Front Page

National Council of Churches Member Communions
Say the Death of Bin Laden Must Be a Turning Point

May 3, 2011, NEW YORK – The death Sunday of Osama Bin Laden does not "eradicate the scourge of terrorism," but it should stimulate the churches to commit themselves "to moving forward together as witnesses for God's love and peace." The statement, released Tuesday on behalf of the National Council's member communions, says: The death of Osama Bin Laden is a significant moment in the turbulent history of the past decade. It does not eradicate the scourge of terrorism nor does it bring closure to the grieving and pain the world has endured since the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, for which he was the primary architect. The National Council of Churches deplores and condemns the extremism he personified, the twisted illusions that wrought years of violence and evil in the world. Now the member communions of the National Council of Churches pray for God's help as we commit ourselves to moving forward together as witnesses for God's love and peace.

A Call to Prayer for the Pathways to Peace

May 3, 2011 – The news that the United States military has located and killed Osama bin Laden at his compound in Pakistan comes as the nation prepares to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and the downing of United Airlines Flight 93 over southwest Pa. These tragic events left Americans and people throughout the world in shock and grieving the senseless loss of life resulting from this intentional assault planned and carried out by al-Qaida under the leadership of Osama bin Laden. From that moment there were those in this country who felt a need for revenge that could only be satisfied by bringing bin Laden to justice, which in the minds of many meant killing him. As of today, that goal has been achieved. Yet, while many celebrate this event and feel that it has provided the nation with a fitting response to the horrific and brutal attack on citizens of the United States, there are others who see no reason to rejoice and instead feel a deep sense of disquiet and unease. For the past 10 years we have mourned the loss of those who perished in the 9/11 attacks. We mourn, too, the thousands around the world – Muslims, Christians, Jews and others – killed in numerous indiscriminate attacks by al-Qaida.

Primate of Southern Africa: "Climate Change Is Moral Imperative for All"

May 6, 2011, SOUTH AFRICA – The Most Revd Dr Thabo C Makgoba at the World Economic Forum in Africa The Archbishop, who is a participant at the World Economic Forum in Africa, has written to his faithful that Climatic change must be regarded as a mortal imperative for all and hopes that others at WEF will take heed of his call. His full statement follows: In one sense, I imagine I might be ‘preaching to the choir' about climate change, as we sometimes say in the church. But even if we agree on its reality and the dangers which it poses for our planet and our people, we need to make our witness bolder and take more courageous steps to bring others to our state of awareness and to work for real change. We in the faith communities know that climate change will be hugely damaging to both people and our planet.

Bin Laden's Death Challenges Pastors

May 6, 2011 – Within minutes of learning that Osama Bin Laden was dead, the Rev. Andy James knew he would address the killing in worship this Sunday. Late on May 1, his Facebook post said, "President announces that OBL is killed one week before I start a sermon series on forgiveness. A poignant, unexpected turn." In the days since, James, pastor of Tuttle United Methodist Church in Oklahoma, has struggled with what he will say. He may simply acknowledge the tension between being "an American citizen who, as the news unfolded Sunday night, just exhaled … (and) being a citizen in the Kingdom and having a sense that this was not an occasion that God was rejoicing."

General News

Anglicans Play Central Role at Historic Royal Wedding

April 29, 2011 – An estimated 2 billion people around the world tuned in on April 29 to watch the historic royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey, a ceremony infused with British pageantry and steeped in elements of Anglicanism – past, present and future. The streets of London bulged with thousands of well-wishers – some who'd camped for days to ensure the perfect spot for catching a glimpse of the happy couple, named just before the wedding as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Inside the abbey, the Very Rev. John Hall, dean of Westminster, conducted the service according to a 1966 version of the liturgy of matrimony from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, while Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, as head of the officially established Church of England, presided over the royal wedding and solemnized the marriage.

Biblical Call to Hospitality Inspires 2011 ELCA ‘Glocal' Mission Events

May 1, 2011, CHICAGO – In a world where migration and immigration remain contentious issues, how do people of faith respond? The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is hosting a series of events throughout 2011 designed to help congregations explore how the biblical call to "welcome the stranger" can open new opportunities for ministry in their communities and around the world. At the events, known as ELCA "Glocal" (global and local) Gatherings, attendees will gain practical tools for transforming their congregations into centers of hospitality through relationship building and advocacy. Members will also feel empowered to join the national conversation about the vital gifts new neighbors bring to this country. ELCA members who have attended past "Glocal" Gatherings said the events helped them grow as Christians and learn new ways to share God's love in their own communities.

Court Voids New Policy on Clergy Marriage

May 3, 2011, DETROIT – A policy adopted but not yet implemented by United Methodists in New York and Connecticut that essentially would have allowed clergy to marry someone of the same sex has been declared “null, void and of no effect” by the denomination’s top court. The United Methodist Judicial Council has ruled that the New York Annual (regional) Conference resolution and policy allowing clergy “to marry at their own discretion” is “neither valid nor constitutional.” Meeting April 27-29 in Detroit, the council upheld the church’s current prohibition against same-sex marriage and pastors who are “self-avowed practicing homosexuals,” found in Paragraph 2702 of the United Methodist Book of Discipline.

House of Deputies President Calls Church to ‘Courageous Change'

May 5, 2011 – Episcopal Church House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson told audiences at Episcopal Divinity School May 5 that "the church is stuck in an organizational model" with "a bureaucracy with rules, roles, and relationships that we accept as our social reality." "The church needs to be a movement. Right now we are an organization. We have a critical mass of 2 million ministers," Anderson said during the 2011 Kellogg Lectures. Her lectures, collectively titled "Courageous Change: What it takes, and how it happens," combined multimedia with her words. Sean McConnell, Diocese of California canon for communications, produced the multimedia portion of the lectures. Anderson said in her first lecture that "since we believe in a dynamic God, and by our baptism we participate with God in the quest to reconcile the world," the baptized "are called upon to … create the change that we believe will bring about a reconciled world."

Ecumenical News

Episcopalians, Lutherans Cross Border to Celebrate Full Communion
Simultaneous Canadian, U.S. Liturgies Mark 10th Anniversary

May 2, 2011 – U.S. Episcopalians, Canadian Anglicans and Lutherans in both countries came together May 1 to honor the 10th anniversaries of their denominations' declarations of full communion. Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson, Anglican Church in Canada Archbishop Fred Hiltz and Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada National Bishop Susan Johnson participated in unique simultaneous liturgies on either side of the U.S.-Canadian border. Johnson presided and Jefferts Schori preached at St. Paul's Anglican Church, Fort Erie, Ontario.

Joint Ministry Highlights 10 Years of ELCA-Episcopal Partnership

May 5, 2011, BUFFALO, N.Y. – In the ethnically diverse community of Marina, Calif., a joint ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and The Episcopal Church (USA) is living proof of the benefits of the ELCA's full communion partnership. Not all of the members of Epiphany Lutheran Church and St. Barbara's Episcopal Church, which has since closed, wanted to form a single, unified congregation when they began discussions in 1996. But members of both congregations felt so strongly about maintaining an ELCA and Episcopal Church witness in Marina that they tried an experiment, with the help of All Saints Episcopal Church, Carmel, Calif. That experiment is known today as Epiphany Lutheran & Episcopal Church.

Bishops to Change Ecumenical Agency

May 3, 2011, ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – United Methodist bishops have voted overwhelmingly to support folding the denomination's ecumenical agency and its work into the Council of Bishops. The May 2 vote came at the urging of the Rev. Stephen J. Sidorak Jr., the top executive of the agency, the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns. Under the proposal, the agency would cease to exist as a separate entity, and its staff members would work for the council as part of the newly created Office of Christian Unity and Interreligious Relationships. The proposal also calls for transforming the commission's 38-member board of directors into a 15-member oversight group that includes laity and clergy.

Spanish News

Autoridades Religiosas Acompañan Proceso De Diálogo
Entre Indígenas Y Constructores De Hidroeléctrica

4 mayo 2011, CIUDAD DE GUATEMALA – Como un hecho histórico puede calificarse el que alrededor de 10 comunidades indígenas de San Juan Cotzal, El Quiché, que demandan un diálogo sin intermediarios con la empresa que construye una hidroeléctrica en la finca Palo Viejo de dicho lugar, hayan pedido ayer el acompañamiento de monseñor Álvaro Ramazzini, obispo de San Marcos y al pastor Vitalino Similox, secretario general del Consejo Ecuménico Cristiano de Guatemala, para que den fe del proceso que ya ha generado conflicto social.

Frente a Beatificación De Juan Pablo II Evangélicos Afirman Que "Todos Somos Santos"

3 mayo 2011, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Ante las numerosas vigilias llevadas a cabo en el país con motivo de la beatificación de Juan Pablo II este domingo, el pastor de la Iglesia Menonita, Jairo Arce Mairena, sostuvo que para las iglesias evangélicas "todos somos santos, Cristo nos ha canonizado a todos y todas los que hemos creído en él; igualmente nos ha dado poder, autoridad y nos ha encomendado para la sanidad y la salvación humana y creacional."

Acción Mundial Por La Paz En Palestina E Israel

2 mayo 2010 – Como parte de una serie de actos de una semana de duración para promover la paz en la región, palestinos e israelíes orarán por la paz ante varios asentamientos de la ocupada Cisjordania, delante del muro de separación y en varios lugares de culto en Jerusalén y en toda Palestina. Esta serie de actos forma parte de un esfuerzo internacional para afirmar la dignidad humana y los derechos de todos los pueblos en el marco de la Semana Mundial por la Paz en Palestina e Israel, iniciativa del Foro Ecuménico Palestina-Israel (FEPI) auspiciado por el Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), que tendrá lugar del 29 de mayo al 4 de junio de 2011.

Luteranos Envían Mensaje Con Motivo Del Día Internacional De Los Trabajadores

2 mayo 2010, TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – Un mensaje hecho público ayer aquí por la Iglesia Cristiana Luterana de Honduras, con motivo del Día Internacional de los Trabajadores, realiza un análisis crítico de la realidad actual del país y anuncia la esperanza de construir el Reino de Dios aquí en la tierra. Enviado el texto a ALC por el procurador de los Derechos Humanos Leonel Casco Gutiérrez, expresa que "cuando intervienen las fuerzas de la energía del Espíritu Santo, existe la capacidad para soportar tanto trabajo, tantos esfuerzos, tantos desafíos, tantas necesidades, tantas incomprensiones y hasta traiciones de los mismos sectores evangélicos.

Solidaridad Metodista Con La Comunidad Qom (Toba) Asentada En Pleno Centro De La Capital

2 mayo 2010, BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Desde hace más de cinco meses, en pleno centro de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, se lleva a cabo un asentamiento del pueblo Qom pertenecientes a la comunidad La Primavera, provincia de Formosa, expresando sus reclamos ancestrales por tierras y derechos vulnerados. El obispo de la iglesia Metodista de Argentina (IEMA), pastor Frank de Nully Brown, suscribe una carta de solidaridad con esta comunidad. "Todavía resuena en nuestros oídos el poderoso mensaje de la Pascua de Resurrección que nos enseña que la vida vence a la muerte. La resurrección de Cristo nos dice que la vida supera las estructuras de muerte e injusticia, que el amor de Dios vence al egoísmo y nos invita a reconciliarnos con Dios, con nuestro prójimo," reza la carta. La IEMA considera que no puede pasar de largo esta situación y desconocer que hay hermanos y hermanas que sufren esta injusticia.

New York Metro News

New York Buddhist Vihara Temple to Hold Blood Drive in Queens Village

May 6, 2011 QUEENS VILLAGE, NY – The New York Buddhist Vihara Temple will host a community blood drive on Saturday, May 14, 2011. Healthy individuals are encouraged to donate blood between the hours of 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM at 214-22 Spencer Avenue, Queens Village, NY 11427. The month of May marks the onset of the Vesak celebration, which observes the three major events in the life of the Buddha: his birth, Enlightenment and passing away on the full moon. It is the most important festival in the Buddhist lunar calendar. The use of lighting such as candles and lamps symbolize how Buddha showed people how to become enlightened. The New York Buddhist Vihara Temple is holding its blood drive to coincide with the Vesak celebration because one way you can help your community is by donating blood.

National News

ELCA Making Long-term Plans for Response to Southeastern U.S. Tornados

May 6, 2011, CHICAGO – Lutheran Disaster Response and the Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are making plans for a long-term response to congregations and people affected by last week's deadly tornados in the southeastern United States. Lutheran Disaster Response is a collaborative ministry of the ELCA and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Lutheran Disaster Response sent a combined total of $75,000 to three social ministry organizations to help coordinate disaster response locally, said the Rev. Kevin A. Massey, director for Lutheran Disaster Response and ELCA Domestic Disaster Response.

ALABAMA: Tornado Relief Efforts Continue

May 3, 2011 – The Episcopal Diocese of Alabama is helping its members and neighbors recover from the late-April series of tornadoes that blew up across the southern United States. According to a story on the diocese's website, Bishop Henry Parsley of Alabama made a day-long visit to Tuscaloosa May 1. Parsley delivered emergency relief funds to Christ Episcopal Church, St. Matthias' Episcopal Church and Canterbury Chapel on the University of Alabama campus for use in meeting the urgent needs of parishioners and members of the wider community affected by the storms. Parsley participated in morning worship services at Christ Church and evening services at Canterbury Chapel, the only diocesan facility known to have sustained damage from the storms, the story said.

Episcopalians Contemplate Implications of Osama Bin Laden's Death
Celebratory Mood Viewed with Understanding, Concern

May 3, 2011 – As some people in the United States and elsewhere in the world took to the streets to celebrate the killing of Osama bin Laden May 1, Episcopalians began offering notes of caution and reflection to those reactions. "I am not sorry that Osama bin Laden is dead … But I don't celebrate his death, either," the Rev. Jay Emerson Johnson wrote on his blog. "That distinction, though subtle, is an important one for Christians who claim to be an ‘Easter people,'" Johnson wrote, noting that the al-Qaeda founder's death came one week after Christians marked Easter. "Easter celebrates God's decisive victory over death. We taint that celebration if we find anyone's death a cause for celebration and jubilation, and perhaps especially when that death is violent."

International News

Aid Urgently Needed for Victims of Post-Election Violence

April 30, 2011 – The team leader at the centre for Gospel Health and Development in Jos, Nigeria, has warned that blankets, mattresses and medical care are urgently needed for victims of post election violence in Jos. Ven. Noel Bewarang, who is also steering group member of the Anglican Communion's Anglican Alliance, undertook a needs assessment on Easter Monday at the camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) at Jos East local government area. He found about 3,000 people, mostly Christians, who had been attacked in Toro, Tilden Fulani and Magaman Gumau in Bauchi state. Risking his own safety to go into the affected communities, he saw homes destroyed by fire and speak to some of the people affected by the post election violence. "Based on our assessment, the victims are in dire need of blankets and mattresses as their houses were completely burnt," said Noel.

WCC General Secretary Calls for Peace Talks in Libya

May 5, 2011 – The power and political will being used in Libya to protect the safety and interests of the Libyan people "must be directed away from the use of armed force" and "channelled into negotiations to end the bloodshed" now consuming Libya, Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) said in a statement on 4 May. "We must also call attention to the many people who are bereaved, injured, giving care to the ever-increasing numbers of casualties, the displaced and all those at risk as a result of the ongoing conflicts and violence in Libya today," Tveit said. "May God be with them and save their lives." The general secretary's comments reflect a similar resolution released by the WCC Central Committee during their meetings earlier in February.

Historic Landmark Elections for European Baha'i Communities

May 4, 2011, LLIRIA, VALENCIA, Spain – Along with 10 other European countries, the Baha'is of Spain have elected their National Spiritual Assembly for the 50th time. Elections for national Baha'i institutions throughout the world take place at conventions during the 12-day festival of Ridvan, which begins each year on 21 April and ends on 2 May. As part of Spain's 50th national convention programme, delegates and visitors heard recollections of earlier elections from those who participated in them. Rouhollah Mehrabkhani – now 90 years old – arrived from Iran in the 1950s to help establish a Baha'i community in Spain. He was among the nine members elected to the first National Spiritual Assembly in 1962.

Bin Laden Death Calls for ‘Solemn Remembrance,' Says ELCA Presiding Bishop

May 2, 2011, CHICAGO – Responding to the May 1 news of Osama bin Laden's death, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), said bin Laden's death "is an occasion for solemn remembrance." Hanson addressed his May 2 statement to ELCA members. He focused his comments on those who died because of bin Laden's choices "of hatred and violence," and those who continue to mourn the deaths of loved ones. Hanson also said "joy finds its fullest and deepest expression not over a human death, but in God's promise to unite all things in heaven and on earth, to reconcile the human family and to bring God's reign of peace." The full text of the ELCA presiding bishop's statement:

Haiti Story of ELCA’s Ben Larson Inspires Choral, Orchestra Composition

May 6, 2011, CHICAGO – The story of Ben Splichal Larson, an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) seminary student who died in the Haiti earthquake, inspired "Peace Ascends," a choral and orchestra composition to be premiered May 8 in New York City. Ben sang "God's peace to us we pray" from under the rubble in his final moments after the earthquake hit, reported his wife, the Rev. Renee Splichal Larson, who was with him in Haiti. That story moved Dr. Stephen P. Johnson of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary School of Church Music, Fort Worth, Texas, who created the composition in response. A 125-voice choir and orchestra from the seminary will perform "Peace Ascends" at the Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall.

Middle East News

Worldwide Action for Peace in Palestine and Israel Coming up

May 2, 2011 As part of a week-long series of events to promote a just peace in Israel and Palestine, Palestinians and Israelis will be praying for peace in front of several Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, the separation wall and in houses of worship in Jerusalem and across Palestine. They will be part of a worldwide effort to affirm the human dignity and rights of all peoples through the World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel, an initiative of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum (PIEF) of the World Council of Churches (WCC), taking place from 29 May to 4 June 2011. The aim of the week for peace is to encourage concerned communities and individuals to make a common witness by participating in worship, educational events, and acts of advocacy in support of a just peace for Palestinians and Israelis. "With the Palestinian-Israeli peace process at a standstill, people of faith are increasingly searching for ways to express their support for a just and lasting peace for all in Palestine and Israel," says the Rev. John Calhoun, the convenor of the World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel."

People in the News

Bexley Hall Names Thomas Ferguson as New Dean

May 5, 2011 – The Rev. Thomas J. Ferguson, the Episcopal Church's ecumenical and interreligious relations officer, will become the dean of Bexley Hall, an Episcopal Church-affiliated seminary. The May 4 announcement said Ferguson will serve as chief academic officer and administrator of the Columbus, Ohio, school and will be responsible for the seminary's day-to-day operations, student learning, work of the faculty and stewardship of financial resources. He will succeed the Rev. William Doubleday, who has been the seminary's interim dean since June 2009 and who will retire at the end of this academic year. The Bexley community celebrated Doubleday's ministry at Bexley on May 3. Doubleday also had been Bexley's professor of pastoral theology since 2006.

Michael Girlinghouse Elected Bishop of ELCA Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod

May 3, 2011, CHICAGO – The Rev. Michael K. Girlinghouse was elected May 1 to a six-year term as bishop of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) at the synod assembly in Tulsa, Okla. Girlinghouse, 50, is pastor of University Lutheran Church and Student Center, Norman, Okla. He has served in that role since 2005 and has more than 20 years experience in campus ministry. Girlinghouse said that experience will be helpful in his new call. "I think I bring some wisdom about how to be more effective in our ministry with young adults," he said. "While we need to reach out to people across the age spectrum, the conspicuous absence of young adults in our churches makes reaching out to that age group particularly important."