Front Page

Cordova House and Mosque at Ground Zero Is a Gesture of Neighborliness and Healing

August 13, 2010 – For thousands of families, Ground Zero in southern Manhattan is holy ground . Thousands lost someone they love in the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, and hundreds of thousands know someone who was directly or indirectly scarred by the collapse of the World Trade Center. The emotional investment in Ground Zero cannot be overestimated. That is precisely why Ground Zero must be open to the religious expression of all people whose lives were scarred by the tragedy: Christians, Jews, Sikhs, Buddhists, Hindus, and more. And Muslims. No one knows how many Muslims died on 9/11, but they number in the hundreds.

Young Adults Learn the Ropes on Capitol Hill

August 12, 2010 – Meredith Duarte has strong ties to her Native American heritage. The La Mirada, Calif., resident is of Seneca and Apache heritage. Her family was proud of and embraced this culture. "Being Native American is where I come from and who I am," Duarte said. "I was taught about the many issues facing Native Americans at a very young age because my family was so involved and because they wanted me to know the truth."

Global Event Showcases Young Leaders

August 4, 2010, BERLIN – "Please state your name, jurisdiction and delegate number before speaking." "Please speak slowly for the translators." "I'm a tosa, tosa, to-saaaah!" Those may be three statements most remembered by roughly 350 delegates of the 2010 Global Young People's Convocation and Legislative Assembly, held July 21-26 in Berlin, Germany. You'd expect to hear the first two statements at a legislative assembly. The third one, not so much. But anyone who attended the closing night's cultural celebration probably is still singing along to the "name game" rap shared by African delegates.

General News

The ACC Constitution: An Interview with ACC's Legal Adviser Revd Canon John Rees

August 11, 2010 – The Anglican Consultative Council has a new Constitution. How did this come about? What does this mean in reality? How will it affect the work of the Instruments of Communion? The Standing Committee? ACNS spoke to John Rees, legal adviser to find out more.

Prayer Requested for William's 100km Walk

August 11, 2010 – The Anglican Church celebrates one hundred years of existence on Zambian soil this year. In order to commemorate this day a number of programs have been put in place. All the five dioceses in the country will commemorate the day individually in this month before the national one in October. This will be held on 31st October at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Lusaka. Our diocese [Eastern Zambia] will carry out a thanksgiving service on Sunday 15 August, to thank God for all the contributions of the faithful, both lay (of different professional callings)and clergy, who have contributed in many ways to the Christian way of life in Msoro and beyond.

Wanted: Mercy Medical Team Volunteers for Haiti

August 13, 2010 – LCMS World Relief and Human Care (WR-HC) is organizing a Mercy Medical Team (MMT) to serve in October at the first of four new medical clinics preparing to open in Haiti. The clinic is located in Poto, next to a Lutheran Church of Haiti (LCH) congregation in a rural area where medical care is especially scarce. "The pastor at the Lutheran church is very excited to have medical care to serve people at this rural location," said Maggie Karner, director of Life and Health Ministries with WR-HC. "This is an area that has suffered two major disasters in the last two years and is drawing many people displaced by the earthquake."

PENNSYLVANIA: Rector Calls on Bishop to ‘Sacrifice' for Diocese

August 11, 2010 – The rector of historic Christ Church in Philadelphia is urging Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania Bishop Charles E. Bennison to "prayerfully consider making the sacrifice of not returning" to the diocese as bishop. In a posting on the church's website, the Rev. Timothy Safford wrote that he does not expect Bennison to follow the advice he gave him in an Aug. 8 letter. "Notwithstanding, he is my bishop, our bishop, and the bishop of the Diocese of Pennsylvania," Safford wrote. The Episcopal Church's Court of Review for the Trial of a Bishop announced Aug. 5 that it had overturned a lower court's finding that Bennison had committed serious disciplinary offenses warranting his removal ("deposition") from the ordained ministry.

ELCA Membership 4.5 Million, Offerings More than $2.6 Billion in 2009

August 10, 2010, CHICAGO – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) reported a baptized membership of 4,543,037 in 10,348 congregations in 2009. The information is based on an analysis of membership and income data by the ELCA Office of the Secretary and ELCA Research and Evaluation from parochial reports submitted by ELCA congregations each year. David D. Swartling, ELCA secretary, said in a report that the data indicated a decline in membership of 90,850 and a decline of 48 congregations in 2009.

Facebook Fans Rank Favorite Hymns

August 13, 2010 – It's "A Mighty Fortress" for one person, "Fairest Lord Jesus" for another. They're answering the question, "What is your favorite hymn in The United Methodist Hymnal?" More than 1,500 people recently responded to this question on The United Methodist Church's official Facebook page. They ranked "Here I Am, Lord" first, followed by "How Great Thou Art," and then "Amazing Grace.""We had ‘Here I Am, Lord' at my mother's funeral years and years ago and friends still comment on how they love that hymn," wrote Sally Stotler Leonard. "It pretty much sums up what Christians should want to do for God, doesn't it?" Like Leonard, many responders associate their favorite hymns with loved ones and life transitions.

United Methodists Lose Pounds, Gain Health

August 13, 2010 – Eighteen months ago, the Rev. Mark Del Giudice and his wife, I Hyong "Song," were overweight, had Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, took several medications and needed frequent physician visits. Then they heard about the Virgin HealthMiles physical activity program, which the United Methodist Board of Pension and Health Benefits was piloting. Excited about the opportunity, the New York couple completed a health- fitness questionnaire.

Church Grapples with Sexual Ethics

August 10, 2010 – It began three decades ago with anxious phone calls and letters. Women dealing with sexual misconduct started to contact the United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women in Chicago and say, "I see that you are a women's support organization, and I've had this experience in the church. Nobody in my local church knows how to help me. I don't know what to do. Can you help me?" Rather than trying to provide a one-size-fits-all answer to questions about sexual ethics, the commission went to work – studying trends, developing training modules and providing information for the church. And in the years that followed, other United Methodist general agencies got on board.

Ecumenical News

Unity in Diversity

August 10, 2010 – The promulgation of Anglicanorum Coetibus on the 9th November2009 poses a question to the European Federation of Roman Catholic Married Priests – a glimmer of hope or a retrograde step?

Editorial Page

Editorial: Enough of the Arrogance

August 8, 2010 – On August 8, as Taiwan remembered the first anniversary since Typhoon Morakot, many social organizations staged concerts and events to remember this tragedy and reflected on how we could've responded better as a nation Led by PCT leaders and pastors volunteering at various PCT rebuilding centers, PCT members were gathered at National Nei-Pu Senior Agricultural-Industrial Vocational High School in Pingtung County for a memorial service filled with music. There was much introspection and discussion on the many challenges facing typhoon victims as rebuilding efforts continued. Besides hosting this event, PCT leaders also took part in an overnight rally outside of the Presidential Palace on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei.

Spanish News

Iglesias Llamadas a Celebrar El "Tiempo De La Creación"

10 agosto 2010, GINEBRA, Suiza – Cada año, desde el 1 de septiembre – primer día del año de la Iglesia Ortodoxa – al 4 de octubre – día de San Francisco de Asís que celebra la tradición católica – las iglesias están llamadas a participar en el "Tiempo de la Creación" en favor de la protección de la creación de Dios y la promoción de formas de vida respetuosas con el medio ambiente.

. El material para el Tiempo de la Creación se pondrá a disposición en diferentes idiomas en el sitio Web del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias y de la Red Europea Cristiana para el Medio Ambiente (European Christian Environmental Network – ECEN). La Asociación de Iglesias de Gran Bretaña e Irlanda (CTBI) también ofrece notas para la predicación, oraciones y otro clase de material para que las iglesias celebren "La creación florece – Tiempo de celebración y cuidado."

Defensores De La Diversidad Sexual Se Oponen a Propuesta De Referendo Sobre El Tema

9 agosto 2010, SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica – La Coalición de Organizaciones y Grupos de la Diversidad Sexual de Costa Rica, lucharán contra la realización de un referendo acerca de si se permiten o no las uniones civiles de gays y lesbianas, al ser considerado por sus integrantes como un intento de violación de los derechos humanos a esos grupos en el país.

Iglesia Católica Solicita Que El Proyecto De Reforma Fiscal No Afecte a Los Más Pobres

9 agosto 2010, SAN SALVADOR – Monseñor Rafael Urrutia, vicario pastoral de la arquidiócesis católica de San Salvador, pidió al presidente Mauricio Funes que se revise, de manera exhaustiva, el nuevo proyecto de reforma fiscal, a fin de que los sectores más pobres del país no sean los más afectados ante esta medida. El Ministerio de Hacienda del país tiene una propuesta que incluirá el pago de impuestos por los llamados "comerciantes informales," los cuales, como se sabe, son en su mayoría padres y madres de familias marginadas que tratan de solventar la crisis económica con ventas no contabilizadas por los registros del Estado.

Falla Del IBGE Perjudica Saber Número De Luteranos a Través Del Censo

12 agosto 2010, PORTO ALEGRE, Brasil – En carta pastoral remitida a pastores y colaboradores, el presidente de la Iglesia Evangélica de Confesión Luterana en el Brasil (IECLB), pastor Walter Altmann, pide que colegas utilicen los espacios de los cultos, de programas de radio y otros medios para informar a la membrecía respecto del Censo 2010, pidiendo que respondan que son evangélicos luteranos en el ítem sobre la pertenencia religiosa.

Confirman Existencia De Fosa Común Con Más De Dos Mil Cuerpos

11 agosto 2010, COLOMBIA – En Audiencia Pública, el pasado 22 de julio, una delegación extranjera compuesta por diez dirigentes sindicales, seis miembros del Parlamento Europeo, tres miembros del Parlamento Británico, tres delegados de España y dos de Estados Unidos atestiguaron la existencia de la gigantesca fosa común al sur de Bogotá, Departamento del Meta, en el pueblito de la Macarena.

FSA: ¡Globalicemos La Lucha, Globalicemos La Esperanza!

13 agosto 2010, ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay – Como el mundo mismo que sueñan de posible los pueblos, así fue la apertura del IV Foro Social de las Américas que comenzó ayer aquí, con un desfile donde las razas, los colores, los gritos de ¡Globalicemos la lucha, globalicemos la esperanza!, en voz de los casi 10 mil delegados que invadieron estas calles, convirtieron a Paraguay el centro de la reflexión desde la perspectiva de la diversidad y en defensa de la vida.

Metodistas Confesantes Piden Retorno a Los Organismos Ecuménicos

11 agosto 2010, BRASIL – El grupo de los Metodistas Confesantes, que congrega 175 personas, entre laicos y clérigos, encaminó pedido al 19o Concilio de la Iglesia Metodista, agendado para julio de 2011, en Brasilia, pidiendo la anulación de la decisión de retirar la denominación de los organismos ecuménicos que cuentan con la participación de la Iglesia Católica. La decisión, alegan los Metodistas Confesantes, hiere los principios fundamentales del Evangelio y de la tradición metodista, además de dividir la iglesia "anacrónicamente en un ambiente de exclusión de personas por su credo."

Mujeres Que Interrumpan Su Embarazo Podrán Se Consideradas Como Criminales

9 agosto 2010, CIUDAD DE MÉXICO – El aborto, como causa de criminalidad, está previsto que sea condenado en 18 de los 31 estados mexicanos, con la imposición de multas y hasta severas condenas de privación de libertad. Más de la mitad de esos Estados legislaron, el pasado año, en contra del derecho a ejercer la maternidad libre y voluntaria, introduciéndose, dentro de las normas jurídicas, el nuevo concepto de proteger la vida desde el momento mismo de la fecundación, a fin de que el aborto condene a las mujeres como a los profesionales que lo practiquen.

Religioso Evangélico Es Amenazado De Muerte

13 agosto 2010, SAN SALVADOR – El pastor evangélico Armando Ramírez se suma a la larga lista de líderes religiosos víctimas de la violencia que azota a El Salvador, según lo denunciaron colaboradores de su Iglesia. En una carta dirigida a un sector de las iglesias y amistades del pastor, los informantes denunciaron que varias personas visitaron, personalmente, al pastor y amenazaron con masacrarlo junto a su familia, sino les entregaba 5 mil dólares al día siguiente.

International News

Children, Teachers Learn to Worship God with Joy and Sincerity

August 8, 2010 – Taiwan Christian Association of Children and Youth Outreach held a summer seminar for church leaders this summer on the topic of creative children ministries. The association has been promoting MEBIG – a strategy for children's ministries – and conducting seminars in Taiwan for the past 3 years. This year's MEBIG theme is "Child Counseling," hosted by Pastor Uchigoshi Gonbei from Sapporo, Japan, and includes 3 seminars. Pastor Gonbei and his wife are also the creators of MEBIG.

Heart-Warming Children's Musical Becomes Powerful Evangelistic Tool

August 8, 2010 – It's been 5 years since Shihlin Presbyterian Church in Taipei established a children's troupe as part of a summer project led by several church staffs who are school teachers. This team of educators is promoting "Dreams of a Dandelion" this year, a musical replete with captivating dance, songs, cool props, costumes, and a plotline they wrote themselves. Performers in this musical are children aged 7 to 14 and a few performances were held in public schools and churches in Chiayi area on July 31 and August 1, 2010.

USA Joins Netherlands, UK, European Union in Chorus Condemning Prison Sentences

August 13, 2010, GENEVA – The United States of America has said it "strongly condemns" the sentencing of seven Iranian Baha'i leaders to 20 years imprisonment. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described the act as a "violation of Iran's obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights." In a statement dated 12 August, Secretary Clinton said that the United States is "deeply concerned with the Iranian government's continued persecution of Baha'is and other religious minority communities in Iran." "Freedom of religion is the birthright of people of all faiths and beliefs in all places," she said.

In Gran Chaco, Indigenous Youth Tracking Their Peoples' Futures

August 14, 2010 – In the remote Bolivian Gran Chaco countryside, a Guaran teenager and an old man walk side by side through the dry brush, looking at the ground and the horizon. The is boy taking notes to reconcile with a global positioning system (GPS) mapping project he has in progress. The teen is one of tomorrow's generation of indigenous leaders in the vast Gran Chaco region of South America, spanning parts of Bolivia, Argentina and Paraguay. He and other indigenous youth are now mapping out the future for their people and delineating their past, in part by using GPS technology to document their peoples' legal cases to reclaim their ancestral lands.

Reports Say Iran's Seven Baha'i Leaders "Sentenced"

August 8, 2010, NEW YORK – The Baha'i International Community has received reports indicating that seven Iranian Baha'i leaders have each received jail sentences of 20 years. The two women and five men have been held in Tehran's notorious Evin prison since they were arrested in 2008 – six of them on 14 May and one of them two months earlier. "If this news proves to be accurate, it represents a deeply shocking outcome to the case of these innocent and harmless people," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations. "We understand that they have been informed of this sentence and that their lawyers are in the process of launching an appeal," said Ms. Dugal.

Haiti Still in Crisis, ELCA Members Continue Response

August 10, 2010, CHICAGO – Haiti is still in crisis. According to a July 30 situation report from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) the Caribbean nation has yet to move into the recovery phase, following the Jan. 12 earthquake that left 1.5 million people displaced from their homes. More than 190,500 households are still living in camps, said Megan Bradfield, associate director for International Disaster Response, ELCA Global Mission. Bradfield, who prepared the report, said many of these camps are "highly vulnerable to storms and flooding." An estimated 250,000 people died as a result of the earthquake.

ELCA Presiding Bishop to Visit China Aug. 28-Sept. 5

August 11, 2010, CHICAGO – Although there are no Lutheran churches in China, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has developed deep, mission-focused relationships with Christian councils and Protestant expressions in the country. At the invitation of Chinese church leaders the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, will visit China Aug. 28-Sept. 5. "The Christian community in China is full of vitality," said the Rev. Y. Franklin Ishida, director, Asia-Pacific continental desk, ELCA Global Mission. Chinese church officials have traveled to the United States, said Ishida, adding that Hanson's visit to China is an "occasion to express more fully our accompaniment and demonstrate our commitment to working together."

People in the News

Disciples Benevolent Services Begins Presidential Search Process

August 12, 2010 – Disciples Benevolent Services is a 501(c)3 organization and a general unit of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). In the 1880s, six very determined and compassionate women in a St. Louis-based prayer group gave birth to a local program designed to help the area's widows and orphans. From that initial ministry, the organization slowly and steadily grew as it added homes for older adults, orphanages, facilities for adults with developmental disabilities, and even a few hospitals.

ZAMBIA: Milingo to Be Installed as Patriarch

August 13, 2010 – "My installation has two meanings: The first one is that the African Church leaders think I have reached the age to be an elder of bishops. "Secondly, they look at me and feel that using my spiritual experience I have greatly contributed to the Church unity. They have seen how I have silently suffered many injustices," Archbishop Milingo said. Former Lusaka Catholic Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo will this weekend be installed as a patriarch of Africa in charge of the southern African region. The outspoken cleric will be installed as the third patriarch of Africa on Sunday at Barlastone Park School near Twikatane Farms in Lusaka by several church denominations.

Bishop Peter Lee Named Interim Dean at General Theological Seminary

August 11, 2010 – The Rt. Rev. Peter James Lee, former bishop of Virginia and currently interim dean of San Francisco's Grace Cathedral, has been named as interim dean of General Theological Seminary in New York, according to a press release. Lee's responsibilities at Grace Cathedral come to an end on Sept. 26 and he will join GTS thereafter. He will also be on the Chelsea, Manhattan-based campus during orientation week to meet and greet students, the release said. The Very Rev. Ward B. Ewing, GTS' 12th dean and president, announced in December 2009 his intention to retire.