Front Page

The Interchurch Center in New York Is Rededicated after its First 50 Years

May 26, 2010, NEW YORK – The Interchurch Center in New York's Morningside Heights, once envisioned as a "Protestant Vatican on the Hudson," has evolved over fifty years into an interfaith, multi-ethnic community of non-profit, educational and church agencies. That may not be what the planners expected, but it turned out "very good," said the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches. Kinnamon, the staff head of the Council that was once the "raison d'etre" for the creation of The Interchurch Center, was the keynote speaker at a ceremony of rededication for the building May 25.

UCC Seeking $50,000 in Contributions
To Mount Public Response to Arizona's Racial Profiling Law

May 18, 2010 – The United Church of Christ is launching a fundraising effort to raise $50,000 to mount a public response to Arizona's stringent immigration law, enacted April 23, that makes racial profiling permissible by allowing police to detain those of Hispanic origin suspected of being undocumented immigrants. Individual and congregational gifts to the UCC's Tell Our Story Fund will support the purchase of a full-page ad in the statewide Arizona Republic newspaper on Saturday, May 29, the day when 500,000 protesters are expected to march in Phoenix.

Church World Service Presses Obama, Congress for Bipartisan Immigration Summit
States' Moves to Enact Arizonia-like Laws ‘A Worrisome Trend,' Says Agency CEO

May 26, 2010, WASHINGTON – Church World Service Executive Director and CEO John L. McCullough today pressed President Obama to convene a bipartisan summit with one goal – enactment of comprehensive immigration reform this year. Federal immigration reform has become all the more urgent, he said, as Arizona and at least 12 other states move to introduce their own "fixes,'‘ which threaten to create an "unworkable and contradictory patchwork of local immigration laws that don't serve national security, economic recovery or human rights.

WCC Living Letters Team Calls on Religions to Work for Peace in Nigeria

May 26, 2010 – Living Letters team members with Hajia Bilikisu Yusuf and Archbishop John Onayekan (centre) of the Nigeria Inter-religious Council (NIREC). A World Council of Churches (WCC) Living Letters team has appealed to Nigeria's religious leaders to encourage people belonging to different ethnic and faith groups to take initiatives to promote lasting peace and harmony in violence-affected communities. The international ecumenical team made its appeal as its 15-20 May visit to the country came to an end. During the visit the members of the team were able to see how ethnic consideration and lack of trust among various ethnic groups prevail while the authorities are unable to ensure security and protection to the people in conflict-affected regions.

Colleges Train Poor to Help with Oil Spill

May 28, 2010 – Not long ago, Freddie Redmond was homeless, living in the streets of Atlanta. Now he spends his days on a beach in Mississippi, part of a team that will be cleaning up after the recent oil spill. And he's praising God for his new career. Redmond is one of 75 low-income workers trained in hazardous waste removal by programs at two United Methodist-related historically black colleges.

Immigration Policy Divides Churchgoers

May 27, 2010 – Mention illegal immigration, and get ready for a debate at Green Valley Community Church in Arizona. The United Methodist congregation, about 40 miles from the Mexican border, includes ranchers who want to stop illegal immigrants from trespassing and leaving trash on their property as well as volunteers who welcome the newcomers with food and jugs of water in the desert. To bring these churchgoers together, the Rev. Rebecca Oakes Long, the senior pastor, held a discussion class on the issue in February. About 50 church members attended.

General News

Archbishop Demetrios Convenes First Episcopal Assembly
of Canonical Orthodox Hierarchs in North and Central America

May 26, 2010, NEW YORK – The first Episcopal Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Hierarchs in North and Central America was convened today by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America at the Helmsley Park Lane Hotel in New York City. This Assembly is the result of the decision of the Fourth Pre-Conciliar Pan-Orthodox Conference, which met in Chambésy Switzerland in June of 2009, after the extraordinary Synaxis of all the Heads of the Autocephalous Churches convened by His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. This Assembly, one of twelve that will be convened around the world in regions where there is no single Orthodox presence, will consist of the active canonical bishops who reside in the region designated as North and Central America. In every Assembly, the chairman will be the senior bishop of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Annual Meeting Lifts up Ministry of Support Staff Network

May 20, 2010 – Receiving affirmation that the crucial contributions of their day-to-day administrative work comprise "more than just office work," 43 members of the UCC Office Support Staff Network (UCCOSSN) gathered last month for the group's 23rd annual meeting at the UCC's Church House in Cleveland. "It was nice to hear from others in the group that we're performing a ministry of our own," says Lettie Eagar, Great Lakes Regional coordinator of UCCOSSN and a member of its newly formed communications team. Moving forward with a theme of "Together We Can Make a Difference," attendees also concurred that "you have to get us all together first," says Eagar.

‘Language of God' Video Sustains Strong Surge

May 25, 2010 – The much-publicized, initial splash of the UCC Stillspeaking Ministry's "The Language of God" video message continues to make waves across the internet. Launched in a coordinated campaign of supporters on April 16, the video message now has been disseminated by hundreds of thousands in more than 100 countries, with the potential to still be viewed by millions more given the tens of thousands of uploads of the video on blogs, news sites and social networks. More than six weeks into its launch, the video still generates 500 to 1,000 daily views combined on YouTube and Vimeo. As of May 24, those two sites alone had drawn nearly 250,000 views and generated more than 2,500 comments.

Archbishop of Canterbury's Pentecost Letter to the Anglican Communion

May 28, 2010 – In his Pentecost letter to the Anglican Communion, the Archbishop of Canterbury encourages Anglicans to pray for renewal in the Spirit and focus on the priority of mission, so that ‘we may indeed do what God asks of us and let all people know that new and forgiven life in Christ is possible.' The Archbishop acknowledges that Anglicans are experiencing a period of transition in the world: ‘when the voice and witness in the Communion of Christians from the developing world is more articulate and creative than ever, and when the rapidity of social change in ‘developed' nations leaves even some of the most faithful and traditional Christian communities uncertain where to draw the boundaries in controversial matters – not only sexuality but issues of bioethics, for example, or the complexities of morality in the financial world.'

Canterbury Proposes Resignation of Ecumenical Commission Members

May 28, 2010 – Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams is proposing that representatives currently serving on some of the Anglican Communion's ecumenical dialogues should resign their membership if they are from a province that has not complied with moratoria on same-gender blessings, cross-border interventions and the ordination of gay and lesbian people to the episcopate. Williams made his proposal in a May 28 Pentecost letter to the Anglican Communion, in which he specifically refers to the May 15 consecration of Los Angeles Bishop Suffragan Mary Douglas Glasspool and the ongoing activity across provincial boundaries.

Two Dismissed Pastors, Others Welcomed to ELCA Clergy Roster

May 25, 2010, CHICAGO – Two dismissed pastors have been welcomed back to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The candidacy committee of the ELCA Sierra Pacific Synod, Oakland, Calif., met May 24 and unanimously approved the reinstatement of the pastors to the ELCA clergy roster, and it also approved for reception six pastors from Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries (ELM). According to the synod, a formal Rite of Reception for the pastors will be offered this summer. The Rev. Ross D. Merkel, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Oakland, and the Rev. Steven P. Sabin, Christ Church Lutheran, San Francisco, have been approved for reinstatement.

RIO GRANDE: New Mexico Parishioners Seek Creative Solutions for Building Drive

May 26, 2010 – Parishioners at a growing New Mexico parish are praying for a miracle and hustling to raise a final $75,000 to build a much-needed sanctuary. The Rev. Robert Mundy, vicar of St. Matthew's, Los Lunas, in the Albuquerque-based Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande, said plans for a 3,500-square-foot multipurpose building depend on creative solutions, member efforts, fundraising and, hopefully, a miracle. It wouldn't be the first for the church. The 11-year-old congregation began with a few families using bales of hay for pews in a local feed store on Mother's Day, 1999.

New Federal Rule Bans Use of Some Wireless Microphones

May 26, 2010, CHICAGO – The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Washington, D.C., has issued a new rule that may affect use of some wireless microphones by congregations. The rule bans the use of wireless microphones or similar devices that operate in the 700 MHz Band no later than June 12, to avoid interference with fire and police departments now using the band. The new rule affects wireless microphones or similar devices used by a host of businesses and organizations, such as churches, theaters, schools, conference centers, theme parks and musicians, according to an FCC consumer advisory. Wireless microphones and similar devices that operate in the 700MHz Band must be tuned to another frequency or replaced, an FCC consumer advisory said.

ELCA Global Seminary Teachers Take Pride in Nurturing Future Pastors

May 28, 2010, CHICAGO – The one thing the Rev. Joseph Livenson Lauvanus has not managed to do is teach Mary Kuck to dance. Lauvanus, president of the Lutheran Church in Haiti, was a student of Mary and David Kuck at the United Theological College of the West Indies (UTCWI), Kingston, Jamaica. The Kucks are mission personnel of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) serving in Kingston since 1991. For those 19 years, the Kucks have influenced more than a dozen of UTCWI Lutheran students, like Lauvanus, who have become vital church leaders serving in the Caribbean.

WEST TEXAS: Christ Church Rector Resigns Citing ‘Crisis of Conscience'

May 26, 2010 – The Rev. Charles Collins, rector of Christ Church in San Antonio in the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas, has announced his intention to retire Sept. 1, 2010. Collins, who had served nine years as rector of the 2,700-member congregation, said in a May 19 letter to parishioners that he made the decision "to take early retirement … because of a crisis of conscience." He cited disagreement with the direction of "the Episcopal Church [which] … has moved further and further away from the Gospel to which I committed my life and I have concluded that there is no future for me in this spiritual environment."

Spanish News

Oran Con Supervivientes Junto a Fosa Común En Nigeria

25 mayo 2010 – El equipo de Cartas Vivas del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) vivió una experiencia profundamente conmovedora al orar en torno a una fosa común en Dogonahawa, en el Estado de Plateau, en el centro de Nigeria, el 18 de mayo. Ahí han sido enterrados unos 323 habitantes del lugar, asesinados el pasado mes de marzo. Dogonahawa es una aldea de unas 100 casas dispuestas en círculo. Se encuentra a tan solo 11 kilómetros de Jos, la capital del Estado de Plateau. La sombra de los conflictos sectarios todavía se cierne sobre la población. La comunidad ha quedado reducida a un pueblo fantasma, ya que allí ahora solo vive un puñado de personas.

Pasos Firmes Consolidan La Alianza Estratégica En La Temática Mujer Y Género

28 mayo 2010, LA HABANA, Cuba – La labor de sensibilización y la capacitación para superar las relaciones injustas y desiguales entre hombres y mujeres, une, de manera estratégica y para llegar al mayor número de personas, el Programa de Mujer y Género del Consejo de Iglesias de Cuba (CIC) con la Pastoral de la Mujer y Justicia de Género, de la mesa nacional del CLAI en la Isla. Según la reverenda Raquel Suárez, el programa viene dando continuidad a las sugerencias surgidas del I Encuentro ecuménico de reflexión bíblico-teológica y pastoral desde la problemática de la mujer, celebrado el pasado noviembre en el Seminario Evangélico de Teología, de la ciudad de Matanzas.

FAIE No Participa En Campaña Organizada
Por Iglesias Evangélicas Contra El Matrimonio Homosexual

28 mayo 2010, BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – En el país, el debate sobre el matrimonio homosexual, que ya tiene media sanción en la Cámara de Diputados de la Nación, y la posibilidad de adopción por estas parejas, despertó polémicas en todo el país, principalmente entre las distintas confesiones religiosas. La Federación Argentina de Iglesias Evangélicas (FAIE) se diferenció de una campaña en contra convocada por iglesias evangélicas.

Peregrinos En Tierra Santa Llamados a Trabajar Por La Paz

27 mayo 2010 – Los peregrinos que visitan la Tierra Santa deben ir más allá del mero homenaje a antiguos lugares y mostrar su preocupación por los palestinos, cuyas vidas se ven severamente restringidas por la ocupación israelí de su territorio. Este es el mensaje emitido por un grupo de 27 teólogos, activistas cristianos palestinos, operadores turísticos y representantes de organizaciones de incidencia pública, que se reunieron en Chavannes-de-Bogis, cerca de Ginebra (Suiza), del 18 al 21 mayo.

Human Rights News

Human Rights Abuses in Iran Focus of Global Campaigns

May 24, 2010, GENEVA – A global day of action demanding an end to human rights abuses in Iran has been called for Saturday, 12 June. The initiative – coordinated by human rights group United4Iran – is being co-sponsored by numerous organizations including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Nobel Women's Initiative, the Baha'i International Community, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, FIDH (Federation Internationale des ligues des Droits de l'Homme), and Pen International. "In our support for this nonpartisan initiative, we are standing together with ordinary citizens throughout the world to draw attention to the continuing and widespread abuse of human rights in Iran," said Diane Ala'i, representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva.

SOUTH AFRICA: Anglican Bishops Call for Release of Gay Couple in Malawi

May 26, 2010 – The bishops of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa are calling on their government to take measures to secure the release of Stephen Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, a gay couple who were recently sentenced to 14 years imprisonment in Malawi after they shared a traditional ceremony of engagement. "We call on our president and government to lobby the Government of Malawi at every level ... to press for the swift release of these two individuals, who have committed no act of violence or harm against anyone; for the quashing of the sentence against them; and for the repeal of this repressive legislation," the bishops said in a May 26 statement.

Religious Liberty News

WCC Welcomes Turkish Move to Protect Religious Minorities' Rights

May 27, 2010 – The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit has welcomed a recent Turkish government decree allowing for a better protection of the rights of non-Muslim religious minorities in Turkey. "It is only fair that this new and positive development is commended by all those concerned about the situation of Christian and other non-Muslim religious minorities in Turkey," said Tveit commenting on the news.

National News

Fundraising for UCC Ad in Arizona's Statewide Newspaper Nearing Goal, $4,000 Still Needed

May 25, 2010 – The United Church of Christ has raised nearly $19,000 from more than 370 contributors nationally for the purpose of placing a full-page ad in the statewide Arizona Republic newspaper on Saturday, May 29, the day when 500,000 protesters are expected to march in Phoenix. UCC entities still need to raise a little more than $4,000 to cover the cost of the ad before the space is purchased, says the Rev. J. Bennett Guess, director of communications. The UCC's national setting, in partnership with the Southwest Conference (which includes Arizona), is hoping to place the ad as part of its public response to Arizona's stringent immigration law that, according to racial justice advocates and church leaders, encourages racial profiling of Hispanics.

Millennials Support Increased Immigration

May 26, 2010 – Mariana, 19, walked for two days through the desert near the Mexico border town of Sonora, Nogales, with her 15-month-old son, Eric. She was trying to cross the border to reunite with her husband, who lives near Phoenix. The border patrol picked up the two and brought them to San Juan Basco, a migrant shelter. Laura Rambikur, 25, and a recent graduate from North Arizona University, was volunteering at the shelter when Mariana arrived. "She was the youngest woman at the shelter that night," Rambikur said. "I cannot wrap my mind around the desperation that drove this young mother to risk her life and the life of her son so they could have a better life – it's so heartbreaking."

International News

Development and Justice Needed to Address Communal Conflicts in Nigeria

May 27, 2010 – Although it is often portrayed as a religious conflict, the crisis in Nigeria's Central Plateau State is of social and economic nature, the country's foreign minister told church representatives. The church delegation advocated for government action to develop the area and to bring to trial those responsible for an outburst of communal violence last March. For Nigeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs Henry Odein, the country faces "a lot of challenges which are largely misunderstood by the international community." The situation in the central Plateau State, where several hundred people were killed last March, is "much more complicated" than it is usually portrayed, Odein argued.

Irish President Makes Historic Visit to Baha'i Centre

May 28, 2010, DUBLIN, Ireland -The President of the Republic of Ireland, Mary McAleese, has praised the universality of the Baha'i teachings and the contribution its members make to the life of their nation. "You are marked out as people with values that are worth observing, worth learning from, worth looking at, worth imitating and so never be in any doubt of the value you are every single day in this world," President McAleese told a gathering of some 60 Baha'is during her first ever visit to the National Baha'i Centre in the Irish capital.

Statement from the Anglican Bishops in Southern African
On the Imprisonment of Stephen Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga

May 26, 2010 – We, the Bishops of the Anglican Church in Southern Africa call upon the Government of South Africa to seek the release of Stephen Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, who were recently sentenced in Malawi to 14 years imprisonment with hard labour, after they shared in a traditional ceremony of engagement. As we have previously stated, though there is a breadth of theological views among us on matters of human sexuality, we are united in opposing the criminalisation of homosexual people. We see the sentence that has been handed down to these two individuals as a gross violation of human rights and we therefore strongly condemn such sentences and behaviour towards other human beings

ELCA Presiding Bishop Meets with African, Asian Church Leaders

May 25, 2010, CHICAGO – As part of a commitment for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America "to stay engaged globally," the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, said he met personally with leaders of three African Lutheran churches and the president of the China Christian Council here last week to discuss mutual interests and concerns. Hanson met with the Rev. Wakseyoum Idosa, president of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY); the Rev. Alex Malasusa, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT); the Rev. Thomas J. Barnett, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Leone (ELCSL); and the Rev. Gao Feng, president of the China Christian Council (CCC).

Middle East News

Call on Holy Land Pilgrims to Work for Peace

May 25, 2010 – Christian pilgrims visiting the Holy Land need to go beyond a mere homage to ancient sites and instead show concern for the Palestinian people living there, whose lives are severely constricted by the Israeli occupation of their land. This was the message sent by a group of 27 theologians, Palestinian Christian activists, tourism organizers as well as representatives of advocacy organizations from 14 countries, who gathered at Chavannes-de-Bogis, near Geneva (Switzerland), from 18-21 May. "Justice tourism concentrates on political realities. Only by living what Palestinians experience all the time can a visitor recognize the injustices that are their daily bread.

People in the News

CRWRC Passes Baton of National VOAD Presidency

May 27, 2010 – In turning over to Mickey Caison the presidency of the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (National VOAD) on May 15, Bill Adams reached a milestone. Adams is the third Disaster Response Services director from the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) to hold the top post in National VOAD's 40-year history. "It is indeed remarkable how a succession of CRWRC representatives on the National VOAD board have contributed to its success," says Jacob Kramer, CRWRC relief team leader. "By positioning itself as a coordinating point between non-profits, volunteers, and with government agencies like FEMA, National VOAD has increased the influence of faith-based organizations, making their contributions significant, and relevant to communities and society."