Front Page

United Church of Christ Issues Letter Urging Activism on Health Care Reform

July 28, 2009 – In a pastoral letter addressed to members of the United Church of Christ, church leaders have called upon churches "to actively work towards the creation of a national health care system and to affirm the moral and justice imperatives of equal access for all people." The UCC's letter was signed by current General Minister and President the Rev. John H. Thomas, incoming General Minister and President the Rev. Geoffrey Black, Executive Minister for Justice and Witness Ministries the Rev. M. Linda Jaramillo, and Minister for Health Care Justice Barbara T. Baylor.

Understanding Humanitarian Crises in a Changing World
LWF World Service Director Says Role of Church-Based Organizations Must Be Reassessed

July 31, 2009 – MONTREUX, Switzerland/GENEVA – The changing contexts of humanitarian crises today provided a common ground for joint reflection on the future of church-based humanitarian and development initiatives at this year's Annual Forum of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Department for World Service (DWS). "The understanding of humanitarian crises has changed in recent decades," said Rev. Eberhard Hitzler, LWF/DWS director. "Failed states, recurring drought and climate change have turned disasters from exceptional events to chronic crises. In this context, the role and identity of faith and church-based humanitarian organizations has to be reassessed."

Reactions to Canterbury's Reflections Range from Support to Disagreement, Dismissal

July 31, 2009 – Reaction to the Archbishop of Canterbury's recent reflections on the actions of the Episcopal Church's recent General Convention have come from such diverse sources as advocacy groups, bloggers, breakaway Anglicans and the Vatican. The comments have ranged from support to disagreement, many accompanied by detailed parsings of Rowan Williams' July 27 statement titled "Communion, Covenant and Our Anglican Future." In his 26-part reflection, Williams, who was present for the first three days of the July 8-17 meeting in Anaheim, California, wrote that "that a realistic assessment of what convention has resolved does not suggest that it will repair the broken bridges into the life of other Anglican provinces; very serious anxieties have already been expressed."

Chaplains on the Front Lines of Army Suicide Prevention

July 30, 2009, NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Anything a soldier tells a chaplain is confidential – and that fact is the single biggest reason clergy are on the front lines of the U.S. Army's suicide prevention efforts, United Methodist chaplains say. "Chaplains have specialized training and are gatekeepers for the prevention programs," said Chaplain Lt. Col. Scott Weichl, behavioral health program manager at the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. "Many, many folks come and talk to us. We are not judgmental, and many who have had serious difficulties just need someone to talk to," added Weichl, who is a United Methodist chaplain. "We try to discern, to triage who needs to see someone with special training and skills."

General News

California Congregation Sees New Life in Diversity

July 28, 2009 – Attendance has nearly tripled at San Marino Congregational UCC in Southern California – from roughly 24 to 71 people in the pews each Sunday – during the two years Arthur "Art" Cribbs has been the pastor. Even while Cribbs worked on his doctor of ministry degree, which he completed this summer, he brought the flavor of many new nationalities to his predominately white congregation. The original, primarily affluent, membership has been joined by first-generation immigrants from the Philippines, Taiwan, China, Korea, Mexico, Japan and India, along with Jews and former Catholics, said Cribbs. This diversity is occurring in a conservative urban Los Angeles neighborhood that was one of the wealthiest old railroad-owner towns in the country.

Lutheran Teens Clean Cemetery, Rebury Dead

July 25, 2009, NEW ORLEANS – While watching dozens of Lutheran teens clean up a cemetery, Bobbiann Lewis talked about how Jesus multiplied a few loaves and fishes to feed a crowd. She said the teens were the "loaves and fishes" she needed to help restore a historic African American burial site. Two years ago, she stood alone in her effort to bring dignity to Holt Cemetery in the heart of the city. "It's a pauper's cemetery," said Lewis, 52, a death educator at a community college next to the site. "There's no perpetual care. When it rains and time passes, the ground starts sinking in and bones are exposed." The cemetery is a lumpy dirt field full of weeds and brush.

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service Places First Darfuri Refugees

July 31, 2009, CHICAGO – A widow, her six children and one grandchild were the first refugees from the Darfur region of western Sudan to be welcomed by a U.S. refugee resettlement agency, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS). The family arrived in Atlanta, where they were received by Lutheran Services of Georgia, an affiliate of LIRS. LIRS is a cooperative agency of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. "The crisis in Darfur has left countless victims in its wake – children orphaned, entire villages destroyed," said Susan Krehbiel, LIRS vice president for protection and programs, in an LIRS news release.

Groundbreaking Ordinations in Mexico Affirm Commitment to Women in Ministry
An Important Sign from the Latin American and Caribbean Region

July 30, 2009, MEXICO CITY, Mexico/GENEVA – The Mexican Lutheran Church (ILM) affirmed commitment to women in ministry with its first-ever ordination of female pastors. "This important sign from the Latin American and Caribbean region should encourage the communion to continue reflecting on women's ordination," remarked Rev. Dr Elaine Neuenfeldt, secretary for the Women in Church and Society (WICAS) desk at the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Department for Mission and Development. Fifteen out of the 16 LWF member churches in the Latin American and Caribbean region ordain women. The three women ordained on April 25 will serve congregations in the capital, Mexico City.

Gators? Snakes? No Fear, Say Lutheran Teens Planting Wetlands

July 25, 2009, THERIOT, La. – A bus carrying dozens of wide-eyed Lutheran teens from Nebraska and Wisconsin pulled into the Falgout Canal marina, a 70-mile drive from New Orleans. They strapped on life jackets and stepped into several boats. The teens knew they'd be working on an environmental service project to help with Hurricane Katrina recovery. Until this moment, they didn't know they'd be planting wetlands grasses a 45-minute boat ride away. "When we get to the site be aware of where you stand," instructed Caitlin Reilly, education coordinator for Bayou Rebirth. "Watch out for red ants. If you happen to run into a snake or alligator, let us know."

Pope Cites Teilhardian Vision of the Cosmos as a ‘Living Host'

July 25, 2009 – Though few might have cast him in advance as a "green pope," Pope Benedict XVI has amassed a striking environmental record, from installing solar panels in the Vatican to calling for ecological conversion. Now the pontiff has also hinted at a possible new look at the undeclared patron saint of Catholic ecology, the late French Jesuit scientist and philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. Benedict's brief July 24 reference to Teilhard, praising his vision of the entire cosmos as a "living host," can be read on multiple levels – as part of the pontiff's rapprochement with the Jesuits, or as a further instance of finding something positive to say about thinkers whose works have set off doctrinal alarms, as Benedict previously did with rebel Swiss theologian and former colleague Hans Küng.

Traces of Aramaic on Shroud of Turin

July 29, 2009 – As Pope Benedict confirmed his intention to visit the Shroud of Turin next year, French scientist Thierry Castex has revealed that he has found traces of Aramaic on the Shroud. Pope Benedict confirmed his intention to visit the Shroud of Turin when it goes on public display in Turin's cathedral April 10-May 23, 2010, Catholic News Service reports. Cardinal Severino Poletto of Turin, papal custodian of the Shroud of Turin, visited the pope on July 26 in Les Combes, Italy, where the pope was spending part of his vacation.

Lutheran Rapper Spins Music into Money for ELCA World Hunger

July 29, 2009, CHICAGO – Traveling the world put the issue of hunger on the map for Dave Scherer. The Lutheran rapper went to Bosnia in 2007 and El Salvador soon after, and realized that he wanted to help equip young people to be advocates for social justice. "Seeing hunger firsthand makes you want to see how to impact it," he said. Scherer teamed up with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) World Hunger program and will stage a series of concerts across the country to benefit the cause. The "Jesus Justice Jazz" tour makes 12 stops, starting at Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa, Sept. 12, and ending at Augustana College, Rock Island, Ill., Feb. 14, 2010.

LWF World Service Director Affirms Crucial Role of Unified Church Humanitarian Body
"ACT Alliance" to Be Launched in 2010

July 30, 2009, GENEVA – The head of the Department for World Service (DWS) at the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) says the establishment of a unified church-based emergency and development global network is an important step toward closer cooperation between churches and their related agencies. "The ACT Alliance is a unique chance to enhance ecumenical cooperation, and thereby the efficiency and visibility of the churches' development and humanitarian work," said DWS director Rev. Eberhard Hitzler, commenting on the forthcoming March 2010 launch of "ACT Alliance," one of the world's biggest church networks.

ELCA Presiding Bishop Urges Youth to Remember Lessons from New Orleans

July 27, 2009, NEW ORLEANS – Do not forget what you have seen here, said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), to 37,000 Lutherans at the Louisiana Superdome July 26. "God is not finished with you yet," he said. "God is calling you and God is counting on you." Hanson preached to the Lutheran youth, chaperones and volunteers gathered at the Superdome as part of the closing worship for the 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering. The Lutheran youth spent the gathering participating in events at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and the Superdome.

Department of Youth Announces Inter-Orthodox Retreat

July 29, 2009, NEW YORK – The Seventh Inter-Orthodox Young Adult Retreat, will take place September 25-27, 2009 and will be held at Hellenic College/Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Mass. This nation-wide retreat will welcome young adults from all jurisdictions. This year's theme, God Created: From Created to Creators, will focus on Orthodoxy and the arts. His Grace Bishop Savas of Troas, the newly appointed Director of the Office of Church and Society, will be the keynote speaker.

Episcopal Church Building Fund Plans Move to Virginia

July 30, 2009 – The board of trustees of the Episcopal Church Building Fund (ECBF) announced plans July 30 to move in the fall the $7.5 million revolving loan fund's administrative offices to Richmond, Virginia from the Episcopal Church Center in New York. "The Building Fund has been located at the Episcopal Church Center in Manhattan for 34 years and has enjoyed a strong collegial partnership that has reaped abundance for both," said Bishop Dabney Smith, the board's chair, in a news release.

Editorial Page

Cambridge Incident Debunks ‘Post-Racial' Myth

July 29, 2009 – Here we go again, an incident, this time in Cambridge, Mass., reminds us that "we need to talk about race." We need to decide that no longer will it be necessary for there to be an "incident" for us to talk about a subject, race, that is always there regardless of the "incident." We must find ways to help understand that all of us, whether we like it or not, have some "skin in the race-talk game." If it is about them, regardless of who "them" is, and not about all of us, we waste our time.

Spanish News

WACC-Caribe Escoge Nuevo Comité Ejecutivo Regional En Su 5ta Asamblea General

31 julio 2009 – La región del Caribe de la Asociación Mundial para la Comunicación Cristiana (WACC-Caribe) informó que el profesor Ary Regis (Haiti) fue electo como nuevo presidente de esa asociación regional para los próximos tres años junto con sus colegas Cándida González-López (Puerto Rico) vice-presidenta, Sandra Clenem (Surinam) tesorera, Seferina de la Cruz (República Dominicana) secretaria, José Soto (República Dominicana) y Corinne Barnes (Jamaica) como vocales. La elección del nuevo Comité Ejecutivo Regional (CER) de WACC-Caribe se llevó a cabo el viernes 24 de julio durante la Asamblea Ordinaria que se celebró en Kingston, Jamaica con la presencia de miembros de Haití, Surinam, Barbados, República Dominicana, Puerto Rico y Jamaica.

Iglesias Apoyan a Víctimas De Violaciones En República Democrática Del Congo

27 julio 2009 – En la República Democrática del Congo (RDC) hay grandes esperanzas de que pronto callen las armas. Pero el reguero de abusos de derechos humanos que los combatientes dejan tras de sí obliga a las iglesias a intervenir. Para los civiles, no importa en qué lado de la frontera se encuentren, ya que todos los grupos armados cometen atrocidades, afirmó Dismas Kyanza, encargado de operaciones de emergencia de la Iglesia de Cristo en el Congo para Kivu del Norte.

Carta Pastoral Insta a Creyentes a Participar De Las Elecciones Regionales En Nicaragua

31 julio 2009, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – El Presidente y representante legal del partido Movimiento por la Unidad Cristiana (MUC) Daniel Ortega Reyes, lanzó esta semana una Carta Pastoral exhortando a laicos, líderes y pastores de las iglesias evangélicas moravas, anglicanas, episcopales, además de la católica y de otras expresiones religiosas autóctonas, a respaldar la campaña electoral en el contexto de las elecciones regionales anunciadas para el 2010.

Nuevo Secretario Regional Para La FUMEC América Latina

31 julio 2009, GINEBRA, Suiza – La Federación Universal de Movimientos Estudiantiles Cristianos – América Latina y el Caribe ha elegido a su nuevo Secretario Regional. En el marco de un proceso de selección de casi dos meses, el pasado miércoles 22 de julio mediante votación, los movimientos estudiantiles cristianos de América Latina y el Caribe han elegido a Gustavo Quintero Casadiego (Colombia) como nuevo Secretario Regional de FUMEC ALC.

Programa De Becarios 2010

30 julio 2009 – El Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) acoge a cinco jóvenes (de 18 a 30 años) para que trabajen como becarios desde febrero de 2010 hasta enero de 2011 en sus oficinas de Ginebra. Los becarios aportan valiosas experiencias al CMI y, al mismo tiempo, pasan por varios módulos de aprendizaje ecuménico. El próximo período de 12 meses para los becarios comenzará en febrero de 2010. En Ginebra los becarios son asignados a uno de los sectores de trabajo del CMI. Desempeñan sus funciones en cooperación con el personal del programa y bajo la supervisión de un tutor personal.

National News

CRWRC Disaster Relief Barges in Help for Remote Alaskan Village

July 30, 2009 – On July 15, a hulking barge floating FEMA materials upriver brought more than building supplies to the tiny village of Tanana, Alaska. It brought hope—hope to 23 needy families left homeless here by last spring's destructive floods. On the shore, a team of volunteers from CRWRC-Disaster Response Services (CRWRC-DRS) was ready for those materials—ready to rebuild homes . . . and lives. "These are subsistence level folks who live off the land. That's why it is so critical to help them. Their homes were destroyed, and they have already focused a lot of time on clean up.

International News

Two Brethren Churches Burned, Several Church Members Killed in Violence in Nigeria

July 30, 2009, ELGIN, IL – At least two churches of Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN – the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) have been destroyed in the city of Maiduguri, and several Brethren members have been killed or injured in violence that has swept across northeastern Nigeria since the beginning of this week. The churches named in a report from EYN leaders include EYN Maiduguri/Wulari (or Maiduguri No. 1 church), which was burned down, and EYN Jajeri.

Congolese Churches Doing "An Enormous Job" – Interview with Anna Muinonen

July 30, 2009 – Anna Muinonen is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) programme coordinator for FinnChurchAid, a member of Action by Churches Together (ACT) International providing emergency relief to victims of the long running conflict in the Central African country. In the mineral-rich DRC, fighting has displaced tens of thousands of people since 1998. Although a peace agreement in 2003 brought a semblance of peace to some areas, with displaced people returning to their homes, South and North Kivu provinces in the eastern DRC remain volatile.

Legacy of Foreigners Remembered in Taiwan

July 26, 2009 – Academia Historica and Taiwan Public Television Service recently worked together on documenting the lives of foreigners who made significant contributions to Taiwan by creating a digital archive for safekeeping purposes. Both organizations also held a press conference on July 14th at National Theatre and Concert Hall. One of the three foreigners chosen recently for making significant contributions to Taiwan was James Laidlaw Maxwell (1836-1921) who came from England as a medical missionary and served in southern Taiwan. Sin Lau Hospital CEO Dung Tsung-lin and Superintendent Huang Tsuu-Yuan were invited to attend the press conference as Maxwell was instrumental in the founding of Sin Lau Hospital, the first Western-style hospital in Taiwan.

Churches Support Victims of Rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo

July 27, 2009 – There is much hope in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that the guns will soon fall silent. But the trail of human rights abuses the combatants leave behind compels the churches to intervene. For the civilians it may not matter on which frontline they find themselves, says Dismas Kyanza, the Church of Christ in Congo (ECC) emergency officer for North Kivu, since all armed groups are committing atrocities. "There are the local armed groups, international armies, national armed groups and foreign armies. The national army which is supposed to protect the civilians is also guilty," Kyanza told an international delegation that visited eastern DRC from 8 to 15 July on behalf of the World Council of Churches (WCC).

The Strength to Survive – Kazakh Lutheran Congregations
LWF General Secretary Noko Touched by Lutherans' Experiences in Kazakhstan

July 30, 2009, ASTANA, Kazakhstan/GENEVA – In the last 70 years, the Lutheran church in Kazakhstan has been through devastating times, yet it survived. As recently as 20 years ago, it was a strong community, united in a heartbreaking history of forced removal; today it comprises small, depleted congregations. Two traumatic events mark the church's history. Engraved in the memories of many and still held alive by the survivors' oral history, is the 1941 forced deportation of half-a-million ethnic Germans from the then Volga Republic, most of who were Lutherans.

ELCA Sends $50,000 to ACT for ‘Rapid Response' to Disasters Overseas

July 31, 2009 – For more than 20 years members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) have brought and continue to bring comfort, healing and assistance to people affected by disasters. The ELCA works with such partners as Action by Churches Together (ACT) to meet the needs of people caught in crisis situations overseas. To help sustain the "rapid response" efforts of ACT in such situations, the ELCA sent $50,000 to ACT in July. ACT is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergency situations worldwide.

United Methodists Call for Justice in Philippines

July 30, 2009, NASHVILLE, Tenn. – As President Obama prepared to meet with Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, a team of United Methodists stood in solidarity with a U.S. citizen who has accused her government of kidnapping and torture last May. A meeting between Obama and Arroyo was scheduled July 30, the same day Melissa Roxas, a Filipino American, was set to testify at a hearing in the Philippines on human rights violations. A delegation from the United Methodist California-Nevada Annual (regional) Conference escorted Roxas back to the Philippines on July 20 and will be with her for the hearing. Members of the delegation will escort her back to the U.S. July 31, in an effort to ensure her safety.

People in the News

Tutu to Receive Prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom

July 30, 2009 – Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu is among 16 recipients who will receive the Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama at an awards ceremony scheduled for August 12. The award is intended to recognize individuals who have made "an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors." Tutu, a leading anti-apartheid activist, is "widely regarded as ‘South Africa's moral conscience,'" said a July 30 White House news release announcing the medal recipients. Tutu served as the general secretary of the South African Council of Churches (SACC) from 1978–1985, "where he led a formidable crusade in support of justice and racial reconciliation in South Africa," the news release said.