Front Page

Speakers Urge Pre-Synod Immigration Gathering to Organize for Change

June 26, 2009 – On the day President Barack Obama kicked off immigration reform talks in Washington D.C., around 60 people gathered for a pre-Synod consultation to learn how people of faith can advocate for better laws and policies while standing in solidarity with immigrants in cities, towns, and rural areas across the nation. Community organizer Norma Chavez-Peterson was the keynote speaker for the July 25 event, titled "Angels in Our Midst: A UCC Consultation on Immigration." Chavez-Peterson works for Justice Overcoming Boundaries and is a member of Christian Fellowship Community Congregational UCC in San Diego. She urged churches not to wait on Obama to reform immigration, but to "go wide and deep" by building local coalitions to push for change.

Dissident Parish Takes Property Fight to U.S. Supreme Court
Court May Respond by October

June 25, 2009, LOS ANGELES – A breakaway congregation in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles has taken the fight to keep its property to the U.S. Supreme Court, according to a statement released June 24 by St. James Anglican Church. An attorney for the Newport Beach congregation said he will ask the nation's top court to overturn a January California Supreme Court decision that the property was held in trust for the mission and ministry of the Los Angeles diocese and the wider Episcopal Church. "We will be arguing to the U.S. Supreme Court that the California Supreme Court's interpretation of state law has violated the First Amendment of the United States Constitution," said Dr. John Eastman, who is dean of the Chapman University Law School and a former clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

Interfaith Coalition Applauds Obama Commitment on Immigration

June 26, 2009 – The Interfaith Immigration Coalition June 26 applauded what it called U.S. President Barack Obama's commitment to "advancing the conversation on immigration reform." The group, a partnership of faith-based organizations that includes the Episcopal Church and is committed to enacting comprehensive immigration reform this year, issued a statement the day after Obama met with key U.S. lawmakers. He told the gathering that getting a bill passed would "require some heavy lifting." "It's going to require a victory of practicality and common sense and good policy making over short-term politics," the Associated Press quoted Obama as saying.

General News

Catholic Association Uses Piggy Banks to Raise Money for AIDS During Recession

June 28, 2009 – Lourdes Association, a Catholic orphanage that became an AIDS center in 1997, recently unveiled "Little Lourdes Piggy Bank" in hopes that more people can get involved in reaching out to AIDS patients. Government statistics reveal there are 17,421 reported cases of AIDS in Taiwan and about 86.49% of patients survive despite contracting the disease. These statistics infer that AIDS has become a manageable illness in recent years, but caregivers warn that prevention and awareness programs must continue and more resources are needed to help patients deal with physical, emotional, and social implications of carrying AIDS throughout their lives.

Bikers Ride to Synod to Spread Conservation Message

June 26, 2009 – Eleven bicyclists from around the UCC joined together to ride to General Synod 27 as part of the New York Conference Bicycle Challenge in an effort to raise awareness of alternative transportation, and oil and car dependency in the United States. Riders from the New York, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Penn Central, Ohio and Illinois Conferences pedaled to General Synod, arriving Wednesday. The largest group began its journey in Syracuse, N.Y., and picked up three riders as they passed through Cleveland.

UCC – Holy Water: Calling Attention to Water Justice

June 26, 2009 – George Heartwell, the mayor of Grand Rapids, Mich., who happens to be an ordained United Church of Christ minister, spoke quietly Thursday morning in a wing chair in a parlor of the East Congregational Church in Grand Rapids, where he is a member. He talked about taking a "watershed" approach to the environmental issues facing UCC congregations across the country. "I was a few minutes late this morning because I met earlier with a group from four Christian Reformed churches in the Plaster Creek watershed that feeds into the Grand River," he said.

Multicultural Festival Celebrates UCC Growing Diversity

June 26, 2009 – At a multicultural welcoming party Thursday, delegates and visitors to the UCC's General Synod 27 celebrated the rich diversity of our community and church. St. John's UCC in Grand Rapids, Mich., hosted the Children and Families Multicultural Festival, complete with music, dance, food and a message of God's extravagant welcome. Also welcoming guests was Grand Rapids Mayor George K. Heartwell. More than 40 groups representing church agencies, social service organizations and local churches shared crafts, information on multicultural ministries and guidance on support programs.

‘Congregation Connect' Links Mission Teams with Fields

June 26, 2009 – During one of four mission trips to the same region of Kenya, East Africa, over two years, Kevin Pieper heard about a community hard-hit by drought. Pieper, director of global mission and local outreach at Salem Lutheran Church in Tomball, Texas, visited villagers there, along with members of his mission team. What they learned has haunted him since: residents ate just one meal each day, usually maize, and walked almost four miles a day to get water from a polluted river. Every one of the 100 or so people he talked to said they had had malaria within the past year, and all had "hollow eyes" and thin frames.

With World Hunger on the Rise, Lutherans Set to Respond, Hunger Leader Says

June 25, 2009 – According to a June report of the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), hunger is increasing. World hunger is predicted to reach "a historic high" in 2009 with more than 1.02 billion people experiencing hunger every day. That's 100 million people more than 2008. The FAO attributes the increase in hunger to soaring food prices and the global economic downturn. "Thirty-five years ago the world faced a similar challenge, rising food prices and decreased income in poorer nations. In response, Lutherans chose to birth an appeal for world hunger," said the Rev. Daniel Rift, director, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) World Hunger Appeal.

In the Margins: and So it Begins...

June 26, 2009 – I have to admit – I've never been to General Synod before. As a first-time attendee, and as part of the national staff, I'm amazed at how everything comes together. Quickly. What was a near-empty plenary hall Tuesday afternoon was a bustling hive of activity by Wednesday night – complete by with rows of chairs, lift cranes, huge video panels and a few dump trucks! Art and science, technology and earth, assembled by human hands and hearts all combining to make General Synod what it is.

Kansas Lutherans Say Home Is Where God's Heart Is Visible

June 26, 2009, HOME, Kan. – Jesus is present wherever two or three are gathered in his name, according to the Gospel of Matthew. Friedens Lutheran Church draws four. Members meet weekly for Saturday night worship. At a recent service they belted out "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" and other hymns from a red 1950s Lutheran worship book. Geneva Reinhardt, 94, and her son Larry Reinhardt, 70, commanded the second pew. Fred Kupfersmith, 80, sat behind them. Betty Peterson, 76, played the organ. "Fred sings the best but you won't hear him if Larry's here," Peterson said. "He sings the loudest."

UCC Group Vows to Preserve Almost Forgotten History

June 26, 2009 – Can the UCC remember what most of us never knew and others have almost forgotten? That was the challenge thrown out to a group of more than 80 UCC members and scholars who met in Grand Rapids, Mich., Thursday on the eve of the 27th General Synod. Recognizing that relatively few people are still around to tell the story of the Christians who joined with Congregationalists back in 1931 and entered the UCC in 1957, the group launched "the Christian preservation project." They vowed to gather and share information about the "least known of the UCC's four constituent groups."

UCC Pre-Synod Worship: Is it Well with Your Soul?

June 26, 2009 – One of the joys of being in a large group of Christians, such as at a General Synod, is the group singing. Thursday evening's Service of Healing, Prayer and Praise more than met that expectation. With voices robust, joyful and powerful, more than 250 persons gathered in the Pantlind Ballroom of the Amway Grand Hotel for this pre-Synod worship event to praise God and "make a joyful noise unto the Lord." The service was sponsored by a variety of UCC groups: Justice and Witness Ministries; the UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns; the Urban Ministries Network; the Congregational Vitality and Discipleship Team of Local Church Ministries; the Council for American Indian Ministry; Pacific Islander and Asian-American Ministries; United Black Christians; and Ministers for Racial, Social and Economic Justice.

Churches Help Prom Dreams Come True

June 26, 2009 – Girls typically view their high school proms with an equal measure of excitement and nervous anticipation. But for many families, affording the cost of a frothy dress puts prom season beyond reach. Some Episcopal parishes help teens who otherwise would have trouble affording a prom dress. The fourth annual Silver Lining Prom Dress Expo, a ministry of St. Paul's Episcopal Church of Fairfield, Connecticut, gave away 400 of the 700 dresses it had available in early April.

Pastor Says Church ‘Ultimate Social Network'

June 25, 2009, FLOWER MOUND, Texas – Tiny digital screens blink in the muted light of Trietsch Memorial United Methodist Church, randomly scattered like dozens of stars at dusk. Texting is an unexpected sight at a Sunday service, but the Rev. John Allen thinks it is past time to change "the way we've always done business." Teens in back rows text en masse, fingers flying across tiny keyboards. Closer to the front, scattered adults of various ages hunt and peck in the dark.

Youth Outreach Challenges Ageism in Church

June 26, 2009, COLLIERVILLE, Tenn. – Dozens of teens and young adults in T-shirts, shorts, sandals, sundresses and flip-flops slowly fill the darkened gymnasium that is their Sunday morning sanctuary. A young woman is the lead singer in a band that performs praise songs. Worshippers seated on cushioned, folding chairs or across the bleachers sing the words projected on a screen in front of them. Young people at the Vineyard greet church members, read the Scripture, deliver the sermon and take up the collection. And that's the way they like it.

Ecumenical News

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Visit the United States October 2009

June 25, 2009, NEW YORK – Archbishop Demetrios of America announces the viisit of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to the United States this coming October for a three-stage visit, which will include an Environmental Symposium on the Mississippi River and visits to New York, Atlanta and Washington D.C. The Ecumenical Patriarch will arrive in Memphis, Tenn. Oct. 17 and between Oct.18-25 will lead the 8th Environmental Symposium titled "The Great Mississippi River: Restoring Balance." His All Holiness is the patron of this series of environmental symposia on various water bodies around the world and he is internationally known for his many efforts for environmental awareness and the well-deserved title "Green Patriarch."

Spanish News

Dos Candidatos Propuestos Para El Cargo De Secretario General Del CMI

26 junio 2009 – El comité de selección de un nuevo secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) se reunió del 23 al 26 de junio en Amsterdam, Holanda. El comité fue designado por el comité central del CMI en febrero de 2008 y moderado por la Dra. Agnes Abuom. El comité entrevistó a los seis calificados candidatos que había identificado en su reunión anterior, celebrada en Creta, Grecia, el pasado mes de abril. Luego de tres días de entrevistas y rigurosas discusiones, el comité decidió por consenso proponer a la elección del comité central del CMI los siguientes dos candidatos: el Rev. Dr. Park Seong-won, de la Iglesia Presbiteriana de Corea, y el Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, de la Iglesia (Luterana) de Noruega.

A Propósito De Los Centenares De "Padres Albertos"

24 junio 2009, SAN SALVADOR – En los últimos días ha conmocionado la llegada del Padre Alberto Cutié a la Gran Comunión Anglicana; proceso que no surgió a partir del escándalo mediático del que hemos sido testigos, sino de tiempo atrás, según lo confirmó el Obispo Leo Frade, responsable de su acompañamiento. Reverendísimo Martín Barahona, Obispo Iglesia Anglicana de El Salvador y Primado de la Iglesia Anglicana de la Región Central de América (IARCA) Son centenares de "padres Albertos" católicos romanos que en cualquier parte del mundo, se abrazan a nuestra Iglesia Anglicana, buscando ejercer su vocación y vivir como hombres de familia, en una condición humana natural, y son muchos más los sacerdotes que sufren y hacen sufrir viviendo una doble vida.

Pastores Exponen Casos De Intolerancia Religiosa Ante El Presidente Calderón

24 junio 2009, CIUDAD DE MÉXICO – Un grupo de pastores cristianos evangélicos se reunieron con el presidente de la Nación, Felipe Calderón Hinojosa en la Residencia Oficial de Los Pinos, la tarde de este martes, en donde el Obispo de las Iglesia Metodista, Moisés Valderrama, expuso que la intolerancia religiosa está presente en las comunidades de fe no católicas. En un mensaje leído frente al Primer Mandatario, el pastor Valderrama consideró que los casos de discriminación e intolerancia en Estados como Chiapas, Guerrero, Oaxaca y Michoacán son constantes y agregó: "muchos de nuestros hermanos en la fe sufren persecución en diversas partes de nuestro país y al verse involucrados en asuntos que de una u otra forma tiene que ver con la ley siempre salen perdiendo, porque la impartición de la justicia no es misma para unos y otros."

Obispo De Costa Rica Denuncia Atropellos a Inmigrantes Y Crecimiento
De La Pobreza En Zonas Turísticas

23 junio 2009, COSTA RICA – "Tras las huellas de Cristo, promoviendo la vida en Él, al norte de Costa Rica, es el título de la Carta Pastoral de Monseñor Girardi, entregada este viernes 19 de junio, durante la Festividad del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús en su Diócesis, que los lectores pueden encontrar adjunta a esta nota, en la página de ALC. En ella explica que en esas tierras, muy unido al fenómeno del turismo descubrió el crecimiento de la migración de nicaragüenses, particularmente por la necesidad de mano de obra barata para la infraestructura turística y los trabajos domésticos, y de colombianos, estos últimos tanto en condición de migrantes como de refugiados."

Cristianos Y Judíos Llaman a No Perder La Oportunidad De Reconstruir Una Sociedad Más Justa

25 junio 2009, BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – En un comunicado, la Confraternidad Judeo Cristiana convoca a asumir el compromiso de participar y emitir el voto con absoluta libertad, y en forma responsable y serena. Estiman que todavía es posible aspirar a la formación de una sociedad más justa y equilibrada. También la obispa metodista en Argentina llamó a "desenmascarar a los mercaderes de la muerte." La Comunidad Judeo Cristiana llamó a no perder la oportunidad de reconstruir la República perdida, al expresar una posición coincidente ante las elecciones legislativas del próximo 28 de junio.

Red De Mujeres Protesta Ante La OEA Por El Asesinato De Una Joven Nicaragüense

26 junio 2009, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – La Red de Mujeres Contra la Violencia convocó para hoy a un plantón de solidaridad con la madre de la joven Doris Ivania Jiménez, frente a las oficinas de la OEA, ubicadas al sureste de la capital. La joven Jiménez fue asesinada atrozmente por su ex novio, el norteamericano Erick Voltz, en complicidad con Martin Chamorro. Voltz es un ciudadano con gran influencia en las esferas políticas de Estados Unidos, que ahora ha emprendido una campaña en contra del gobierno del presidente Daniel Ortega.

Protestantes Se Posicionan Sobre Bioética

23 junio 2009, PARÍS, Francia – En ocho páginas de texto, la Federación Protestante Francesa (FPF), a través de la Comisión de Iglesia y Sociedad, se posicionó en cuanto a la revisión de las leyes de la bioética, en debate en los países europeos. La bioética no debería tener predominio sobre la ética y la exigencia de justicia, defiende la Federación. Los protestantes expresaron su preocupación por el costo del acceso a las técnicas que tienen que ver con la vida, en un país donde "el acceso a los procedimientos se vuelve cada vez más difícil para una parte siempre más amplia de la población ."

National News

Lutherans Open Their Church Doors to Immigrant Families

June 23, 2009, CHICAGO – For Howard Lamont being welcoming to the immigrant population is "simply part of the Christian message." "Congregations must develop a passion to reach out to strangers," said Lamont, a member of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Spring Branch, Texas, a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). "Jesus would not have us build walls around our churches," he said. Lamont said he's been impressed with Houston's growing diversity since moving there in 1977. People from Africa, Asia, Central and South America, and Europe, moved to the city and work across the economic spectrum, he said. Lamont is co-chair of an immigration task force of the ELCA Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod.

International News

Pakistan Aid Response Requires Higher Quality, Accountability Agency Says

June 23, 2009, ISLAMABAD – In hopes of improving the effectiveness of aid to people displaced by the crisis in Pakistan, Church World Service is urging the humanitarian community to pay closer attention to internationally established quality standards and practices. "We fear that continued indifference to principles and levels of quality in delivering aid may lead to more a chaotic situation for the whole region," said Marvin Parvez, Church World Service Pakistan/Afghanistan country director and regional representative for South Asia.

It's Time for Youth in Lithuanian Church to Play David and Confront Goliath

June 23, 2009 – Youth should be entrusted with church leadership positions a senior Reformed church executive has told leaders of the Evangelical Reformed Church of Lithuania. Acknowledging recent problems with leadership in the Lithuanian church, the general secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC), told members of the church's governing body that: "It took a very young man, David, to confront and slay Goliath, even though he did not have the giant's stature." Evoking the story of the giant Goliath's threats to the people of Israel, Setri Nyomi said, "Let us listen to our young people. They can inspire us to renew our commitment to God in a way that makes a difference."

Tsunami Survivors Celebrate Restoration in Banda Aceh

June 24, 2009 – Four years ago, as semi-conscious Ihya Muhammad Isnaeil swam through a moving mountain of water to a nearby rooftop, he thought he was still holding his infant son in his arms and the hand of his pregnant wife, Nova, in his own. As Isnaeil clung to the crumbling roof tiles during the second and third tsunami waves, he reached desperately for the hands of a screaming neighbor and his son. Only then did he realize that his own family had already been swept out to sea. Isnaeil quietly shakes his head as he reflects.

Centennial of Methodism in Russia Observed

June 26, 2009, NEW YORK – A "great cloud of witnesses" surrounded United Methodists in Russia as they celebrated the 100th anniversary of Methodism with festivities that included the announcement of the opening of a new center in St. Petersburg. The anniversary was celebrated in an ecumenical service of worship June 13. The occasion also marked the 120th year since Methodism arrived in what was then Czarist Russia, in the region that is today the Baltic countries. "The St. Petersburg observance brought to mind the image of a great crowd of witnesses – from the past and the present," said the Rev. James Athearn, a retired Virginia clergyman who attended as coordinator of the Russia Initiative of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.

People in the News

Two Candidates Nominated for WCC General Secretary

June 26, 2009 – The World Council of Churches' search committee for a general secretary met 23-26 June 2009 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The committee was elected by the Central Committee in February 2008 and led by the moderator, Dr Agnes Abuom. The committee interviewed the six highly qualified candidates identified at the last meeting of the committee in April 2009 in Crete. After three days of interviews and thorough discussions, the committee decided by consensus to propose the following two candidates for election by the Central Committee during its meeting in August 2009: Rev. Dr Park Seong-won of the Presbyterian Church of Korea and Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit of the Church of Norway (Lutheran).