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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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Lutheran, Anglican Bishops Denied Entry to Gaza February 5, 2009, CHICAGO – The Rev. Munib A. Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL), and the Rt. Rev. Suheil Dawani, Anglican bishop of Jerusalem, were denied entry to Gaza Feb. 4, according to a news release from the ELCJHL. The bishops were traveling with the heads of churches of Jerusalem to visit Christians in Gaza. Younan and Dawani were the only Palestinians in the group and the only ones denied entry, the release said. February 5, 2009, YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia – While listening to a panel on Islamic economics in Sumatra, Indonesia, I surreptitiously watched the U.S. election returns on my wireless laptop. Strange. So far away and yet so close. As the only Christian among several hundred Muslims, I spoke on Islamic studies in a multi-religious, multicultural world. It's a world where the son of a Kenyan father and a mother from Kansas, with a Muslim name, who grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii and attends a black church on the south side of Chicago was elected president of the U.S.A. Amazing. The front page of our newspaper showed an old picture of Obama wearing an Indonesian school uniform and looking just like the other Indonesian kids sitting around him. February 6, 2009, LOUISVILLE – I will admit it up front: This column is an unabashed promotion for the Big Tent event, June 11-13, in Atlanta. The Big Tent will bring together several of our Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) summer conferences in one place at the same time so that participants might experience the breadth and width of the ministries of the PC(USA). One of the hopes of moving to biennial General Assemblies was to create opportunities for Presbyterians to come together nationally in non-legislative meetings in non-GA years. Crossing Boundaries – Nelson to APCE: February 5, 2009, SAN ANTONIO – "All around us are hurting people," worship leader the Rev. J. Herbert Nelson told more than 1,000 people gathered here for the 2009 convention of the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators (APCE). Yet barriers of race, class, upbringing and status "keep us from being real with one another," he said. These barriers prevent us from welcoming all people into the community of faith. Nelson, a third-generation Presbyterian minister, is founder/pastor of Liberation Community Presbyterian Church, which describes itself as "an African-centered congregation committed to evangelizing the poor." Lutheran Feminist Theologies a Topic Between Church, Academy February 4, 2009, CHICAGO – Lutheran feminist theologians have been writing and working in Lutheran and non-Lutheran institutions for a long time, according to Dr. Mary Streufert. But feminist theology is not a conversation topic that happens often between church and academy despite decades of formal and informal work in the field, she said. Streufert serves as director of the Justice for Women program, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Church in Society. Justice for women is a strategic priority for the denomination, and its purpose is to eradicate sexism in the church and promote gender justice in society. Synod Speakers Feature Award Winning Journalists and Theologians January 27, 2009 – The UCC General Synod 27 planning team is pleased to announce four nationally-known speakers who will address the denomination June 26-30 at the DeVos Convention Center in downtown Grand Rapids, Mich. Eugene H. Robinson's commentaries are read and seen by millions across the country. He is assistant managing editor and a columnist for The Washington Post. His syndicated column appears in newspapers nationally and internationally. Robinson has recently appeared on MSNBC as a featured correspondent in the 2008 Presidential election. In his 28-year career at The Washington Post, Robinson has been city hall reporter, city editor, foreign correspondent in Buenos Aires and London, foreign editor, and assistant managing editor in charge of the paper's award-winning Style section. February 5, 2009, BERKELEY, CA – For George Cummings and Charles Tinsley, the escalating plague of violence in urban America is way too personal. Last summer, a 20-year-old woman member of Cummings' United Community Church in Oakland was killed when her boyfriend's car was strafed by automatic weapons fire. The boyfriend, the target of the reprisal shooting, survived. "Everyone knows who pulled the trigger," Cummings told the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP) during a two-hour conversation on the topic of urban violence Jan. 23 here, "but there still have been no arrests because you need evidence and, especially, witnesses and no one will come forward." Ice Storm a Test of Faith, Kentucky Lutherans Say February 4, 2009, CHICAGO – John Rogers of Paducah is without electricity, heat and hot water more than a week after the deadly Jan. 27 ice storm that struck Kentucky. "There was so much ice that you could hear the trees crack," he said of the storm. "It sounded like shotgun blasts." He throws logs on the fire to keep warm, puts food outside to keep cold. But the associate in ministry worries about other members of St. Matthew Lutheran Church. "I can't reach those who live on the outskirts of town," he said. The congregation is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Pilgrim Congregational Declares Itself to Be an Earth Church January 29, 2009, CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee – Pilgrim Congregational Church voted unanimously to be an EarthChurch during in its annual congregational meeting. This covenantal relationship was established with "our Creator God and with each other as a community of faith" in joyful response to God's declaration to establish a bond of commitment and responsibility with every part of creation. Pilgrim Church "seeks to be as inclusive as God's love in (its) circle of caring." "Care for the Earth is not only a human necessity, but also a religious imperative," said David Brown, Senior Minister of Pilgrim Church. "We have responsibility for this planet. I hope that all people of goodwill will join together in caring for the endangered environment." On Earth Peace Offers ‘Community Change for Congregations' February 2, 2009, ELGIN, IL – "You Can't Stop the River: Community Change for Congregations" is and event offered on April 2-5 in Kansas City, Kan., by On Earth Peace and hosted by First Central Church of the Brethren, in conjunction with the Kansas City Metropolitan Parish Council. The theme scripture comes from Rev. 22, "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life...." The event is billed for congregations concerned about community issues such as gun violence, domestic violence, racism, or loss of employment. February 5, 2009, SAN DIEGO – The Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People (SDOP) has approved grants totaling $301,710 to 12 self-help projects in the United States. The money is from the One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) offering. Self-Development of People receives 32 percent of undesignated OGHS gifts. The grants were approved at a meeting of SDOP's national committee here Jan. 15-17. The meeting also marked SDOP's first retreat, "Engaging Our Neighborhoods: Vision and Mission," held in conjunction with previously funded partners and local middle governing body SDOP committees. ‘Catalyst' to Advance Rural, Small-Town LCMS Ministry February 5, 2009 – LCMS ministry in rural areas and small towns can be summarized with a couple of 50 percent statistics: Slightly more than half of the 6,000-plus LCMS congregations are in communities with fewer than 15,000 population, and about half of the residents in those areas have no ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ. Seeing the numbers as opportunities, a collaboration of LCMS entities is seeking a staff "catalyst" to identify and coordinate resources for existing congregations and for starting new ministries in rural areas and small towns. Lutherans Team-Up for ‘Souper Bowl of Caring' February 6, 2009, CHICAGO – As football fans watched the Pittsburgh Steelers seal a victory Feb. 1 in the NFL's "Super Bowl" game, faith groups also triumphed that day in a championship of their own – the "Souper Bowl of Caring," a national effort that raises millions of dollars for hunger-fighting organizations. As part of the effort, congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) arrange for young people to collect food and dollars in large soup pots. Some congregations contribute their earnings to the ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Appeal and/or donate food items to local food banks, homeless shelters and Lutheran social ministry organizations. February 5, 2009, GENEVA – The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Department for World Service (DWS) and Church of Sweden (CoS) are collaborating in a new model of partnership involving secondment of qualified young personnel to DWS field programs in different parts of the world. The two-year initiative kicked off in January 2009 with the secondment of five persons from different CoS parishes to DWS programs in Ethiopia, Liberia, Kenya, Sudan and Colombia. The partnership offers additional professional support toward DWS emergency and development activities on the ground, while at the same time allowing the partner church, its respective parishes and congregations to have closer links to the realities of international diakonia, says Geneva-based DWS program coordinator, Mr Rudelmar Bueno de Faria. February 3, 2009, BAKERSFIELD, California – In addition to measuring its growth in a number of common ways such as average Sunday attendance, Grace Episcopal Church has an uncommon yardstick: it has grown from a "church in a box" to a "church in a closet." Two years ago, the accoutrements of what is now Grace Episcopal Church could fit in a box that traveled around town in the trunks of members' cars. Today, Grace's vestments, vessels, torches, processional cross, name tags, children's books, icons made by members of the congregation – even the altar – reside in two closets inside Huber Memorial Chapel at First Congregational Church in Bakersfield. Each Sunday, Grace's members unpack the closets and turn the building, which is normally used for concerts, into a worship space. Pope Shenouda Receives Anglican Primates in Alexandria February 1, 2009 – Following a private meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, the Coptic Pope, received the Primates of the Anglican Communion at the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate in Alexandria on Saturday evening, 31 January. The Primates are meeting in Alexandria in the latest of their series of regular meetings. In thanking Pope Shenouda for his warm welcome and hospitality the Archbishop of Canterbury drew attention to the significance of meeting together in the city where many of the universal doctrines of the Christian faith were formed and where the seeds of the Christian monastic movement had been sown in the third century. Pope Shenouda welcomed the Primates. Bishops, he said, had a special responsibility to guide their people in the path of holiness. Primates Meeting Begins with Celebration in Egypt February 2, 2009 – The first day of the Primates Meeting in Alexandria has ended with the dedication of St. Mark's pro-Cathedral and the installation of new dean, the Very Revd. Samy Fawzy Shehata. In an often moving service the Archbishop of Canterbury, assisted by dean Samy who translated the Sermon in Arabic, spoke of the importance of recognizing the God's presence in the St Mark's. "As we dedicate this cathedral we ought to be praying that this is a place where Jesus is alive. When we step into this church and experience Jesus' life of prayer, it changes the way we see things. The Archbishop also spoke of the importance of recognizing the holiness of prayer in others. Primates Meeting Questions Language of Sanctions February 3, 2009 – The first full day of business at the Primates meeting in Alexandria, Egypt, has been held in a relaxed atmosphere with primates generally positive about the days ahead. The media spokesman for the primates meeting, Australia's Primate, Archbishop Dr Phillip Aspinall, said day two of the meeting included a presentation by five Primates about the impact of the current situation on province mission priorities. Archbishops Fred Hiltz from Canada, Thabo Makgoba from Southern Africa, Henry Orombi from Uganda, Stephen Oo from Myanmar and Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori from the United States made presentations. February 5, 2009 1. At the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, as the Primates and Moderators of the Churches of the Anglican Communion[1], we gathered for prayer and consultation in the ancient city of Alexandria, with the Most Revd Mouneer Anis, President Bishop of the Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East, as our host. We prayed, worshipped God, and studied the Scriptures together, seeking to be faithful to the call of God in Christ, and to discern the leading of the Holy Spirit. There was a common desire to speak honestly about our situation. Editorial: Nurturing Pastors to Become God's Holy Priests February 2, 2009 – From my experience serving churches, I've learned that a healthy pastor or deacon can tremendously bless a church, while an unhealthy one can hurt it or prevent it from growing. The second chapter of 1st Samuel offers stories and teachings on the roles and duties of priests worth examining and also outlines an important theological theme throughout the book. In this chapter, God essentially says, "Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained." (1st Samuel 2:30). 1st Samuel 2 details a conversation between God and the prophet Eli and God was clear about the consequences of treating appointed priesthood with contempt when He told Eli that He would discipline and curse Eli's descendants. Agencias Ecuménicas Tuvieron Una Visibilidad Inédita En El Foro Social Mundial 3 febrero 2008, BELEM, Brasil – El Foro Social Mundial (FSM) es el resultado de los esfuerzos de muchas personas y organizaciones. Para que ocurra un evento de esta magnitud, que en su octava edición contó con la presencia de más de 95 mil suscriptores, asociaciones y apoyo son esenciales. Invariablemente, el más importante apoyo financiero proviene de los organismos que participan en el proceso del Foro del Norte, y en el caso de las ediciones Brasil, del gobierno federal y las empresas estatales, que a su vez, tienen sus marcas en todas las materias relacionadas con identidad visual del evento. A 50 Años De La Revolución, Cuba Dialoga Sobre Religión Y Política 2 febrero 2008 LA HABANA, Cuba – Como parte de los acontecimientos que en los últimos meses se vienen realizando como parte de los festejos de los 50 años de la Revolución (castrista) Cubana, el habanero Centro de Inmunología invitó a especialistas nacionales, de temas considerados álgidos, para que durante aproximadamente una hora dialogaran con los investigadores del lugar. Migración, constitución y religión son algunas de las temáticas de interés para ese colectivo, mayoritariamente joven, como lo es más del 70 por ciento de la sociedad a la cual pertenecen. Encarcelados Por Cambiar De "Religión" 3 febrero 2008 CIUDAD DE MÉXICO – Ocho personas que recientemente se hicieron miembros de iglesias evangélicas fueron encarcelados por cambiar de religión en la comunidad "20 de Noviembre," municipio de Las Margaritas, por orden del comisariado ejidal, Gonzalo Jiménez Luna. Los ocho indígenas tojolabales permanecen privados de su libertad y deben pagar una multa, que aún no ha sido especificada, ya que uno de los acuerdos dentro de esa comunidad es que "nadie puede cambiar de religión, sin el permiso de la autoridad," ya que todos profesan la fe católica, a pesar de la fuerte presencia evangélica en la zona. Ministro De Religión Del Sultanato De Omán Visita Cuba 3 febrero 2008, LA HABANA, Cuba – El Ministro de Religión del Sultanato de Oman, El Jeque Addullah Mohammed Addullah Al Salmi y la delegación que lo acompaña, fueron recibidos en la sede del Consejo de Iglesias de Cuba (CIC), en esta capital, por su presidente, el reverendo Marcial Miguel Hernández y varios directivos de las áreas que lo componen. Durante el encuentro les fue ofrecida a los visitantes una amplia panorámica del trabajo del CIC, su relación con las iglesias miembros y asociados fraternales, además de la labor social en la cual se trabaja actualmente, con destaque de la referida a casos de ayuda humanitaria en caso de desastres, como fueron los pasados ciclones. El Matrimonio Homosexual En Suecia Podrá 2 febrero 2008, ESTOCOLMO, Suecia – La cuenta atrás para la legalización del matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo en Suecia se acerca a su final. Tres de los cuatro partidos que forman la coalición de centro-derecha gobernante presentaron en enero el proyecto de ley en el Parlamento, con la intención explícita de que las bodas, tanto civiles como religiosas, puedan empezar a celebrarse el 1 de mayo. Suecia se convertirá así en el séptimo estado soberano en permitir la celebración de matrimonios entre personas del mismo sexo, tras Holanda, Bélgica, España, Canadá, Sudáfrica y Noruega. Ello sin tener en cuenta que dos estados de Estados Unidos (Massachusetts y Connecticut) también lo permiten. La Iglesia Valdense Debate Su Plan Estratégico En El Marco De Asamblea Sinodal 5 febrero 2008, ARGENTINA – En el marco de su XLVI Asamblea Sinodal, la Iglesia Evangélica Valdense del Río de la Plata (IEVRP) debate un Plan Estratégico a cuatro añod, con la asesoría del Centro Regional Ecuménico de Asesoría y Servicio (CREAS). La asamblea tiene lugar del 4 al 8 de febrero en la localidad de Jacinto Arauz, provincia de La Pampa,a más de 800 kilómetros de la capital nacional. La IEVRP realiza anualmente su Sínodo, ocasión en la cual se dan cita los representantes de cada comunidad, elegidos por éstas en asamblea. El sistema parlamentario permite debates y decisiones consensuadas con las congregaciones locales a través de sus delegados. February 2, 2009 – More than 150 family members of people buried in St. Johannes Cemetery, located next to Chicago O'Hare Airport, have filed a petition to stop the City of Chicago from removing those graves to make way for new runways and terminals at O'Hare. The cemetery has been at the center of the O'Hare extension controversy since 2005, with opponents deeming the 160-year-old burial ground sacrosanct. Religious experts and lawyers have also weighed in on the matter, saying the ruling could have widespread implications for religious rights and religious freedom across the United States. Economic Downturn Impacts Lutheran Social Ministry Organizations February 3, 2009, CHICAGO – A Lutheran social service agency in Florida is operating on a deficit for the first time in 10 years. A social ministry organization in California reported that many families in the Santa Clarita Valley are sleeping in their cars. In Iowa philanthropy is being hurt, not only by the economic downturn but also by donor fatigue as a result of tornado and flood disaster response work in 2008. Lutheran health and human service organizations across the country are seeing an increase in the demand for services in the current economic downturn. But government cutbacks are leaving Lutheran social service providers with dwindling resources in which to respond. Anti-Gambling Alliance Protests Alleged Merits of Casinos February 2, 2009 – On the eve of the Lunar New Year, representatives from Taiwan Anti-Gambling Alliance paid a visit to Taiwan's Control Yuan, one of the five branches of government, to file a petition against the Penghu Islands county government for breaking a promise to invite the organization to the county's first public forum held after the passage of the Offshore Islands Development Act. The organization called the county government "one of the biggest con artists in Taiwan" and vowed to stage a big anti-gambling protest rally on March 15th to protest the county government's actions. Global Ministries Asks Obama Administration to Act on Sri Lankan Violence February 4, 2009 – A letter penned by Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ has been sent to President Barack Obama and cabinet members urging action regarding ongoing violence in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lanka government has conducted a month-long operation against the separatist forces of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). This offensive has forced the displacement of at least 250,000 civilians in addition to reports of extensive property damage and civilian casualties. February 1, 2009, ALEXANDRIA, Egypt – The proposed Anglican covenant and global issues such as Zimbabwe and the financial crisis will be addressed by almost all of the 38 Anglican primates meeting February 1-5 at the Helnan Palestine Hotel in Alexandria, Egypt. The first day of the Primates Meeting began with a quiet morning led by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and culminated in a worship service to dedicate St. Mark's Pro-Cathedral in Alexandria and install its new dean, the Very Rev. Samy Fawzy Shehata. "As we dedicate this cathedral we ought to be praying that this is a place where Jesus is alive," Williams said during the sermon, which was simultaneously translated into Arabic. February 5, 2009, GENEVA – The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Department for World Service (DWS) and Church of Sweden (CoS) are collaborating in a new model of partnership involving secondment of qualified young personnel to DWS field programs in different parts of the world. The two-year initiative kicked off in January 2009 with the secondment of five persons from different CoS parishes to DWS programs in Ethiopia, Liberia, Kenya, Sudan and Colombia. The partnership offers additional professional support toward DWS emergency and development activities on the ground, while at the same time allowing the partner church, its respective parishes and congregations to have closer links to the realities of international diakonia, says Geneva-based DWS program coordinator, Mr Rudelmar Bueno de Faria. Institute Urges Release of Afghans Facing Death for Translating Quran February 6, 2009, WASHINGTON, DC – The Institute on Religion and Public Policy urges Afghan authorities immediately to drop charges against two Afghans facing the death penalty for distributing a translation of the Quran around Kabul. The men, along with four others, are due to stand at a Feb. 8 appeals court hearing that could decide their fate. In 2007, Ahmad Ghaws Zalmai (pictured left), a spokesman for the attorney general, helped print 1,000 copies of an Afghan language translation of the Quran. Because the translation did not have the original Arabic verses of the Quran, Islamic clerics accused Zalmai of breaking Shariah law by modifying the holy book. Lutheran Memorials Celebrate the Life of Former President Robert Marshall February 6, 2009, CHICAGO – Memorials have been planned to celebrate the life of the Rev. Robert J. Marshall, biblical scholar and president of the former Lutheran Church in America (LCA), who died Dec. 22 in Allentown, Pa. He was 90. A funeral was held Jan. 3 in Burlington, Iowa. In 1962 Marshall was elected president of the LCA Illinois Synod, and six years later he was elected president of the LCA. During his decade as LCA president, groundwork was set for that church's merger with the American Lutheran Church and Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in 1987 to form the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). February 5, 2009, IRVING, TX – The Rev. Rafaat Zaki brings a unique international perspective to his new work as stated clerk and associate executive for the Synod of the Sun. He began his new work in November 2008. "I am blessed to have been elected and called by the Synod of the Sun, especially in this capacity, and in such a time as this," Zaki said. "For the greatest of all challenges the Church faces today is to prophetically proclaim and faithfully serve the unique calling of the Church as God's agent for compassion and just peace." Zaki's ancestors were Coptic Orthodox and his grandfather was a Presbyterian clergy who was sent as a missionary by Egypt's Synod of the Nile to serve in Sudan where Zaki was born to a father who became a Presbyterian elder and mother who served as a librarian, organist, and church leader. Court Imposes Final Sentence of Deposition on Bennison February 4, 2009, PENNSYLVANIA – An ecclesiastical trial court has issued its final judgment and sentence that Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania Bishop Charles Bennison should be deposed from the ordained ministry of the Episcopal Church for having engaged in conduct unbecoming a member of the clergy. The Court for the Trial of a Bishop upheld a decision it had made on September 30, 2008 that deposition was appropriate "in recognition of the nature of the offense and because [Bennison] has failed to demonstrate that he comprehends and takes responsibility for the harm that he has caused." Bennison has been inhibited or barred from exercising his ordained ministry since October 30, 2007 when he was first ordered to strand trial on a presentment, the church's equivalent of an indictment. The trial court spent four days in June hearing the case against Bennison and determined later that month that he had engaged in conduct unbecoming a member of the clergy. |
