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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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Obama Talks Immigration at American University July 1, 2010 – The United States must reform its immigration system to reflect “our values” as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants, President Obama said July 1 at American University, a United Methodist-related institution. The federal government has a responsibility to secure the borders and hold businesses accountable for hiring illegal immigrants, he said. The estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. also should pay fines, register for taxes and learn English to be on the pathway to citizenship, he said. But the nation also needs to change laws that leave many would-be immigrants waiting for years to enter the U.S. legally. July 4: An Army Chaplain’s Perspective July 2, 2010 – The core identity of an Army chaplain is to provide a ministry of presence. Perhaps there is no more important time for us to be present with soldiers than when they are grieving and trying to make sense of the deaths of their friends. While soldiers are trained to keep going in the fight and to be tough, they still need prayer and to hear the comforting Word of God that promises peace. The news of the two young soldiers who died today in Iraq will most likely never be heard by the majority of Americans. However, it is the combined stories of the hundreds of thousands of Americans who, over the span of our nation's history, have died or been wounded while defending our nation that ensures the freedoms and way of life that we cherish. One thing I am reminded of this Fourth of July is that freedom truly is not free. The words of Jesus ring in my ears, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13, NIV). LOS ANGELES: Private Christian School Teachers Say Baptism Cost Them Their Jobs July 2, 2010 – Some teachers at a private Christian school in Corona, California, say they lost their jobs because school officials didn't consider their baptisms adequate. Crossroads Christian Schools, a K-10th grade institution located in but not affiliated with the Southern California Diocese of Los Angeles, did not renew the contracts of at least nine staff, because they were not baptized as adults by full immersion, the teachers contend. Crossroads also operates a preschool; it is unclear how many preschool employees were impacted by what the teachers describe as a recent school policy change. "In January, we had a teacher's meeting and they started talking about level-4 Christian living," recalled Marylou Goodman, who taught for a year at Crossroads. ELCA Presiding Bishop Leads Middle East Talks with White House Official July 2, 2010, WASHINGTON – The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and president of the Lutheran World Federation said "commitment, capacity and concern" defined the purpose of a meeting on Middle East issues with Denis McDonough, chief of staff of the White House National Security Council. Hanson led the July 1 meeting, which also included other national church leaders. The meeting was organized by Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), Washington, D.C. The ELCA is a CMEP member. "I talked about the long history of the commitment of religious leaders and particularly the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Lutheran World Federation, first to our partners on the ground, the Palestinian Christians, and to Jewish and Muslim people, and to Israelis and Palestinians," said Hanson. Pittsburgh to Host Church of the Brethren's 224th Annual Conference July 2, 2010, PITTSBURGH, PA – The Church of the Brethren's Annual Conference on July 3-7 will bring delegates from across the country to Pittsburgh, Pa. This will be the 224th recorded annual meeting for the denomination. The Annual Conference will meet at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on the theme, "Taking Jesus Seriously" from the biblical scripture John 14:15. Shawn Flory Replogle, a pastor and youth coordinator at McPherson (Kan.) Church of the Brethren, will serve as moderator of the Conference in the highest elected position in the Church of the Brethren denomination. The Conference will welcome church members and families from across the United States and Puerto Rico, and delegates from some 1,000 congregations and 23 church districts. ELCA Member Directs Award-Winning Audio Bible Project July 2, 2010, CHICAGO – JoBe Cerny said it took him about 10 seconds to say yes to a project that would shape his life for three years – directing more than 600 actors in the largest audio production of the Bible ever produced. The result was "The Word of Promise" Audio Bible, an award-winning dramatic presentation featuring well-known celebrity actors on 79 CDs with 98 hours of audio. This was new ground for Cerny, an actor, director, producer and writer, and member of Zion Lutheran Church, an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America congregation in Deerfield, Ill. You may have seen him in movies such as "Somewhere in Time" or "My Best Friend's Wedding," or on television, where he once starred in a well-known commercial for Cheer. Half of New ELCA Congregations in 2010 among Immigrant Populations July 2, 2010, CHICAGO – In the United States the Lutheran Church is often considered an immigrant church. Of the 41 new congregations the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is starting in 2010, more than half are among immigrant populations. After World War II Lutherans resettled some 57,000 refugees with the participation of 6,000 congregations. Today Lutherans continue to welcome the new neighbor actively. The Rev. Robert N. Waworuntu, an ELCA pastor from Sulawesi (formerly known as Celebes), Indonesia, has made a commitment to start one Indonesian Lutheran ministry per year in the United States. For 2010 he is helping to start Indonesian Lutheran Church in Plano, Texas. Soccer Sundays: How Do Churches Compete? July 2, 2010 – Any given weekend, you are more likely to find many American youngsters dressed in a soccer jersey than their Sunday best. So years ago, the leaders of First United Methodist Church in Anderson, Ind., decided if these soccer players weren't coming to church, they would bring the church to the soccer field. The congregation transformed some of its land into a community soccer venue and invited the players and their families to a contemporary worship service each Saturday evening immediately following the day's practice and games. Battle Hymn Lyrics Stir Debate July 1, 2010 – About once every seven years, Independence Day in the United States (July 4) falls on a Sunday and many churches again debate whether to include patriotic elements in worship: American flag, Pledge of Allegiance, a color guard, the national anthem, readings from our founding documents and patriotic choir music and congregational songs. It is such a year in 2010. Whatever secular, patriotic elements may find their way into worship this year, one of the most popular sacred elements to be included will undoubtedly be the congregational hymn, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," no. 717 in "The United Methodist Hymnal." Pedophile Priests – The Social Construction of a Moral Panic June 30, 2010 – Why is there talk again of pedophile priests, based on old cases in Germany and the U.S., which drags in people who are close to the Pope and now even the Pope himself? Does sociology have something to say about this or should we leave it completely to the journalists? I believe sociology has much to say, and it must not remain silent because of a fear of displeasing some. The current discourse on pedophile priests – considered from a sociological perspective – represents a typical example of "moral panic." The concept was coined in the 1970s to explain how certain problems become the subject of a "social hyper-construction." Indignado Concilio De Iglesias Ante Agresión a Ministro Bautista En El Capitolio 2 julio 2010, SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Un comunicado emitido por el Concilio de Iglesias de Puerto Rico da fe de su indignación y repudio "ante los actos de violencia desmedida y abuso de poder ejercidos por oficiales de orden público en contra de decenas de manifestantes pacíficos en los predios del Capitolio." Desde el jueves Puerto Rico vive un estado de consternación, luego de que la policía reprimiera, fuertemente, a estudiantes y profesores universitarios que habían encabezado, el miércoles, una fuerte protesta popular a las puertas del Congreso. 2 julio 2010, LIMA, Perú – El Concilio Nacional Evangélico del Perú (CONEP), en comunicado emitido hoy manifiesta su preocupación y extrañeza por la observación de la ley de consulta a los pueblos indígenas originarios por parte del Poder Ejecutivo. Este hecho, señala el pronunciamiento, revela una vez más las enormes resistencias desde el Estado para construir una sociedad verdaderamente inclusiva, en la que el respeto y reconocimiento a los derechos de las minorías se constituya en uno de sus pilares éticos fundamentales. 2 julio 2010, BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Una nueva jornada de consultas se realizó el miércoles en la Comisión de Legislación General del Senado, que discute el proyecto de ley de matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo. Los legisladores escucharon a representantes religiosos, excluyendo claramente a las iglesias denominadas históricas, agrupadas en la Federación Argentina de Iglesias Evangélicas (FAIE). Los representantes de la religión cristiana que fueron invitados y pudieron exponer, coincidieron en rechazar la iniciativa legislativa. Preparan Mensaje Obispos Católicos En Torno a La Significación Del Bicentenario 2 julio 2010, CIUDAD DE MÉXICO – La Conferencia del Episcopado Mexicano (CEM), prepara una exhortación pastoral que dará a conocer su punto de vista en torno a los festejos, que en el país tendrán lugar por el Bicentenario de la Independencia de México y el Centenario de la Revolución. Al respecto, el reverendo Manuel Corral Martín, secretario ejecutivo y de Relaciones Públicas Institucionales del CEM, comentó a la prensa que en dicho documento, una carta de 40 páginas estructurada en tres partes, se abordará un recorrido por la Independencia y la Revolución mexicanas, buscándole un sentido cristiano a la historia. Church Leaders Meet with Secretary of Agriculture on Childhood Hunger July 2, 2010 PITTSBURGH, PA – For all its wealth, our country still has children going hungry. And we can do something about it. That was the take-home message from a June 15 meeting with US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, held by 20 Christian leaders and hunger advocates including Jay Wittmeyer, executive director of the Church of the Brethren's Global Mission Partnerships. Meeting with the group around a table symbolically spread with five loaves of bread and two fish, secretary Vilsack said he sees the biblical story of the feeding of the multitude as a miracle of overcoming the fear of sharing. Help Needed for Ministry in Sri Lanka July 1, 2010 – This report was written by a member of the Way of Life Mission Church with respect to their mission experience in Sri Lanka during the final years of a two-decade war which destroyed lives and property, challenging the ability of local congregations adequately to minister to the community. Sri Lankan Pastor Leslie Mathews will be in New York this week and will be available to meet with local church leaders on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, July 5 – 7. To schedule an appointment, call Bro. Sam Senni of the Way of Life Mission Church, Jamaica, at (917) 922-4809. Brethren Leader at White House Meeting on Israel and Palestine July 2, 2010, PITTSBURGH, PA – Church of the Brethren general secretary Stan Noffsinger yesterday attended a meeting at the White House with a group of church leaders who were invited to discuss Israel and Palestine with Denis McDonough, National Security Council Chief of Staff to President Obama. Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) helped organize the meeting and Noffsinger was specifically asked to take part as a head of communion by CMEP executive director Warren Clark. "This meeting is most timely as Israeli officials are scheduled next week to meet with the President," Noffsinger commented. The meeting was expected to allow the church leaders an opportunity to hear about progress the US administration is making in moving parties toward an agreement to end conflict in the area, including a freeze on new Israeli construction in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, Noffsinger said. UK Methodists "Dare More than Words" for Just Peace in Palestine and Israel July 2, 2010 – The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit has congratulated the United Kingdom's National Methodist Conference "important and forward looking resolutions by your church around the question of a just peace for Palestine and Israel." The conference, which met on 24 June to 1 July in Portsmouth, has received a report entitled "Justice for Palestine and Israel" and voted on 11 resolutions pertaining to it. These include a request to the Methodist Faith and Order Committee to "undertake further work on the theological issues, including Christian Zionism, raised in the report that are needed to guide and support the approach of the Methodist Church to the Israeli/Palestinian situation." > Blevins to Lead Ecumenical Peace Program for NCC and Church of the Brethren July 2, 2010, PITTSBURGH, PA – In a joint appointment announced yesterday by the Church of the Brethren and the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC), Jordan Blevins began July 1 as the Church of the Brethren's staff for witness in a position also seconded to the NCC to serve as an advocacy officer in Washington, D.C. Blevins will lead an ecumenical peacemaking program on behalf of the two organizations. He is a member of Westminster (Md.) Church of the Brethren. Previously, he was associate director of the NCC's Eco-Justice Program, and coordinator of Poverty Initiatives and Washington internships with the National Council of Churches since Sept. 2007. Michael Kinnamon, general secretary of the NCC, praised the appointment. "It models a new form of support for the work of the NCC," he said. |
