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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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The WCC Is Disappointed by the Outcome of the Copenhagen Climate Summit December 21, 2009 – As the excitement of the Copenhagen climate change talks subside, the time for matching reality with expectations has begun. From the perspective of the World Council of Churches (WCC) the outcome of the negotiations unfortunately did not match expectations. "With a lack of transparency, the agreement reached this past week by some countries was negotiated without consensus but rather in secret among the powerful nations of the world," WCC Programme Executive on climate change Guillermo Kerber said. Feast of Saint Basil and New Year January 1, 2010 – We greet the beginning of this new year and the end of the first decade of the new millennium in the grace and strength of our Lord. The coming of the New Year is always accompanied by a variety of emotions and concerns, as well as goals and plans. It is a time for reflecting on the past and anticipating what the year may bring. As we look back and forward in our thoughts, it is essential that we be mindful of the centrality of Christ and our spiritual well-being in all that we do. For reflection and anticipation are both characteristics of our lives as Orthodox Christians. Reflection is inherent to our identity, beliefs, and practices. How Theology Can Help Save the World from Climate Change December 22, 2009 – What does the Bible say about climate change? What are the theological insights churches can offer to a world facing an unprecedented ecological crisis? These questions, addressed at a public seminar on "Creation and the climate crisis" attended by church representatives to the UN climate summit in Copenhagen on 15 December, seem even more urgent after the summit's failure to reach the fair, ambitious and legally binding agreement that millions around the world had hoped for. San Francisco Lutheran Congregation to Celebrate First ‘Feast of Hope' December 24, 2009, CHICAGO – St. Francis Lutheran Church, San Francisco, will celebrate its first "Feast of Hope" worship Dec. 27, in celebration of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Churchwide Assembly decision directing changes in ministry policies. The Rev. Anita Hill, pastor of St. Paul-Reformation Church, Minneapolis, will serve as guest preacher. Since 1995 the congregation has held a "Feast of Expulsion" in late December, commemorating the date when the congregation was expelled from the ELCA, according to a news release from the congregation. Massachusetts Church Leaves a Lasting Legacy December 29, 2009 – When Old First UCC in Springfield, Mass., decided to close its doors after 370 years in ministry, there were a few questions to be answered. At the top of the list for long-time members was how the church would honor its legacy and who would be the beneficiary of the sale of its property and liquidation of its assets? With a spirit of generosity, the congregation and those charged with making these decisions have donated substantial financial resources to many ministries, including over $250,000 to the UCC's New and Renewing Churches Endowment Fund. The church officially ceased worship at the end of 2007. ‘The Homework Project' Changes Lives for Roma Children December 22, 2009 – The Homework Project, a mission of Epiphany UCC in Chicago, is changing the plight of Roma (or Gypsy) children in Romania – one village at a time. In only five years, the congregation has succeeded in setting up two learning centers that provide after-school tutoring to the children, in an attempt to make up for the discrimination against Roma children in society and in the public school system. By taking several trips and getting to know the Roma population by establishing a relationship with the program's on-site coordinator in Romania, Alex Stroie, The Homework Project has become less about writing out a check and more about witnessing the positive change in a country still reeling from the collapse of the Communist regime in 1989. Foro De Pueblos Indígenas Sobre Cambio Climático Manifiesta 21 diciembre 2009 – "Para proteger nuestros bosques, biodiversidad, aire y agua, se requieren compromisos vinculantes. Los Estados deben participar en la creación de un mundo donde los pueblos indígenas gocen de sus derechos. Tenemos la intención de trabajar para poner en práctica esta visión de la realidad más allá de la COP 15," afirma una Declaración del Foro de Pueblos Indígenas sobre cambio climático. Los Pueblos Indígenas consideran que sus demandas no se han cumplido en esta Conferencia de las Partes llamada COP 15 que finalizó el 18 en Dinamarca. WACC Llama a Que Se Escuchen Las Voces 19 diciembre 2009, TORONTO, Canadá – En el Día Internacional de las Personas Migrantes, 18 de diciembre, la WACC realizó un llamado a las organizaciones y redes dedicadas a la comunicación para que participen y aseguren que se escuchen las voces de las personas migrantes, de las refugiadas y desplazadas. En 2009 el Día Internacional de las Personas Migrantes coincide con el cierre de la Conferencia de la ONU sobre el Cambio Climático que se celebra en Copenhague, Dinamarca. Esta coincidencia recuerda que se estima que 25 millones de personas en todo el mundo han sufrido el desplazamiento forzoso de sus naciones y comunidades debido a los devastadores efectos del cambio climático. Cómo La Teología Puede Ayudar a Salvar El Mundo Del Cambio Climático 22 diciembre 2009 – ¿Qué dice la Biblia sobre el cambio climático? ¿Qué ideas teológicas pueden ofrecer las iglesias al mundo frente a una crisis ecológica sin precedentes? Estas preguntas, planteadas en un seminario sobre "La creación y la crisis climática" al que asistieron representantes de iglesias durante la cumbre de la ONU sobre el clima en Copenhague, parecen hoy aún más urgentes luego del fracaso de la cumbre que no logró producir el acuerdo justo, ambicioso y jurídicamente vinculante que millones esperaban. Lutheran Bishops Offer Ideas to White House to Stir Economy December 22, 2009, WASHINGTON – In a Dec. 16 letter to U.S. President Barack Obama, a caucus of Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) bishops acknowledged economic challenges and suggested opportunities for job creation. The group met with Martha Coven, special assistant to the president for mobility and opportunity policy, to present the letter and discuss the status of hunger and economic insecurity in the United States. In the letter the bishops wrote, "We see firsthand the effects that unemployment has on individuals, families and communities. While we are there to counsel and comfort, we are also committed to encouraging policies that can spur job growth." December 19, 2009, NEW YORK – As the Copenhagen climate change conference ended Saturday morning without official adoption of a non-binding accord brokered by President Barack Obama and emerging countries, humanitarian agency Church World Service called on individual nations to "act ‘as if,' starting now." Delegates from 193 nations at the close of the summit agreed to "take note" of the document, tooled by President Barack Obama, China, India, South Africa and Brazil and key European countries on Friday and established no legally binding for reducing greenhouse gas emissions or for monitoring countries' emission levels. Lutherans Reflect on Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen December 31, 2009, CHICAGO – While many who attended or observed the proceedings of the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this month expressed disappointment in the outcome, others saw the proceedings as an important first step in addressing the effects of climate change – which may lead to more effective action in the future. Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and Lutherans from other parts of the world participated in the conference. The Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Geneva, sent a 7-member delegation, which included members from India, Mauritania, Tanzania, the United States and LWF staff. December 28, 2009 NEW YORK – His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians who constitute the second largest Christian Church in the world, was featured on the CBS News program 60 Minutes broadcast last evening throughout the United States, and globally on the Internet. WCC Concerned about Anti-Homosexual Bill in Uganda December 22, 2009 – The general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, wrote a letter to Uganda's President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, saying that the WCC was "saddened and distressed to receive the news from Uganda regarding a proposed law against homosexual individuals [ ... ], which also proposes the death penalty to be meted to homosexual individuals who are HIV positive." Kobia reminds the president of the commandment to love one's neighbour, adding that the law "should definitely not promote hatred." He also warns that "all the discussions, time, efforts and some times money, used on the issue of homosexuality distracts us from non judgmental and constructive discussions about the majority's problems" and that such a bill, if enacted, "will leave a lot of room for manipulation, abuse [ ... ] and oppression of people." World Vision Finishes First Batch of Temporary Housing Units for Morakot Victims December 27, 2009 – It's been more than four months since Typhoon Morakot devastated parts of Taiwan and left many people, mostly Aborigines, homeless. World Vision Taiwan finally finished its first batch of temporary housing units built for typhoon victims and a thanksgiving service was held on December 17 as new keys were handed to each family. The number of temporary housing units built in this new community totaled 50 and its location is in Taitung county's Chialan village. Each house consists of two floors or roughly 100 square meters – the first floor comprising a seniors' room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and the second floor consisting of a large room with multiple beds. ELCA Synod Bishop Joins Interfaith Delegation to Middle East December 30, 2009, CHICAGO – An interfaith delegation's recent visit to the Middle East could provide "a model and encouragement" for other Christians, Muslims and Jews to work together to promote peace between Israelis and Palestinians. That was one of the observations of the Rev. Margaret G. Payne, bishop of the New England Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Payne was one of 15 U.S. Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders who traveled Dec. 16-23 in Jordan, Israel and the West Bank. The trip was organized by the National Interreligious Leadership Initiative (NILI), an organization of U.S. faith group leaders that has spoken publicly about the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. |
