Front Page

The NCC's Kinnamon Offers Some Pastoral Advice
to Senators Who Think Christmas Is No Time to Reduce Arms

December 15, 2010 WASHINGTON – With perhaps unintended irony, two U.S. senators have declared that Christmas is not the time to move toward peace by reducing the number of nuclear arms in the arsenals of the United States and Russia. But the general secretary of the National Council of Churches and several heads of NCC member communions have sent the lawmakers a gentle reminder that the Prince of Peace is the reason for the season. Senators Jim Demint (R-S.C.) and Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) have both declared their intention to delay ratification of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START II) during the lame duck session of Congress. Observers suspect the senators may be taking the stand for partisan reasons, but each has declared that Christmas is not the time to support arms reduction. "

A National Council of Churches Christmas Eve:
‘A Christmas for Everyone' Special on CBS

December 17, 2010 NEW YORK – A National Council of Churches Christmas Eve special, A Christmas for Everyone, will be broadcast from New York's St. Paul and St. Andrew United Methodist Church on December 24 at 11:35 p.m. (Eastern and Pacific time) on most CBS television stations. The service of lessons and carols, produced by the National Council of Churches in cooperation with the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission (IBC), will feature scripture readings and carols. Bishop Jeremiah Park, the bishop for the United Methodist-New York Area, and members of the church's diverse congregation will read scripture and holiday selections. Carols will be sung by children and the congregation, as well as by the St. Paul and St. Andrew's choir accompanied by harp and strings. .

Not All Toys Bring Joy

December 16, 2010 – The Christmas season is an opportunity to gather with family around the Christmas tree and to see the delight in a child's eyes when she receives a new gift. However, not all toys bring joy. A few years ago, my sister, who was expecting her first child, received a baby food processor for Christmas. After I did some sleuthing on the internet I found out that it contained bisphenol-a (BPA), a chemical linked to early puberty, cancer, heart disease, and other health concerns. This example demonstrates how challenging it can be for average consumers to know what is really in the products we purchase.

Timid Hope at End of Climate Negotiations in Cancun

December 13, 2010 – The Cancun Agreement, adopted by the vast majority of parties at the United Nations climate change conference (COP16) in the early morning hours of 11 December, gives guarded hope to churches and civil society groups who had called for decisive action by the world's governments. In an improvement on the process that led to the much-criticized Copenhagen Accord last year, the president of the conference managed to keep the climate negotiations in the multilateral track and make some, although insufficient, steps forward. "Representatives of governments could not afford a failure like the one in Copenhagen. The Cancun Agreement shows we are back on track.

Christmas Messages

Christmas Message 2010 from the World Council of Churches General Secretary

13 December 2010 – The nativity of Jesus Christ is proclaimed by angelic choirs in the heights of heaven, and the joyous news is echoed afterwards by modest shepherds in fields near Bethlehem. Meanwhile, a mother and father care for their newborn child. No place for this family could be found in the inn, so they shelter among livestock. The circumstances are strikingly humble, yet their infant is the occasion of the angels' song: And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom God favours!"

JERUSALEM: Heads of Churches Issue Christmas Message

December 16, 2010 – The heads of Christian churches in Jerusalem, including Anglican Bishop Suheil Dawani, have issued a joint Christmas message for 2010 condemning violence in any form and saying that peace and reconciliation requires the active participation of people of faith. The full text of the message follows. "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among all people!" (Luke 2:14) We, the Heads of the Churches of Jerusalem, share with you in praising God for the birth of the holy child on a cold night in Bethlehem so long ago. We praise God for the faithful examples of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of Joseph. We praise God for the shepherds who were first to share the Good News of the Savior's birth.

General News

ENInews to Shut down in its Current Form

December 17, 2010, GENEVA – ENInews is to suspend publication of its news service from 21 December while a new editorial team is assembled during a restructuring process needed to sustain the ecumenical news agency. The 50 correspondents who work for ENInews were told on 15 December by the agency's editor-in-chief, Peter Kenny, "Unfortunately, increasing financial constraints on the operations of ENInews means that it is impossible for the agency to continue as it has done in the past. "The governing body of ENInews has taken the decision to close the current editorial office based at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva as from the end of 2010. Its hope is that a new operation with new staff will be able to start work on a new basis in 2011."

Reality TV Producer Finds New Audience with UCC, ‘Jesus Crowd'

December 13, 2010 – Learning that Laura Madden's entry point into freelance writing for the UCC has come via India is an attention-grabber. Then you find out her journey also has gone by way of Brazil. And Mozambique. And South Africa. And China. And that she is back in India. For the third time. A highly experienced photographer and television/film producer, Madden has worked on several "reality" shows. On her resume are editing projects for reality TV shows to include "Rescue Ink," "Border Wars," "Dog the Bounty Hunter," "Family Plots," "The First 48" and "DogTown."

Sex Abuse Crisis, Vatican PR Woes Figure in WikiLeaks Scoops

December 11, 2010 – Secret diplomatic cables revealed this morning as part of the WikiLeaks releases confirm that while the Vatican was appalled by revelations of clerical sexual abuse in Ireland in 2009 and 2010, it was also offended by demands that the papal ambassador participate in a government-sponsored probe, seeing it as an insult to the Vatican's sovereign immunity under international law. That stance, according to the cable, came off in Ireland as "pettily procedural" while failing to confront the reality of clerical abuse, and thereby made the crisis worse. The cables also contain critical diplomatic assessments of Pope Benedict XVI's recent decision to create new structures to welcome disgruntled Anglicans, as well as the perceived technological illiteracy and communications ineptitude of some senior Vatican officials.

Episcopal Church News Publications to Cease with January Issues
Episcopal News Service Continues Online

December 16, 2010 – Episcopal News Monthly, a newspaper printed in conjunction with diocesan partners, and Episcopal News Quarterly, a supplement to certain diocesan quarterly news magazines, will cease publication with the January 2011 issues. The final issues of both publications, which will be produced before Christmas, mark the end of the Episcopal Church's 50 years as a newspaper publisher. Episcopal News Service will continue to operate online, offering a mix of news stories, commentary, photos and video reports.

Seeing the Face of God in Each Other
Church Releases Anti-Racism Training Manual

December 14, 2010 – The 2011 edition of the Episcopal Church's anti-racism training manual is now available for training sessions and educational purposes, according to a press release. Intended to provide a "process for dismantling racism in the church and in society," the 254-page manual, "Seeing the Face of God in Each Other: The Antiracism Training Manual of the Episcopal Church" is available for download online. "The anti-racism training manual is an invaluable tool for facilitating meaningful, committed training," said Andrew Kronenwetter, Episcopal Church intercultural missioner, in the release.

Anglicans, Episcopalians Issue Statement on Climate Justice, Form Commitments

December 13, 2010 – As Anglicans and Episcopalians met last week in the Dominican Republic to share their stories and organize around issues of climate justice, in Panama heavy rains and floods killed at least 10 people, displaced 4,700 more, and forced the first-ever weather-related closure of the Panama Canal. "While we are here for the conference on climate justice, in Panama people are being evacuated out of areas that are being flooded," said Bishop Julio Murray of the Episcopal Church of Panama Dec. 9, in an interview with ENS.

INDIANA: Congregation Creates ‘Fresh Meeting with Jesus' in Stations of the Nativity

December 15, 2010 – St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Mishawaka in the Diocese of Northern Indiana gave new meaning to the incarnation this Advent when members created "Stations of the Nativity" as a collective meditative exercise for the season. The series of fourteen 18x24-inch images begins with the explosive cosmic spark of creation depicted in John's gospel (John 1:1-18) and concludes with the visit of the magi, represented by an imposing image of Herod against a backdrop of the skulls of the innocents slaughtered during his search to find and kill the infant Jesus.

ELCA Synod Bishop to Participate in Bethlehem Prayer Service

December 15, 2010, CHICAGO – A synod bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will present a short meditation on the Gospel of Luke in a joint prayer service Dec. 18 that will include worshipers assembled in Washington, D.C., and in Bethlehem, the town where Jesus was born. The Rev. Richard H. Graham, bishop of the ELCA Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Synod, will be among the Lutheran leaders in the fourth annual prayer service which will connect the worshipers via webcast. In the United States 300 to 400 people will gather in the nave of the Washington National Cathedral, while participants in Bethlehem will assemble at Christmas Lutheran Church.

ELCA Task Force to Suggest Recommendations for Church's Future

December 17, 2010, CHICAGO – A task force of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), which has engaged the church's membership in an extensive conversation about the denomination's future, will soon begin preparing its report and recommendations to the ELCA Church Council. The council is expected to transmit to the 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assembly recommendations related to the task force's work. Task force members will meet here January 28-29, 2011, a key face-to-face meeting prior to issuing their report and recommendations.

Ecumenical News

Catholics and Lutherans: Closer Witness to the Gospel

December 16, 2010, VATICAN CITY – This morning in the Vatican, the Holy Father received Bishop Munib A. Younan and Rev. Martin Junge, recently elected as president and secretary general of the Lutheran World Federation, who are leading a delegation on an official visit to Rome. Beginning his English-language address to the group, the Pope highlighted "the many significant fruits produced by these decades of bilateral discussions" between Catholics and Lutherans. "With God's help it has been possible slowly and patiently to remove barriers and to foster visible bonds of unity by means of theological dialogue and practical co-operation, especially at the level of local communities," he said.

LWF President Younan Invites Pope to Help Plan 500th Anniversary Commemoration
importance of Continuing Ecumenical Relations Stressed by Both Leaders

December 16, 2010, VATICAN City, Vatican/GENEVA – The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) President Bishop Dr Munib A. Younan has invited Pope Benedict XVI to work together with the Lutheran communion in realizing an ecumenically accountable commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. "For us there is joy in the liberating power of the gospel proclaimed afresh by the reformers, and we will celebrate that," said Younan in a message today, when he led a seven-member delegation in a private audience with the Pope. He underlined the need to recognize both the damaging aspects of the Reformation and ecumenical progress.

Spanish News

Cardenal Pide a Narcos Durante Oficio Dominical Respetar Fiestas Religiosas

14 diciembre 2010, MÉXICO – El cardenal Juan Sandoval, al oficiar una misa ayer, pidió a los criminales respetar las festividades religiosas, al irrumpir un comando de sicarios en la plaza principal de la ciudad de Tecalitlán, donde se celebraba la conmemoración por la Virgen de Guadalupe, que balaceó a la multitud dejando un funesto resultado de 11 muertos y 30 heridos. "Ya es suficiente pecado matar, como para añadir un agravante más al crimen," afirmó el prelado refiriéndose a la manera pacífica en que los feligreses de la localidad fueron atacados por los delincuentes.

Ayudar a Que El Agua Fluya Libremente En Asia

16 diciembre 2010 – El consejero comunitario, Danilo Torvator, y su familia tienen una desgracia en su vida. Optaron por asentarse en un valle fluvial en las laderas de la cadena montañosa, Sierra Madre, en la isla filipina de Luzón. Torvator, habitante de una de las aldeas de las tierras bajas de Luzón, se había casado con una indígena del pueblo dumagat, cuya tribu desde siempre había considerado la cadena montañosa y sus laderas, valles y ríos como su territorio ancestral. Pero, durante los últimos 31 años, ha resultado muy difícil para Torvator y sus compañeros de la aldea retener y defender este territorio.

Tímida Esperanza Al Concluir Las Negociaciones Climáticas En Cancún

15 diciembre 2010 – El Acuerdo de Cancún, adoptado por la gran mayoría de los Estados partes en la Conferencia sobre el Cambio Climático de las Naciones Unidas (COP16) en la madrugada del 11 de diciembre, suscita una modera esperanza entre las iglesias y los grupos de la sociedad civil que habían llamado a la toma de medidas decisivas por parte de los gobiernos del mundo. Mediante una mejora del proceso que el año pasado condujo al muy criticado Acuerdo de Copenhague, el presidente de la conferencia consiguió mantener las negociaciones sobre el clima en la vía multilateral y realizar algunos – aunque insuficientes – progresos. reducir la intensidad de carbono de su producción económica.

Pastor Luterano Es El Nuevo Encargado De Asuntos Religiosos

16 diciembre 2010, CONCEPCIÓN, Chile – El pastor de la Iglesia Luterana de Chile (ILCH) Juan Wherli, fue nombrado por el presidente de la República Sebastián Piñera como nuevo jefe de la Oficina Nacional de Asuntos Religiosos, dependiente de la Secretaría General de la Presidencia. El pastor Wherli remplazará al sociólogo Humberto Lagos, bautista, que ejerció el cargo en todos los gobiernos de la Concertación. El nuevo encargado de la Oficina Nacional de Asuntos Religiosos es Licenciado en Historia de la Universidad de Chile donde se graduó de la Academia Nacional de Estudios Políticos y Estratégicos.

Obreros Luteranos Tendrán Cobertura Médica

14 diciembre 2010, PORTO ALEGRE, Brasil – La Asociación de Mutuo Auxilio (Ama), entidad que trata de apoyar y amparar obreros y obreras de todos los campos de actividad ministerial de la Iglesia Evangélica de Confesón Luterana en Brasil (IECLB), firmó convenio en esta capital, el pasado jueves 9, con la Federación de las Unimed para la prestación de servicios de protección médico-hospitalaria. El presidente de la Ama, pastor Rui Bernhardt, agradeció al pastor presidente electo de la IECLB, Nestor Friedrich, por el apoyo recibido de la institución, que decidió, en el Concilio de octubre, que todos sus campos de actuación ministerial van a contribuir para el pago de planes de salud a sus obreros.

Mensaje De Navidad 2010 Del Secretario General Del Consejo Mundial De Iglesias

13 diciembre 2010 – Coros de ángeles proclaman en las alturas el nacimiento de Cristo y humildes pastores propagan las felices nuevas por los campos de Belén. Entre tanto, una madre y un padre cuidan de su hijo recién nacido. En la posada no había lugar para ellos, por lo que se refugian en un establo junto al ganado. Su situación es muy precaria y, sin embargo, el nacimiento del niño da lugar al canto de los ángeles: Repentinamente apareció con el ángel una multitud de las huestes celestiales, que alababan a Dios y decían: «¡Gloria a Dios en las alturas y en la tierra paz, buena voluntad para con los hombres!»

Teólogo Sugiere Que Los Evangélicos Dejen a Los Homosexuales En Paz

14 diciembre 2010, BRASIL – El teólogo presbiteriano Juan Stam, hoy viviendo en Costa Rica, propuso a las iglesias evangélicas una moratoria, de cinco años, para que ellas analicen con calma el asunto de la homosexualidad, dejen a los homosexuales en paz y se fijen en otros temas más importantes y evangélicos. Pautada por las alas conservadoras de la Iglesia Católica y denominaciones evangélicas, la homosexualidad entró con fuerza en los debates durante la campaña a la presidencia de la República de este año. El tema quedó demarcado por las balizas de la moralidad, amparado por versículos bíblicos.

Católicos Valorizan a San Nicolás Y Crean Zona Libre De Papá Noel

16 diciembre 2010, ARGENTINA – Niños y niñas del planeta conocen al Papá Noel, figura caricaturesca impulsada por la Coca Cola en el mundo, pero pocos saben que en Asia Menor vivió, al final del siglo III, un obispo, San Nicolás, santo precursor de esa figura inventada por el marketing para incentivar ventas en el período navideño. Católicos de la región de Nordrheinwestphalen, Alemania, abrieron la campaña "Zona Libre de Papá Noel," para hacer frente al mencionado, que tiene todo el apoyo publicitario, al proclamar "ho, ho, ho" por los cielos, movido por su trineo mágico, y valorizar San Nicolás, que fue un verdadero benefactor de su tiempo.

Human Rights News

"Human Rights Education Is the Only Way to Lasting Peace in Africa!"
Human Rights Groups Celebrate Signing of UN Declaration with Film Program

December 13, 2010 – December 9th and 10th, the New York Chapter of Youth for Human Rights joined thousands of youth in more than 40 nations, putting on educational talks about the UN Declaration of Human Rights, and airing three films which show the vital promise of educational efforts in bringing about real human rights reform. The NY events, which took place at the Manhattan Church of Scientology, were in observance of the 62nd anniversary of ratification of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. There were part of a worldwide week of human rights walks, educational forums, and round tables on topics from ending discrimination, stopping human trafficking, and bringing an end to pervasive violence.

National News

Cleveland Convention and Visitors Bureau to Feed 75 Families via UCC Community

December 13, 2010 – Turkey will be on the table and faith will feed the spirit of Christmas for 75 Cleveland families who had apparently been shut out of a holiday meal. Partnering with Positively Cleveland and its "Huddle for Hunger" project, the UCC announced Dec. 7 that turkeys will be distributed to residents in the neighborhood of St. Paul's Community UCCon Cleveland's near west side. The church had planned to donate hams to the families – but residents in need far outnumbered available food. "St. Paul's has been serving those in need for over 50 years," says the Rev. Lori Tisher, outreach program manager at St. Paul's.

Arson Claims Gettysburg Ministry Chapel

December 13, 2010 – The United States Christian Commission (USCC), which established a museum in 2005 and built a chapel in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in 2006, honoring the gospel heroes of the Civil War, experienced tragedy early Friday morning, December 3, when the log chapel was destroyed by an arsonist. The museum and chapel ministry, which is an effort of Bethel Assembly of God, Littlestown, Pennsylvania, and member John Wega, reaches out to the millions of visitors who come to tour the grounds of the historic Civil War battle of Gettysburg.

International News

LWF Lauds UN Agency for Partnership and Dedicated Service to Refugees
LWF Statement on the Occasion UNHCR's 60th Anniversary

December 14, 2010, GENEVA – The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has expressed gratitude to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for its dedicated service to refugees and internally displaced persons throughout the world, and for its pragmatic spirit of humanitarian partnership. "We are grateful that through UNHCR, human dignity has been lifted up and millions of people who had lost everything have been able to start new lives," said LWF General Secretary Rev. Martin Junge in a statement coinciding with agency’s 60th anniversary being observed today, 14 December. LWF humanitarian work is carried out through its Department for World Service (DWS) with country and regional programs in more than 30 countries throughout the world. Junge expressed gratitude for the long-standing practical partnership the LWF has shared with UNHCR and its predecessor body, the UN International Refugee Organization. The LWF statement underlined "UNHCR's pragmatic spirit of humanitarian partnership; working with organizations and governments across all boundaries," citing collaboration in view of Somali and Sudanes.

"Our River, Our Public Market"
Empowering Asian Communities' Rights to Clean Water and Sanitation

December 15, 2010, MANILA, Philippines – In Tanay, an indigenous Philippines community endowed with a river, tributaries and springs, villagers must travel 45 minutes by jeep to buy drinking water. "It is unfortunate for a community abounding in water to have no access to clean and safe water," commented Dr Salima Rahman, who coordinates the Rangpur Dinajpur Rural Service (RDRS), a non-governmental organization in Bangladesh. "The community has springs but it does not have pipes to bring spring water to households." Rahman and other church and civil society representatives visited the Rizal province community located in a river valley southeast of Manila in November as part of a regional consultation on communities' rights to water and sanitation in Asia.

Helping Water Flow Freely in Asia

December 16, 2010 – Community elder Danilo Torvator and his family have one misfortune in life. They opted to settle in a river valley in the foothills of the Sierra Madre mountain range on the Philippine island of Luzon. Torvator, a villager from one of Luzon's lowland towns, had married an indigenous Dumagat woman whose tribe had long regarded the mountain range and its foothills, valleys and rivers as their ancestral territory. But clinging to and defending such territory has since been painful for Torvator and his fellow villagers for the past 31 years. "I don't know what will happen to us, and our future remains bleak and uncertain," said Torvator.

Violence in a Philippine Village: One Family's Story

December 15, 2010 – "May 2010 is when it all started," Yna (not her real name), mother of 17-year-old Yuri, told a group of international church representatives who had come to the Philippines in early December in order to review the human rights situation there. "A group of military men were sent to live in our village and to observe the general election that was to take place. They did not leave even after the election was over. We knew why they stayed: they wanted to recruit minors into the army." "My husband and I would not agree to send our son to the military. Yuri did not want to be part of it. The military started threatening us, and we experienced all kinds of harassment. They even summoned my 11-year-old son," Yna continued.

Partnership Celebrates African Church

December 14, 2010, PANGUMA, Sierra Leone – Out of the rubble of civil war, a rehabilitated church stands as a symbol of peace and hope. And that is a reason to celebrate – for Muslims and Christians in this violence-plagued nation and for a group of United Methodists from the United States who helped make it possible. On Nov. 21, United Methodists from as far away as Camp Hill, Pa., joined Christians and Muslims in the African nation to dedicate the Lower Bambara United Methodist Church.

People in the News

Entzminger Appointed to Lead AG Children's Ministries

December 13, 2010 – The Assemblies of God Executive Leadership Team and Executive Presbytery have announced that Mark Entzminger, the South Dakota District Youth and Christian Education director, has been appointed as the new senior director of AG Children's Ministries. Entzminger and his wife, Christie, are both Central Bible College graduates. They began serving as youth ministers in South Dakota in 1996, with their responsibilities expanding to include worship, choir, Christian education and children's ministries. In 2003, Mark was elected as the South Dakota District Youth and Christian Education director, where he has served ever since.

New Director Announced for the Anglican Alliance: Development, Relief and Advocacy

December 14, 2010 – The former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the UK's Department of International Development, Sally Keeble has been appointed as the Director of a new cross-Communion Alliance set up to connect and strengthen the development, relief and advocacy activities of the Anglican Communion. Ms Keeble, who has degrees in Theology and Sociology from the University of Oxford, UK and the University of South Africa respectively, will oversee the work of the Anglican Alliance: Development, Relief, Advocacy. The Alliance is made up of churches and agencies collaborating and sharing knowledge and skills to add value to the range of development, relief and advocacy activities already undertaken by Anglicans around the world.