Front Page

Protestants, Evangelicals and Catholics Form Atypical Alliance on Immigration Reform

June 16, 2010, WASHINGTON, DC – The unusual alliance among Evangelicals, Catholics and Protestants pushing Congress and the Obama administration for comprehensive immigration reform has social science researchers scratching their heads. "The cause of immigration reform has given rise to one of the broadest alliances of religious groups ever assembled in our history – it cuts across left and right, it cuts across denominations and traditions, it cuts across theological orientations, said E.J. Dionne Jr., a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit think tank. As part of its attempt to understand the alliance and its potential political force, Brookings June 15 held a two-part panel event, "Religious Activism and the Debate over Immigration Reform," at its Dupont Circle headquarters.

NY State Council of Churches Collegium in D.C. For 2010 Peace & Poverty Mission

June 19, 2010 – Peace, Immigration and Poverty in Hard Times were the concerns members of the New York State Council of Churches Collegium brought to Washington on their 10th annual pilgrimage to Capitol Hill. As always, the event is grounded in faith – from the opening discernment session to a prayer session in the morning of visits to the ethical reflection section that begins each issue card to prayers with legislators and staff to begin each visit. The delegation brought narratives about people attending soup kitchens, food pantries and other front line ministries as they asked for attention to funding child nutrition programs and unemployment issues.

Eradicating Poverty Is Possible – with Political Will and Moral Courage

June 17, 2010 – The World Council of Churches (WCC) has called on world leaders to put impoverished people first, instead of making priorities of big banks and military expenditure. In a statement released ahead of the United Nations summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to take place in September 2010, the WCC has reiterated its conviction that eradicating poverty is both "a moral and ethical imperative" and an achievable goal.

General News

Father's Day Has Methodist Ties

June 18, 2010 – To all you dads out there: While you're relaxing in your recliner and watching sports this Sunday, and your kids are on their best behavior to honor Father's Day, don't forget to thank a United Methodist. That's right. Not one, but two United Methodist churches – with the same name, oddly enough – can lay claim to originating the celebration of all things paternal. In 1909 in Spokane, Wash., Sonora Smart Dodd listened to a Mother's Day sermon at Central Methodist Episcopal Church. Dodd's own mother had died 11 years earlier, and her father had raised their six children alone. Dodd felt moved to honor her father, and fathers everywhere, with a special day as well.

Communiqué from the Provincial Council of the Anglican Church in North America

June 11, 2010 – "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." 1 Peter 1:3-5 The second annual Provincial Council of the Anglican Church in North America gathered 145 delegates and representatives of the jurisdictions and ministry partners of the ACNA.

Perspectives: Christians and Foxconn

June 13, 2010 – After a string of employee suicides at Foxconn stunned the world, Christians began a prayer chain to intercede for all Foxconn employees. Some Christians also visited Foxconn employee dormitories to distribute gospel tracts, share testimonies, and sing songs. Foxconn leaders invited Changhua Christian Hospital and Mackay Memorial Hospital physicians and chaplains to visit its Shenzhen factory in China to conduct counseling and share the gospel. According to one report, Foxconn's Chairman Terry Guo was moved to tears after hearing the chaplains' sermons and said afterward that he'd found hope and deliverance.

Archbishop Demetrios Delivers Address on Hellenism and Orthodoxy

June 18, 2010, NEW YORK – St. Vladimir Orthodox Seminary in Crestwood, NY organized a symposium on the subject of "Hellenism & Orthodoxy" June 10–12. The symposium addressed the historical roots of Hellenism and its lasting and profound effect on the cultural, linguistic, and canonical history of the Orthodox Church. His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America delivered the keynote address on June 11 titled "Hellenism and Orthodoxy: A Linguistic and Spiritual Journey."

Reformed Women Gather in Grand Rapids

June 15, 2010 – With an expected 150 registered delegates, the Women's Pre-Council is gathering both women and a few men from the entire world in Grand Rapids, Michigan, this week. It was prepared by women from the North American member churches of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) and the Reformed Ecumenical Council (REC). The Pre-Council, being held at Calvin College, precedes the Uniting General Council (UGC) that opens Friday, 17 June, marking the merger of WARC and REC into the World Communion of Reformed Churches.

Lambeth Palace Tells Presiding Bishop Not to Wear Symbol of Office

June 16, 2010, LINTHICUM HEIGHTS, Maryland – When Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori preached and presided at a Eucharist June 13 at Southwark Cathedral in London, she carried her mitre, or bishop's hat, rather than wear it. She did so in order to comply with a "statement" from Lambeth Palace, the London home of Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, that said "that I was not to wear a mitre at Southwark Cathedral," Jefferts Schori told the Executive Council June 16 on the first day of its three-day meeting here. Jefferts Schori made her remarks to council during a "private conversation" session attended by council members and church center staff, and later told ENS it could report her remarks.

Executive Council Begins Three-Day Meeting
Council Gets Updates on Haiti, San Joaquin Dioceses

June 16, 2010, LINTHICUM HEIGHTS, Maryland – The Episcopal Church's Executive Council began its three-day meeting here June 16 by hearing about the efforts to rebuild two dioceses: Haiti and San Joaquin. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori also told the council that they could expect to have a question-and-answer session at 9 a.m. June 18 with the Rev. Canon Kenneth Kearon, secretary general of the Anglican Communion. The June 16-18 meeting is taking place at the Conference Center at the Maritime Institute in the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland. Council will hear about the mission and ministry of the diocese on the evening of June 17.

Bread for the World, Heifer International Leaders Share World Food Prize

June 16, 2010, CHICAGO – Leaders of two organizations focused on ending hunger and poverty worldwide – Bread for the World and Heifer International – are co-recipients of the 2010 World Food Prize, the foremost international award for food and agriculture, often compared to the Nobel Prize. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a denominational partner with Bread for the World, and it is a covenant agency with Heifer International.

CANADA: Acceptance of Sexual Discernment Report ‘A Watershed Moment' Says Primate

June 12, 2010 – General Synod 2010 did not approve the so-called local option that would allow dioceses to grant same-sex blessings. Neither did it take a legislative decision on the matter. It did, however, recognize that local option has been exercised by some and may be taken by others in future, even though "it's not local option approved by the national church," said Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada. "We're not ready as a national church to say, ‘We're building this into our doctrine that we approve of same-sex unions,'" he told a press conference following the close of General Synod 2010 in Halifax.

SOUTHERN OHIO: New Program Offers Ex-Offenders Redemption, Release

June 14, 2010, DIOCESE OF SOUTHERN OHIO – Not long ago, Anthony Hakim Johnson was doing time for a felony. Now, he's giving back to his community as a chemical dependency counselor while studying for his bachelor's degree at Capitol University through a Presidential Scholarship. Mentoring by Episcopalian Madeleine Trichel helped him transform his life. Now, they team up to teach inmates at Marion Correctional and educate the wider community on the potential of ex-offenders. Such outcomes are still too rare.

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service Comments on World Refugee Day

June 18, 2010, CHICAGO – Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), Baltimore, renewed its call for passage of legislation to protect refugees and for reform of the domestic refugee resettlement program in a statement for World Refugee Day, June 20. LIRS is one of the nation's leading agencies in welcoming and advocating for refugees and other immigrants. It works on behalf of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Ecumenical News

WCC Mission Body to Revamp Ecumenical Understanding of Mission for the 21st Century

June 18, 2010 – Members of the Commission for World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) in front of the Edinburgh castle. Photo: Gary Doak/E2010. The World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on World Mission and Evangelism has launched a process aimed at an overhaul of the ecumenical understanding of Christian mission. Two key steps in the process will be a mission event scheduled for March 2012 and a new affirmation on mission and evangelism to be submitted to the upcoming WCC 10th Assembly, which is due to take place in Busan, Republic of Korea (South Korea) in 2013.

ELCA Welcomes Dialogue, Consultation with RCA, Reformed Church Partners

June 15, 2010, CHICAGO – The ELCA welcomes dialogue with the Reformed Church in America (RCA) and a consultation involving church partners who are part of the 1997 Formula of Agreement, a full-communion relationship of the ELCA, RCA, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the United Church of Christ, said the Rev. Donald J. McCoid, executive, ELCA Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations. Delegates to the 2010 RCA General Synod requested the dialogue to discuss the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly actions on human sexuality and the consultation to discuss matters related to Scripture.

Spanish News

El CMI Saluda La Creación De Una Nueva Comunión Mundial De Iglesias

18 junio 2010, GINEBRA, Suiza – Hoy, la Alianza Reformada Mundial (ARM) se fusionará con el Consejo Ecuménico Reformado (CER) para formar la Comunión Mundial de Iglesias Reformadas (CMIR). Este nuevo organismo ecuménico agrupará a 227 iglesias miembros que representan a 80 millones de cristianos en 108 países. "La creación de la Comunión Mundial de Iglesias Reformadas será un momento histórico tanto para las iglesias de la familia reformada como para la iglesia de Cristo en todo el mundo," declaró el secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias, pastor Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, que asistirá al acto de unificación.

Distribuyen La Nueva Versión De La Reina Valera

17 junio 2010, LA HABANA, Cuba – El Nuevo Testamento en la versión Reina Valera Contemporánea, comienza a ser distribuido por la Comisión Bíblica del Consejo de Iglesias de Cuba (CIC), como una nueva contribución a las iglesias cubanas, material que llega como parte de la colaboración sostenida entre esta institución y las Sociedades Bíblicas Unidas (SBU) a lo largo de los años.

Párroco Crea Polémica Al Prestar Local Religioso a
Presidente Ortega Para Reunión Con Campesinos

15 junio 2010, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – El párroco Neguib Kalil Eslaquit Aragón desató una tormenta de comentarios en círculos políticos, y hasta dentro de sus mismos feligreses, al prestar al mandatario Daniel Ortega y la primera dama de la República Rosario Murillo, el Centro de Retiro Bethania, para el relanzamiento del famoso Programa de abono productivo alimentario en el nuevo ciclo agrícola.

Foro Interreligioso Propone Diálogo Sobre Violencia Doméstica

18 junio 2010, MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay – El Foro de Diálogo Interreligioso, continuando una iniciativa a nivel del Mercosur iniciada en el 2009, ha realizado en Montevideo encuentros de los diferentes grupos religiosos, con el fin de ahondar un diálogo que aporte a la construcción social. Este año el Foro invita a una doble sesión, los días 21 y 22 de junio, en torno a los temas de violencia doméstica y de la educación y las expresiones religiosas.

El CMI Saluda La Creación De Una Nueva Comunión Mundial De Iglesias

17 junio 2010 – El 18 de junio, la Alianza Reformada Mundial (ARM) se fusionará con el Consejo Ecuménico Reformado (CER) para formar la Comunión Mundial de Iglesias Reformadas (CMIR). Este nuevo organismo ecuménico agrupará a 227 iglesias miembros que representan a 80 millones de cristianos en 108 países. "La creación de la Comunión Mundial de Iglesias Reformadas será un momento histórico tanto para las iglesias de la familia reformada como para la iglesia de Cristo en todo el mundo," declaró el secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias, pastor Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, que asistirá al acto de unificación.

Pastoras Y Pastores Temen Hablar De La Situación
Del País Ante Las Extorsiones De Pandillas Juveniles

17 junio 2010, CIUDAD DE GUATEMALA – Pastoras y pastores temen hablar de la situación del país ante las extorsiones de pandillas juveniles En Guatemala vivir se torna complicado y traumático, sobre todo en las experiencias de pastores y pastoras de distintas iglesias, sean históricas o pentecostales, por las extorsiones de pandillas juveniles. Nadie quiere dar información, pero se sabe a voces, por los hijos o esposas que enfrentan esta situación, que hacerlo los coloca frente a la misma muerte.

Propuesta De Lectura Obligatoria De La Biblia En Escuelas Crea Enconado Debate

14 junio 2010, SAN SALVADOR – La última propuesta llegada a la Asamblea Legislativa de El Salvador, la lectura obligatoria de la Biblia en las escuelas presentada el pasado jueves, ha creado un enconado debate nacional, impulsada por el coronel de la Fuerza Armada Antonio Almendáriz, quien es evangélico y diputado del derechista Partido de Reconciliación Nacional (PRN).

Celebración De Clausura De Edimburgo 2010.

15 junio 2010 – "Convertir los escollos en peldaños en el camino" fue el famoso lema personal de John R. Mott (1865-1955), estadista cristiano galardonado con el premio Nobel de la Paz. Este metodista laico estadounidense fue el organizador clave de la Conferencia Misionera Mundial de Edimburgo, Escocia, en 1910.

Representante Del Vaticano Inaugura Semana Social
De La Iglesia Cubana Con Análisis Sobre Laicidad Del Estado

18 junio 2010, LA HABANA, Cuba – "Se ha de observar que, aunque el término ‘laicidad' tanto en el pasado como en el presente se refiere ante todo a la realidad del Estado y asume no pocas veces un matiz o acepción en contraposición a la Iglesia y al cristianismo, no existiría si no fuera por el mismo cristianismo," afirmó el arzobispo Dominique Mamberti, secretario de las Relaciones de los Estados de la Santa Sede, durante la apertura de la X Semana social de la Iglesia cubana.

International News

WCC Welcomes Coming into Being of New World Communion

June 17, 2010 – On 18 June, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) will merge with the Reformed Ecumenical Council (REC) to form the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC). The new ecumenical body will group 227 member churches representing 80 million Christians in 108 countries. "The coming into being of the World Communion of Reformed Churches will be a historic moment for the churches of the Reformed family and for the church of Christ everywhere," said the World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, who will attend the uniting event.

Young, Unemployed Dropouts Find Hope, Support, and Training

June 13, 2010 – Seeing the surge of high school dropouts and their inability to find employment increase, Taiwan Alliance for Advancement of Youth Rights and Welfare (TAAYRW) recently began offering new and creative training classes to help these youth sharpen their skills and find employment. TAAYRW set its sights on training graphic design professionals this year and has already helped 9 youth finish a series of introductory courses. It held a graduation and an exhibition on May 14th attended by representatives from various NGOs.

Ecumenical Delegation Expresses Solidarity Towards Haitians

June 15, 2010 – Children learn capoeira in Kay Nou community center (Haiti) as a tool to stimulate their social and human development and to promote a culture of peace among them. In an effort to express solidarity and learn of the churches' work in providing support and relief to victims of the Haiti earthquake, the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), is visiting Haiti accompanied by an ecumenical delegation of six church leaders from different parts of the world.

Church Ministry Helps Young Delinquents Turn Around

June 13, 2010 – Cheng-Feng Teens School (CFTS) held a graduation on June 3 at Glory Church in Taipei to celebrate the accomplishments of 12 students. The school has been serving delinquent youth for more than a decade. Founded in 1999 by Glory Church in Taipei, CFTS is an organization with a vision for helping youth who cannot attend regular schools, learn through standard school curricula, or youth who are dealing with crises in life that prevent them from going to regular schools. According to CFTS, it has helped 15 teenagers this year and 12 of them are now graduating from the school while the remaining 3 are returning to their former, regular schools.

Open Letter from WCC General Secretary about Haiti

June 18, 2010 – In an open letter to world government leaders and churches around the globe, the general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, has called for Haiti not to be forgotten and for the earthquake reconstruction process to be accountable to the people of Haiti, not only to international donors. That accountability must include those who need the reconstruction most desperately. The churches should reflect unity and be involved in the reconstruction in the broader sense.

Haitians Rebuild Their Churches, Look Towards the Future with Hope

June 16, 2010 – The holy places of Haiti were not spared by the devastating January 12th earthquake. Throughout the capital city, Port-au-Prince, many churches are rebuilding out of the rumble. The Holy Trinity Cathedral, one of the landmarks of the city known for its beautiful murals painted by famous Haitian artists, was among those churches that collapsed during the earthquake. Only the ruins of the church are left, but the plan is to rebuild the church again. "Haiti will come back," Father Ogé Beauvoir from the Holy Trinity Church said while speaking with the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), who visited the ruins of the church together with an ecumenical delegation of six church leaders from different parts of the world.

Haiti Urgent Needs Require Worldwide Ecumenical Support

June 17, 2010 – After a 3-day visit to the earthquake ravaged areas of Haiti, a seven-member ecumenical delegation led by the general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, expressed some concerns about the role of churches in the reconstruction work of Haiti, the upcoming elections and the role of the ecumenical movement in the rebuilding of the country. During the visit, the delegation expressed their solidarity with the victims of the January 12th earthquake, visited church buildings of various denominations that were destroyed in the earthquake and learned of church projects providing support and relief to the victims of the earthquake.

Trial of Seven Iranian Baha'i Leaders Appears to Have Ended

June 14, 2010, NEW YORK – The trial of seven Baha'i leaders imprisoned for more than two years in Iran seems to have come to a conclusion after three days of successive court hearings. The seven appeared in Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran on the morning of Saturday, 12 June and returned to Evin Prison shortly after noon. The Court was reconvened the next day, as well as this morning. "We can confirm that a court session was held today in Tehran," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations, "and it seems from what we have heard that the trial itself has now concluded. But we have no further information at this time."