Front Page

Pakistan: Ecumenical Delegation to Support Churches Amidst Conflict

November 20, 2008 – Religious freedom and interreligious dialogue will be on the agenda of an international ecumenical delegation visiting Pakistan from 24 November to 1 December. The group will discuss how churches can help ease political and religions tensions with representatives from churches, the Muslim community and government officials. The international ecumenical delegation sponsored by the World Council of Churches (WCC) will learn about the work of the churches in interreligious relations, how Christians deal with situations of tension and conflict and the contributions made by civil society organizations. Returning back home they will share their experience with their churches.

Religious Bodies Issue Legal Challenge to California's Proposition 8

November 18, 2008 – Three settings of the United Church of Christ have filed a legal petition before the Supreme Court of California to challenge the validity of the voter-approved Proposition 8 which ended same-gender marriage in the state. The General Synod of the United Church of Christ, as well as the UCC's Southern California – Nevada Conference and Northern California – Nevada Conference, joined other religious bodies in filing litigation on Nov. 17 that argues that Proposition 8 amounted to a constitutional "revision" because it took away a fundamental civil right. In California, a constitutional revision, unlike an amendment, requires legislative authorization in addition to voter approval.

Fort Worth Delegates Vote to Leave Episcopal Church, Realign with Southern Cone

November 15, 2008, BEDFORD, Texas – Delegates to the 26th annual diocesan convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth voted Saturday to realign the diocese with the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone. With little debate or emotion, delegates voted by order, 73 votes in favor, 20 against, among clergy and 98-28 among the laity for realignment. After the vote Bishop Jack Iker read a letter from Archbishop Gregory Venables, welcoming Fort Worth into the Southern Cone. In a statement, Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said after the vote that the church "grieves the departures of a number of persons from the Diocese of Fort Worth.”

Church Members Among Those Fleeing Wildfires

November 17, 2008 – United Methodists who escaped a Southern California mobile home park before much of it burned to the ground have their church office manager to thank for alerting them to the danger. Dennis Wilson, 24, who is employed at First United Methodist Church in San Fernando, called church members—often waking them up—late on Nov. 14. He warned them about what became known as the "Sayre Fire," named after a street in nearby Sylmar, and then waited at the church to see who needed shelter for the night. Five church members who lived in Oakridge Mobile Home Park lost their homes as wildfires blazed across Southern California over a period of several days. Many of the 510 homes destroyed by the Sayre Fire were at Oakridge.

General News

Metropolis of San Francisco Welcomes Archbishop Demetrios to Los Angeles Area
Metropolis Fall Clergy Institute a Success

November 18, 2008, LONG BEACH, Calif. – The Metropolis of San Francisco, under the leadership of Metropolitan Gerasimos, welcomed to the Los Angeles area, Archbishop Demetrios of America who made a two-day visit, Nov. 13-14. Archbishop Demetrios received an honorary doctoral degree from Loyola Marymount University in the afternoon of Nov. 13. Later that evening the community of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church of Long Beach welcomed Archbishop Demetrios and the local hierarch Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco. Fr. John Roll, along with parish president George Demos, Philoptochos chapter president Kathy Bastas and children of the community greeted the two hierarchs as they arrived.

Lutherans Approach the Holiday Season with ‘Good Gifts'

November 17, 2008, CHICAGO – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is offering consumers the opportunity for one-stop shopping this holiday season with exclusive gifts that not only support the mission and ministry of the church but that are designed to help change lives around the world and close to home. "ELCA Good Gifts," the church's 2007-2009 giving catalog, features 32 pages of gift ideas designed to end world hunger, invest in future leadership, share the gospel, bring relief after disaster, support domestic and international ministries, and support the ELCA Vision for Mission fund.

Structure Task Force Gears up for Presentations to Districts

November 21, 2008 – Responses from boards of directors of all 35 LCMS districts will be used by the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Synod Structure and Governance to refine its "Proposals and Possibilities" for presentation to district conventions next year. Task force Chairman Rev. Robert Greene emphasized that the 2009 district conventions are one more step in the process of preparing a report for action at the 2010 LCMS convention. "The task force is serious about getting feedback and making it a transparent process," he said. "We will give further consideration to issues that surface from these meetings." This fall, three task force members are meeting with each district's board of directors to present the task force's "Proposals and Possibilities" document and hear discussion.

Washington National Cathedral Announces Major Budget, Program Cuts

November 21, 2008 – Washington National Cathedral will eliminate 30 jobs, drastically scale back the Cathedral College of Preachers and cut $8 million from its current budget because of the global financial downturn. In a November 19 news release, the Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III, the cathedral's dean, said the cuts are "financially prudent" and are "necessary to protect our important work in the city and the nation. "Like many other institutions around the world, Washington National Cathedral has been affected by the current downturn in the financial market," said Lloyd. "And this is having a serious impact on invested funds that we have used to support our mission."

Virginia Woman Creates Ministry from Prison Experience

November 18, 2008, SALTVILLE, Va. – Long after the homemade cookies were gone, Sarah Taylor kept thinking about the message of love that came with them. It was 2002, and she was serving time at Fluvanna Correctional Center after making what she calls "bad choices." A woman from Kairos Prison Ministry gave her a bag of cookies. When Taylor asked, "Why would you give this to me?" the woman didn't miss a beat. "Because we love you and Jesus loves you. We are praying for you, praying that you will find God here," she said.

Tailgaters Promote ‘First and Ten' for Jesus

November 20, 2008, CHARLOTTE, N.C. – It's a chilly Sunday morning in autumn, and the Rev. Ann Self is in a parking lot near the stadium awaiting kickoff at today's Carolina Panthers game. "I have an entire box of toe-warmers if we need them, especially for the children," Self says as she carries another tub of supplies toward her tailgating site. Does First United Methodist Church of Charlotte know that Self is spending part of her Sabbath at an NFL game?

Ecumenical News

Unity of Churches Will Make the World Believe in Peace, WARC Leader Declares

November 19, 2008 – Threats to peace and security around the world ought to give urgency to the quest for Christian unity, says Setri Nyomi, general secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC). "Does the church have a moral voice or credibility when our divisions are so visible?" he asked during an address at the Civilization of Peace – Faiths and Cultures in Dialogue conference in Nicosia, Cyprus, on 18 November. "How can churches and church bodies foster world peace, peace among nations and peace within nations, when there is no peace among themselves, or when injustices that are so much at the heart of conflicts in the world are also found among us?"

Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue Continues ‘Hope of Eternal Life' Theme

November 17, 2008, CHICAGO – The U.S. Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue added to its current round of meetings on the topic of "Hope of Eternal Life" a new study on the sacrament of the Eucharist. The Oct. 10-14 session at St. Paul's College, Washington, D.C., was the sixth of Round XI in the historic relationship between Lutherans and Catholics that began 43 years ago at the end of the Second Vatican Council. Dialogue participants have explored beliefs and practices related to eternal life in Christ since the round began in 2005.

Spanish News

Pakistán: Delegación Ecuménica Apoya a Iglesias En Medio Del Conflicto

20 noviembre 2008 – La libertad religiosa y el diálogo interreligioso figuran en la agenda de una delegación ecuménica internacional que visitará Pakistán del 24 de noviembre al 1 de diciembre. Dialogando con representantes de iglesias y de la comunidad musulmana, y con funcionarios gubernamentales, el grupo examinará cómo las iglesias pueden contribuir a mitigar las tensiones políticas y religiosas.

Oraciones Para Belén En Adviento Y Navidad

18 noviembre 2008 – Cuando muchos cristianos en todo el mundo se preparan a celebrar el Adviento y la Navidad en la seguridad de sus hogares y comunidades, este año están nuevamente invitados a orar por la justicia, la paz y la seguridad en Palestina e Israel – y a enviar una oración o un mensaje de paz a Belén. Por noveno año consecutivo, las celebraciones navideñas se desarrollarán en medio de difíciles condiciones en Tierra Santa.

Movimiento Social E Iglesias En Vigilia Contra Proyectos De Muerte

21 noviembre 2008, SAN SALVADOR – Más un millar de personas de diversas organizaciones e instituciones aglutinadas en el Comité de Solidaridad en Defensa de las Víctimas del Chaparral, COSECHA, luego de marchar por las principales calles de San Salvador, se mantienen en vigilia frente a las instalaciones de la Comisión Ejecutiva del Río Lempa CEL, ubicada en el Centro de Gobierno, San Salvador, en protesta por el proyecto de la Represa El Chaparral.

Iglesias De Sri Lanka Enfrentan Grandes Problemas En Medio Del Furor De La Guerra

28 noviembre 2008 – Amargura y traumas son algunos de los problemas enfrentados por las iglesias de Sri Lanka, dedicadas a promover paz y reconciliación en medio de una intensa guerra. Así lo comprobó una delegación del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) que visitó esa nación insular del 19 al 23 de octubre. Encabezada por el secretario general del CMI, pastor Dr. Samuel Kobia, la delegación mantuvo contactos con dirigentes de las iglesias de Sri Lanka, de la sociedad civil y con otras personas.

Una Delegación Ecuménica Internacional Visitará Haití

20 noviembre 2008 – Una delegación ecuménica internacional de representantes de iglesias hará una visita de solidaridad a las iglesias, organizaciones ecuménicas y movimientos de la sociedad civil de Haití, del 24 al 28 de noviembre. El equipo visitará la capital, Puerto Príncipe, y zonas afectadas por los recientes huracanes. La finalidad de la visita es expresar la solidaridad con el pueblo de Haití y escuchar a las iglesias del país. Por medio de visitas a comunidades cristianas locales, organizaciones de la sociedad civil, organismos humanitarios y representantes políticos, los representantes ecuménicos internacionales se informarán sobre sus preocupaciones y esperanzas.

Teóloga Propone Crear La Teología Del Cuerpo En El Día De La Lucha Contra El Abuso Sexual

20 noviembre 2008, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Hay que promover una teología del cuerpo. El cuerpo es sagrado y el cuerpo sufre, siente, quiere hablar, afirmó la teóloga brasileña Renate Gierus, residente en Costa Rica, invitada a la XII Cátedra interdisciplinaria de la Mujer que promueve la Facultad Evangélica de Estudios Teológicos (Feet) en esta capital. Poniendo como ejemplo la flor que es bella pero si se la estruja se marchita, la expositora recomendó la posibilidad del diálogo para romper el tabu sobre el tema del abuso sexual. Hay pensar que todos y todas somos creados a la semejanza de Dios, por eso si el cuerpo es abusado se viola un espacio sagrado.

New York Metro News

Long Island Congregation Supports Hate Crime Victim's Family, Community

November 19, 2008 – In what Long Island, N.Y., police are calling a hate crime, 37-year-old Marcelo Lucero was stabbed to death by a group of seven youth on Nov. 8, 2008. Police say Lucero was targeted by the youth who "wanted to beat up someone who looked Hispanic." Lucero, a native of Ecuador, moved to the Long Island village of Patchogue 15 years ago. The attack drew swift reaction from Suffolk County (N.Y.) executive Steve Levy. "This heinous crime that led to the death of an individual because of his race will not be tolerated in Suffolk County," Levy said in a police news release. The Rev. Dwight Lee Wolter of Congregational UCC of Patchogue on Long Island heard about the crime on CNN the morning after it occurred, even though it took place only blocks from his home. Shocked that such a crime would happen in his neighborhood, Wolter diverted from his breakfast and went into action.

International News

International Ecumenical Delegation to Visit Haiti

November 20, 2008 – An international ecumenical delegation of church representatives will pay a solidarity visit to churches, ecumenical organizations and civil society movements in Haiti from 24 to 28 November. The team will visit the capital Port-au-Prince and areas affected by recent hurricanes. The visit aims to express solidarity with the Haitian people and listen to the churches in the country. Through visits to local Christian communities, civil society organizations, humanitarian agencies and political representatives, the international ecumenical representatives will learn about their concerns and hopes.

ELCA Takes Action to Address Food, Health Crisis in Zimbabwe

November 19, 2008, CHICAGO – The economic, political and social decline in Zimbabwe has taken a disastrous toll on the country's food supply and medical institutions, including four hospitals of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe (ELCZ). To help sustain the services of the hospitals, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is providing $600,000 to the ELCZ. The ELCA is allocating another $330,000 for the purchase of 90 metric tons of seed and fertilizer to help secure food production. "Just 10 years ago Zimbabwe was in a completely different place.

Sri Lanka's "Forgotten War": a Call for Global Church Advocacy

November 20, 2008 – In Sri Lanka, the conflict between the army and Tamil rebels has caught the civilian population between a rock and a hard place. Although the world turns a blind eye, Christian global advocates say churches should insist that attention be paid to victims caught in the violence. For several years, a civil war in Sri Lanka has placed in opposition a government dominated by the Sinhalese majority population and rebels who claim to defend the rights of the Tamil minority. Defenders of human rights protest that this war is being fought at the expense of the civilian population, with displaced people detained in camps that fail to provide for their basic needs, children abducted for recruitment as soldiers, and other inhabitants of combat zones being used as human shields by the rebels.

Episcopal Church of Haiti's ‘Gospel of Wholeness' Brings Abundance to Poor Country
Presiding Bishop Sees ‘Miracles Everywhere' on Five-day Pastoral Visit

November 20, 2008, PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – The words on the blackboard in an open-air Port-au-Prince classroom for disabled children summarize the Episcopal Church of Haiti's vision of ministry: "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine." Episcopalians in Haiti are using tools ranging from schools and medical clinics to pigs and plows – as well as financial resources from elsewhere in the church – to make that vision a reality. The mixture makes for a long list of what Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori called "bold and creative initiatives."

Christians Continue to Express Concern over Violence in India

November 20, 2008 – Christians gathering in New Delhi have promised not to forget the persecution their Indian brothers and sisters have suffered in recent months. The killing of a Hindu nationalist leader on Aug. 23 sparked waves of anti-Christian mob violence in the state of Orissa, displacing tens of thousands from their homes and causing nearly 50 deaths. Thousands of homes and scores of churches were burned. "It's a heart-wrenching story of interreligious conflict," the Rev. W. Douglas Mills, an executive with the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, told United Methodist News Service.

Middle East News

Prayers for Bethlehem During Advent and Christmas

November 18, 2008 – As many Christians around the world prepare to celebrate Advent and Christmas in the security of their homes and communities, they are invited to pray for justice, peace and security for Palestine and Israel – and to send a prayer or a peace message to Bethlehem. Once again this year, Christmas celebrations will take place in a difficult climate for people in the Holy Land. However, Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, is still first and foremost a city of peace. And even in these trying times, many individuals and groups living there refuse to give up hope. They continue to search for non-violent ways to voice their rights and work for a peaceful and just future for both Palestinians and Israelis. Since December 2000, a new Christmas tradition has been taking shape: sending peace messages to people in Bethlehem.