Front Page

December CBS-TV Haiti Special Features CWS,
Other Faith-based Organizations

November 30, 2010, NEW YORK CITY – Church World Service Haiti Program Manager Burton Joseph will be featured in "Haiti: Religion's Response to Disaster," a CBS Religion Special about the faith community's assistance to survivors of the devastating earthquake, to be broadcast Sunday, Dec. 5, on the CBS Television Network. (Please check your local CBS station for exact time.) After a 7.0 magnitude earthquake ravaged Haiti in January 2010, some of the first responders were faith-based relief organizations. These faith-based groups continue to assist Haitian survivors on the long road to recovery. The CBS program examines relief efforts begun immediately after the quake and the progress made by faith-based organizations.

Religious Leaders Ask House of Representatives
to Pass Child-Nutrition Bill Approved by Senate

November 30, 2010 – The Rev. Geoffrey A. Black was among those signing the letter sent to House Democratic and Republican leaders and all members of the House. "As leaders of faith communities, we see firsthand the suffering that food insecurity causes, particularly for families and children," says the letter. "Our children cannot wait any longer for improvements in nutrition programs. The letter emphasizes that passage of the Child Nutrition Reauthorization is essential to combating the poverty that is affecting larger numbers of children in the United States.

Pope Benedict and WCC Leader Reaffirm Common Goals for Visible Church Unity

December 4, 2010 – The general secretary of the World Council of Churches, Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, met in a private audience with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican on Saturday for nearly a quarter of an hour. The two church leaders discussed a number issues including visible church unity and the situation of Christians in the Middle East. "We had a very open and friendly conversation," Tveit said after the audience. "He emphasized in a very kind and also a very strong way the importance of the World Council of Churches' work and the ministry I am called to do as general secretary." Pope Benedict also "expressed his interest in how we are now developing and planning for the work we are going to do in the future. He has himself been involved in our Commission on Faith and Order, so he knows a very important dimension of our work very well."

Bringing Bethlehem Alive at Advent, Christmas, Year-round
Jerusalem Diocese Offers Resources to Companions Everywhere

November 29, 2010 – Christians around the world can deepen their understandings of Jesus' birth – and the current context of Bethlehem and the Middle East – by making direct connections with Holy Land communities in Advent, Christmastide and year-round. Two quick online clicks – to web sites of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East and the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem – can begin the process of enriching a congregation's observance of the Advent and Christmas seasons, and Lent and Easter, too. Sunday worship bulletin inserts are offered by the Jerusalem diocese to stimulate conversations and Sunday school lessons. >

Christmas Messages

2010 Christmas Message from the LWF President: There Is Hope Even in the midst of Darkness

December 3, 2010, GENEVA – In his 2010 Christmas message, The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) President Bishop Munib A. Younan reminds Christians around the world that Christ comes to bring his light and hope to those surrounded by darkness. Younan's reflections are based on 2 Corinthians 4:6. He also evokes the story of the 33 Chilean miners, who earlier this year were buried beneath tons of rock for more than two months before they were finally rescued. Their hope of rescue, says the LWF president, was from above as they waited in the darkness, most probably amidst doubt, but never giving up. "So it is in our world of darkness, Christ was born in Bethlehem, the light of the world and the hope of the nations," says Younan, who is bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.

2010 Christmas Message from ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson

December 2, 2010 – "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation!" Isaiah 52:7 When Jesus was born, angelic messengers broke the still calm of a Judean night to sing joyously and proclaim, "This very day in David's city a Savior is born for you – God's Promised One, your Lord." Glad tidings of great joy! Common shepherds were the first and heartiest heralds of the promised Savior's arrival then, and today the joy in Jesus' birth fills every corner of this season. Admittedly sometimes in modern America the commercial clatter and cultural clutter of the season seem to overtake the angels' song and the shepherds' joyous news.

General News

American Baptist Women's Ministries Releases
Program Materials as Downloadable Resource

November 30, 2010, VALLEY FORGE, PA – Women's Ministries has produced a ministry resource for women's groups that may be easily downloaded from the American Baptist Women's Ministries website's Lulu storefront, a print-on-demand website. The resource is in response to a call for more program materials at an affordable price. The 2009-2011 ministry resource on the theme "Women…Destined for God's Purpose" has been produced in four issues over a two-year period; the final issue has now been released in the AB Women's Ministries' storefront. Year 2, Issue B of the "Women…Destined for God's Purpose" Ministry Resource is available in print and as a PDF download.

Gateway for Anglicans ‘In Place by Easter' – Bishop

November 28, 2010 – The first personal ordinariate for former Anglicans is expected to be established in Australia by next Easter, according to Bishop Peter Elliott, the Australian Catholic Bishops' delegate for assisting lay Anglicans join the Church. The first such ordinariate is to be established in England and Wales in early January. Bishop Elliott says "we're hoping to follow a similar timeline," but it "may be a few months later." "We're yet to work out with the Vatican what would be the best procedure, but it ought to focus around Easter and Pentecost," said Bishop Elliott, auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne.

I Will Live to Proclaim – A Chaplain's Testimony

December 3, 2010 – The young man was hesitant to approach the guest speaker. But he knew he was acting in obedience. The speaker, Dr. Manuel Cordero, remembers the man as shy but insistent. "I was in Uganda in 2008 giving a seminar on prison ministry," Cordero remembers. "This young man told me that God was going to change my ministry, and that my later years of ministry would be greater than my previous years." On the surface, a reassuring message. And also a little sobering.

Missionary Kids Honored for Third Year

December 3, 2010 – Missionary kids from Evangel University and Central Bible College in Springfield, Missouri, were recently invited to attend a dinner in their honor. Pastors Mike and Mary Purkey and their congregation at Lenexa (Kansas) Christian Center (AG) hosted the dinner, held on November 30 at the Tower Club in Springfield. As part of the event, 51 students in attendance were each presented with a gift – every student went home with a $200 gift card to Walmart, $100 cash, and a drawing was held where each student also received a digital camera or flat screen television, with the grand prize of an iPad.

Pastors Go "Up in the Air for Turkeys"

November 29, 2010 – On Thursday, November 18 and Friday, November 19, 2010, three pastors and a priest from Pitcairn, Pennsylvania, took turns in the bucket of a fire truck to raise money for local food banks as part of an event called "Up in the Air for Turkeys." The four of them took turns completing three-hour shifts in the fire truck's bucket, located nearly 30 feet off the ground, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Pastor David Martin of Pitcairn Assembly of God says the churches had a twofold goal for the event. "Our goal was to raise as much as possible in those two days for the local food banks in the area," he says.

UCC General Minister and President to Bring ‘Conversation on Faith' to Elmhurst College

November 30, 2010 – The Reverend Geoffrey A. Black, general minister and president of the United Church of Christ, will present "God is Still Speaking: A Conversation on Faith" at Elmhurst (Ill.) College on Dec. 9. "I've had the pleasure of speaking with Rev. Black about our heritage and mission," says Elmhurst College President S. Alan Ray, noting his school's affiliation with the 1.1-million member UCC, which Black came to lead in September 2009. "The United Church of Christ and Elmhurst College share much in common, especially our commitments to social engagement, self-formation and respect for faith, meaning and values," says Ray.

CRC Hears Michael Gerson on Politics

December 1, 2010 – Churches can help at a time when the United States, for a number of reasons, is terribly divided politically. Part of the division is the result of the straight liberal or conservative bias of popular cable-outlet and Internet programs, said Michael Gerson, former speech writer and advisor to President George Bush. "People can get their news information from sources that agree with and support their points of view, which leaves very little common ground in order to have principled arguments," he said at a lunch presentation at the Christian Reformed Church office in Grand Rapids, Mich. With this divisiveness on the rise,

"They Have No Wine"

November 30, 2010 – The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) invites us all to read, digest and reflect on the 2010 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic and to join in the vision: "Zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS-related deaths." Despite all the well articulated progress, the report highlights that infections are outpacing treatment by 2 to 1 and 10 million people are still waiting for treatment. On the other hand, people living with HIV who have shared their experiences remind us always that living with the virus is a very difficulty journey but confronting stigma, discrimination and rejection is even harder and very painful reality.

Communication Rights Are Crucial to the World Aids Campaign

December 1, 2010 – On World AIDS Day 2010 we express gratitude to the members and partners of the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) for their efforts to advance communication rights that help prevent the stigmatisation of people living with HIV and AIDS. Significant progress in achieving universal access to HIV treatment, care, prevention and support in some countries is reported in Towards universal access published in September 2010 by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

‘Moving On': Congregations, Continuing Dioceses Celebrate Growth, New Life and Ministry

November 29, 2010 – Episcopalians in the renewing dioceses of San Joaquin, Quincy, Pittsburgh and Fort Worth say the challenges of living through church divisions have also led them to new life, increased mission and outreach, deepened community and an empowered laity. Initially, property, financial and other struggles may seem daunting for congregations starting up or starting over, but Grace Episcopal Mission in Bakersfield, California, in the continuing Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, is a reminder to "hang in there and keep hope and have faith and work hard," said the Rev. Tim Vivian, vicar, during a recent telephone interview from his office.

ELCA Presiding Bishop Calls on Members to Give to ELCA World Hunger

November 29, 2010, CHICAGO – The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has called on members to give to ELCA World Hunger, pointing out that funds given by individuals now will be matched dollar for dollar. Hanson made the comment in a video message posted Nov. 29 on the ELCA website. At his online Town Hall Forum Nov. 21, Hanson said the ELCA made commitments to domestic and international partners to raise nearly $20 million in ELCA World Hunger funds in 2010. However, he said giving to ELCA World Hunger was down about 20 percent. He challenged ELCA members to make up the difference by the end of the year.

Chaplain to Be Ordained among Those She Serves

December 2, 2010 – On Dec. 3 in Chicago, hospital chaplain Carol Reese will be ordained to the priesthood in a service at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital, the former Cook County Hospital, where she has served as a chaplain in the trauma department since 2005. For Reese, formally entering the priesthood at the hospital – her parish, really – is an opportunity to call attention to the plight of the medically underserved: She is the first paid chaplain in the history of Stroger Hospital, and the only paid chaplain in the Cook County system.

Houston Church Brings Spirituality, Outreach to the Homeless

December 1, 2010, EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF TEXAS – There are some men and women for whom homelessness seems to be a chronic state, others who are temporarily down on their luck, who are working to get back on their feet. Many are Veterans, and today there are a growing number of women who turn up on the steps of Lord of the Streets (LOTS) in Houston seeking help. "Do you know we are the mailing address for 2,200 people?" said the Rev. Bob Flick, the new part-time vicar of Lord of the Streets. Flick recently took over the ministry to Houston's midtown homeless population when the Rev. Murray Powell retired. After only a few weeks, Flick, who has snowy white hair and a much laid back countenance in his jeans and corduroy jacket, is energized by the new challenge.

Prisoners Rebuild Camp, Self-Esteem

December 3, 2010 – What happens when a United Methodist conference center takes a leap of faith and hires nonviolent offenders to tackle jobs around the camp? Phenomenal things, if you ask Jeff Fry, site director at Wesley Woods Conference Center in Williams Bay, Wis. It all started in January when Fry decided to contact a local work-release facility about employing a few minimum-security, nonviolent offenders assigned community service as restitution for lesser/misdemeanor offenses.

Spanish News

El Secretario General Del CMI Espera Con Interés Su Reunión Con El Papa

3 diciembre 2010 – El Papa Benedicto XVI recibirá al pastor Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias desde enero, en audiencia privada en el Vaticano el sábado 4 de diciembre. Esta será la primera reunión de los dos dirigentes de iglesia. En una entrevista concedida unos días antes de su visita a Roma, Tveit indicó los temas principales que abordarán, entre los cuales cabe destacar la búsqueda de la unidad de la iglesia, el apoyo a las comunidades cristianas en Oriente Medio y la renovación del compromiso ecuménico con la acción común en el mundo.

Griselda Delgado Del Carpio, Instalada Como Obispa Diocesana De La Iglesia Anglicana

1 diciembre 2010, LA HABANA, Cuba – Al asumir el episcopado cubano de la Iglesia Anglicana durante su investidura este domingo en la Catedral de la Santísima Trinidad de esta capital, la obispa diocesana Griselda Delgado del Carpio compartió un mensaje de paz y unidad para todos los cristianos y las cristianas, instó a "enfrentar los desafíos comunes" preservando los mejores valores humanos, y agradeció la compañía de aquellos que la ayudaron "en el caminar de estos años" como pastora en Cuba, pidiendo la compañía y la misericordia de Dios para esta etapa que recién comienza.

Orar Por El Cambio En Myanmar

1 diciembre 2010 – "Creemos en el cambio y les pedimos que sigan orando por nosotros." Éste fue el mensaje que un equipo internacional de representantes de iglesias escuchó una y otra vez durante su reciente visita a la población y las iglesias de Myanmar. La delegación, en la que figuraban delegados de Bangladesh, Canadá, Australia, Noruega y el Reino Unido, hizo una visita de solidaridad ecuménica a Myanmar en nombre del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI). El equipo de Cartas Vivas, que tuvo como anfitrión al Consejo de Iglesias de Myanmar, visitó el país entre el 28 de octubre y el 3 de noviembre, poco antes de que el país celebrara elecciones por primera vez desde 1990.

Iglesias Y Organizaciones Luchan Por Prevenir El VIH/SIDA

1 diciembre 2010, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – En el Día Internacional de la lucha contra el VIH/Sida, las iglesias y organizaciones contribuyen a la capacitación con campañas de prevención contra ese flagelo, que cada día se extiende más por Centroamérica. El secretario de la Convención Bautista de Nicaragua, pastor Guadalupe Gómez, dijo que sus iglesias son solidarias con los pacientes portadores del VIH/Sida y colaboran con el grupo Los Mimados de Cristo, que atiende a los niños contagiados con el virus.

Líderes Religiosos Piden Se Revise Ley Marco
De La Iglesia Evangélica Por Atentar Contra La Libertad De Culto

30 noviembre 2010, TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – Un grupo de líderes religiosos de la región noroccidental de esta nación advirtieron este lunes que si no obtienen respuesta inmediata de la Corte Suprema de Justicia (CSJ) sobre un recurso de amparo de inconstitucionalidad impuesto ante ese organismo, por la puesta en vigencia de la Ley Marco de la Iglesia Evangélica de Honduras, harán la denuncia ante instancias internacionales.

Servicio Litúrgico Ecuménico Conecta Temática
De VIH Con El Acceso Universal Y Los Derechos Básicos

1 diciembre 2010, BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – El Día Mundial del Sida 2010 continuará centrándose, al igual que el año anterior, en el acceso universal y los derechos humanos. La Alianza Ecuménica de Acción Mundial (AEAM) asumiendo su compromiso frente al tema, elaboró un recurso litúrgico "para reflexionar sobre el VIH y nuestra convicción de que todas las personas somos creadas a imagen y semejanza de Dios." "A medida que trabajamos para promover y proteger los derechos humanos de las personas con VIH o afectadas por la pandemia, o los de quienes son vulnerables a la infección, debemos también reconocer la dimensión espiritual que nos llama a trabajar por la justicia y tratar a todas las personas como nuestras hermanas y nuestros hermanos, y a actuar partiendo de esa dimensión," dice el comunicado de la Alianza.

Religious Liberty News

Persecution of Christians Could Threaten Future of Church Leadership in Pakistan

December 2, 2010 – Pakistan's first and only female Anglican priest Revd Jane Shaw has warned that persecution of Christians in the country is prompting talented potential future church leaders to settle abroad. Jane, who four years ago accepted an invitation to act as the Church of Pakistan's only female Presbyter-in-Charge, said she knew of four young pastors sent overseas for training who decided not to return to Pakistan. She said that while there have been incidents of Christians being attacked and killed, the majority of persecution was more insidious. "It's largely low-level harassment," she said, "not being short-listed for jobs because you're a Christian, or, if you do get the job, your colleagues making you so miserable that you have to leave. Also, in some cases Christian businessmen have been told that they'll only get the most lucrative contracts if they convert to Islam."

National News

Pastor Jailed for Backing Young Immigrants

December 3, 2010, NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Rev. Lorenza Andrade Smith, a United Methodist pastor arrested Nov. 30 after a sit-in, is on a spiritual fast and is determined to remain jailed in solidarity with thousands of young people advocating for the DREAM Act. Smith, pastor of Westlawn United Methodist Church, joined a group of students from the University of Texas at San Antonio as they staged a sit-in at the office of Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, R.-Texas. Their goal was to get the senator to talk to them about why she has decided not to support the legislation that would allow illegal immigrants who entered the U.S. as children to apply for conditional legal status after attending college or serving in the military for two years.

International News

Peace Church Gathering in Latin America Begins with Focus on the ‘Peace of the City'

November 28, 2010, SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic – Representatives of the Historic Peace Churches in Latin America began a week of meetings today with a focus on seeking "the peace of the city." The group of 77 Friends (Quakers), Church of the Brethren, and Mennonites from 17 countries gathered in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic, on the theme, "Hunger for Peace: Faces, Paths, Cultures." The gathering is the fourth in a series of Historic Peace Church conferences that have been part of the World Council of Churches' Decade to Overcome Violence.

Church in Ireland in Need of Radical Renewal, Says Leading Prelate

November 29, 2010 – In a homily commemorating the 30th anniversary of the death of the Servant of God Frank Duff, the founder of the Legion of Mary, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin said that the Church in Ireland is in need of radical renewal based on friendship with Christ and knowledge of the Word of God. "The scandals that have been revealed about aspects of the Church's life have opened our eyes not just to the particular horrors of the abuse of children and of an inadequate response to them," the Primate of Ireland preached.

Church Spokesman Claims Anti-Catholicism in Scotland ‘Deep and Wide'

November 28, 2010 – Edinburgh Cathedral – In an article in today's Sunday Times, Catholic Church spokesman writes that anti Catholic hostility in Scotland is "deep and wide." Peter Kearney claims that the recent controversy over the allegedly sectarian email sent by a senior SFA official to other SFA staff, may "simply be the tip of a disturbing iceberg of anti-Catholicism in Scottish society." He claims however that the episode has caused Catholics in Scotland to draw "a line in the sand."

"There Is Hope" in the Philippines

December 3, 2010 – "Your presence here is a sign that we are not alone in these times of massive human rights violations," Fr Rex Reyes, general secretary of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), told a delegation of Christians from Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Europe and Africa on Thursday 2 December. The international church representatives are travelling as "Living Letters" on behalf of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in order to learn about the current human right situation in the Philippines and about the churches' advocacy against violence.

Praying for Change in Myanmar

November 30, 2010 – "We believe in change and ask that you continue to pray for us." This was the message an international team of church representatives heard again and again, as they visited people and churches in Myanmar recently. The group, which included Christians from Bangladesh, Canada, Australia, Norway and the United Kingdom, was travelling as "Living Letters" on behalf of the World Council of Churches (WCC). The Living Letters team, hosted by the Myanmar Council of Churches, visited Myanmar between 28 October to 3 November, shortly before the country held elections for the first time since 1990. As they met with Myanmar member churches of the WCC as well as partner organizations and civil society movements, the team learned first hand about the churches' witness to just peace despite the nearly four decades of military rule in the country.

MELANESIA: Anglican Religious Communities
Get Training in Social-Justice, Human-Rights Advocacy

November 29, 2010 – Social justice, human rights and advocacy were the topics of a Nov. 12-28 training gathering at Tabalia, West Guadalcanal, in the Anglican Church of Melanesia. More than 150 members of the province's four religious communities participated in the training, according to a press release from retired Diocese of Malaita Bishop Terry Brown. The workshop's themes included the theology and meaning of human rights, how to do advocacy for social justice, the issues of gender equality (including violence against women and children), respecting the environment and promoting good governance.

PAKISTAN: Persecution of Christians Could Threaten Future of Church Leadership

December 2, 2010 – Pakistan's first and only female Anglican priest, the Rev. Jane Shaw, has warned that persecution of Christians in the country is prompting talented potential future church leaders to settle abroad. Jane, who four years became the Church of Pakistan's only female presbyter-in-charge, said she knew of four young pastors sent overseas for training who decided not to return to Pakistan. She said that while there have been incidents of Christians being attacked and killed, the majority of persecution was more insidious. "It's largely low-level harassment," she said, "not being short-listed for jobs because you're a Christian, or, if you do get the job, your colleagues making you so miserable that you have to leave. Also, in some cases Christian businessmen have been told that they'll only get the most lucrative contracts if they convert to Islam."

Ecumenical ‘Prayers for Peace' in Sudan Kicks off at UN Chapel

December 3, 2010 – Episcopalians, Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Roman Catholics and Mennonites gathered at the Church Center for the United Nations in New York Dec. 3 to kick off a weekly noontime prayer vigil in solidarity with the people of Sudan in the lead up to the Jan. 9 referendum, in which the south is expected to vote for independence from the north. "The first line of defense for Christians is prayer," the Rev. Petero Sabune, the Episcopal Church's program officer for Africa, said during the vigil. "Right now people are praying in Nzara, Renk, Torit and Mundri. Prayer is a powerful thing; it can go through space and time."

Middle East News

Christmas Cards to President Initiative Launches Year-long Campaign for Middle East Peace

December 2, 2010 – Churches for Middle East Peace is urging Christians throughout the United States to send Christmas cards to President Barack Obama to highlight their prayers for his efforts towards ending the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The initiative launches a year-long national interfaith campaign, For the Peace of Jerusalem, to engage Christians nationwide in public advocacy for Israeli-Palestinian peace. It is organized by CMEP, a coalition of 24 national denominations and church organizations, including the Episcopal Church. The card, designed by a Palestinian Christian in Bethlehem, includes the biblical passage from Matthew 5:9, "Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God."