Front Page

Religious and Political Leaders Dialogue on the Role of Religions in Peace

September 26, 2008 – The United Nations Liaison Office of the World Council of Churches (WCC) co-sponsored an international dialogue on September 25 between some 300 religious leaders and political figures – including Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – aimed at exploring faith perspectives and the role of religion regarding global issues such as poverty, war and prejudice while deepening mutual understanding. The event, which was called "Has not one God created us? The significance of religious leaders contributing peace" included Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of the United Nations General Assembly Rev. Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, former Norwegian prime minister Rev. Kjell Bondevik, and Jewish Renewal movement leader Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb.

United Methodists Call for Stewardship over Greed

September 30, 2008 – Declaring that "the financial bubble has burst," United Methodist leaders are calling for a biblical mandate of stewardship over corporate greed as the U.S. government scrambles to revise a failed $700 billion bailout of Wall Street. "All we have is ours ‘on loan' from God to be used for good in this world," said a statement from the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, the denomination's social action agency. "John Wesley's mandate to ‘do no harm' is violated when we prey on the vulnerable." The board advocated several measures, including limiting compensation for failed corporate executives, helping homeowners and regulating Wall Street.

Human Trafficking Becomes Ecumenical Target

October 3, 2008, NEW YORK – When Rani Hong was 7 years old, she was sold to a child broker in India, subjected to beatings and starvation, and eventually sold again to an illegal international adoption network. Her story has a happy ending: her adoptive American mother, unaware of what had happened to her, showered her with love. But she has no kind words for the abductors who kept her from her family and her country. "They changed my name, my birthdate, my age ... all in the name of profit," she said. Hong was among the speakers offering perspectives on the complex issue of human trafficking during a Sept. 29-Oct. 1 ecumenical conference at the United Methodist-owned Church Center for the United Nations.

Archbishop of York Calls All to Be ‘Agents of Moral, Social and Economic Transformation'

September 26, 2008 – Hundreds filled the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City on September 25 where Church of England Archbishop of York John Sentamu said that "God is calling us to be part of transforming the world." Sentamu preached the sermon at an "Interfaith Service of Recommitment and Witness of the Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)." Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori of the Episcopal Church officiated. The day was held in accordance with the Lambeth Conference's call that September 25 be a day of prayer, fasting and witness.

Hurricane Response

Pastor Stayed Behind in Hurricane to Minister to Flock

October 2, 2008, HIGH ISLAND, Texas – The hurricane winds howled constantly, like "a woman screaming bloody murder," and the waters rose all around them, but the Rev. Marty Boddie, with his wife Nicole, felt at peace inside St. Matthews United Methodist Church. As Hurricane Ike approached, officials warned residents that if they decided to ride out the storm in this small coastal town, they should write their Social Security numbers on their arms so their bodies could be identified later. Boddie knew many in his congregation and many in his community would not leave. He felt called to stay with them. "It gave me a great opportunity to minister to strangers and they also minister to us," he said. "I knew there would be a need for pastoral help after the storm."

Hurricane Leaves Behind Damaged Homes, Lost Memories

September 29, 2008, BAYOU VISTA, Texas – Vivian Paysse celebrated her 99th birthday a few days before Hurricane Ike washed away the bottom floor of her home and scattered a lifetime of memories along the Texas Gulf Coast. Outside of her modest gray house, trash filled with shredded pieces of her life stacked almost to the rooftop. Along the narrow streets of her community, sea-soaked remnants of her neighbors' lives-refrigerators, couches and more-stretched as far as the eye could see. A sign outside a storm-wrecked convenience store spoke volumes about the conditions of the small coastal town: "Do not flush or use water. Sewer hookup $200.00 fine per day."

Little Church Feeds Multitudes after Hurricane Ike

September 30, 2008, MANVEL, Texas – With a handful of volunteers, the contents of a small church's pantry and the "absurb notion" that she could, Elaine Warner fed hot meals to more than 400 stranded survivors of Hurricane Ike in the first days after the storm hit. Warner was one of about 12 members of Grace United Methodist Church who believed that they could feed the multitudes like the little boy who offered Jesus fishes and loaves, said the Rev. Donald Brown. "And we did!" he said.

General News

Delegation Trips Planned to Israel/Palestine and Chiapas, Mexico

September 29, 2008, ELGIN, IL – Two Church of the Brethren agencies have announced delegation trips in January: A trip to Israel/Palestine on the theme "Plant Peace" is being offered by On Earth Peace on Jan. 6-19, 2009; and a "Faith Expedition" sponsored by the Brethren Witness/Washington Office to an indigenous coffee cooperative in Chiapas, Mexico, is offered on Jan. 24-Feb. 3, 2009.

Lutherans Address the Global Food Crisis in Cookbook

September 30, 2008, CHICAGO – Lutherans have produced a cookbook – "Food for Life: Recipes and Stories on the Right to Food" – that calls attention to the global food crisis. Containing more than 100 recipes from around the world, the cookbook features stories, photographs and table blessings illustrating how Lutherans take part in food production, addressing issues of food scarcity, sharing culturally nutritious dishes and more. "As Lutherans in North America, we cannot live without our cookbooks," said the Rev. Teresita "Tita" C. Valeriano, North American regional officer, Lutheran World Federation (LWF). But Food for Life is not an ordinary cookbook, she said. "Its purpose is not only to try and taste international recipes but to celebrate our diversity and lift up the concerns of the poor and hungry. It serves to tell our stories in creating a better world where all people have the right to food and education."

Clergywomen Break New Ground in Large Churches

October 3, 2008 – On her first Sunday as lead pastor of a 1,300-member United Methodist congregation in Hyattsville, Md., the Rev. Joan Carter-Rimbach stood before a packed congregation where "everyone had come to see the woman pastor." Carter-Rimbach told the congregation that she realized it "never had somebody in the pulpit who dresses like me or looks like me." Four years later, she acknowledged that, between staffing issues and team challenges, "it has been hard serving the church where the norm has been a male as the senior pastor." However, she has earned the respect of the staff and congregation through her nurturing leadership style.

People of Faith Celebrate the Legacy of St. Francis

October 3, 2008, WASHINGTON – Churches around the country will be overrun with feathers and fur Saturday, October 4, as children, families, and other congregants celebrate St. Francis Day with a Blessing of the Animals Worship Service. "These services allow people of faith to recognize the importance of the nonhuman members of their families and their blessedness to God," said Jordan Blevins, Assistant Director of the Eco-Justice Programs of the National Council of Churches. The Blessing of the Animals Service on October 4 recognizes the ideals of St. Francis of Assisi, who wrote a Canticle of the Creatures, an ode to God's living things.

Leadership Urged to Take Seriously Young People's Involvement in Church Life
Churches Challenged to Meet People Where They Live

October 3, 2008, GREIFSWALD, Germany/GENEVA – "We want to and we are able [with God's help] to change the Church, and to move forward our parishes. Just use us. Give us a chance." This was the appeal of a Polish youth delegate to a regional conference of Lutheran church leaders focusing on the common challenges in church and society. Ewa Issel-Cieslar, a member of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland, challenged the bishops, presidents and other representatives of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) member churches in Europe to take seriously young people's active involvement in church life in order to ensure hope and a future for the Lutheran church around the world.

Praying for the Sick – Can Science Prove it Helps?

October 1, 2008, SAN DIEGO – Proving scientifically that it helps to pray for a sick person is an elusive proposition, says Dr. Taeed Quddusi, one of the speakers at the 32nd annual conference of the North American Association for Baha'i Studies. The first problem, he said, is designing an experiment, given that we are not sure of the desired result of a prayer. "Is the point of prayer to prolong life?" he said during an interview after the conference. He proceeded to answer, based on his understanding of the Baha'i teachings: "The point of our existence on this planet isn't simply a longer life. The point of our existence is to know God, to worship God, to serve God."

Nashville Church Gives Homeless a Church Home

October 1, 2008, NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Even homeless people deserve to have a church home, says the Rev. Paul Slentz, who has dedicated his life to serving an unconventional congregation in a low-income area of Nashville. Sixty-First Avenue United Methodist Church holds its weekly services on Saturday evenings to accommodate working poor families and homeless members who are picked up in the church van. "Our membership, which is right around 70 now, is almost all poor folks," says Slentz, "from people who are working hard but not making very much money working to folks who are living on the streets and who are homeless right now."

Ecumenical News

New Network for Ecumenical Theological Education in Eastern and Central Europe

October 2, 2008 – In the context of rapid social and political changes in Eastern and Central Europe, some 37 leading representatives of theological and ecumenical institutions throughout the region gathered in Romania recently to seek more mutual cooperation and ecumenical commitment to ecumenical theological education. The conference, which was held at the Sambata de Sus Monastery 24-28 September 2008, was organized by the programme on Ecumenical Theological Education (ETE) of the WCC and the Conference of European Churches (CEC) in cooperation with Volos Academy in Greece.

Spanish News

La Biblia Fue Recordada Por Católicos Y Evangélicos. Ortega Participó De Un Acto

30 septiembre 2008, MANAGUA – Los católicos de Jinotepe y de otras ciudades sorprendieron al celebrar el día de la Biblia por primera vez en la historia de Nicaragua. Los evangélicos marcharon separados; un grupo contó con la presencia del presidente Ortega. Los pastores Omar Monterrey y Pablo Lezama expresaron que el Día de la Biblia es una fiesta de todos los cristianos, que en el futuro debería convocar ecuménicamente en una sola celebración. En Jinotepe, ciudad distante a 45 kilómetros al sur de la capital, la marcha católica contó con bandas de colegios religiosos, yendo a pocas cuadras de donde la realizaron los evangélicos.

El CMI Aprobó Importantes Declaraciones Sobre Temas Candentes

1 octubre 2008, GINEBRA, Suiza – El Comité Ejecutivo del Consejo Mundial de iglesias (CMI), reunido en Lübeck (Alemania), del 23 al 26 de septiembre de 2008, examinó el programa y el presupuesto, y aprobó varias declaraciones públicas e informes, así como la prolongación del contrato del actual secretario general. Entre otras, se aprobó una declaración sobre la violencia y la intolerancia por motivos religiosos en la India, en la que se expresa preocupación por esta situación y por su alarmante tendencia a manifestarse de forma creciente a nivel comunal, particularmente en el estado de Orissa.

International News

Anglicans Unite in Support of the UN Millennium Development Goals in New York

October 1, 2008 – New York came to a halt on 25th September as world leaders gathered in a special session for a high-level event, convened by the UN Secretary-General and the President of the UN General Assembly to renew commitments to achieving the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 and to set out concrete plans and practical steps for action. That evening the Archbishop of York, the Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church, the Primate of Central America, Bishops from Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Southern Africa, USA and a host of lay people and clergy gathering in the Cathedral of St John the Divine to join in an act of "Recommitment and Witness" to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Brethren Take Part in Peacemaking Dialogue with President Ahmadinejad of Iran

September 26, 2008, ELGIN, IL – Two Church of the Brethren leaders were among some 300 international religious and political figures, including Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, at a dialogue in New York yesterday evening, Sept. 25. The meeting was held to discuss the role of religion in responding to global challenges and building peace and understanding between societies. The Brethren leaders who attended were Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren, and Phil Jones, director of the Brethren Witness/Washington Office. The Church of the Brethren was requested to accompany Mennonite leaders and staff of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) to the meeting, as one of the three Historic Peace Churches.