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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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Lutherans Join Others Around the World to Pray for Peace Sept. 21 September 15, 2009 – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will pray for peace Sept. 21, 2009, as part of the "International Day of Prayer for Peace." The day is an opportunity for the 4.6-million-member denomination "to pray and act together to nurture lasting peace in the hearts of people, their families, communities and societies," according to the World Council of Churches (WCC), based in Geneva. The ELCA is a member of the WCC. The 2009 theme for the day is "One Love: Building a Peaceful Caribbean." Bishops Lobby Congress Members on Social Justice Issues September 17, 2009, WASHINGTON, DC – Bishops representing 200,000 Episcopalians from Maine to California made the case for health care and immigration reform, and stricter environmental protection on Capitol Hill Sept. 16. Together as "Bishops Working for a Just World" and organized by the Episcopal Public Policy Network's capitol-based Office of Government Relations, the seven bishops, guided by General Convention resolutions, made their annual trip to Washington, D.C., Sept. 14-16 to lobby Congress, meeting with more than 30 elected officials and/or their legislative staffs, on behalf of the Episcopal Church. "Our involvement says that it's appropriate for Christians to be involved in conversation about social issues and bring an informed, theological perspective to the discussion," said Diocese of Connecticut Bishop James E. Curry, the group's convener. Two San Francisco Congregations Weigh Possible ELCA Reinstatement September 18, 2009, CHICAGO – Two independent Lutheran congregations in San Francisco watched the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis with special interest. St. Francis Lutheran Church and First United Lutheran Church were expelled from the ELCA in 1995 for violating church standards the assembly voted to change. The 2009 Churchwide Assembly approved a series of proposals to change the denomination's ministry policies, including a policy to allow Lutherans in publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships to serve as ELCA associates in ministry, clergy, deaconesses and diaconal ministers. ‘Fervent Prayer' Is Focus of PRAY 2009 September 17, 2009, ST. LOUIS – They were male and female. Young and old. Black and white. Professional church workers and laypeople. Some consider themselves lifelong prayer warriors, or "intercessors." Others are convinced they don't pray enough. All came together at the inaugural PRAY 2009 event here for one purpose: to pray. And pray they did! Disaster Survivors to Receive One Standard of Care September 15, 2009 More than 20 faith-based organizations in the United States for the first time have set minimum standards of care in a 10-point document that defines how to minister emotionally and spiritually to people in times of disaster. "It is a true realization of their faith when Catholics, Scientologists, Protestants, Evangelicals, Buddhists and Jews can sit down together and define the standards of spiritual care for the benefit of disaster survivors," said Diana Rothe-Smith, executive director of National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. Service of Reconciliation Marks ELCA Decisions on Same-Gender Relationships September 15, 2009, CHICAGO – A Saturday afternoon "Service of Reconciliation" drew about 150 people to Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Charlotte, N.C. The special Sept. 12 worship brought together those who welcomed and those who were troubled by recent decisions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Voting members at the August 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis approved a series of proposals to change the denomination's ministry policies, including a policy to allow Lutherans in lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships to serve as ELCA associates in ministry, clergy, deaconesses and diaconal ministers. House of Deputies President Calls for Attention to Church's Governance September 15, 2009 – Bonnie Anderson, president of the House of Deputies, plans to appoint a committee on church governance and polity "to examine and explain the history, theology, political structure and practical realities of the ways in which we believe God calls us to govern the [Episcopal] Church." In a September 14 letter to General Convention deputies and first alternative deputies, Anderson said that after the July 8-17 General Convention meeting "it makes little sense to speak of governance and mission as two different things." WEST VIRGINIA: Bishop Plans to Jump off Bridge – to Raise Money September 17, 2009, DIOCESE OF WEST VIRGINIA – Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia Bishop W. Michie Klusmeyer will strap on a harness October 17 and slide 700 feet down a zip line to raise money for the Church Periodical Club (CPC). The CPC provides free books, tapes and magazines for seminarians and others by way of national and international projects with Episcopal Church connections including at the Women's Prison in Alderson, West Virginia, and the Highland Educational Project in the state's McDowell County. Words Have Power to Bless or Curse, Analysts Say September 17, 2009, NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Public displays of rude behavior seem to roll out daily, leading many of us to wonder if civility and good manners are dead or at least on life support. The Internet, television and newspapers are ablaze with opinions on the intemperate remarks of musician Kanye West, tennis star Serena Wilson and U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson. How should their actions be judged? Autorizan Por Primera Vez Celebración De Cultos Y Misas En Penitenciarías Cubanas 14 septiembre 2009, LA HABANA, Cuba – Una experiencia inédita comenzará en la isla, a partir de este mes, al haber sido autorizada la celebración de cultos y misas en las prisiones cubanas. La noticia trascendió en una reunión celebrada por la presidencia del Consejo de Iglesias de Cuba (CIC), el pasado jueves 10, con la participación de un grupo de líderes de las distintas denominaciones evangélicas y personas, pastores y laicos que, durante años, han asumido la capellanía, pero a nivel personal. Productores Piden Se Declare Emergencia Alimentaria Ante Sequía Por El Niño 18 septiembre 2009, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – La escasez de lluvias en gran parte del país, a causa del famoso fenómeno conocido por El Niño, está provocando incalculables pérdidas y daños en granos básicos y a la ganadería, confirmaron, hoy, diversos gremios productores y ONGs que conceden créditos y capacitación a pequeños productores. El Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas Para los Derechos Alimentarios, Oliver de Shutter, quien visitó esta nación recientemente, declaró que Nicaragua podría entrar en el umbral de una hambruna si se agudiza la sequía. Equipo De Cartas Vivas Visita La India 17 septiembre 2009 – Un equipo de representantes de iglesias de Europa, América Latina, África y Asia realizará una visita de solidaridad a iglesias, organizaciones ecuménicas y de la sociedad civil de la India, del 21 al 27 de septiembre. La visita, de siete días de duración, se centrará en el testimonio de las iglesias de la India en favor de una paz con justicia en un contexto de pobreza masiva, exclusión social y violencia contra la mujer, los dalit y los cristianos. 17 septiembre 2009, CIUDAD DE MÉXICO, – Como cada año, los mexicanos celebraron el inicio de las luchas por la independencia de 1810, con una ceremonia a las 11:00 de la noche, del pasado día 15, en la cual su presidente, Felipe Calderón, imitó el grito dado por un sacerdote católico, hace 199 años, y recordó a los héroes nacionales que promovieron ese movimiento. Dicho movimiento fue iniciado por el sacerdote católico Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, en el pueblo de San Miguel Allende, en Guanajuato, portando como bandera una imagen de la virgen de Guadalupe. La Iglesia Metodista Apoya El Tratamiento De Una Nueva Ley De Medios En Argentina 14 septiembre 2009, BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Frente a la presentación de una Ley de Servicios Audiovisuales, la Iglesia Evangélica Metodista Argentina, con la firma de su flamante Obispo, el pastor Frank de Nully Brown, hizo público en comunicado donde manifiesta su apoyo al tratamiento de una nueva Ley, llamada de Servicios Audiovisuales, por considerarla "deuda política y moral que hay que saldar con el país después de más de 25 años del restablecimiento de la democracia." Pastoral Juvenil Forma Líderes En Sexualidad, Género Y Cultura De Paz En El Río De La Plata 14 septiembre 2009, MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay – Los días 12 y 13 de septiembre en la ciudad de Montevideo, el equipo de la pastoral juvenil del Consejo Latinoamericano de Iglesias-CLAI de la región Río de la Plata con eje en el texto del profeta Isaías 58 (El ayuno verdadero), realizó su reunión anual de planificación, monitoreo y evaluación de actividades. El encuentro fue muy significativo ya que permitió compartir las experiencias vividas en el trabajo ecuménico juvenil desarrollado en cada país. Blasphemy Law in Pakistan: Petition Presented to Pakistan High Commission September 17, 2009 – The online petition to change the blasphemy legislation in Pakistan, of which NIFCON (the Anglican Communion Network for Inter Faith Concerns) was one of the sponsors, was presented to the Pakistan High Commissioner in London on Tuesday 8 September. The petition followed a recent statement by the Archbishop of Canterbury, condemning attacks on Christians in Pakistan. The Rt Revd Michael Jackson, Chair of NIFCON's Management Group, and Dr Musharraf Hussain, Chair of the Christian Muslim Forum of England jointly presented the petition to High Commissioner Mr Wajid Shamsul Hasan. Minister Mohammed Nafees Zakaria was also present. September 17, 2009, FORT WORTH – A Texas judge's September 16 ruling established that attorneys for The Episcopal Church and the continuing Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth have a right to sue to determine who and what constitutes the legitimate Fort Worth diocese and for an accounting of church property and assets held by a breakaway group. It was the only ruling issued by the Hon. John Chupp of the 141st District Court of Tarrant County during Wednesday's hearing, according to Katie Sherrod, spokesperson for the continuing diocese. The judge also set an October 15 date to hear additional arguments in what Bishop Edwin F. Gulick Jr. of Kentucky and provisional bishop of Fort Worth has called "a ministry of the recovery of identity and resources after the storm of schism." Church Club Sponsors ‘The Church and Piracy' Lecture September 18, 2009, NEW YORK – Looking out over the crowed of Church Club of New York members gathered at the Seamen's Church Institute on Water Street in lower Manhattan September 17, Doug Stevenson, SCI's director for seafarer's rights, reminded them that the United State's prosperity depends on shipping. "Probably 100 percent of what you're wearing came over on a ship," Stevenson said. Despite the world's dependency on shipping, the rights and safety of merchant mariners – the men and women who staff the ships – are often overlooked, he said. Living Letters Team to Visit India September 17, 2009 – A team of church representatives from Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia will pay a solidarity visit to churches, ecumenical organizations and civil society movements in India from 21 to 27 September. The focus of the seven-day long visit will be on the Indian churches' witness to peace with justice in a context of mass poverty, social exclusion and violence against women, Dalits and Christians. There will also be encounters with church leaders, peace activists, and representatives of interfaith peace initiatives and of Dalit movements. The visit will bring the team of Living Letters to the country's capital city,New Delhi, and to the South Eastern states of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. New Primate Elected for the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) September 16, 2009 – The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has elected Nicholas Orogodo Okoh as its fourth Primate in succession to the Most Revd Peter Akinola. The announcement was made on 15 September after an election at the Cathedral Church of Stephen, Umuahia, Abia State in which the new Archbishop secured a two-thirds majority in a four candidate contest. Currently Archbishop of Bendel Province and Bishop of Asaba diocese, the Most Revd Nicholas Orogodo Akoh retired from the army as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2001 having fought in the civil war.
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