la violencia. Los esfuerzos de las iglesias de Alemania a favor de la paz son innumerables. Se forma a la juventud en medios no violentos para resolver los conflictos. June 27, 2008 – A Fairfax, Virginia, judge ruled June 27 that his application of the state's so-called "Division Statute" (Section 57-9(A)) is constitutional. The Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Virginia had argued during a May 28 hearing that that portion of the Code of Virginia, which the court had earlier ruled can be used to determine property rights when some church congregations choose to leave their denominations, is unconstitutional. The case involves members of a number of congregations of the Virginia diocese who have left the Episcopal Church to form congregations of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA) and who have filed claims to property of parishes of the Virginia diocese under the law, which is triggered when there is a so-called "division" of a church or religious society. Northern Plains District Is Part of Relief Effort for Iowa Floods. June 25, 2008 Over the past weekend, the Church of the Brethren's Northern Plains District issued an e-mail report on its congregations and members affected by flooding in Iowa, and how the district is contributing to the relief effort. The report dated June 21 noted that as flood waters recede in many areas damage is being assessed, and flooding continues south of Iowa along the Mississippi. The Church of the Brethren's Emergency Disaster Fund is giving a grant of $5,000 to Northern Plains District in support of its efforts to assist in cleanup following the flooding. Children's Disaster Services Ramps up Response in Flooded Midwest June 20, 2008, ELGIN, IL – Children's Disaster Services is fielding teams of child care volunteers in Indiana and Iowa to support families affected by flooding. Children's Disaster Services is a ministry of the Church of the Brethren. Each child care team includes four or five trained and certified volunteers, and the response in each state is overseen by a trained project manager. One Children's Disaster Services team has been working in Martinsville, Ind., in a Red Cross Assistance Center that has seen 25-30 children each day. Northern Plains Brethren Take Part in Relief Effort in Iowa June 26, 2008, ELGIN, IL – The Church of the Brethren's Northern Plains District is contributing to the relief work in Iowa following storms and flooding. The Church of the Brethren's Emergency Disaster Fund is giving a grant of $5,000 to Northern Plains District in support of its efforts to assist in cleanup. The fund is a ministry of the Church of the Brethren. The Emergency Disaster Fund also has given a grant of $5,000 to support the work of Children's Disaster Services in Iowa and Indiana. As of June 25, Children's Disaster Services had seen 230 children in Iowa and about 200 in Indiana. United Methodists Rally to Help Iowa Flood Survivors June 27, 2008, CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – For 30 years, Doug Ward has invested himself in a working-class neighborhood of Cedar Rapids where his family has lived, worked and gone to church-all within a few blocks of each other. On June 13, he lost all three-his home, his business and his church building-to the rush of floodwaters from nearby Cedar River. Left behind were shoulder-high piles of debris, the stench of dirty water and soggy buildings that may or may not be salvageable. "They've been parts of my life for the last 30 years, and they're all flooded out," said Ward, 64, as he stood on the lawn of St. James United Methodist Church, his long-time congregation, just a few blocks from his family's A&W root beer drive-in. Clergy-Laity Resources Available Online June 26, 2008, NEW YORK, NY – The 39th Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America will convene July 13-17 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC. The event will also include the annual meeting of the National Ladies Philoptochos Society. In addition, meetings will be conducted by various affiliated organizations of the Archdiocese, including the Archdiocesan Presbyters Council, the National Sisterhood of Presvyteres, the Retired Greek Orthodox Clergy of America, the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and the National Forum of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians. Kenya: Displaced People Return Home in Uncertainty June 24, 2008, NAIROBI – After five months of languishing in the hundreds of overcrowded, understaffed, and undersupplied camps, most of Kenya's Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are finally returning home. In early May the Kenyan Government launched an ambitious resettlement program known as "Operation Rudi Nyumbani" (Operation Return Home) that aims to resettle the more than 100,000 people still displaced by the violence that followed the December 2007 presidential elections. Ecumenical Solidarity Team to Visit Germany, Share Experiences on Nonviolence June 25, 2008 – "Living Letters" from member churches of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Burundi, Brazil, Greece and the United States will come to Germany, 27 June – 4 July, for an exchange of experiences in overcoming violence. The peace building efforts of churches in Germany are legion. They train youth in nonviolent ways to handle conflicts. They encourage Christians to welcome strangers and to get to know their neighbours of other faiths. They keep alive the memories of victims of war and persecution and work for reconciliation. These and other activities will be in the spotlight during the WCC delegation's visit. United Methodists Join Prayers for Peace in Zimbabwe June 24, 2008 – Both the United Nations and ecumenical Christian groups are calling upon the government of Zimbabwe to end the violence there and postpone the June 27 presidential runoff election. And, as United Methodists and other Christians participated in a worldwide day of prayer for Zimbabwe on June 22, the leader of the opposition party candidate for president withdrew from that election. Morgan Tsvangirai – considered by many to be the unofficial winner over Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe in the March 29 presidential election – said he was concerned that the lives of voters would be at risk if he participated "in this violent, illegitimate sham of an election process," the New York Times reported. Tsvangirai then took refuge at the Dutch Embassy in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. Portuguese Celebrate Anglican Foundations June 26, 2008 – Lisbon's Cathedral Church of St Paul was over flowing with people on Saturday as the Lusitanian Church in Portugal celebrated the 50th anniversary of the consecration of their first bishop. The Lusitanian Church is an extra provincial diocese to the Archbishop of Canterbury with its Anglican Communion roots coming from the Church of Ireland, the Episcopal Church USA and Igreja Anglican Episcopal of Brazil. These churches and their bishops were those consecrated the Rt Revd D. Antonio Ferreira Fiandor on 22 June 1958. World Churches' Initiative Against Violence Focuses on the Pacific June 25, 2008 – Churches around the world will pray for the peoples of the Pacific as an international church initiative against violence focuses attention on the region this year. Pacific churches themselves will pray and reflect together on how best to promote peace in their communities. This year, the international church initiative, called Decade to Overcome Violence, will highlight ways to overcome cultural and ethnic violence, as cultural practices are often used to justify certain types of violence, like that based on gender. It will also promote human rights in communities, workplaces, schools or homes.
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