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New Fire Movement Dreams, Takes Action

November 11, 2009, MINNEAPOLIS – With a prayer of thanksgiving and guidance, asking for, "the work of the Spirit in expanding our communications ... the gift of prudence as we lay organizational foundations … the gift of discernment as we pilot our New Fire seed grant project … for a Spirit-filled outpouring of glad and generous hearts as we expand our circle of New Fire," the participants of New Fire 2009 left this space having dreamt dreams, and then implemented action plans for a vision of a revitalized young adult ecumenical movement.

Climate Change Displacement, Indigenous Peoples and Colombia
on Churches' UN Advocacy Agenda

November 10, 2009 – Church representatives from around the world will gather in New York City 15-20 November to press three issues within the agenda of the United Nations: peoples being displaced by climate change, indigenous people's rights and Colombia's protracted internal conflict. The United Nations Advocacy Week (UNAW) is organized annually by the United Nations Liaison Office of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in New York. It brings together over 80 people from more than 40 countries working on advocacy issues in churches, national councils of churches, specialized agencies, regional ecumenical organizations and regional advocacy networks.

Before Quitting, Dobbs Misleads CNN Viewers about UCC-Supported Media Coalition

November 12, 2009 – CNN commentator Lou Dobbs abruptly announced that he was quitting the news network last night, but not before he included misleading information about the United Church of Christ and its support for the interfaith media justice coalition, So We Might See. In October, through its website, the coalition asked individuals to sign onto a letter to the Federal Communications Commission calling for a public hearing into the effects of anti-immigrant hate speech in the media. On his final show, Dobbs – whose anti-immigration diatribes had become commonplace – interviewed the American Spectator's Jeffrey Lord, a UCC member, who has written lengthy unsubstantiated opinion pieces over the past five weeks critical of the involvement of the United Church of Christ's Office of Communication, Inc. (OC, Inc.) in the So We Might See coalition.

UCC Leader Lauds House Passage of Health Care Reform Legislation

November 9, 2009 – Following the passage of the Affordable Health Care for America Act by the U.S. House of Representatives, UCC General Minister and President the Rev. Geoffrey A. Black issued a statement saying the legislation "moves us one step further toward a health care system that will work well for everyone." The UCC's 27th General Synod in 2009 passed a resolution called "An Urgent Call For Advocacy in Support of Healthcare For All, as in H.R. 676." The resolution urges the government to adopt a single-payer option, thought its language recognized this was not the likely path forward for health care reform. Justice advocates note that unequal access to health care most often negatively affects women, people of color, the poor and those with disabilities.

77 Bishops Urge Troop Pullout from Afghanistan

November 13, 2009, LAKE JUNALUSKA, NC – As President Barack Obama considers new military strategy for Afghanistan, at least 77 United Methodist bishops are praying he will withdraw troops by the end of 2010. "We believe there is no path to military victory in Afghanistan," the bishops stated in a letter sent to Obama Nov. 10. The letter was signed by bishops attending the Nov. 1-5 Council of Bishops meeting. Obama has rejected the Afghanistan options before him and asked for revisions, according to news reports.

General News

Holy Joe's Café Extends Extravagant Welcome to Troops

November 10, 2009 – It's no exaggeration to say Holy Joe's Café has helped U.S. military personnel overseas a ton in the past 3 1/2 years. In fact, it's a gross understatement. Founded in June 2006 by Thomas Jastermsky, a deacon at First Congregational UCC in Wallingford, Conn., Holy Joe's has now supplied 112 tons of coffee to troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait. "We have had 405 chaplains assisting us in serving 120 locations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait," says Jastermsky, noting the increase in locations, from 95 last year. Someone is always stepping up to the plate to deliver generous amounts of "joe."

Church Uses Some Creativity to Teach about Marriage

November 8, 2009 – Have you ever attended a church service that made you feel like you were attending a wedding ceremony? Apparently, Tainan Presbytery's Shin-Hong Presbyterian Church usually sets aside the first week of every November as "True Love Service" and the service this year was designed by the church's Couples Fellowship. From the decor and background music to the red carpet, the service was designed to help young and old married couples reminisce the joy and excitement they felt when they first got married. Every couple had the opportunity during the service to renew their marital vows and reflect on the meaning of their marriage through such a gesture.

Gender Equality in News and Journalism

November 10, 2009 – Today gender equality in the news media came under scrutiny in some 127 countries around the world. Teams of volunteers around the world took part in measuring how well their national media are doing on fair and balanced representation and portrayal of women and men in the news. They monitored thousands of stories in hundreds of newspapers and news broadcasts. The Global Media Monitoring Project is the largest research and advocacy initiative in the world on gender equality in news and journalism.

Uncommon Sense: Biblical Practices Defy World's Wisdom, Aymer Tells NCC/CWS Assembly

November 11, 2009, MINNEAPOLIS – Choosing 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances" – as the theme for the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. (NCC)/Church World Service (CWS) 2009 General Assembly is "utterly absurd, patently illogical and Pollyannish," Presbyterian theologian Margaret Aymer told the ecumenical grouping's opening plenary here Nov. 10. "Common sense would say, in the face of the world today, rejoicing is naïve," Aymer, professor of New Testament at the Interdenominational Theological Center, which includes PC(USA)-related Johnson C. Smith Seminary, told the 300 delegates from 28 of the NCC's 35 member-churches gathered here for the annual Assembly.

Spanish News

Iglesias Abogan En La Onu Por Desplazados Por Cambio Climático, Indígenas Y Colombia

11 noviembre 2009 – Representantes de iglesias de todo el mundo se reunirán en la ciudad de Nueva York, del 15 al 20 de noviembre, para presionar sobre tres cuestiones incluidas en el programa de las Naciones Unidas: las personas desplazadas por el cambio climático, los derechos de los pueblos indígenas y el prolongado conflicto interno en Colombia. La Semana de Incidencia Pública en las Naciones Unidas (UNAW, por su sigla en inglés) es un evento que organiza cada año la Oficina de Enlace del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) con las Naciones Unidas en Nueva York.

Iglesias Repican Campanas De Alarma Por Cambio Climático

12 noviembre 2009 – Mientras los gobiernos preparan sus posiciones para las negociaciones sobre un nuevo acuerdo internacional sobre el clima que tendrán lugar en Copenhague el mes próximo, las iglesias de todas partes del mundo intentan hacer oír en sus países el mensaje de que la protección del clima es una cuestión ética y espiritual. La cumbre de las Naciones Unidas que se celebrará en la capital danesa del 7 al 18 de diciembre fijará la agenda de la próxima etapa en la lucha contra el cambio climático.

International News

Resettlement Due to Climate Change on Asia-Pacific Church Agenda

November 11, 2009 – Resettlement of people displaced by the consequences of climate change was highlighted as a major concern for churches at a gathering of ecumenical representatives from Asia and the Pacific region. According to scientific estimates, by 2050 as many as 200 million people may become permanently displaced by the effects of climate change, including rising sea levels, heavier floods, and more intense droughts. South East Asia, small Caribbean and Pacific islands and large coastal cities will be amongst the more affected. Meeting 2-6 November in Chiang Mai, Thailand, some 75 ecumenical representatives committed themselves to "support Oceania churches' initiatives and advocacy efforts on resettlement plans, adaptation and reparations to small island states," which have been "rendered victims by ecological and climate change."

Churches to Ring the Alarm on Climate Change

November 12, 2009 – As nations are spelling out their bargaining positions for the negotiations on a new international climate deal to take place in Copenhagen next month, churches around the world are trying to ring home the message that climate protection is an ethical and spiritual issue. The 7-18 December United Nations summit in the Danish capital Copenhagen will set the agenda for the next stage of the fight against climate change. "This is the last chance the world has to keep global temperature increases below 2 degrees Celsius," says Alexi Barnett, campaign officer for Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund, explaining the importance of churches' support for a successful outcome in Copenhagen.

WCC Presses for US-North Korea Talks

November 12, 2009 – The World Council of Churches (WCC) has urged the United States of America and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to hold bilateral talks within the context of resumed Six-Party Talks on North Korea's nuclear programme. In a 12 November letter to the governments of North and South Korea, Japan, China, Russia and the US, the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia conveyed "alarm and disappointment" at the "breakdown of the Six-Party Talks," which has "led to actions that escalate tensions and confrontations." A multilateral framework launched by these governments in 2003 to address the North Korean nuclear programme, the Six-Party Talks have been stalled since the beginning of 2009, when a contentious rocket launch put the North Korean government and the other parties at loggerheads.

Philippines Emerges from Flood-inducing Typhoons

November 13, 2009 – Residents of the Philippines are trying to dry out and rebuild after being battered by multiple flood-inducing typhoons this fall. The United Methodist Committee on Relief has begun distributing emergency supplies to more than 11,000 displaced families and expects to be involved in long-term recovery efforts. Melissa Crutchfield, who coordinates the agency's international disaster response, said about $25,000 had been dispatched to the UMCOR Philippines Office for the relief work.

People in the News

Rev. Peg Chemberlin Is the First Leader of a State Church Council
to Become President of National Council of Churches

November 9, 2009, MINNEAPOLIS – The Rev. Peg Chemberlin, executive director of the Minnesota Council of Churches, will be installed as President of the National Council of Churches at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, November 12, in a public service at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral here. Chemberlin will be the 25th president of the National Council of Churches since 1950. She is the second Moravian, the fourth woman, the first Minnesotan and the first head of a state council of churches to hold the office. The installation will feature a sermon by the Rev. Dr. James Forbes, Jr., the nationally known president of the Healing of the Nations Foundation and former pastor of the Riverside Church in Manhattan.

CWS and NCC Honor Ecumenical Leaders at General Assembly

November 11, 2009, MINNEAPOLIS – Individuals and agencies that have given outstanding service to the ecumenical movement in the United States and around the world were honored tonight at the 2009 General Assembly of the National Council of Churches and Church World Service. The annual J. Irwin Miller Award was bestowed upon Lois Dauway, interim deputy general secretary for mission and evangelism of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. Dauway, who has demonstrated a life-long commitment to racial and gender inclusiveness in the church and larger society, serves the ecumenical community in many capacities, including as a member of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches.