Front Page

Presiding Bishop Warns Executive Council of ‘Suicide by Governance'

October 24, 2010, SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori challenged the Episcopal Church's Executive Council Oct. 24 to avoid "committing suicide by governance." Jefferts Schori said that the council and the church face a "life-or-death decision," describing life as "a renewed and continually renewing focus on mission" and death as "an appeal to old ways and to internal focus" which devotes ever-greater resources to the institution and its internal conflicts. "We need some structural change across the Episcopal Church," she said. "Almost everywhere I go I hear dioceses wrestling with this; dioceses addressing what they often think of as their own governance handcuffs, the structures that are preventing them from moving more flexibly into a more open future."

Colorful Banners Honor Church Saints

October 29, 2010, FRANKLIN, Tenn. – Some churches toll bells as names are read. In other congregations, members light candles to remember the saints who have died during the past year. Often, family members display framed photos of their loved ones. But at First United Methodist Church in Franklin, Tenn., All Saints Day is one of celebration as the children's choirs lead a procession of song and colorful banners. As the congregation and choirs join in "I Sing a Song of the Saints of God," white-robed children – carrying banners in liturgical colors of purple, red, green and white – process through the sanctuary and into the choir loft.

Spook-less Halloween Alternatives Gain Fans

October 29, 2010 – It's almost Halloween – Oct. 31 – and wannabe ghosts and goblins are gearing up for a night of trick-or-treating. It's a dentist's favorite holiday. But for Christians, Halloween can be a source of consternation. Its origin as a pagan festival and the often-heavy emphases on death, darkness, fear, the occult and witchcraft raise theological concerns for some. The United Methodist Church does not have an official statement or position regarding Halloween. Congregations are free to make their own decisions about Halloween activities.

General News

UCC Invites Degeneres to Bring Love, Laughter to General Synod 28

October 26, 2010 – In a unique bid to showcase the carefree, creative component of the UCC, the church has officially invited popular talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres to appear as keynote speaker at General Synod 28 next July in Tampa, Fla. Writing on behalf of the Synod program and planning committee in a letter dated Oct. 1, the Rev. Geoffrey Black, UCC general minister and president, rolled out the UCC welcome mat for DeGeneres to help Synod-goers live the theme of General Synod 28: "Imagine What's Possible; God Is Still Speaking." "Your life, values and humor represent the best of what our church hopes to embody through our witness in the world: joy, love, hope and service," Black wrote DeGeneres.

Historic Peace Churches Hold Conference on ‘Hunger for Peace' in Latin America

October 28, 2010, ELGIN, IL – "Hunger for Peace: Faces, Paths, Cultures" is the theme of a conference of the Historic Peace Churches in Latin America, to held in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic, from Nov. 28-Dec. 2. The Historic Peace Churches include the Church of the Brethren, Mennonites, and the Society of Friends (Quakers). This is the fifth in a series of Historic Peace Church conferences that have taken place in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America.

Executive Council Begins Fall Meeting Faced with 2011 Budget Constraints
Members Also Expected to Consider Plan for Rebuilding Haiti

October 23, 2010, SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Episcopal Church's Executive Council began its three-day fall meeting here Oct. 23 with an agenda that includes consideration of a Church Center 2011 budget that is five percent lower than the version adopted by General Convention in 2009. Revenue in the proposed reduced budget is $2.1 million less than originally projected, with income from dioceses projected at $682,946 less than expected. The revenue reductions come "as a result of an unpredictable delayed payment by one diocese," as well as major cuts in Church Center spending that also will result in less revenue, according to a memo to council members from the church's Finance Office.

Holy Women as Important as Priests in Church History, Pope Says

October 27. 2010, VATICAN CITY – The 14th-century St. Bridget of Sweden is a "powerful example of feminine sanctity" and a model for Christian families and religious men and women, Pope Benedict XVI said in his weekly general audience Oct. 27. St. Bridget's founding of a religious order that was composed of both monks and nuns living separately under her authority as abbess was a reminder of the spiritual power and authority of women in the Church, the Pope said. "In the great Christian tradition the woman is recognized as having her own dignity and – following the example of Mary, Queen of the Apostles – her own place in the Church which, though not coinciding with the ordained priesthood, is equally important for the spiritual growth of the community," he stated.

Indianapolis: Daughter of Muslim Cleric Ordained an Episcopal Deacon

October 28, 2010 – A strong passion to help others guided the Rev. Fatima Yakubu-Madus, daughter of a Muslim imam, to her recent ordination as a deacon in the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis. "This has been a journey for me. I was born and raised a Muslim … my dad is an imam for a large congregation in my town," said Madus, who was ordained a vocational deacon Oct. 23 at St. Stephen's, Terre Haute, during the 173rd annual diocesan convention. But for Madus, 54, the distance between her childhood in Auchi, in the southern Nigerian state of Edo, to her present vocation was closer than some might realize.

Presiding Bishop Discusses Courage, Challenge and Uncertainty of Leadership
at California Women's Empowerment Conference

October 26, 2010 – Courage and willingness to step out into the unknown are essential leadership qualities, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori told several thousand women Oct. 26 at the "Women's Conference 2010 Main Event" hosted by California first lady Maria Shriver at the Long Beach Convention Center. "It takes the willingness to challenge people to think in new ways and the willingness to try things in a way that wasn't done before," added the presiding bishop, who was among more than 85 featured speakers and 14,000 women at the Oct. 26 event in downtown Long Beach. Leadership also involves challenging "people to think bigger than their own particular self-interests," Jefferts Schori said.

Ecumenical News

Muslims and Christians to Meet in Geneva to Build a Common Future

October 26, 2010 – High-ranking Muslim and Christian leaders as well as renowned scholars and interfaith practitioners will gather 1-4 November at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva for an international consultation on Christian and Muslim concerns. The international consultation, which is called "Transforming Communities: Christians and Muslims Building a Common Future," will identify and address issues of common concern and provide guidance for cooperation between Muslims and Christians, including faith-inspired approaches for joint Christian-Muslim action. A joint statement will be issued at the end of the consultation on 4 November during a press conference.

U.S. Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue Approves Current Round Final Report

October 29, 2010, CHICAGO – Members of the Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue in the United States approved by unanimous consent the current round's final report on "The Hope of Eternal Life," a 65-page report summarizing the dialogue's four-and-a-half-year study. It explores issues related to the Christian's life beyond death, such as the communion of saints, resurrection of the dead and final judgment, as well as historically divisive issues such as purgatory, indulgences and prayers for the dead, according to a news release from the dialogue. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops sponsored this 11th round of talks.

Spanish News

ACT, El Consejo De Iglesias Y La Comunidad Luterana Auxilian a Damnificados Por Las Lluvias

26 octubre 2010, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – El Consejo de Iglesias Evangélicas Pro Alianza Denominacional, CEPAD, y la Iglesia Luterana Fe y Esperanza de Managua, entregaron ayuda alimentaria en la capital a 525 familias que resultaron damnificadas por el temporal de finales de septiembre. En tanto, en numerosas comunidades se recibió el auxilio a través de ACT Alianza. El Sub Director del Cepad, profesor Evenor Jerez y coordinador actual del Foro Acción Conjunta de las Iglesias, ACT- Nicaragua, viajó el 26 de octubre al Municipio de San Francisco Libre, a 70 kilómetros al norte de la capital, para la entrega de 286 paquetes alimenticios a igual número de familias de siete comunidades.

Musulmanes Y Cristianos Se Reúnen En Ginebra Para Construir Un Futuro Común

27 octubre 2010 – Dirigentes musulmanes y cristianos de alto nivel, junto con estudiosos y especialistas en cuestiones religiosas, que representan a varias organizaciones islámicas y cristianas, se reunirán del 1 al 4 de noviembre en el Centro Ecuménico de Ginebra, Suiza, en una consulta internacional sobre asuntos de interés común. La consulta internacional, cuyo tema es "Trasformar las comunidades: cristianos y musulmanes construyendo un futuro común," definirá y se ocupará de cuestiones de interés común, ofreciendo orientaciones para la cooperación entre musulmanes y cristianos, incluyendo enfoques para la acción conjunta inspirados en la fe.

Imparten Talleres De Capacitación Para Analizar La Biblia a Través De La Escucha

26 octubre 2010, LA HABANA, Cuba – Un programa que incluyó talleres de capacitación y entrenamiento para el uso del Programa La fe viene por el oír, celebró la Comisión Bíblica del Consejo de Iglesias de Cuba (CIC), entre los días 10 y 18 de octubre, en esta capital, Santiago de Cuba y Pinar del Río. Para ello invitó al director de la Sociedad Bíblica de Chile, el reverendo Andrés Casanueva, quien, además, es también titular del ministerio La fe viene por el oír, para el cono sur, Brasil y Cuba. En los talleres se incluyó una visión del ministerio citado, sus objetivos e impactos, su base teológica sobre la cual se sustenta el programa, así como aspectos técnicos en cómo usar el equipo de audio que le fuera entregado a más de una veintena de denominaciones evangélicas.

National News

VIRGINIA: Fire Destroys VTS Chapel

October 22, 2010 – A fire that broke out at 3:55 p.m. Oct. 22 destroyed the 129-year old Immanuel Chapel at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia, according to news reports and a statement from VTS. "At this stage, the cause of the fire is unclear. The VTS Community is saddened and devastated by this catastrophe," said the Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, the seminary's dean, in a statement posted on its website. "The buildings nearby are intact and safe. The ministry and mission of VTS continue, even as the community grieves."

MARYLAND: Majority of Baltimore Congregation Votes to Join Roman Catholics

October 27, 2010 – A majority of the members of Mount Calvary Episcopal Church, Baltimore, voted Oct. 24 to separate from the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland and become an Anglican-use parish within the Roman Catholic Church. Mount Calvary parishioners voted on two resolutions, according to a diocesan press release, one to leave the Episcopal Church and the second to seek entry into the Roman Catholic Church as an Anglican-use parish. Of 45 eligible voters, 28 were present at the meeting and cast written ballots for both resolutions, the diocese said. The first resolution passed 24-2 with two abstentions. The second measure passed 24-3 with one abstention.

SOUTH CAROLINA: Bishop Removes Four Priests from Ordained Ministry

October 29, 2010 – Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina Bishop Mark Lawrence has removed four priests from ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church. The Rev. Kenneth Alexander, the Rev. Anthony Kowbeidu, the Rev. Brian Morgan and the Rev. Steve Wood are four of the five priests on staff at St. Andrew's Church in Mount Pleasant. They were removed on Oct. 21. Wood, St. Andrew's Church rector, posted a copy of the notice Lawrence sent, as canonically required, to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, the ecclesiastical authorities of the Episcopal Church and other officials. The document says that the priests were removed for reasons unrelated to their moral character.

SAN JOAQUIN: Bishop, Standing Committee Raise ‘Grave Concerns' about Springfield Election
Central California Diocese Calls upon Others to Withhold Consent from Martins

October 29, 2010 – Bishop Jerry Lamb and the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin have raised "grave concerns" about the election and planned March 19, 2011, consecration of the Rev. Daniel Martins as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Springfield, Illinois. Their concerns stem from Martins' "involvement in the attempted separation of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin from the Episcopal Church" when he was rector of St. John the Evangelist Church in Stockton (1994-2007), according to an Oct. 16 letter Lamb has sent to diocesan bishops and standing committees throughout the Episcopal Church.

ELCA Presiding Bishop Tells Young People ‘It Gets Better'

October 28, 2010, CHICAGO – In a video essay posted on You Tube, the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) offered reassurance to young people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, saying, "You are a beloved child of God." The Rev. Mark S. Hanson said he wanted to speak honestly to young people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, and offer hope. "Your life carries the dignity and beauty of God's creation," Hanson said. "God has called you by name and claimed you forever. There is a place for you in this world and in this church."

International News

LWF Celebrates Election of First Woman to Head Church of Norway Bishops' Conference
Bishop Helga Haugland Byfuglien Underlines Message of Hope

October 28, 2010, GENEVA – The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has congratulated the first woman to be elected chairperson of Church of Norway Bishops' Conference, Bishop Helga Haugland Byfuglien, noting her election is cause for celebration. "The election is first of all, of course, a recognition of your own gifts and vision, and for that we join your church in giving thanks," said Acting LWF General Secretary Rev. Martin Junge in a letter to Byfuglien, who was elected to head the bishops' conference on 21 October.

Lutherans' ‘Positive Steps' Help Suffering Haitians

October 28, 2010 – Ten months after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake devastated Haiti, news stories report how little has changed, including that more than 1 million survivors remain homeless and that none of the U.S. government's pledged $1.15 billion in aid has arrived in the Western Hemisphere's poorest country. But amid huge challenges that include a recent cholera outbreak, LCMS World Relief and Human Care's Rev. Glenn F. Merritt says that Lutheran partners are making positive steps to help suffering Haitians.

Indian Churches Commit to "Zero Tolerance" for the "Sin" of Casteism

October 28, 2010 – Naming casteism as "sin, apostasy and rebellion against God," churches in India have committed themselves to serve as "zero tolerance zones" for caste-based discrimination. They also called for Lent 2011 to be "a time of purging caste" from Christian communities. Representatives of 31 churches grouped in the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) made those commitments at an ecumenical conference held in New Delhi on 22-24 October. The event was convened by the NCCI and the World Council of Churches (WCC). "The moment of truth has come," said the NCCI president Bishop Dr Taranath Sagar, speaking at the opening of the conference.

LWF Reiterates Collaboration with Global Emergency and Development Body
participation in ACT Alliance Is an Expression of Diaconal and Ecumenical Commitment

October 28, 2010, ARUSHA, Tanzania/GENEVA – The Lutheran World Federation has (LWF) reiterated its commitment to the ACT Alliance, saying it would continue to enhance the contribution of its member churches and related diaconal institutions to the global emergency and development body. "The LWF understands its participation in the ACT Alliance as an expression of its diaconal and ecumenical commitment," said Acting General Secretary Rev. Martin Junge in a message delivered to the first assembly of the Alliance, jointly hosted by the Tanganyika Christian Refugee Service (TCRS) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT), 19 – 22 October in Arusha, Tanzania.

ENGLAND: Church Groups Campaign Against Anglican Covenant

October 28, 2010 – Two progressive Anglican groups, Inclusive Church and Modern Church, have joined together to campaign against the proposed Anglican Covenant, which they say is "an attempt by some leaders of the Anglican Communion to subordinate national churches to a centralized international authority, with power to forbid developments when another province objects." The covenant first was proposed in the 2004 Windsor Report as a way that the Anglican Communion and its 38 autonomous provinces might maintain unity despite differences, especially relating to biblical interpretation and human sexuality issues.

ELCA Funds Water Purification Equipment for Guatemala Families

October 26, 2010, CHICAGO – At least 245 families in Guatemala will have clean water supplies thanks to a gift from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). ELCA International Disaster Response gave $9,750 to the Lutheran World Federation Department for World Service Guatemala Program to fund the purchase and delivery of water purification filters in an area hit by heavy rains and flooding this year. Families in four communities will benefit from the water purification filters, said Stephen Deal, ELCA regional representative for Central America: Santa Elena, Santo Domingo, Roto Nuevo and Caribe Río Salinas.

ELCA Sends Relief Funds in Response to Indonesia Tsunami

October 28, 2010, CHICAGO – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will send up to $46,280 to provide immediate relief to communities affected by a tsunami that struck the Mentawai Islands off of Sumatra's western coast Oct. 25. The ELCA responded to a specific request for funds from a relief agency working in the area, the Nommensen (Lutheran) University Center for Disaster Risk Management, said Megan Bradfield, ELCA associate director for International Development and Disaster Response. At least 340 people died and hundreds are reported missing as a result of the 10-foot tsunami, spawned by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake.

Middle East News

At Synod of Middle Eastern Bishops, B'nai B'rith Troubled
by Disconnect from Vatican Teachings on Jews and Israel

October 25, 2010, WASHINGTON, DC – B'nai B'rith International is deeply concerned that the just-concluded Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops indicates unsettling views regarding Jews and Israel among Catholic clergy and laity in the Arab world. B'nai B'rith is greatly disappointed that rather than promoting reconciliation and self-reflection in the region, the assembly focused on amplifying Arab political positions and narratives on the Jewish state. While efforts had been made to encourage the assembly to meaningfully address challenges Christians face in the Middle East, Israel was ultimately singled out for outsized and blunt opprobrium. The assembly failed to reflect papal celebration of Jews' return to their homeland and recognition of Israel's right to self-defense.

Holy Land Church Official Finds No ‘Anti-Zionist' Bias at Synod

October 28, 2010, ROME, Italy – Many Christians in the Middle East harbor "anti-Zionist" resentments, but those resentments are rooted political injustices and not theology, according to a top Church official in the Holy Land. Franciscan Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa said the tensions were reflected in the recent Synod for Bishops on the Middle East, but he rejected charges that the synod was biased against Israel. "I don't think the Synod Fathers were taken hostage by anyone," he told the Italian newspaper Il Foglio Oct. 27. Father Pizzaballa is the Vatican-appointed custodian of the ancient Christian holy sites in Israel and Palestine. In an interview with the paper's Vatican analyst Paolo Rodari, he responded to charges made by Israel's deputy foreign minister, Danny Ayalon.

People in the News

Bishop Andrew Smith Appointed Assistant Bishop

October 28, 2010, NEW YORK – New York Bishop Mark S. Sisk announced Oct. 28 the appointment of retired Connecticut Bishop Andrew "Drew" Smith as assistant bishop effective Nov. 1. The announcement was made in an e-mail sent to the diocese. "It has been my intention ever since the retirement of Bishop [E. Don] Taylor to appoint an assistant bishop to share the episcopal duties of the diocese with Bishop [Catherine] Roskam and myself," said Sisk in the e-mail. "This appointment was delayed, inevitably, by the financial uncertainty in which we have recently found ourselves. The need did not diminish, however, and now we feel that the time has come when we can safely, if cautiously, proceed."