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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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Israeli Occupation Puts Strain on Palestinian Christians April 2, 2009 – Churches around the world must speak out and act for justice in Israel and Palestine, church leaders told members of an ecumenical delegation visiting the region from March 7 to 14. Members of the delegation – a Living Letters team visiting on behalf of the World Council of Churches (WCC) – learned of the many ways in which churches in the region cooperate to provide social services and advocate for peace and justice. But as the already low Palestinian Christian population continues to dwindle, and life becomes increasingly difficult for Palestinian people living under Israeli occupation, the work of churches is coming under strain, and support is desperately needed, the delegation was told. "Poverty: A Time for Sharing" – An Interfaith Religion Special on CBS April 26 April 1, 2009, NEW YORK – Poverty: A Time for Sharing, an interfaith religion special, will be broadcast Sunday, April 26 on the CBS Television Network. Check your local station for exact time. Half of humanity lives on less than $2 a day. A billion people worldwide cannot read or write. Poor children die in great numbers from preventable diseases. Global poverty and its killing effect is on the rise despite ongoing efforts by governments, the United Nations, and Non-Governmental Organizations, including religious groups. Faith Groups Laud House and Senate Actions Protecting Millions of Acres of God's Creation March 26, 2009, WASHINGTON – Faith groups and individuals from around the country have sent messages to Congress this week, encouraging action to protect millions of acres of God's Creation. The messages support H.R. 146, which gives congressional authorization to the National Landscape Conservation System, protects some of the finest scenic views, wildlife habitat, and outdoor recreational activities in the Wyoming Range and establishes new wilderness areas in the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia. United Church of Christ Leaders Hail Iowa Court Decision Legalizing Gay Marriage April 3, 2009 CLEVELAND – United Church of Christ leaders are hailing a unanimous decision by the Iowa Supreme Court to reject the state's ban on same-gender marriage as unconstitutional. Iowa now joins Massachusetts and Connecticut in becoming the third state to allow same-sex couples to marry. "Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa are three states whose cultures were shaped profoundly by the Congregational experience," said the Rev. John H. Thomas, UCC general minister and president. Move Towards a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World, Churches Tell NATO March 31, 2009 – A world without nuclear weapons is not only possible but more secure, leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have been told by a coalition of national, regional and global councils of churches. In a 30 March letter, four councils of churches urged the NATO leadership to "reinforce the vision of a world without nuclear weapons," consigning to history the notion that nuclear weapons preserve peace and instead recognizing that they make security more precarious. An immediate step towards that goal, the churches' letter suggests, would be to update the alliance's strategic concept and security doctrine. Religious Communicators Moved by Screening of Reel Bad Arabs April 1, 2009 – WACC North America hosted a free screening of Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies A People, a documentary, featuring acclaimed author and media critic, Dr Jack Shaheen who attended the screening held in Boston, Massachusetts, March 26. Below is the report written by one of the scholarship students attending the conference... By John Daniel Gore Dr. Jack Shaheen, for lack of a better word, is an amiable gentleman. Religion Communicators Council scholarship recipient Rob Collingsworth described him as "chill," which decodes as amiable in a twenty-something-year-old mind. Lutheran Chaplain Ministers to Military Serving Guantanamo Detainees April 3, 2009, CHICAGO – As a military chaplain, the Rev. Clint A. Pickett's role is to embody God's love at a site that once symbolized America's post-9/11 global war on terrorism. Pickett serves with the Joint Task Force-Guantanamo, the military unit charged with interrogation and oversight of prisoners from Afghanistan and Iraq wars brought to the U.S. Naval Base in southeastern Cuba. "It is clearly a unique mission here at Guantanamo, a part of history," said Pickett, 54, Groton, Conn., a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). ELCA Presiding Bishop Asks Lutherans to Focus on Hope, Prayer April 2, 2009, CHICAGO – The presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) urged members to focus on signs of hope and prayer in the midst of economic difficulty and uncertainty, as the church prepares for its spring legislative assemblies, culminating in the ELCA Churchwide Assembly this summer. March 30, 2009, AUGSBURG/GENEVA – Rev. Dr Thomas Nyiwe has summarized the key focus of the Lutheran World Foundation (LWF) consultation "Theology in the Life of Lutheran Churches – Transformative Perspectives and Practices" as "a strong conviction that there needs to be a strong connection between our task of theologizing and the preaching and mission of our local congregations." In his sermon during the 29 March Service of Holy Communion in Augsburg's St. Anne's Church, the president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon testified: "I have seen Jesus in my life. He has redeemed me. He has transformed my life." March 30, 2009, AUGSBURG/GENEVA – In the future, the worldwide Lutheran communion must make overcoming injustice, hunger and poverty the central focus of its action, emphasized Dr. Margot Kässmann, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover, in a press conference on 26 March in Augsburg, Germany, during the consultation "Theology in the Life of Lutheran Churches: Transformative Perspectives and Practices Today." New Faith and Life Resource Available for Parish Ministry and Outreach April 2, 2009, NEW YORK – The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America announced today the publication of the new "Faith and Life: Orthodox Christianity" series with the release of two web-based pamphlets on the topics of "Fasting" and the "Dating of Easter in the Orthodox Church." A third pamphlet focused on "Holy Week" will be available early next week. These pamphlets and the "Faith and Life" series are available for free. UCC Leader to Preach at Historic DC Church on Palm Sunday April 1, 2009, CLEVELAND – The Rev. John H. Thomas, United Church of Christ general minister and president, will deliver the sermon at People's Congregational UCC in Washington, D.C., on Palm Sunday, April 5. Located at 4704 13th Street NW in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C., People's is a predominantly African-American, progressive Christian community that has been a pillar of Washington's religious community for 118 years. The congregation is among those mentioned by some press outlets as a possible church home for U.S. President Barack Obama and his family. ELCA Launches ‘Brand Campaign' on National Cable, Local Television March 31, 2009, CHICAGO – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will launched a national television "brand campaign" March 30 on national cable channels and in selected television markets. A second campaign will follow beginning May 11. "The purpose of the ELCA brand campaign is to grow awareness of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and inspire members to invite others to a worship service," said Kristi S. Bangert, executive director, ELCA Communication Services. March 31, 2009, GENEVA – Nearly 30 years ago, Rev. Susanne Kasch was the first woman theologian to complete an internship with the Department for Theology and Studies (DTS) of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). "My stay at the Lutheran World Federation and in Geneva broadened my horizons incredibly," remarks Kasch looking back on her November 1979 to August 1980 stint in the secretariat of the global church communion. "My knowledge of the world expanded. I learned a lot." At present she is dean of the Augsburg Evangelical Lutheran Church District and pastor of Augsburg's St. Anne's Church. A Rabbi, a Muslim and a Baptist Preacher . . . April 2, 2009 – A rabbi, a Muslim and a Baptist preacher walk onto a stage—and everybody laughs... Which is probably exactly what will happen as a comedy troupe of diverse religious backgrounds converge at the opening dinner for RCCongress 2010 at Chicago's Marriott Downtown Hotel. Rabbi Bob Alper, the Rev. Susan Sparks and Azhar Usman have made names for themselves across the globe as entertainers who marry humor and faith. Alper served congregations for 14 years and holds a doctorate from Princeton Theological Seminary. March 30, 2009, AUGSBURG/GENEVA – "In our day-to-day work of theologizing we hardly take seriously the concerns of our partners from different contexts," emphasized Dr Monica J. Melanchthon, professor at Gurukul Lutheran Theological College in Chennai, India, on 27 March in Augsburg, Germany. Speaking to some 120 participants at the Lutheran World Foundation (LWF) consultation "Theology in the Life of Lutheran Churches – Transformative Perspectives and Practices," Melanchthon explored the topic "Marginal Readings: Implications for the Lutheran Communion." 2010 Congress to Explore Faith Communication Issues January 31, 2008, NEW YORK – Changes in perceptions about religion, its influence in the public arena and how technology delivers the message are among the issues communicators will consider at Religion Communication Congress 2010. The congress, with the theme "Embracing Change: Communicating Faith in Today's World," is scheduled for April 7-10, 2010, at the Marriott Downtown Hotel in Chicago. Participants will represent a broad spectrum of communications specialties, faith traditions and theological perspectives. Relationship with God Does Not End with Death March 30, 2009, AUGSBURG/GENEVA – "Hell, if it exists, is temporal, not eternal," claimed Rev. Dr Kristin Johnston Largen, associate professor for systematic theology at Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, USA. "If Christ has gone even there, to the deepest pit of existence, what of ‘hell' is left?" Johnston Largen challenged 120 theologians on 28 March at the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) consultation "Theology in the Lives of Lutheran Churches – Transformative Perspectives and Practices." LC/NA ‘Pleased but Cautious' in Response to ELCA Council Actions April 3, 2009, CHICAGO – Lutherans Concerned/North America (LC/NA) is "pleased but cautious" in response to actions taken by the Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) to send a "Report and Recommendation on Ministry Polices" and a proposed social statement – "Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust" – to the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly for consideration. LC/NA, based in St. Paul, Minn., is an independent Lutheran organization that relates to the ELCA through the churchwide organization's Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission program unit. Website Points Way to Event Marking Launch of New Global Reformed Church Movement April 1, 2009 – The Uniting General Council of the World Communion of Reformed Churches has put up a new website that focuses on the activities that will occur before, during and after the creation of the new Reformed Church body that will represent some 75 million Christians around the world. The website will permit churches and interested individuals to access information about the historic gathering which will take place on 18-28 June 2010 at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. ELCA Council Transmits Social Statement, Report and Recommendation April 1, 2009, CHICAGO – The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) sent "Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust," a proposed social statement for the ELCA, and a "Report and Recommendation on Ministry Policies" to the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly for consideration. The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the legislative authority of the church between assemblies. Three Members of the Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality Share Dissent April 2, 2009, CHICAGO – Three members of the Task Force for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) Studies on Sexuality issued a public statement March 28 to express their dissent over the content of two documents released by the task force. The chair of the task force responded to the statement. On Feb. 19 the task force released a proposed social statement on human sexuality and a report recommending a process to consider changes to ministry policies that could make it possible for Lutherans in committed same-gender relationships to serve as ELCA associates in ministry, deaconesses, diaconal ministers and ordained ministers. National Faith Leaders Model Peacemaking at Historic Interfaith Event March 31, 2009 – Saying it was the beginning of a "journey of passage" for Abrahamic people in the United States and beyond, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori joined with national leaders of Judaism and Islam for an historic "Conversation on Peace" on March 27 at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Nebraska. The conversation was part of "Dinner in Abraham's Tent," the inaugural public event of the TriFaith Initiative, a partnership of Omaha's Temple Israel, the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska and the American Institute of Islamic Studies and Culture. By Matthew Davies, April 03, 2009 – The group charged with "designing" a covenant that could be used as a unifying set of principles among the provinces of the Anglican Communion met March 30-April 3 in Cambridge, England to work on a new revision of the text. "A completed revision of the proposed covenant has been finished, along with a commentary explaining our work," the Rev. Dr. Ephraim Radner, one of two Episcopal Church members on the Covenant Design Group, told ENS at the conclusion of the meeting. April 3, 2009 – The Anglican Communion's most representative legislative body – the Anglican Consultative Council – will consider two documents at its upcoming meeting that "are key to discerning a way forward for the Anglican Communion in light of recent stresses caused by differences over matters of human sexuality," according to an April 3 news release from the Anglican Communion Office. The two documents to be discussed by the ACC when it convenes May 1-13 in Kingston, Jamaica, are the proposed Anglican covenant and the Windsor Continuation Group's final report that was made public during the early February meeting of the leaders, known as primates, of the communion's provinces. Lutheran Theology Alive and Well March 30, 2009, AUGSBURG/GENEVA – "Lutheran theology today is alive and well," underlined Rev. Dr Guillermo Hansen on 26 March, addressing about 120 participants at the international consultation "Theology in the Life of Lutheran Churches – Perspectives and Ways of Transforming Churches Today" of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Augsburg, Germany. Lutheran theology is alive because it comes from such diverse environments, said the Argentinian, who is currently teaching at the Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. The diversity of Lutheran theology is the best indicator that "Lutheran identity is not static, but always becoming," according to Hansen. Editorial: On to Jerusalem – the Passion and Resurrection of Christ March 30, 2009 – For many Christians, Passion Week is an important time of introspection. When we reflect on the life of Christ, we find that He was a man who practiced careful observation and reflection throughout His life. Luke 6:12 and Luke 9:28-29 not only mention Jesus going up to the mountain to pray, they also write that He spent a whole night in prayer. Luke also tells us that Jesus prayed earnestly in the garden of Gethsemane. As Jesus was hanging on the cross, He cried out a prayer, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit," before taking His last breath. Constituyen La Mesa Nacional Del CLAI. Desafíos Proféticos Para Tiempos De Desesperanza 1 abril 2009 – El miércoles 25 de marzo se constituyó la mesa nacional del Consejo Latinoamericano de Iglesias (CLAI), en la República Dominicana. La celebración tuvo lugar el el Hotel Coop Marena de Juan Dolio al Este del país. Al encuentro asistieron todas las Iglesias miembros pleno del CLAI en el país: Iglesia Evangélica Dominicana, Metodista Libre, Episcopal Dominicana, Templos Evangélicos, Bautista de República Dominicana e Iglesia de Dios. Iglesia Y Comunidad, Juntas Para Combatir La Pobreza 3 abril 2009, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – En la Iglesia bautista internacional, al sur de esta capital, a cargo del pastor y profesor Marcelino Basset, se recomienda a la feligresía que, ante la crisis económica mundial, vivan con austeridad, pero sin dejar de lado la calidad, ingiriendo alimentos naturales y no los llamados "chatarra." Esta crisis debemos enfrentarla con fe y esperanza, consumiendo lo esencial; ahorrando y olvidando los artículos suntuarios. El ahorro debe empezar en casa, no derrochando agua, energía eléctrica ni teléfono, repite a su feligresía el pastor Basset. Críticas De Arzobispo Tutu Provocan Dura Respuesta Del ANC 3 abril 2009, GINEBRA, Suiza – Las críticas del arzobispo Desmond Tutu contra el candidato presidencial Jacob Zuma provocaron una dura reacción del gobernante Congreso Nacional Africano (ANC por sus iniciales en inglés). En una entrevista radial este jueves, el prelado advirtió a los líderes del ANC que "no son Dios" y que "un día recibirán su merecido," y expresó su rechazo a la candidatura de Zuma. Iglesias Realizan Vía Crucis Del Migrante Y Demandan Atención Y Solidaridad Con Deportados 30 marzo 2009, CIUDAD DE GUATEMALA – Con la participación de centros educativos, escuelas de teología, grupos organizados de áreas marginales, iglesias protestantes y congregaciones católicas se realizó en el quinto viernes de cuaresma el Vía crucis del Migrante, el cual recordó las dificultades y vejámenes que sufren miles de personas que se han visto obligados a dejar sus hogares y lugares, y emprender ruta hacia Estados Unidos en búsqueda de mejores condiciones de vida. El CLAI Pide Oraciones Y Solidaridad Con El Pueblo Colombiano Ante La Violencia Creciente April 1, 2009, COLOMBIA – El Secretario Regional Caribe y Gran Colombia del Consejo Latinoamericano de Iglesias (CLAI), Rvdo. Jorge Daniel Zijlstra Arduin, circuló ayer una carta a las iglesias y organismos miembros del Consejo, solicitando "oración y expresiones de solidaridad cristiana por el pueblo colombiano, y, en especial, por la comunidad de la Ciudad de Apartadó en Urabá." La Ocupación Israelí Hace Sufrir a Los Cristianos Palestinos 2 abril 2009 – Las iglesias de todo el mundo deben elevar su voz y actuar en favor de la justicia en Israel y Palestina, dijeron dirigentes de iglesias a los miembros de una delegación ecuménica que visitó la región de Palestina/Israel del 7 al 14 de marzo. Los miembros de la delegación – un equipo de Cartas Vivas que realizaba una visita en nombre del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) – fueron informados sobre las muchas formas en que las iglesias de la región cooperan para prestar servicios sociales y abogar por la paz y la justicia. Pero a medida que la ya escasa población de cristianos palestinos sigue disminuyendo y la vida resulta cada vez más difícil para la población palestina que vive bajo la ocupación de Israel, la labor de las iglesias está sometida a una presión creciente y necesita desesperadamente apoyo, se informó a la delegación. Comunicación Popular En América Latina. Seminario Internacional Y XIII Asamblea General De ALER 30 marzo 2009, QUITO, Ecuador – Más de 80 radios comunitarias y populares, centros de producción y redes de 17 países, nucleados en la Asociación Latinoamericana de Educación Radiofónica (ALER) intercambiaron con investigadores, en Quito, Ecuador entre el 23 y el 28 de marzo, estableciendo líneas de trabajo para los próximos cuatro años en el actual contexto latinoamericano. En el Seminario Internacional América Latina en el siglo XXI: "Comunicación y Poder-es" participó Frank La Rue, relator especial de la ONU para Libertad de Expresión, quien señaló que "los monopolios atentan contra la libertad de expresión." Call for International Christian Solidarity to Overcome Caste- Based Discrimination April 2, 2009 – Church leaders and human rights advocates seek to further internationalize the struggle to overcome caste-based discrimination, a 3,500-year old scourge that affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide. The UN anti-racism review conference to take place in Geneva in late April will be the first test of this strategy. Caste-based discrimination severely affects some 260 million people worldwide, an estimated 200 million of them in India alone. New National Volunteer Group to Rebuild Homes in Neglected New Orleans Lakefront Community March 31, 2009, NEW ORLEANS – One of the still-neglected tragedies of Hurricane Katrina, the historic lakefront community of Little Woods in New Orleans' Ninth Ward, will get a rebuilding boost starting in April, thanks to a first-of-its-kind network of national volunteers spearheaded by humanitarian agency Church World Service. With a one-neighborhood-at-a-time focus, the "Neighborhood: New Orleans" project will repair or rebuild an initial 12 homes on property owned by current or displaced Little Woods residents during a four-week effort beginning Sunday, April 19, and ending Saturday, May 16. Minnesotans near Red River Watch and Pray March 31, 2009 – Residents near the Red River, the border between Minnesota and North Dakota, are continuing to watch cautiously for breaches in sandbag levees. Although the river continued to recede – dropping to just above 38 feet early on March 31 as a snowstorm blanketed the region – melting snow could bring a second flood crest by mid-April, the National Weather Service said. "Half a dozen homes of people in Grace United Methodist Church (in Moorhead, Minn.) are in imminent danger if a levee were to fail," the Rev. Craig Haberman, Grace's pastor, told his North Star District superintendent, the Rev. Alan Bolte. "Members in our congregation affected are evacuating either out of town or to homes on higher ground here in Fargo/Moorhead." Top Anglican Legislative Body to Meet in Jamaica April 3, 2009 – The Anglican Consultative Council, made up of lay people, clergy and bishops from the 38 Anglican Provinces of the Communion, meets in Kingston Jamaica May 1 – 13, to consider among other things, mission in the 21st century, the future structure of the worldwide Church, and theological education. The ACC meets approximately every three years under the presidency of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who will give a presidential address on May 11. Foremost on the agenda for this, the 14th meeting of the Council, will be consideration of a Covenant for the Provinces of the Anglican Communion and reception of the final report of the Windsor Continuation Process. Madagascar Crisis: CWM and WARC Make Solidarity Visit March 30, 2009 – Leaders from the Council for World Mission (CWM) and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) have shown solidarity with their member church in Madagascar by making a special visit to its headquarters in the capital, Antananarivo. CWM general secretary Rev Dr Des van der Water and general secretary of the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa Rev Dr Jerry Pillay visited the Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar (FJKM) to show support and unity to those affected by weeks of violence and a change of government. They also took part in a 70,000-strong church-led rally and service of worship to pray for a peaceful, more democratic process of reform in the country. In East Asia and the Pacific, Anglicans Commit to Action on Climate Change March 30, 2009 – With a pledge to work together in addressing pressing environmental concerns in East Asia and the Pacific, representatives from several Anglican provinces and mission agencies met March 23-26 in Hong Kong for a consultation on climate change, co-sponsored by Episcopal Relief and Development, the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Province of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui. The consultation was inspired by several conversations in 2008 with Episcopal Church partners and church leaders primarily from East Asia and the Pacific Rim, said Kirsten Muth, ERD's senior director of Asia, Pacific and New Initiatives, who noted that the purpose of the gathering was to focus on "climate change as it relates to poverty, and identifying how we can work together more effectively in areas of sustainable development." Millennium Development Goals on Convention Radar March 31, 2009 – Support for the world's poorest, most vulnerable communities has been at the core of the Episcopal Church's global mission efforts for the last triennium, particularly through its commitment to achieving the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The goals are expected to gather strong momentum at the 2009 General Convention, when bishops and deputies representing the Episcopal Church's 110 dioceses meet July 8-17 in Anaheim, California, to review the church's efforts during the past triennium and establish program and mission priorities for the next three years. |
