Front Page

UCC Leader Questions ‘Arbitrary' CBS Decision to Allow Focus on the Family Ad

January 25, 2010 – A decision by CBS to allow a Super Bowl advertisement for Focus on the Family, a conservative religious organization, is eliciting concerns from leaders of the United Church of Christ, which sought to buy advertising from the network but had its ads rejected. "While CBS is reportedly saying that a bad economy now necessitates changes in its policy on so-called advocacy ads, this decision only underscores the arbitrary way the networks approach these decisions and the result is a woeful lack of religious diversity in our nation's media," says the Rev. J. Bennett Guess, the UCC's director of communications.

WCC Calls for Haiti's Foreign Debt to Be Cancelled

January 25, 2010 – The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit has called on the international community to cancel Haiti's foreign debt. An "immediate and full cancellation" of Haiti's foreign debt would be "only an initial step," as the quake-stricken country needs a broader "plan to support recovery, poverty eradication and sustainable development," Tveit said in a statement on 25 January. Such a plan "must be developed with the full ownership of the people of Haiti and with the support of the international community under the coordination of the United Nations," Tveit said.

The Reconstruction of Haiti must Be Based on Justice

January 25, 2010 – As churches and church related organizations mobilize resources to bring immediate relief to the people of Port-au-Prince, they are also advocating for the international community to waive Haiti's foreign debt while building a more sustainable future for the country. Two weeks after the country's worst earthquake in two centuries struck on 12 January, the plight of the victims has prompted a worldwide mobilization of churches' resources. Pledges of funds, delivery of emergency aid items and appeals for donations are reported from every corner of the globe, while messages of solidarity, prayers and even hymns to express the sorrow flow in from near and far.

"Tithe Wall Street Bonuses for Haiti" Is Rising Call and Web Campaign from CWS

January 27, 2010 NEW YORK – As a rising wave calling for complete debt relief for Haiti is breaking even on the floors of Davos this week, the head of global humanitarian agency Church World Service this morning called for Wall Street's financial industry leaders to tithe their bonuses for the reconstruction of Haiti following the earthquake disaster that killed more than 100,000 people and destroyed much of Port au Prince and the country's fragilely functioning infrastructure.

Scott Roeder Convicted of Murdering Dr. George Tiller, ELCA Member

January 29, 2010, CHICAGO – A Kansas jury convicted Scott Roeder of first-degree murder Jan. 29. Roeder gunned down Dr. George Tiller, a member of Reformation Lutheran Church, Wichita, Kan., in the church foyer before a worship service May 31. Tiller was one of few physicians in the United States who performed late-term abortions and was often targeted by anti-abortion protests. Reformation is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Roeder testified that he shot Tiller to protect unborn children. He said he had no regrets in killing Tiller. Members of Reformation testified that they had seen Roeder at church several times before the day he shot Tiller at point-blank range in the head. Roeder, 51, Kansas City, Mo., faces life in prison.

Churches Play Crucial Role in Creating a Home to Help Humanity Grow, Says Archbishop of Canterbury
Rowan Williams Joins Panel for Discussion at New York's Desmond Tutu Center

January 26, 2010 – Using the words of St. Lawrence, a deacon of the Roman Church, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams told those gathered at the Desmond Tutu Center in New York City Jan. 26 that Christians treasure the world's most vulnerable people because they treasure humanity, and they know that God treasures humanity. And in treasuring the most vulnerable, especially children, Williams said, faith-based groups and churches play a crucial role in helping the human race "imagine itself afresh" and in creating a "home," or the space necessary to help one another grow.

Haiti Earthquake Response

Episcopal Diocese of Haiti Caring for 23,000 Quake Survivors

January 24, 2010 – The Episcopal Diocese of Haiti is caring for close to 23,000 Haitians in at least 21 encampments around the earthquake-devastated country. The information came Jan. 23 in a letter from Bishop Jean Zaché Duracin to Episcopal Relief & Development President Robert Radtke and posted here. In the letter, Duracin said that the diocese and the organization are working "hand-in-hand," telling Radtke he has "complete confidence in you and your agency." "Please tell our partners, the people of the Episcopal Church, the people of the United States and indeed the people of the world that we in Haiti are immensely grateful for their prayers, their support and their generosity," Duracin wrote. "This is a desperate time in Haiti; we have lost so much. But we still have the most important asset, the people of God, and we are working continuously to take care of them."

ELCA Staff Member Reports Haitians Still ‘Living with Hope'

January 26, 2010, CHICAGO – The Haitian people are "living with hope," reported Louis Dorvilier, a member of the churchwide staff of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). He said despite many difficulties for survivors of the Jan. 12 earthquake, Haitians living in temporary shelters can be heard singing and worshiping – similar to eyewitness reports of other ELCA members in Haiti in the days after the disaster. Dorvilier arrived in Haiti Jan. 22 to join a response and strategy team of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Department for World Service and the Action by Churches Together (ACT) Alliance.

A Great Outpouring, UCC Members Continue Haiti Fundraising Efforts

January 26, 2010 – The overwhelming outpouring of generosity from United Church of Christ members and congregations to earthquake-ravaged Haiti continues to set new standards, according to church leaders. As of noon Tuesday (Jan. 26), more than $560,000 had been raised by the UCC Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund, according to Susan M. Sanders, UCC's minister for global sharing of resources. "The total of $566,246 includes $359,245 that has been raised through online contributions," says Sanders. The two-week total is more than double the $250,603 raised during the first six days following the Jan. 12 disaster.

Lutheran College Students Stranded in Machu Picchu

January 27, 2010, CHICAGO – Two professors and 21 students from Gustavus Adolphus College are stranded in Machu Picchu, Peru. Heavy rains and flooding produced mudslides in the area, blocking roads and limiting other means of transportation. The group is among an estimated 2,500 tourists and others waiting to be evacuated. Gustavus Adolphus, St. Peter, Minn., is one of 27 colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The group is safe and morale is good under the circumstances, said trip leader Debra Pitton, professor of education at Gustavus. The group is expected to depart Machu Picchu in the next several days, according to a Jan. 27 news release from the college.

'There Is Hope' in Haiti, Bishop's Aide Says
Facing Post-Quake Emergency, Diocese Plans for Future

January 27, 2010 – The Episcopal Diocese of Haiti faces at least three to six months of emergency response to survivors of the Jan. 12 earthquake that left a large portion of the diocese and the nation in ruins, according to a priest at the heart of the diocese's response. In the midst of the challenges of aiding nearly 23,000 Haitians who are living in roughly 20 camps run by the diocese, Episcopalians are assessing the damage to their diocese and beginning to decide their rebuilding priorities, said the Rev. Canon Oge Beauvoir. Beauvoir, a Haitian native and one of four Episcopal Church missionaries assigned to work with the diocese in the impoverished country, spoke to ENS Jan. 27 from a makeshift camp of earthquake survivors that began the night of the quake on a rocky field next to the College St. Pierre, a wrecked diocesan school.

Haiti Hospital Home to Abandoned Children

January 28, 2010, PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – All the babies are Innocent. The doctors and staff at Grace Children's Hospital are caring for 10 to 15 children since the Jan. 12 earthquake. They are the "abandoned" ones – children who were in the hospital when the disaster struck, or lost ones found alone and brought there.

Body of ELCA Seminary Student, Ben Larson, Recovered in Haiti

January 28, 2010, CHICAGO – The body of Benjamin Judd Larson, an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) seminary student who died in the Haiti earthquake, was recovered Jan. 28. Larson, who was teaching theology to Lutherans in Haiti at the time of the disaster, was buried when the building he was in collapsed. Larson's body was located Jan. 27 inside the destroyed St. Joseph Home for Boys in Port-au-Prince by a local work crew that went to the site to find him. The crew worked to remove multiple layers of concrete so they could recover his body, said Ben's wife, Renee Splichal Larson, in a telephone interview with the ELCA News Service. "It's a relief that they have found Ben," she said.

"We Are Desperate but Strong in Faith"

January 28, 2010 – These are the words of Bishop Jean Zache Duracin of the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti two weeks after the earthquake which has become known simply as ‘La Catastrophe.' In his reflections posted on the website of the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti Bishop Duracin describes the devastation and present living conditions, and his own diocese's outreach to thousands of people who have been made homeless, including childran and disabled people, and many who are wounded. He reflects that for Haiti the course of history has change. He looks to the future, with prayer and in faith, for long-term partnership with others who might accompany the people of Haiti as they work to rebuild and restore.

Church of the Brethren Earthquake Response Shapes Up
in Haiti, Children's Feeding Program Begins

January 29, 2010 ELGIN, IL – Roy Winter, executive director of Brethren Disaster Ministries, has announced a comprehensive Church of the Brethren response to the Haiti earthquake. The effort will include a feeding program to be based with Eglise des Freres Haitiens (Haitian Church of the Brethren) in Port-au-Prince. The feeding of children already has begun through the Haitian Brethren. Winter returned to the United States on Jan. 26, after he witnessed the first weeks of recovery following the earthquake in Haiti. He was part of a delegation of four representing the US Church of the Brethren, who experienced first-hand the devastation in and around Port-au-Prince.

Emergency Disaster Fund Receives More than $100,000 for Haiti

January 29, 2010, ELGIN, IL – The Church of the Brethren's Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) has received donations totaling $102,154.54 for the church's relief work following the Haiti earthquake. The number represents the total of both online and by-mail donations received as of Wenesday morning. Of the total, the online donations to Haiti earthquake relief have come to $66,167.07. So far, the church's finance staff have processed $29,527.42 of mailed-in donations, with more awaiting processing. EDF grants already given to earthquake relief efforts total $55,000: a grant of $25,000 to support the Brethren response in Haiti, $25,000 for the work of Church World Service, and $5,000 to Haitian First Church of New York – a Church of the Brethren congregation – and the New York Disaster Interfaith Services to establish a family assistance center for Haitians relocating to the US following the earthquake.

General News

‘The Bible in the Life of the Church' Project Launched by the Anglican Communion

January 28, 2010 – ‘Our engagement with the Bible has several aspects to it – rather like the different parts of a house. The actual black print on white paper on which the words of the Bible are written resembles the front door of the house – our point of access and welcome. Then as we enter the house we find ourselves standing on Christ the Rock, who is the living foundation-stone of the whole building in which we are located. The walls that separate us room from room can be linked to the different contexts which we bring to our study and exploration of the scriptures, which affect the shape and parameters of our reading. But overarching all, as a roof for the entire building, is the world-wide Church which both embraces and offers a generous boundary for our reading.'

Introducing StillSpeaking Magazine

January 26, 2010 – The United Church of Christ is launching a subscription campaign for its new high-end-design StillSpeaking Magazine, an oversized, full-color publication that will debut in late April. The 88-page StillSpeaking Magazine will be published twice annually in Spring and Fall. An inaugural, three-year subscription is $29 if purchased before July 1. After that date, subscriptions will be $39 each. Order online at ucc.org/magazine. "StillSpeaking Magazine promises to be a full-sensory experience for readers, with compelling writing and expert photography that will communicate stories of inclusion, involvement, transformation and the best aspirations of the UCC, its members and its churches," said the Rev. J. Bennett Guess, the UCC's director of communications.

Find Them, Greet Them, Love Them: Redefining Our Ministry to Young Adults

January 28, 2010, NEW YORK – In an effort to revitalize young adult ministry in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, the Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries will launch a 2010 National Awareness Campaign for Young Adults: Find them, Greet them, Love them. In conjunction with Metropolis Youth Offices, the campaign will encourage parish leadership to bring young adults into the realms of the Church.

Response to Model Theological Conference on Worship ‘Positive'

January 28, 2010 – Response from participants in the Synod's Jan. 11-13 Model Theological Conference on Worship has been largely positive, based on comments several of them have shared and according to conference planners. The goal of the conference – co-sponsored by the LCMS Commission on Worship and the Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) – was to "build greater understanding of our theology of worship and foster further discussion of worship practices that are consistent with that theology." The goal is from resolutions of the 2004 and 2007 Synod conventions.

Young People Aim for a "Coherent" Life as They Plan Their Future

January 28, 2010, SANTA ROSA DE COPAN, Honduras – Having a belief system is not so difficult, said 25-year-old Nava, participating in a recent university seminar in Honduras. The challenging part is building your life around your beliefs. More than 1,500 young people addressed this challenge at recent Baha'i gatherings in five countries – Honduras, Italy, Australia, England, and the Philippines. The youth are trying to examine their lives at a time when they have the opportunity to develop a lifestyle and career path that incorporate the values and activities which they believe can shape the kind of world they want to live in.

‘Renewing the Ecology of the ELCA Task Force' Plans Work Toward 2011

January 28, 2010, CHICAGO – A 12-member task force of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), plus observers from other church bodies and staff, met together for the first time this month to begin work to develop and recommend options for the ELCA's future. Task force members will seek input for their work from ELCA leaders and members this spring. At its November 2009 meeting, the ELCA Church Council approved a charter for the project, "Living into the Future Together: Renewing the Ecology of the ELCA."

ELCA, Other North American Lutherans Prepare for Regional LWF Pre-Assembly

January 26, 2010, GENEVA – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) Eastern Synod will host this week's North American region preparatory meeting for the 2010 Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). The LWF's eleventh assembly will take place in July in Stuttgart, Germany, under the theme "Give Us Today Our Daily Bread." The North America Pre-Assembly Consultation (NAPAC) is to be held Jan. 29-31 in Kitchener, Ontario. About 40 delegates, youth stewards and advisers from the three LWF member churches in the region, and staff, are planning to attend.

Ecumenical News

Benedict XVI Is Truly the Pope of Christian Unity

January 22, 2010 – When Jesus prayed that his followers may be one, He was praying for the unity of the Church whose leadership he entrusted to St Peter and his successors. He was not prophesying that this unity would be achieved by a particular model of ecumenism. In the 20th century, the Church mapped out a route towards unity which focused on ever closer links with other Christian communities, such as the Anglican Communion; the aim was to achieve a corporate reunion. Thus, the purpose of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, so far as the Church was concerned, was an agreement in which the Archbishop of Canterbury would once again become bishop of a historic see of the Church that Anglicans describe as "Roman Catholic."

Bible Study on Church Unity Set for Publication

January 25, 2010 – A bible study guide on the theme of church unity from the perspective of the Reformed church movement is set to be published online in February and available in print in March. The guide takes its title, Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace, from the text in Ephesians 4.3 that is the theme of the Uniting General Council (UGC) which is to be held in June in the American city of Grand Rapids. The event will mark the merger of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) and the Reformed Ecumenical Council (REC) to form the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC).

Lutherans, Moravians Celebrate 10th Anniversary as Full Communion Partners

January 25, 2010, CHICAGO – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Northern and Southern Provinces of the Moravian Church in America will celebrate their 10-year anniversary as full communion partners Jan. 27. To honor the collaborative ministries of the denominations, a reception and service will be held that day at Augsburg Lutheran Church, Winston-Salem, N.C. The 1999 ELCA Churchwide Assembly approved a proposal to enter into the relationship with a 98.9 percent vote approval. In 1998 the Northern and Southern Provinces of the Moravian Church accepted the proposal in separate votes.

Pastor Joins U.S.-Led Interfaith Dialogue in Indonesia

January 25, 2010, NEW YORK – As concerns flare over attempted terrorist attacks against the West, a United Methodist pastor is in Indonesia this week for an interfaith dialogue aimed at encouraging cooperation between the United States and Muslim-led countries. The Rev. Bud Heckman, director of external relations for the New York-based Religions for Peace, is among 20 American religious and civic leaders participating in the Jan. 25-27 dialogue in Jakarta with Indonesian and Southeast Asian counterparts. The event was arranged through the U.S. government. Religions for Peace, led by Secretary General William Vendley, is facilitating the event and Pradeep Ramamurthy, senior director for global engagement at the White House, is head of the U.S. delegation.

Spanish News

Iglesias Y Movimientos Ecuménicos Contrarios a Que Cuba Aparezca En Lista De Países Terroristas

25 enero 2010, LA HABANA, Cuba – "Las ‘promesas' usadas en su campaña respecto a nuestro país, eran solamente eso; simples promesas que usted y su partido solo utilizarían para ganar aquello por lo que cualquier persona, que aspira a la presidencia del país que usted representa, busca: el poder." Así comienza una carta abierta que enviara, la pasada semana, el Grupo de Reflexión y Solidaridad "Oscar Arnulfo Romero," movimiento ecuménico y alternativo de inspiración católica, a raíz de que Cuba fuera incluida, recientemente, en la lista de países terroristas que cada año confecciona el gobierno de los Estados Unidos.

Guía De Estudio Bíblico Sobre La Unidad De La Iglesia Preparada Para Su Publicación Digital E Impresa

25 enero 2010, GINEBRA, Suiza – Una guía de estudio de la Biblia sobre el tema de la unidad de la Iglesia desde la perspectiva del movimiento de la Iglesia Reformada está listo para ser publicado on line en febrero y disponible en forma impresa en marzo. La guía tiene como título "La unidad del Espíritu en el vínculo de la paz," del texto en Efesios 4.3 que es el tema del Consejo General Unido (UGC), que se celebrará en junio en la ciudad estadounidense de Grand Rapids. El evento marcará la fusión de la Alianza Reformada Mundial (ARM) y el Consejo Ecuménico Reformado (REC) para formar la Comunión Mundial de Iglesias Reformadas (WCRC). Las guia para cinco sesiones de estudio de la Biblia fue escrita por un grupo internacional de teólogos y editado por el Secretario Ejecutivo de la Alianza Reformada Mundial de Teología y de Compromiso Ecuménico, Douwe Visser.

CMI Insta a Cancelar Deuda Externa De Haití

27 enero 2010, El secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), pastor Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, ha instado a la comunidad internacional a que cancele la deuda exterior de Haití. Una "cancelación inmediata y total" de la deuda exterior de Haití sería "solamente un paso inicial," ya que el país afectado por el terremoto necesita un "plan más amplio de apoyo a la recuperación, la erradicación de la pobreza y el desarrollo sostenible," declaró Tveit el 25 de enero.

Luteranos Movilizados Por Haití
"Nos Encontramos En Una Posición Privilegiada Para Ayudar," Dice El Obispo Hanson

28 enero 2010, ESTADOS UNIDOS – Las imágenes de la desesperación y destrucción tras el terremoto en Haití siguen abrumándonos, pero también son un llamado a nuestra respuesta de oración y generosidad, dice una carta del reverendo Mark S. Hanson, Obispo Presidente de la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana en América (IELA). La Iglesia Evangélica Luterana en América (IELA) está trabajando por medio de asociaciones de largo plazo con la Federación Luterana Mundial y la Ayuda Mundial Luterana con el fin de proporcionar ayuda de emergencia en cuanto a alimentos, agua, refugio y suministros médicos se refiere.

Integrar Diaconia Con Misericordia, Defensa De La Vida E Incidencia Por Un Cielo Y Una Tierra Nueva

26 enero 2010, BARRANQUILLA, Colombia – Los días 20 al 22 de enero se realizó en la Universidad Reformada de la ciudad de Barranquilla, Colombia, el seminario Diaconía, Derechos Humanos y Desarrollo Integral. Tuvo como objetivos profundizar la reflexión bíblica, teológica y social, así como contribuir con aportes para fortalecer la eficacia y el impacto de la responsabilidad o misión de las iglesias en la sociedad. El seminario fue organizado por el Observatorio Iglesia y Sociedad de la Universidad Reformada y por la Red Ecuménica de Colombia.

Pastores Pierden Temor a La Política Partidaria Y Lanzan Candidatos a Elecciones Regionales

26 enero 2010, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – "Los pastores ya perdimos el miedo de participar en la política y hoy trabajamos en la organización y la campaña del Movimiento de Unidad Cristiana," expresó el pastor de la Misión de la Iglesia Amor y Fe, Oscar Antonio Martínez Zelaya, en esta capital. Mientras que el reverendo Enrique Gaitán López, también de esa denominación, pero en la ciudad de Masaya a 28 kilómetros al oriente del país, dijo que "gracias a la capacitación en educación teológica que recibí del Consejo de la Iglesia Evangélica Pro-Alianza Denominacional (CEPAD), hace más de 20 años, hoy le he perdido el miedo a la participación política y trabajo en la organización y la propaganda del Movimiento por el Partido de la Unidad Cristiana (MUC).

Católicos Y Protestantes Se Unen En Oración Por Haití

28 enero 2010, CIUDAD DE GUATEMALA – Unas 300 personas se reunieron en Catedral Metropolitana de esta capital, para orar juntas por la paz de los pueblos y en solidaridad con Haití, en una liturgia celebrada por obispos y ministros de la Iglesia Católica, Episcopal, Luterana, Anabautista y Presbiteriana, el 25 de enero pasado, en el marco de la Semana de Oración por la Unidad de las y los Cristianos. El obispo de la Iglesia Episcopal de Guatemala, Armando Guerra, explicó a los participantes que la celebración se basaba en la propuesta de la Comisión de Fe y Constitución del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias y del Consejo Pontificio para la promoción de la unidad de los cristianos, cuyo tema está tomado del Evangelio de San Lucas: Vosotros sois testigos de todas estas cosas.

New York Metro News

American Seminary Receives Prestigious Prize from Russian Orthodox Church

January 27, 2010, MOSCOW, Russia – The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill I, presented the "Unity of Orthodox Peoples Award" to St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, Yonkers, NY, at a special ceremony in Moscow on January 21, 2010. Similar awards were concurrently presented to Russian President Dimitry A. Medvedev; Serbian cinematographer and director Emir Kusturica; and His Holiness Karekin II, leader of Armenian Christians worldwide. The seminary was selected to receive the award by the International Foundation for the Unity of Orthodox Christian Nations (IFUOCN), for its activity "aimed at strengthening the unity of Orthodox nations through theological education."

Archbishop of Canterbury Visits the South Bronx

January 27, 2010, NEW YORK – People lined up along the fence outside St. Ann's Episcopal Church in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx Jan. 27 waiting for their turn to get inside – not to get a glimpse of Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, who was incidentally visiting, but to shop the parish's weekly Wednesday morning food pantry. Williams arrived and left with little fanfare. More food pantry clients lined up along the fence outside, paying little notice. Inside, the Rev. Martha Overall, priest-in-charge, along with members of the vestry and volunteers, opened up the parish and its programs for Williams to see.

Archbishop of Canterbury Wraps up Trinity Institute Conference

January 29, 2010 – In summary of the discussions, panels and lectures presented during the Trinity Institute's conference on building an ethical economy, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams identified four repeated themes in his closing remarks: language, education, definition of self and trust. "Building an ethical economy is something that will engage us on all of these levels, and I trust and hope that in the light of these discussions that engagement will indeed go forward," Williams said. "We belong to churches and communities of faith, have resources that we are bound to share … We are able to hold up models, images, ideals, not as distant abstractions, but as matters rooted in our very identity and faith."

National News

CWS Welcomes Increased per Person Grant for Newly Arriving Refugees

January 25, 2010, NEW YORK CITY – Church World Service refugee program staff and their colleagues in local resettlement agencies across the United States hailed the U.S. government's announcement Friday (Jan. 22) that it has doubled the amount of the per person grant to assist refugees resettling in the United States to $1,800. The funds help new arrivals pay for such expenses as security deposits/initial rent payments, household furnishings, initial pocket money and other basic necessities, along with local case management to ensure that each refugee gets a fair start in his or her new country. "Welcome news!" declared CWS Immigration and Refugee Program Director Erol Kekic upon receiving the announcement last Friday from Eric Schwartz, Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugees and Migration in the U.S. State Department.

Lutherans, Faith Groups Urge Congress to Finish Health Care Reform

January 26, 2010, WASHINGTON – Fifty-six faith organizations, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), sent a Jan. 26 letter to members of Congress asking them to "take heart and move meaningful health care reform forward." "The ELCA and its predecessor (church) bodies have been advocating for health care reform for decades," said Robert D. Francis, director for domestic policy issues, ELCA Washington Office. "This is the closest we've come to comprehensive reform, certainly in my lifetime, and it's crucial that Congress not walk away at the 11th hour."

International News

Detention of 10 Baha'is Leads to Fears for Other Prisoners

January 27, 2010, NEW YORK – Concern is growing over the lack of information about the status of 10 Baha'is who were arrested earlier this month in Iran. In addition to worry about their safety, there are fears that charges against these 10 will be used to create false evidence in court against the seven Baha'i leaders who have been held since 2008 and whose trial is set to resume on 7 February. "Our concern is that in the absence of any evidence against the seven leaders, the authorities may be attempting to build a case by perhaps forcing these newly arrested Baha'is to ‘confess' that they were involved in organizing December's Ashura demonstrations under orders from their ‘leadership,'" said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.

Archbishop of Canterbury, Presiding Bishop Address Global Concerns in UN Meeting

January 27, 2010 – Global crises, such as those in Haiti and Sudan, were among pressing issues addressed at the United Nations headquarters Jan. 26 as Secretary General Ban Ki-moon welcomed Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori for a 45-minute meeting. The church leaders were joined by Anglican Observer at the U.N. Hellen Wangusa and U.K. Representative to the U.N. Sir Mark Lyall Grant. Williams offered his "profound condolences" for the loss of so many U.N. staff in the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that devastated Haiti Jan. 12, according to a press release from Lambeth Palace, the archbishop's London residence. He also conveyed his "deep appreciation and admiration" for the work of the U.N. in some of the poorest parts of the world.

Two Brethren Ministers Have Died in Nigeria Violence

January 29, 2010, ELGIN, IL – Two ministers of Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN – the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) died in the violence that broke out in the central Nigerian town of Jos on Sunday, Jan. 17, and continued on Jan. 19. Ecumenical News International (ENI, related to the World Council of Churches) reported on Jan. 25 that the violence claimed the lives of about 500 people. An update received by the Church of the Brethren's Global Mission Partnerships staff from the pastor of an EYN congregation in Jos, included information that two ministers in EYN have been killed: Shadrach Dzarma, a student at the Theological College of Northern Nigeria; and Obidah Hildi, an evangelist working in Bukuru, a town close to Jos.

Brethren Group Visits Muslim School Destroyed by Christians

January 29, 2010, ELGIN, IL – The following report has been received from Nathan and Jennifer Hosler, Church of the Brethren mission workers serving with Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN – the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). Their visit to the Islamic school in Jos, Nigeria, took place a few days prior to the outbreak of violence on Jan. 17: Imagine a Muslim school destroyed by people bearing the name of Christ – the students and faculty should reasonably be wary and distrustful of Christians. Yet, a recent visit proved the contrary and showed that people can overcome the fear caused by conflict and violence.

ELCA Presiding Bishop to Lead Delegation to Visit World Church Leaders

January 29, 2010, CHICAGO – An official Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) delegation of clergy and lay leaders will travel through Europe Feb. 3-17, visiting world Christian church leaders and key staff based in London, Istanbul, Rome and Geneva. The 2010 Ecumenical Journey, led by the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop and president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), is part of the church's declaration of ecumenical commitment, adopted by the 1991 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. The delegation of 12 official ELCA representatives plans to meet in London with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan D. Williams, leader of the Anglican Communion; in Istanbul, Turkey, with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, world Orthodox leader; and in Rome, with Pope Benedict XVI, leader of the world's Roman Catholics.

ENGLAND: Church Writes off $78 Million from Manhattan Property Investment

January 26, 2010 – The Church of England stands ready to lose about $78 million invested in the largest real estate deal in American history after Tishman Speyer Properties announced it was turning over two Manhattan apartment complexes to creditors. Tishman Speyer partnered with BlackRock Realty in 2006 to complete the $5.4 billion purchase of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village on Manhattan's East River. The deal has since lost $3.5 million and the firm decided to surrender the properties after falling behind on loan repayments, according to reports. The Church of England's £40 million investment in Stuyvesant Town was brokered in June 2007, right at the top of the property market, months before the ensuing global economic crisis set in, and when the exchange rate was 1.96 dollars to the pound.

People in the News

America Presents Campion Award to Archbishop Rowan

January 29, 2010 – The Editorial Board of America is proud to announce that The Most Reverend Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, is the 2009 recipient of the Campion Award. The award is given on a regular basis to a noted Christian person of letters. It is named after St. Edmund Campion, S.J., who is patron of America's communications ministry. Last year's award was bestowed posthumously on Jon Hassler, the novelist, who chronicled life in the upper Midwest. A martyr of the English Reformation, St. Edmund Campion stirred Elizabethan England with his daring missionary efforts and the great power of his pen.

Linda Hartke Named President/CEO, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service

January 23, 2010, BALTIMORE – The board of directors of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) named Linda Hartke as the organization's new president and chief executive officer. Hartke, a Lutheran, begins her new role Feb. 22. "The board of directors is elated to welcome Linda Hartke as our new president and CEO, and we have great faith in her leadership abilities. She has the demonstrated skills and experience to enable LIRS to build on its firm foundation and to bring a new dimension to our efforts to ‘welcome the stranger,'" said Elaine Richter Bryant, outgoing LIRS board chair.