Front Page

Climate Deal must Be Sign of Hope, Says WCC

December 18, 2009 – "The present day reality shows that our sincere efforts have not been enough to bring in the age of social justice and peace," according to a statement delivered to the plenary of high-level segment of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark on Friday, 18 December on behalf of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and its ecumenical partners. "As people of faith we beg and urge you to journey together on the basis of unilateral ambitious, convincing and trust building moves in order to speed up the global process toward a visible and verifiable improvement of life on earth in every continent, in every country, in every place," said Christian Friis Bach, international director of DanChurchAid, presenting the WCC statement to the plenary.

Climate Change Requires Drastically Ambitious Deal, Says Kobia

December 14, 2009 – Half way through the UN climate summit in Copenhagen and after a week in which no breakthrough was achieved, ecumenical leaders have asked negotiators to be more ambitious. World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia called on climate negotiators "to work for a legally binding, ambitious and fair deal." "It is clear," Kobia said, "that the level of ambition must be drastically increased." He expressed hope that as the climate summit enters its second and last week, "substantive progress" is achieved in regard to targets for the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, measures to face the consequences of climate change and financial mechanisms to fund all of the above.

Climate Inaction a Danger, United Methodists Say

December 18, 2009 – Someday soon, Tupou Kelemeni fears, her ancestral home could be washed away. Pacific island nations are among the countries under immediate threat from global warming and Kelemeni, a United Methodist from Hawaii and native of Tonga, is concerned about all of them. As a member of the United Methodist Women's delegation to the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, she had a chance to interview young people from the Solomon Islands and the Maldives Islands, in the Indian Ocean, about the situation.

Christmas Messages

Archiepiscopal Encyclical on the Nativity of Christ

December 25, 2009 – We have beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten Son of the Father. John 1:14 To the Most Reverend Hierarchs, the Reverend Priests and Deacons, the Monks and Nuns, the Presidents and Members of the Parish Councils of the Greek Orthodox Communities, the Distinguished Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Day, Afternoon, and Church Schools, the Philoptochos Sisterhoods, the Youth, the Hellenic Organizations, and the entire Greek Orthodox Family in America Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ, On this holy feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, we gather in joyous celebration of the One who gives us rebirth and new life.

WCC Christmas Video in Many Languages

December 18, 2009 – This year's Christmas message from the World Council of Churches (WCC) is available in 17 languages reflecting the linguistic diversity of the WCC member churches:

Call to Receive God's Promised Peace in the Midst of Yearning
2009 Christmas Message from the LWF President

November 30, 2009, GENEVA – In his 2009 Christmas message, the President of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Bishop Mark S. Hanson urges Christians around the world to celebrate God's promised peace in expectant hope, despite moments of fear and yearning. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, points out that while the first Christmas was also marked with uneasiness, ordinary shepherds in Palestine received the glad tidings about peace that human hearts longed to hear.

Christmas Message from Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori

December 7, 2009 – The mornings are dark, pitch black until after most of us have begun our days. The hints of dawn in the eastern sky, those streaks of rose and pink that promise more and brighter light, bring hope even in the dark mid-winter. Where do you look for that kind of hope borne on slim rays of light? Jesus is already abroad, even in the darkness. The hungry one fed, the street people who have their feet cared for, the humble and honored guest at your dinner table – each one offers a glimpse of that dawn, if you look closely enough.

Christmas Message 2009 from the World Council of Churches General Secretary

November 17, 2009 – He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers – all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:15-17, NRSV) Light is the radiant image of God's goodness, in creation and at Christmas. The Creator commands, "Let there be light!" – and the universe takes form. At the nativity of Christ, light breaks forth in the midst of darkness – and the darkness can never overcome this glowing testament of the living God.

General News

Kieschnick Responds to Blue Ribbon Task Force Report

December 17, 2009 – Believing that the delegates to next year's Synod convention have a "right to hear and that I have a duty to share my thoughts, affirmations, concerns, and recommendations" on the report of the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Synod Structure and Governance, Synod President Dr. Gerald B. Kieschnick issued an eight-page response to the report Dec. 1. His response and the 50-page task force report, released in late October, are on the LCMS Web site.

ELCA Member's Fatal Shooting, Assembly Decisions among Top Religion Stories

December 15, 2009, CHICAGO – The fatal shooting of Dr. George Tiller, a physician who performed "late-term" abortions and the sexuality decisions of the 2009 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), were among the top 10 religion stories of 2009. Active members of the Religion Newswriters Association (RNA) voted Dec. 11 to Dec. 14 in an online ballot, according to a Dec. 15 news RNA release. The poll had a 36 percent response rate. RNA members are journalists who report on religion in general circulation media outlets, the release said. The RNA members named President Barack Obama's speech in Cairo on Muslim-U.S. relations the top religion story of 2009, the release said.

Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Talks to George Pitcher
about Schism, Rome, Politics and Conservation

December 12, 2009 – We're sitting in the bay window of the 11th-century drawing room of the Archbishop's Palace in Canterbury. Watching the winter dusk envelop the cathedral, it feels a long way from the pressures of London. "It is different here," reflects Dr Rowan Williams. "When people live in human-sized communities, they behave rather more, well, humanly." He has just greeted the St Nicholas Day procession, and led the motley band into the cathedral, their pagan drumming filling the nave. He is obviously happy here. In contrast to the critical Lambeth Conference held here last year, he's clearly tired but not exhausted.

Wisconsin ELCA Congregation Rising from Painful Post-Assembly Conflict

December 17, 2009, CHICAGO – Sunday, Dec. 6, was the first good Sunday in a very long time for the Rev. Gail Sowell and members of St. John Lutheran Church. On that day, the Edgar, Wis. congregation held a special meeting and elected new leadership. "We turned a corner," Sowell said in an interview. The congregation's strong faith and a desire to move forward in mission have resulted in a positive spirit among the members today. Sowell left a Green Bay congregation last summer to accept a dual-parish call in Edgar, where she was looking forward to a new ministry experience.

Anglican Covenant Sent to Provinces for Consideration, Adoption

December 18, 2009 – All four sections of the proposed Anglican covenant were sent to the communion's 38 provinces for formal consideration on Dec. 18 after the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion approved a revised version of the document's text. The Standing Committee had been presented with a revamped section 4 of the covenant during its Dec. 15-18 meeting in London, after a small working group had spent six months consulting with the provinces about its revision. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, in a Dec. 18 video message, said that the covenant is not going to solve all of the communion's problems.

Standing Committee Meets in London, Reaffirms Call for ‘Gracious Restraint'

December 18, 2009 – The Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion, during its Dec. 15-18 meeting in London, has issued a call for "gracious restraint in respect of actions that endanger the unity of the Anglican Communion." According to the text of the resolution, the call for "gracious restraint" came in response to the recent election of the Rev. Mary Glasspool, a partnered lesbian woman, as a bishop in Los Angeles, as well as the decision by some dioceses in the U.S. and Canada "to proceed with formal ceremonies of same-sex blessings," and the "continuing cross-jurisdictional activity within the communion." The committee said its call reaffirms Resolution 14.09, passed by the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) at its meeting last May, which urges "the implementation of the agreed moratoria" on such actions.

Bishop Praises Council's Approval of Same- Gender Marriage

December 15, 2009, WASHINGTON, DC – Episcopal Diocese of Washington Bishop John Chane celebrated the Washington D.C. City Council's passage of a same-gender marriage bill Dec. 15. Like some other Episcopal Church bishops, Chane permits the clergy in his diocese to bless same-sex relationships. He had previously said that the diocese had begun studying the church's canons to determine whether diocesan priests will be allowed to solemnize same-gender marriages and sign marriage licenses if same-gender marriage became legal in the district. In the Dec. 15 statement, Chane said an announcement would be forthcoming. He said in the statement that was e-mailed to ENS that he "support[s] and celebrate[s]" the council's decision "because it ends discrimination against gay and lesbian couples."

‘Slave Galleries' Depict 19th- Century Marginalization

December 15, 2009
By Lynette Wilson NEW YORK – From the floor of the sanctuary at St. Augustine's Church on Manhattan's Lower East Side, the two tiny rooms to either side of the organ where blacks worshiped in the 1800s are barely visible. "They could see and hear but not be seen well unless they stood up," said the Rev. Deacon Edgar Hopper. "It was quintessential marginalization." After more than a decade of fundraising, research and historical restoration, one of the two "slave galleries," as they commonly are called despite being built a year after New York state passed laws officially abolishing slavery, is open for group and individual public tours.

New Congregation Makes an Impact in Atlanta

, ATLANTA – Methodism's founder John Wesley traveled on foot and horseback to spread the Gospel in Georgia more than 270 years ago. Today, one of the state's newest United Methodist churches sends the word out via Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Worshippers are even encouraged to text message during services. It's working. On Dec. 20, Impact Church will be officially constituted as a United Methodist church by the North Georgia Conference. With two services most Sundays drawing as many as 1,000 people and an annual budget of about $1 million, it's grown faster than any other new church plant in the conference during the last 20 years, said the Rev. Jamie Jenkins, executive assistant to Bishop Mike Watson.

Spanish News

Mensaje De Navidad Del CMI En Video Y En Varios Idiomas

18 diciembre 2009 – Ha sido posible ofrecer este mensaje en tan gran variedad de idiomas gracias a voluntarios del personal del CMI, de las iglesias miembros y de organizaciones hermanas. El mensaje habla de la Navidad como un tiempo de renovación y transformación para toda la creación, incluso en un momento en que la tierra y sus habitantes padecen tensiones y sufrimientos.

Movimiento Contra Crímenes Del Estado Establece Grupo De Denuncias

14 diciembre 2009, COLOMBIA – Un boletín informativo del Movimiento Nacional de Víctimas (MOVICE) de Colombia, que comienza a circular con una periodicidad mensual por vía electrónica, denuncia que en la búsqueda de la verdad, la justicia y la reparación integral, ese organismo ha tenido que enfrentar una persecución política continua. El mismo pretende ser voz de las víctimas de políticas de Estado, cuando afirma que desde los años ‘80 se calculan alrededor de 70 mil muertos y desaparecidos por acción u omisión.

Pastora De La Iglesia Morava Denuncia a Autoridades Civiles Y Militares

15 diciembre 2009, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Diversas muestras de solidaridad continuaba recibiendo, este lunes, la reverenda Cora Antonia, superintendente de la Iglesia Morava, tras las graves denuncias que realizara contra las autoridades civiles y militares de esa región norte de Nicaragua, a quienes acusó de conocer, ya hace tiempo, de la existencia de grupos de narco sin que hicieran nada. Según la pastora morava, los mismos existen en las comunidades a 62 kilómetros al sur de Puerto Cabezas o Bilwi, capital de la costa caribeña.

Observatorio Ecuménico De Las Iglesias CLAI – Asesinan a Procurador De DDHH Del CIPRODEH

14 diciembre 2009, TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – En el día de ayer, domingo 13 de diciembre, a eso de las 11:10 p.m. fue asesinado el activista de los derechos humanos WALTER ORLANDO TROCHES de 27 años de edad, Perito Mercantil y Contador Público, en pleno centro de la ciudad de Tegucigalpa, a unos 25 metros del Parque Central "Francisco Morazán." Walter Orlando Troches, era un destacado activista defensor de los derechos humanos de la comunidad Lésbico – Gays y actualmente se desempeñaba como Procurador de los DDHH del Centro de Promoción e Investigación de los Derechos Humanos- CIPRODEH, institución de reconocida trayectoria humanitaria fundada en 1989 por el Ex Comisionado Nacional Para los Derechos Humanos Dr.Leo Valladares Lanza, cuya Directora Ejecutiva es la abogada Reina Rivera.

Toque De Campanas Para Despertar a La Justicia Climática

15 diciembre 2009 – Con una oleada de campanadas que resonaron en todo el mundo, las iglesias enviaron un mensaje urgente a los líderes mundiales reunidos en Copenhague, en la cumbre de las Naciones Unidas sobre el clima: Hay sólo un mundo y, para conservarlo, no hay más remedio que actuar ahora mismo. "Tenemos sólo un mundo, este mundo y, si lo destruimos, no tendremos nada más," dijo el Arzobispo Desmond Tutu en una conferencia de prensa después de una celebración ecuménica en favor de la justicia climática que tuvo lugar en la Catedral de Copenhague, el 13 de diciembre.

Se Buscan Propuestas De Talleres Sobre La Paz

17 diciembre 2009 – El Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) ha invitado a que se presenten propuestas para talleres relacionados con la Convocatoria Ecuménica Internacional por la Paz (CEIP) que se celebrará en Jamaica en mayo de 2011. Las propuestas deberán presentarse antes del 31 de marzo de 2010. La Convocatoria Ecuménica Internacional por la Paz señalará la conclusión del Decenio del CMI para Superar la Violencia. Será al mismo tiempo una fiesta de la cosecha del DSV y una campaña de siembra de nuevas iniciativas.

New York Metro News

Children Give Their Parents a Unique Holiday Gift: A Pledge to Stay Drug-Free

December 16, 2009 – With material things too often getting the top billing in Christmas, children at Englewood's Ability School joined thousands of other students in New York / New Jersey Schools in giving their parents a more important gift – their pledge to stay off drugs, to show their friends that a drug-free life is more fun, and to spread the word to others about the harmful effects of drugs. Other schools where students have made the pledge as part of the national Drug-Free Marshals program include PS 83 of the Bronx, PS 111 of Midtown North Manhattan, Harlem Childrens Zones, Westside YMCAs, Bronx YMCAs, Girl Scouts of Greater New York, Sports and Arts in Schools Foundations, Police Athletic Leagues, and others.

National News

After 10 Years, Low Power Radio Bill on its Way to Becoming Law

December 17, 2009 – The UCC's media-justice advocacy agency, the Office of Communication, Inc., is heralding the anticipated passage of a bill that will expand access to low-power radio frequencies. These frequencies are often used by non-profit community agencies to broadcast localized content, expanding the number of voices present on the airwaves.

Conference Looks at Reaching Rural America with the Gospel

December 16, 2009 – Rev. Todd Kollbaum admits there were times when he prayed God would send him a call or derail the effort to build a regional ministry among three congregations in rural Cole Camp, Mo. "Time after time, God would remove a stumbling block and I would call my wife and say ‘He did it again!'" said Kollbaum, describing his experience during a session of the "Reaching Rural America for Christ" conference, Nov. 5-7 in Nebraska City, Neb.

International News

Getting a Dose of Reality on Climate Change

December 16, 2009 – Why should religious people be involved in the climate change debate? And how should religious people, particularly Christians, view themselves in relation to the earth and God, the creator of the earth? These two questions were part of three presentations at a 90 minute "side event" called "Renew the face of Earth: Faith-based approaches to climate justice," held Monday, 14 December during the United Nations climate change negotiations, CPO 15, currently underway in the massive Bella Centre in Copenhagen, Denmark.

UN Gives Final Approval to Resolution Criticizing Iran for Human Rights Violations

December 18, 2009, UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations General Assembly gave its final stamp of approval today to a strongly worded resolution condemning Iran for a long list of human rights violations. By a vote of 74 to 49, with 59 abstentions, the General Assembly confirmed an earlier vote by its Third Committee in November on a resolution that expresses "deep concern at serious ongoing and recurring human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran."

Climate Ethics Is Talking Point at Copenhagen Conference

December 17, 2009, COPENHAGEN, Denmark – Acceptance of the ethical dimension of climate change has risen to a new level of importance in discussions at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, say members of the Baha'i delegation. "It is no longer just a small group that is talking about the moral and ethical dimensions of the issue – these ideas are becoming part of the discourse at Copenhagen," said Duncan Hanks, executive director of the Canadian Baha'i International Development Agency. "We hear it from people at the podium, in discussions in the hallways, and we see it on banners saying things like ‘Climate justice now,'" he said.

Negotiators at Sputtering Climate Talks must "Act Now"

December 16, 2009 – With the climate change negotiations sputtering and showing signs of being less than legally binding, ambitious and fair, leaders of churches and international church organizations sent a message to negotiators Tuesday evening imploring them to "not be afraid." The letter, which was signed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the incoming and outgoing general secretaries of the World Council of Churches as well as church leaders from Europe, North America and the Pacific, says the negotiations are at a crucial stage and negotiators need to be steadfast to "act now."

Media: Accept Challenge of Climate Justice

December 18, 2009 – As the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen comes to an end, WACC calls on media professionals and communicators worldwide to take up the challenge of climate justice, amplify the voices of marginalized people and communities and to ensure that equity and mutual accountability are at the heart of any response to climate change.

Morakot Victims Spend Christmas Encouraging Each Other

December 20, 2009 – In southern Taiwan, several PCT Aborigine churches severely affected by Typhoon Morakot decided to have a joint worship service this Christmas after spending the past few months working together toward recovery. Urban Aborigine churches used Fongshan Presbyterian Church as venue for their Christmas worship service and members from Paiwan and South Bunun presbyteries gathered there to praise and thank God.

Asian Youth Promote Justice, Peace

December 17, 2009, SIEM REAP, Cambodia – Thirty-eight young Methodist leaders from eight countries have formed the Sixth Conference Asian Methodist Youth Network to explore ways they can work together for justice and peace. The network's purpose is to bring together young people of Asian churches rooted in the Wesleyan tradition in order to provide them the opportunity to share and strengthen one another and plan partnerships and cooperative efforts. The youth network seeks to respond to the prevailing issues of the day, as well as taking an active role in the wider ministry of the church.

Middle East News

Kairos Initiative: a Message of Hope for a Just Peace in Palestine

December 169, 2009 – At an impressive ceremony which brought together a wide spectrum of Palestinian civil society, including church leaders, and over 50 people from every region of the world, Palestinian Christians launched the document popularly referred to as the Kairos Palestine Document. The launch, held on 11 December at the International Centre of Bethlehem (Dar Al Nadwa), was moderated by the centre's founder Rev. Dr Mitri Raheb. Following an introduction to the Kairos Palestine initiative by its coordinator Rifat Kassis, His Beatitude Patriarch Emeritus Michel Sabbah outlined in some detail the nature, scope and intent of the document for those present.

People in the News

Montana Lutheran Awarded Rhodes Scholarship, Sets Sights for Oxford

December 18, 2009, CHICAGO – There are some 4,500 auxiliary police in New York City. One of them, a volunteer on foot patrol in the 26th precinct, is Raphael Graybill, a 20-year-old student from Great Falls, Mont. – a Lutheran and one of 32 Americans named as 2010 recipients of the prestigious Rhodes Scholarships. The scholarships support two-year educational experiences "for exceptional all-around students" at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. This year's U.S. winners were selected from 805 nominees by colleges. "It's very humbling," said Graybill in an interview.