Front Page

WCC Calls on Pakistan to Protect Christian Minority under Attack

August 4, 2009 – The World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia appealed to Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari to "ensure the safety and security" of Christians in the Punjab province, where three attacks against Christian communities were carried by militant Islamic groups in the last two months. He demanded that the government "take necessary actions against the perpetrators." The killing of seven Christians on 1 August in Gojra "reconfirms the fear that the government is constantly failing to protect its citizens," Kobia wrote in a letter to President Zardari on 3 August.

PAKISTAN: Churches to Hold Day of Protest August 11

August 6, 2009, NEW DELHI/LONDON – Pakistan churches have announced a day of protest August 11 against the recent killing of Christians in central Punjab, and threats against their members in the Muslim-majority nation. "We need to raise our voices now," Victor Azariah, general secretary of the National Council of Churches in Pakistan, told Ecumenical News International on August 6. The Pakistan government had announced in June that August 11 would be celebrated nationally as "minorities day." The date marks the anniversary of a 1947 speech by the nation's founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, which called for impartial government, religious freedom, rule of law and equality for all.

Pennsylvania Shooting Victim Had Strong Faith

August 6, 2009, BRIDGEVILLE, Pa. – Faith was a huge part of the life of Heidi Overmier, one of three women murdered in a shooting rampage in this Pittsburgh suburb. Overmier, 46, wrote and directed the children's Christmas plays and was a mainstay of the youth ministries at First United Methodist Church. "She was one of the most amazing people. She just gave and gave and gave. She came to Bible school every night last week just to help out, even though her son was out of town," said her friend Virginia Basile. "She took pictures of every single child and made frames to put them in so everyone would get one."

General News

UCCIB Weathers Financial Crisis, Expands Client List and Services

August 3, 2009 – Although some will remember troubled days at the United Church of Christ Insurance Board (UCCIB), two years of better-than-anticipated growth, little or no rate increase for most customers, and stability through the recent financial downturn shows the corporation is on good footing. Owing to better oversight and programs that help customers reduce their insurance risk, UCCIB President Cathy Green has a positive outlook for the company. "We no longer have any concerns over the financial strength or stability of the organization," says Green. "We have unrestricted net assets after setting aside money for losses."

Brethren Digital Archives Project Adopts a Mission Statement

August 3, 2009, ELGIN, IL – At a meeting on June 3, the Brethren Digital Archives project adopted the following mission statement: "To digitize with maximum searchability Brethren periodicals produced from the beginning of publication to the year 2000." The word "Brethren" in the statement refers to bodies that trace their origin to the baptism near Schwarzenau, Germany, in 1708. The group heading up the project plans to produce a digital archives according to nationally recognized standards that can be made available to researchers through the various participating Brethren bodies.

‘Future of Progressive Church' Being Discussed this Week in Atlanta

August 3, 2009 – The New Church Leadership Institute (NCLI), a ministry of the United Church of Christ, kicked off this morning as 125 pastors from across the United States converged on the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. NCLI gathers potential and practicing new church developers and revitalizing pastors from the UCC and other denominations for a weeklong intensive training in the latest tools and theories for evangelism and church growth. Divided into two tracks—New Church and Revitalization—NCLI offers workshops by gifted leaders, pastors and visionaries from within the UCC and elsewhere.

Twitter, Facebook Expand Opportunities to Follow ELCA Churchwide Assembly

August 7, 2009, CHICAGO – The Twitter phenomenon has spilled over into the multimedia coverage of the 2009 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in Minneapolis. This is the first year blogging and social media sites will be used during a churchwide assembly, said Ben McDonald Coltvet, managing editor of the ELCA Web site. "Twitter offers new opportunities for sharing information instantaneously, and it's a venue where anyone can join the conversation," he said. "Through social media sites people will be able to share their perspectives online with sisters and brothers in the faith around the world."

Church Developers Learn from Early Evangelists

August 4, 2009, EVANSTON, IL – Can Methodists learn anything about effective Christian evangelism from their denomination's founding period 250 years ago? "Yes," says a Duke University professor, who told 600 church developers how the Wesley brothers, John and Charles, gave rise to a movement that swept the young United States of America. "Early Methodism was evangelistic," the Rev. Laceye Warner explained to the 2009 United Methodist School of Congregational Development on July 30. "When the Wesleys talked about spreading ‘Scriptural holiness,' they meant evangelism." She defined evangelism as preaching the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ and "living it out."

Ecumenical News

Christian and Muslim Theologians Seek Common Understanding on Freedom and
Responsibility – LWF Joint Theological Study for Constructive Interfaith Relations

August 6, 2009, YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia/GENEVA – Christian and Muslim scholars participating in a Lutheran World Federation (LWF) consultation in Indonesia's south-central region of Java deliberated perspectives on the understanding of freedom and responsibility for theology, faith identity and mutual relations for common good in society. "There is a long history of argument about the relationship between human freedom and responsibility, on the one hand, and God's creative agency and sovereignty, on the other-both within the Christian tradition and within the Islamic tradition, but occasionally spilling over into Christian-Muslim discussions," said Prof. Mark Swanson of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, USA.

Editorial Page

Editorial: When People from Different Ethnicities Join Hands

August 2, 2009 – There is an ironic story that goes like this: During one vacation trip, a businessman visited an island and discovered that aborigines living there spent two or three hours every day catching three fish before heading home to play and rest and enjoy the day. The businessman asked one of them why they only caught three fish every day and the aborigine replied, "Well, three fish is enough to feed our families for one day."

Spanish News

En Bolivia, Iglesias Luchan Por Superar Violencia
En Medio De Cambio Y Tensión Política

6 agosto 2009 – Cuanto más radicales son los cambios sociales y políticos, más probabilidades hay de que creen tensión entre actores sociales. Es en un contexto como éste en el que las iglesias bolivianas luchan por superar la violencia en la sociedad. La palabra clave para entender la violencia en Bolivia es "cambio," dice Jaime Bravo, miembro de la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Bravo explicó la situación boliviana a miembros de un equipo de Cartas Vivas que visitó el país a mediados de julio.

Cierran Radios Evangélicas En México: ¿Legalidad O Intolerancia Disfrazada?

4 agosto 2009, CIUDAD DE MÉXICO – Con el cierre de cuatro estaciones evangélicas de radio, efectuado por la Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes, que por ley vigila el establecimiento de estos medios, se abrió otro capítulo en la larga disputa que implica al gobierno federal y algunas iniciativas que buscan expandir la presencia de otros credos en el espectro radioeléctrico mexicano. Tres de estas estaciones eran operadas por grupos indígenas en Villahermosa y Cárdenas, Tabasco (sureste del país) y la cuarta en Puebla (centro), según la nota publicada por el diario La Jornada el domingo 2 de agosto.

Iglesias Del Congo Llevan a Cabo Un "Trabajo Inmenso" – Entrevista Con Anna Muinonen

4 agosto 2009 – Las iglesias del Congo "están realizando un trabajo inmenso," dice Anna Muinonen, coordinadora del programa de FinnChurchAid (Ayuda de las Iglesias de Finlandia) para la República Democrática del Congo (RDC). "Son ellas -agrega- las que han mantenido el sistema de educación y el de atención de salud en el este del país durante todos estos años de conflicto." En este país rico en minerales los combates han desplazado a decenas de miles de personas desde 1998.

Iglesia Episcopal Dice: "El Cuidado De La Creación Es También Proclamación"

4 agosto 2009, CIUDAD DE GUATEMALA – El cuidado de la Creación es también Proclamación fue el tema central de la Semana de Educación Continua del Clero de la Iglesia Episcopal guatemalteca, celebrada del 20 al 24 de julio, como un programa anual encaminado a fortalecer y enriquecer la reflexión teológica en torno a una temática específica. En esta oportunidad estuvo relacionada con el hecho de que esa entidad religiosa proclamara el 2009 como Año de la Mayordomía de la Creación.

Iglesia Anglicana Dispone "Paquetes" Litúrgicos Para Casar a Parejas, Con Hijos

5 agosto 2009, LONDRES, Gran Bretaña – Sin juzgar el pasado, pero comprometida con la acogida, la Iglesia Anglicana de Inglaterra está casando parejas que convivían y bautizando, al mismo tiempo, a los hijos nacidos de esos padres. La novedad fue anunciada el 23 de julio, a todas las diócesis del Reino Unido, después de la investigación que el arzobispo de Canterbury, líder máximo de la Iglesia Anglicana, promovió y que apuntó el número creciente de parejas que ya tenían hijos y que buscan la iglesia para conseguir la bendición matrimonial.

En Bolivia, Iglesias Luchan Por Superar Violencia
En Medio De Cambios Y Tensión Política

7 agosto 2009, LA PAZ, Bolivia – Cuanto más radicales son los cambios sociales y políticos, más probabilidades hay de que creen tensión entre actores sociales. Es en un contexto como éste en el que las iglesias bolivianas luchan por superar la violencia en la sociedad La palabra clave para entender la violencia en Bolivia es "cambio," dice Jaime Bravo, miembro de la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Bravo explicó la situación boliviana a miembros de un equipo de Cartas Vivas que visitó el país a mediados de julio.

Tercera Encíclica Papal: Inspiradora De La Caridad Y La Verdad

7 agosto 2009, SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica – Un comentario del teólogo Tissa Balasuriya , del Centro para la Sociedad y la Religión, de Sri Lanka, plantea que "La tercera encíclica del Papa Benedicto XVI resulta un documento inspirador que se centra alrededor de los temas de la caridad de la verdad, que son presencia de Dios en el mundo, y de la humanidad manifestada por Jesucristo en su vida terrenal y en la misión del cristianismo."

El Reto De Hablar Sobre Sexualidad Y VIH-SIDA Convoca a Jóvenes Colombianos

5 agosto 2009, COLOMBIA – El reto de hablar sobre sexualidad en un ambiente donde predominan los dogmatismos y, en muchos casos, el tema es tabú, formó parte de los retos de un taller que, bajo el nombre de Responsabilidad Sexual y VIH/SIDA, celebrara, recientemente, la Pastoral Juvenil del CLAI Colombia. El mismo permitió un espacio de reflexión y sensibilización sobre el tema, por parte de los jóvenes de las congregaciones que participan de la vida de ese organismo ecuménico, y el acercamiento a una problemática que, si bien se ha extendido en el contexto nacional, no ocupa un lugar destacado en la escala de prioridades de los entes gubernamentales y de las iglesias.

Proyecto De Ley De Libertad Religiosa Comenzó a Tratarse En Comisión De Diputados

7 agosto 2009, BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – La Comisión de Relaciones Exteriores y Culto de la Cámara de Diputados de la Nación comenzó a tratar esta semana el proyecto de "Ley de libertad religiosa," iniciativa presentada a fines de 2008 por la diputada Cynthia Hotton, titular del monobloque Valores para mi País. "Durante más de 20 años se han reunido diversas entidades religiosas para buscar un consenso de lo que significa la igualdad religiosa.

Human Rights News

WACC Call for Communication Rights as Human Rights for Indigenous People

August 9, 2009 – On the International Day of the World's Indigenous People, August 9, 2009, the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) calls for recognition of Indigenous Peoples' communication rights as integral to their human rights. "Such rights are not just a matter of civil and political rights, but include economic, social and cultural rights" says the Rev. Randy Naylor, WACC General Secretary. "Implementation of human rights demands recognition of communication rights – those rights that empower individuals and communities to express their needs, to make their voices heard, and to participate fully in their own development."

Religious Liberty News

Institute Trains US Immigration Judges, Appeals Attorneys on Religious Liberty Issues

August 6, 2009, WASHINGTON, DC – As a part of the annual legal training conference of the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR), the Institute on Religion and Public Policy this week trained United States immigration judges and Board of Immigration Appeals staff attorneys on international religious liberty issues. Institute Founder and President Joseph K. Grieboski moderated and spoke on six asylum country conditions panels, focusing on the Caribbean, Asia, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. Mr. Grieboski also addressed a session on International Religious Freedom Policy along with Mark Hetfield, Senior Vice President for Policy and Programs at the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and Elizabeth K. Cassidy, Associate Director for Policy and Research at the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

National News

Brethren Advocacy Days on Climate Justice to Be Held in September

August 3, 2009, ELGIN, IL – Brethren Advocacy Days is being planned for Sept. 20-21 in Washington, D.C., for Church of the Brethren members and others interested in learning more about advocacy efforts. The theme for the workshop is "Called to Action: Climate Justice." Organizers of the event are Church of the Brethren members Jordan Blevins and Wendy Matheny. Blevins works for the National Council of Churches as assistant director of Eco-Justice.

International News

Christians in Pakistan: Recent Attacks and the Challenge for the Future

August 4, 2009 – Anglicans around the world are expressing concern for, and solidarity with, fellow-Christians in Pakistan, particularly in view of the recent violence in the area of the Diocese of Faisalbad. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, issued a statement on August 4, 2009, stating that, ‘The recent atrocities against Christians in Pakistan will sear the imaginations of countless people of all faiths throughout the world... I appeal to the Government of Pakistan to spare no efforts, not only in seeing that justice is done in the wake of these terrible events, but also in continuing to build a society in which all faiths are honoured and in which the most vulnerable can be assured of the protection of the law and the respect of their fellow-citizens.'

Bolivian Churches Struggle to Overcome Violence amid Change and Political Tension

August 5, 2009 – The more radical social and political changes are, the more likely they are to bring out tension amongst social actors. It is in a context such as this – a Living Letters delegation visiting Bolivia in mid July heard – that Bolivian churches struggle to overcome violence in society. The key word to understand violence in Bolivia is "change," said Jaime Bravo, a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, speaking to members of the Living Letters team, drawn from Germany, Norway, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil and Kenya. Living Letters are small ecumenical teams visiting a country to listen, learn, pray for peace and share approaches to overcome violence.

Archbishop of Canterbury Condemns Atrocities in Pakistan

August 4, 2009 – The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has today made the following statement regarding the violence in Pakistan: The recent atrocities against Christians in Pakistan will sear the imaginations of countless people of all faiths throughout the world. As the minister of law in the Punjab has already said, such actions are not the work of true Muslims: they are an abuse of real faith and an injury to its reputation as well as an outrage against common humanity, and deserve forthright condemnation. Christians in Pakistan are a small and vulnerable minority, generally with little political or economic power. They are disproportionately affected by the draconian laws against blasphemy, which in recent years have frequently been abused in order to settle local and personal grievances.

ELCA Contributions Help Improve Situation in Zimbabwe

August 6, 2009, CHICAGO – Monetary donations to buy food, seed and medical supplies from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) last year are helping the people of Zimbabwe now, said the Rev. Benyam A. Kassahun. "As a result of that support many were able to survive," he said. Kassahun is the program director for Southern Africa, ELCA Global Mission. He traveled to Zimbabwe recently to gauge the progress of the aid. The ELCA is in the process of giving a total of $600,000 to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe (ELCZ) to keep its four hospitals afloat.

Ensure Safety of All Citizens, WCC Urges Nigerian Government

August 4, 2009 – The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia urged the Nigerian President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua to "ensure the safety of all citizens" as well as seeing that "all perpetrators [of] acts of violence and human rights violations are brought to justice." In a letter to the President dated 4 August, Kobia was referring to the recent outbreak of inter-communal violence in Maiduguri and other areas of northern Nigeria, following clashes between a militant Islamist group and security forces. "We condemn and deplore such wanton acts of violence," Kobia wrote in another letter to the Christian Association of Nigeria.

Church of the Brethren Sends Two Shipments of Food to Haiti

August 3, 2009, ELGIN, IL – Two containers of food and supplies have been shipped to help children and others in Haiti this summer, through the work of Brethren Disaster Ministries and the Church of the Brethren's Material Resources program at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. The container shipments are part of an ongoing disaster relief and rebuilding project of Brethren Disaster Ministries and the Church of the Brethren mission in Haiti. The shipments support the work of several organizations serving children in Haiti.

PCT Welcomes its First Korean Language Member Church

August 2, 2009 – After obtaining approval from Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK) and Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT), a congregation belonging to PCK that had previously been meeting at a PCT church in Hsinchu area finally became an official member church of the PCT on July 21st. This new development is expected to draw the PCT and the PCK even closer in partnership and ministry and become a model for other churches.

Nigerian Brethren Provide Updates Following Outbreak of Violence

August 6, 2009, ELGIN, IL – Members of Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN – the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) have sent some updated information following the violence that affected churches in the city of Maiduguri, in northeastern Nigeria. The outbreak of violence in late July affected the city of Maiduguri and other areas of northeastern Nigeria following clashes between a militant Islamist group and security forces. EYN members in Maiduguri report that the EYN Maiduguri (No. 1) Church congregation resumed worship on Sunday, Aug. 2, with an outdoor worship service following the bombing and destruction of the church building on July 27.

People in the News

WACC Announces Four New Honorary Life Members

August 6, 2009 – WACC is pleased to announce that four outstanding communicators have agreed to become Honorary Life Members of the Association. This brings to only 19 the number of members acknowledged through Honorary Life Membership. The Honorary Life Membership is awarded by WACC's Board of Directors to communicators who have served WACC, religious communications and the cause of communication rights throughout their careers and whose work is characterised by dedication, integrity, and achievement. The four honorees are: former General Secretary, Carlos A. Valle; former WACC President, William F. Fore; a regional broadcaster and mainstay of NABS-WACC, Ed Willingham; and, Shirley Struchen who has served the cause of ecumenical and interfaith communication. In announcing the honourees, WACC's General Secretary, Randy Naylor congratulated the 4 honorees and applauded them for their outstanding contribution to WACC's mission and for advancing the cause of faithful communication throughout the world.

ELCA Pastor to Preach on Ecumenical Radio Program

August 7, 2009, CHICAGO – The Rev. David von Schlichten, a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), will deliver a sermon Aug. 16 on the nationally broadcast radio program "Day 1." Von Schlichten, pastor of St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church, Youngstown, Pa., will talk about the comparison of wisdom and foolishness in Proverbs 9 in his sermon, "The Woman Less Listened To." Proverbs 9 speaks of wisdom as a "she." "Woman wisdom is the wisdom of God," he said of the biblical text.