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Rev. N. J. L'Heureux, Jr., Publisher & Editor
Rev. Pedro Bravo-Guzman, Editor-in-Chief
An Ecumenical Report of Local and Global News
in God's Household
Published by the Queens Federation of Churches
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January 11, 2012, WASHINGTON – In a unanimous decision today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a First Amendment doctrine that bars most employment discrimination lawsuits by ministerial personnel against their employers applies in a dispute between a church-run school and a former teacher commissioned by the church. Baptist Joint Committee General Counsel K. Hollyn Hollman commended the ruling. "It is a helpful decision explaining the important and unique way that the Constitution protects religious organizations in matters of internal governance," she said. While widely accepted by lower courts, the "ministerial exception" had not been explicitly recognized by the High Court until today. Black Leaders Talk about Church Changes January 9, 2012, LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Proposals for change across the denomination drove the discussion at a gathering of African-American church leaders from the South Central Jurisdiction. The main question that had United Methodists talking at the November gathering was: "How does the Call to Action affect African-American churches?" The Call to Action is an effort initiated by the Council of Bishops and Connectional Table with the charge to help The United Methodist Church better fulfill its mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. The denomination's Connectional Table has submitted legislation to the 2012 General Conference that, if passed, would consolidate agencies and allow the redistribution of up to $60 million in general church funds. Keeping the Dream: Episcopalians Honor Martin Luther King Jr. Through Service and Song January 13, 2012 – Episcopalians across the nation are bolstering their Jan. 16 celebrations of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by adding deeds to words, service to song. A day camp at St. John's Church in North Haven, Connecticut, aims to illustrate for young and old that Jan. 16 is no ordinary holiday, but an opportunity to pair fun and games with community reflection, collaboration and service. In Savannah, Georgia, laity and clergy, children and adults alike, will march as the St. Matthew's Episcopal Church choir joins those from other churches to belt out gospel tunes from atop a parade float. January 12, 2012, ELGIN, IL – Government regulations, basic operations and compliance tips, and the potential impact of health care reform will be examined at an interdenominational tax and benefits workshop titled "Best Financial Practices for Your Congregation: Accountability, Transparency, and Integrity" on Saturday, Feb. 4, in Kansas City, Mo. The event, co-sponsored by Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT), is designed for pastors, church treasurers, financial secretaries, stewardship and finance committee members, and others involved with church finances. Breadfruit Flour Effort Aims to Enrich Haiti January 12, 2012 – Eighty-nine-year-old Hank Garwick has a heart for mission work. He has made 21 trips to India and 19 trips to Haiti. For more than a decade, Garwick has been the driving force behind a project of the Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church in Minneapolis, a congregation that helps find sustainable ways to feed people who do not know where they will get their next meal. Members of Hennepin Avenue Church maintain partnerships with congregations in Russia, India, Africa and Haiti. The range of outreach projects includes training rural farmers, feeding schoolchildren and helping agricultural engineers gain advanced degrees. Iglesia Católica Espera Diálogo Pero No Asiste a Toma De Posesión 13 enero 2012, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Este año que se inicia la Iglesia Católica espera lograr un contacto directo con el presidente Daniel Ortega y también que el nuevo Gobierno formule y aplique políticas públicas encaminadas a resolver de raíz los problemas del desempleo, inseguridad ciudadana y más acceso a la salud y educación, dijo el obispo Jorge Solórzano de la Diócesis de Granada, esta semana, aunque como institución no asistió a la toma de posesión del mandatario. Catedral Presbiteriana Llega a Sus 150 Años 12 enero 2012, RÍO DE JANEIRO, Brasil – La catedral presbiteriana de Río de Janeiro completará 150 años este 12 de enero, cuando la congregación local, en un culto festivo, celebrará el momento histórico con el lanzamiento de medallas y sellos conmemorativos de ese sesquicentenario, seguido de un concierto gospel. La Educación Metodista Pierde a Elias Boaventura 10 enero 2012, BRASIL – Fue sepultado el domingo por la tarde, en esta ciudad, el cuerpo del profesor Elias Boaventura, de 74 años, que falleció el sábado, 7, en el Hospital Santa Isabel, donde estaba internado desde el día 19 de diciembre por causa de un accidente cerebro vascular. "Él luchó hasta el fin. Es una gran pérdida. 12 enero 2012, COLONIA, Uruguay – El sábado 7 de enero comenzó en Colonia Cosmopolita, departamento de Colonia, Uruguay, el encuentro asamblea anual rioplatense de jóvenes valdenses. Se extenderá hasta el sábado 14. La instancia, que en esta edición convoca a algo más de setenta jóvenes, significa un momento importante del trabajo del movimiento juvenil. El Vaticano Mandó Silenciar Una Obra Sobre Sexualidad Escrita Por Un Pastor Metodista 13 enero 2012, BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – El Vaticano mandó silenciar una obra sobre sexualidad y sobre la diversidad de las familias escrita por un pastor metodista. El prefecto de la actual Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe, el cardenal norteamericano William Levada, envió el pasado 5 de noviembre una carta a la editorial católica argentina San Pablo en la que le advertía de que uno de sus libros, escrito por un pastor evangélico, contenía "opiniones contrarias a la doctrina de la Iglesia acerca de la sexualidad" y pedía "remediar cuanto antes tal situación, que es causa de confusión entre los fieles." Debate Highlights Dangerous Escalation of Religious Persecution in Iran January 13, 2012, LONDON – Members of Parliament here have sharply criticized Iran for its human rights violations, focusing especially on the "steep rise" in the persecution of religious minorities. In a debate held at Westminster Hall on Wednesday 11 January, MPs highlighted the fact that virtually every religious minority in Iran is now facing oppression. Some 19 MPs, representing the UK's three major parties, participated in the debate. Virginia Court Tells Breakaway Congregations to Return Property January 11, 2012 – A Fairfax County, Virginia, court has told seven breakaway congregations that they must return control of church property to the Diocese of Virginia and the Episcopal Church. The majority of members and clergy of those parishes left to form congregations of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA), which the Anglican Province of Nigeria began in 2005. The departing members of those congregations then filed claims to parish property under Virginia law. Judge Randy I. Bellows said in a letter opinion issued late on Jan. 10 that the diocese and the Episcopal Church "have a contractual and proprietary interest in the property of these Episcopal churches" and added that while congregations "had an absolute right to depart from [the Episcopal Church] and the diocese, they had no right to take these seven Episcopal churches with them." Abbot of Mount Athos Arrested January 14, 2012, RUSSIA / GREECE – Abbot Ephrem is under arrest since 24 December after his return from the tour in Russia, with the relic of the Virgin's belt. Moscow denounces judicial persecution, but he is a controversial figure who has made various attempts to distance himself from Constantinople. European Union pressure on Greece, the economic and political ambitions of a "hyperactive" monk and the expansionist ambitions of the Moscow Patriarchate on Mount Athos. These are some of the conclusions drawn over the last two weeks, by the media, analysts and churchmen in an attempt to explain the arrest of Hegumen Ephraim, abbot of the Vatopedi monastery. January 13, 2012, NAIROBI, Kenya/GENEVA – The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is delivering humanitarian assistance to thousands of people displaced in inter-ethnic fighting in Jonglei State in South Sudan. Since the start of the latest round of violence on 23 December, the LWF has been working with United Nations teams and other ACT Alliance members Norwegian Church Aid and the Sudan Council of Churches to launch a coordinated response to help the nearly 30,000 people displaced by the crisis. "It is extremely difficult to reach these people as there are virtually no roads or airstrips. They will be lacking even in the most basic supplies and services," said Arie Den Toom, the LWF South Sudan country representative. Church of the Brethren Marks Second Anniversary of Haiti's Earthquake January 12, 2012, ELGIN, IL – The Church of the Brethren this week is remembering the earthquake that devastated the Caribbean island nation in early 2010. Today, Jan. 12, is the second anniversary of the earthquake. The powerful 7.0 earthquake hit at 4:53 p.m. on a weekday afternoon. Its epicenter was Léogâne, a town 15 miles from the capital city Port-au-Prince. It caused the deaths of as many as 200,000 and more people, with thousands more injured. There were numerous aftershocks, as well as the aftereffects of injuries, illness, homelessness, lack of sanitation, and other privations that caused yet more deaths. Two Chinese Bishop Martyrs Recognised as `Illustrious Unknown' for 2011 January 14, 2012, CHINA / VATICAN – Mgr James Su Zhimin, 80, has done 40 years in prison; Mgr Cosma Shi Enxiang, 90, has spent 50 years. No one talks about them whilst the Chinese government says it "does not know where they are." Many fear they might die under torture as other bishops have done before. The Vatican should demand their release as a condition for dialogue. A campaign is launched on their behalf in 2012. At the end of the year, many magazines and Websites publish a list of people who made the news in 2011 one way or the other. Only 1% of Orthodox Actively Involved in Parish Life January 14, 2012, MOSCOW, Russia – Despite the so-called spiritual revival in Russia, only 1% of committed believers are "active" in the life of the parishes. This was revealed by a survey by Sreda polling agency. The topic is of great importance for the Moscow Patriarchate. Patriarch Kirill has said recently that the very vibrant and active community organization of the territory is one of the main objectives to be achieved in the near future. According to the survey, 15% of Russians call themselves Orthodox, attend their parishes, but of these only 1% is engaged in an active way. January 12, 2012, GENEVA – The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has strongly condemned the increasing wave of violence against citizens and places of worship in Nigeria, expressing its deep concern that such attacks undermine community co-existence and the expression of religious freedom. "These heinous activities must be rejected by people of all religious convictions, civil society organizations and political groups," said LWF General Secretary Rev. Martin Junge in a 12 January statement. Since Christmas, dozens have been killed in attacks apparently by the Boko Haram Islamist group, according to media reports. CRWRC Provides Steady Assistance in Haiti Earthquake Recovery January 12, 2012 – Two years after the catastrophic earthquake of 2010 shook the heart of Haiti, the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee is working consistently to help those who were hardest hit recover. Last month, CRWRC completed construction on the 2,500th home built in Leogane, near the epicenter of the quake, providing shelter and security to another, still homeless family. "CRWRC's response to the earthquake of January 12, 2010, has been broad and complex," says Ken Little, CRWRC Senior Project Manager for International Disaster Response, "but our approach has always been to help rebuild the poorest families and communities whose lives were torn apart." A Reflection on the Haiti Earthquake: Two Years of Recovery January 12, 2012, ELGIN, IL – Roy Winter is associate executive director of Global Mission and Service for the Church of the Brethren and director of Brethren Disaster Ministries. He provided the following personal reflection to mark the second anniversary of the earthquake: "When I learned of the terrible earthquake in Haiti my mind started racing, while my voice trembled and emotions peaked. I searched the Internet, e-mails, and news for more information. My heart wept as I thought of the fledgling Church of the Brethren in Haiti, some members whom I had the pleasure to work with. |
