Front Page

Maspeth United Methodist Church Destroyed in Blaze

June 13, 2009, MASPETH, NY – A raging two-alarm fire gutted a 102-year-old Maspeth United Methodist Church, shattering the main stained glass window – and generations of memories. Fire authorities have not yet determined the cause of the blaze that engulfed the church at 66-35 58th Avenue in the wee hours of Tuesday, June 9. "The fire was so intense you felt the heat across the street," parishioner Stephen Shklanko reportedly said. Shklanko, who was married and baptized his sons in the church, said the smell of smoke was so intense he initially thought his own home was on fire. "This is a nightmare. I actually feel sick, like a part of you is gone," Shklanko's wife, Victoria was quoted as saying, while his 80-year-old mother Ruth could only say "It's breaking my heart," as she cried for the church she attended for 55 years.

Change Is in the Air, as Churches Do Week for Middle East Peace

June 8, 2009 – Change is in the air as churches in many parts of the world hold a "World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel" that began on 4 June 2009. New voices are advocating steps toward peace that churches have been promoting for years. "It's time for us to act on what everyone knows is true," US President Barack Obama said in his address to the Muslim world from Cairo, 4 June, in the section specifically dealing with the Israel-Palestine conflict. "It's time for Israelis and Palestinians to share a just peace," says the message that churches are using for the World Council of Churches-led action week, 4-10 June 2009. To begin the week in Bethlehem, local participants projected prayers for peace onto the "separation wall" at night. As the week goes on, prayers are being read out loud at checkpoints, in schools and in refugee camps. "There is really no situation that is intractable – none," said Nobel peace laureate and retired Anglican Archbishop of Capetown Desmond Tutu in a speech at the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey near Geneva, Switzerland, on Sunday, 7 June.

ELCA Pastor Brings Words of Promise to Wichita Congregations

June 8, 2009, CHICAGO – "Attitude is everything" was a phrase that Dr. George Tiller had made into buttons. Many mourners wore those buttons to his funeral June 6 at College Hill United Methodist Church, Wichita, Kan. Tiller was shot and killed the previous Sunday morning before worship at nearby Reformation Lutheran Church, where he was a member. "Attitude is everything ... but not our attitude," said the Rev. Lowell R. Michelson, Tiller's pastor, during the funeral sermon. "God's attitude ... an attitude of love." "God does not turn away from our lives when things go bad. In fact, God leans in all the more and tilts with unconditional love in our favor. It is bold to stare death in the face with such an attitude," he said. "The life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ changes us and the world. We know that death doesn't have the last word. It isn't the end of the story. It is only the beginning."

ELCA Presiding Bishop Addresses Holocaust Museum Shooting

June 11, 2009, CHICAGO – The Rev. Mark S. Hanson wrote letters to 14 Jewish leaders in the United States, expressing his "sadness and concern" at the shooting incident June 10 at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Hanson is presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the nation's largest Lutheran denomination. Stephen Tyrone Jones, a security guard at the memorial, was killed. Police shot and wounded the alleged shooter, an 88-year old man. The suspect remains in a Washington-area hospital in critical condition.

Think Ecumenical, Save Money?

June 12, 2009 – A tough economy could be a boon to the ecumenical movement. What one church can no longer afford to do, two or more churches gathered together may be able to keep social and educational programs alive while exploring and strengthening their shared theological roots, says the leader of The United Methodist Church's ecumenical agency. As a bonus, no one knows better how to stretch a dollar, said the Rev. Stephen J. Sidorak Jr., top executive of the Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns.

General News

Spring Concert by the Archdiocesan Metropolitan Youth Choir

June 11, 2009, NEW YORK – The Archdiocesan Metropolitan Youth Choir of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America will hold a Spring Concert and Silent Auction to benefit the Choir on Thursday evening June 11, at Sotheby's, NY. Archbishop Demetrios of America will be in attendance. The Choir was established on His Eminence's initiative and direction eight years ago, and stands under his archiepiscopal auspices. The Choir is comprised of approximately 50 young Greek American children from the parishes of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in the New York metropolitan area, under the direction of choir master Maria Koleva.

Extraordinary Faith, Ordinary Life – a Lutheran Horseshoe Pitcher's Tale

June 11, 2009 CHICAGO – Terry Cuthbertson hoped to bring the 2009 world horseshoe pitching tournament to Kansas, home of the first such championship 100 years ago. By a five-vote margin, members of the National Horseshoe Pitching Association (NHPA) opted to hold the July 27-Aug. 8 competition in Springfield, Ill. Kansas was a sentimental favorite, but Springfield won in part because of its proximity to the National Horseshoe Pitchers Hall of Fame, located 135 miles away in Wentzville, Mo. "We're good sports about it," said Cuthbertson, president of the Topeka Horseshoe Association. "That's as important in life as it is in horseshoes."

LCMS Medical Team Treats Record Numbers in Kenya

June 11, 2009 – On the last day of the most recent Mercy Medical Team (MMT) trip to western Kenya, members treated a record-breaking 454 patients in one day – and played a critical role in an emergency delivery that saved the lives of a young Kenyan woman and her newborn child. "Every time, something happens, but it's usually not as dramatic as this," said Scarlet Holcombe, MMT special projects coordinator. "This was truly an amazing reminder of why we do what we do." Helping the Kenyan woman who had been in labor for more than 16 hours proved the emotional highpoint of four medical clinics, held April 13-24, in two poor communities – in Kisumu, at the newly reopened Lutheran Medical Clinic, and at a medical clinic in Atemo, both in partnership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK).

ELCA Survey Reveals Influences on Congregation Leaders

June 10, 2009, CHICAGO – A survey conducted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) revealed how the personal theological views of its lay leaders are influenced by contemporary religious thought in the United States. It evaluated the church's work in the Middle East and an initiative on reading the Bible. The tabulated responses showed how "a major popular focus of American religion" shapes the views of Lutheran leaders, said Dr. Kenneth W. Inskeep, executive for ELCA Research and Evaluation. The 16-book "Left Behind" series of Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins has made talk of "the end times," rapture, the Antichrist and the battle of Armageddon part of U.S. culture. "Lutherans don't talk about those issues very much," Inskeep said. "That leaves many of the members open to drawing their own conclusions."

ELCA ‘God's Work. Our Hands' Video Contest Starts June 15

June 9, 2009, CHICAGO – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is inviting congregations and individuals to submit 30- to 90-second videos in a contest related to the ELCA tagline, "God's work. Our hands." The contest begins June 15 and runs through July 15, the deadline date for submitting video entries. ELCA Communication Services is managing the contest for the churchwide organization. ELCA members have many stories to tell about how God works in the world, said Kristi S. Bangert, executive director, ELCA Communication Services. "With this video contest we are asking people to illustrate the meaning of ‘God's work. Our hands.' by sharing these stories from their own contexts through the medium of short-form video," she said.

Blind Youth Paints Picture of Generosity

June 11, 2009, NASHVILLE, Tenn. – At the age of 12, Jeff Hanson set up a booth at the end of his driveway to sell baked goods and greeting cards that he painted to raise money for the Children's Tumor Foundation. He has not stopped painting – or being a cheerful giver – since. On July 23, the 15-year-old youth with an optic nerve tumor that makes him legally blind will hold his first solo art showing. Proceeds from sales at the event will go to the Lisa Barth Chapel at the Kansas City Children's Mercy Hospital and the Baphumelele Children's Home in Khayelitsha, South Africa. Jeff has given away thousands of dollars from sales of cards and paintings.

Ecumenical News

Third US Sikh-Catholic Dialogue Retreat

June 8, 2009 – Representatives of the World Sikh Council – America Region (WSC-AR) and the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) met May 29-31, 2009 at St. Thereseas Retreat Center in Columbus, Ohio for a three-day Sikh-Catholic bilateral national interreligious retreat. The objective of the retreat was for the Sikh and Catholic communities to further deepen dialogue and trust among the two communities. The theme was "The Nature of God: Convergences, Divergences, and Our Spiritual Paths." The Sikh and Catholic delegations were comprised of about 8 representatives from each community with about one third of the participants being young adults (age 35 and younger).

Over 100 Theologians to Gather for Ecumenical "Landmark" Event

June 6, 2009 – An upcoming meeting of 120 theologians from nearly all Christian traditions will be looking at what churches consider to be their mission in the world and how they come to decisions on theological, ecumenical or moral questions. The Faith and Order Plenary Commissionof the World Council of Churches (WCC) will meet at the Orthodox Academy in Kolympari, Crete, Greece from 7 to 14 October 2009. The event promises to become "a landmark in ecumenical dialogue," the WCC director of Faith and Order Canon Dr John Gibaut said in an interview, which can be listened to online. Known as the world's most representative forum for theological dialogue, the 120-strong plenary commission will discuss three main topics.

Human Rights News

PERU: WCC Laments Loss of Life, Condemns Attempts to Abrogate Indigenous Peoples' Rights

June 10, 2009 – The recent incidents of violence in Bagua, Peru are "but one instance of a series of government actions to abrogate the rights of the Indigenous peoples of the Peruvian Amazon over land and resources," stated the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia in a 9 June letter to President Alan Garcia Perez. Expressing "deepest concern over the loss of life and violent displacement of the indigenous Awajun and Wambis peoples in Bagua," Kobia urged the Peruvian government to order the "immediate cessation of violent repression against indigenous people" and the launch of a "meaningful dialogue" in order to "peacefully and justly resolve the conflict."

Religious Liberty News

California Appellate Court Rules La Crescenta Property Belongs to Los Angeles Diocese
Separate Settlements Mark July 1 Return for Petaluma, Modesto Episcopal Congregations

June 10, 2009 – A California appellate court's June 9 ruling was the latest in a series of recent developments that return disputed church properties to three California Episcopal dioceses. On June 9, the San Diego-based Fourth District Court of Appeal ruled unanimously that the Diocese of Los Angeles is legal owner of property currently occupied by St. Luke's Anglican Church. The congregation had cited theological differences when severing ties to the Episcopal Church (TEC) in 2006 and realigning with an Anglican diocese in Uganda. In unrelated agreements, displaced Episcopalians will return July 1 to two other disputed properties, St. John's Church in Petaluma, in the Diocese of Northern California and St. Paul's Church in Modesto in the Diocese of San Joaquin.

National News

OHIO/SOUTHERN OHIO: Bishops Urge State Assembly to Raise Taxes

June 8, 2009 – In a jointly written opinion column, the state of Ohio's Episcopal bishops last week urged state officials to raise taxes rather than cut social services at a time when more than 10 percent of its citizens are unemployed. "We urge our state government and our fellow citizens to balance our budget by raising taxes rather than cutting services to our children, and to all our sisters and brothers who need support just to get along," said Bishops Thomas E. Breidenthal and Mark Hollingsworth, Jr. Breidenthal, of the Diocese of Southern Ohio, and Hollingsworth, of the Diocese of Ohio (which covers the northern half of the state), together represent more than 43,000 Episcopalians. The Ohio General Assembly has until June 30 to pass a balanced budget for 2010 and 2011.

International News

PHILIPPINES: Lawmakers' Attempt to Change Constitution Draws Church Protests

June 10, 2009 – Church groups have joined thousands of demonstrators in the Makati area of Manila to denounce plans by some lawmakers to amend the 1987 constitution in a way perceived as a ploy to prolong the term of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Before the march, the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, wrote in a pastoral letter, "We appeal to members of civil society who wish to publicly protest against House Resolution 1109 to go on with their plan of mobilization to protect the common good and national interest." Some placards carried by demonstrators stated, "Gloria forever? Never!" and "Gloria must go!" The lower chamber of the country's legislature on June 2 passed a resolution to reconvene itself as constituent assembly to amend the Philippines' constitution.

BRITAIN: Churches ‘Appalled' at European Union Election Gains for Extremist Party

June 8, 2009, LONDON – Christian leaders in Britain have deplored gains made by the extreme right-wing British National Party in elections to the European Union parliament. The party, which campaigned for the "voluntary" repatriation of non-white immigrants, won two seats for the first time in the European Parliament. The party also won three local council seats in elections held in England at the same time as the EU poll. "It is deeply disappointing that we now have a racist party representing Britain in Europe for the next five years and it is vital that our remaining U.K. representatives dedicate themselves to promote the common good," said the Rev. Graham Sparkes, spokesperson for the Baptist Union of Great Britain in a statement on June 8. Commenting on behalf of the United Reformed Church the day after the release of the EU election results, Frank Kantor said: "We must never become comfortable with the BNP using their position to promote their racist policies. We will continue to counter their message of hatred and fear."

Middle East News

Churches Hear of Fear, Anxiety and Hope for Middle East Peace

June 9, 2009, WASHINGTON, DC – "It is the best of times and the worst of times," said Warren Clark, executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace, opening the organization's annual conference, "Israeli/Palestinian Peace: Hope For Things Unseen," held June 7-9 in the U.S. capital. "We are meeting here this year at an extraordinary time," he told the 155 conference participants, who represent 22 national churches and church bodies, including Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant denominations. "A time of great fear, great anxiety and great hope," he said. Clark, an Episcopalian from the Diocese of Washington, described how the Gaza conflict, the election of conservative Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the ongoing expansion of Israel's settlements has caused the situation to deteriorate over the last year. "Things seem to be grimmer than ever, and yet there's a great deal more hope today than there has been for a long time," he said.