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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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Churches to Accompany Communities Displaced by Climate Change May 25, 2012 – To address the impact of displacements induced by climate change, participants from ecumenical, non-governmental and international organizations, as well as churches, gathered in Bossey, Switzerland, from 22 to 23 May in a World Council of Churches (WCC) conference. The conference, focusing on the theme "Climate change-induced displacement: What is at stake?" was organized by the WCC programme on Climate Change, in partnership with the Pacific Council of Churches and the German development agency Bread for the World. Communication Can Lead to Change, Says South Korean Ecumenist May 25, 2012 – Byun Chang-bae knows a persuasive message can change minds. In 1980, Byun, a Buddhist student of philosophy, encountered young South Korean Christians calling for a return to democracy following the assassination of the dictator, Park Chung-hee. "I had been working for the very government these Christian students were criticizing," Byun recalls. "At first I argued with them. Then I began to see that they were right to be demanding democracy." Byun joined the Christian student group, working with them for eight years to spread the call for democracy via banners, posters, newsletters and statements, all produced clandestinely as the government controlled the media and had clamped down on dissent. A World Without Faith Would Be a Disaster, Says Tony Blair May 23, 2012 – Tony Blair has said at a conference in the Royal Albert Hall that a world without faith would be a disaster. In an interview in front of more than 4,300 people at an Anglican conference Mr Blair also revealed that he had once been rebuked by an official for proposing to end a speech with the words: "God bless Britain." Mr Blair, a former Anglican who became a Catholic in 2007 – less than a year after he stepped down as prime minister – said that faith was vital because it introduced the virtue of humility into societies. "What is the essence of our faith besides all the things we believe, certainly as Christians, about Jesus Christ and his place in our lives?" he asked. Message of the Presidents of the WCC at Pentecost 2012 May 21, 2012 – The days following the resurrection must have been mystifying and frightening to the followers of Jesus. Some of them had actually seen the risen Christ – in the upper room, on the road to Emmaus, even touched his wounds and shared a piece of fish. Now they found themselves all together in a room, waiting. It can't have been easy for them, crowded into a small space, wondering what it was that they were waiting for and what was going to be expected of them now. Then came the wind, the tongues of fire and the speaking of many languages. Watching from the outside in, the crowd on the street asked the question, "What does this mean?" But even some of the followers of Jesus, who had seen many miracles and had heard the Son of God first-hand, may have echoed that question, "What does this mean?" Johan Galtung: Religions Have Potential for Peace May 24, 2012 – Religious insights can offer immense resources for peacemaking, Professor Johan Galtung, a pioneer in the discipline of peace studies, has said in a lecture at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva. Galtung, 81, was born in Norway and founded the Peace Research Institute Oslo in 1959. This has been described as the world's first academic centre devoted to peace studies. Since then he has acted a mediator in many international conflicts, and is known for developing the idea of "structural violence." "Religions are enormous reservoirs of experience," Galtung said in his 22 May lecture sponsored by the World Council of Churches, Globethics.net, and the Galtung Institute for Peace Theory and Peace Practice. Philippines Archbishop: May 24, 2012 – The Obispo Maximo, or Supreme Bishop, of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) has made an appeal for better communication and information sharing between Anglican/Episcopal Churches around the world. On a visit to the Anglican Communion Office, the Most Reverend Ephraim Fajutagana said he greatly values learning about what other National Churches and Provinces are doing around the globe, and said more collaboration, sharing and co-operation could only improve the work of the church. "What is a problem in the Philippines, poverty for example, is not only a problem in the Philippines, it is a worldwide issue. Human trafficking is not only a problem in the Philippines, but also a problem elsewhere in the world, here in the UK as well. British Support Queen Elizabeth's Role as ‘Defender of Faith May 24, 2012 – As Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Diamond Jubilee, which marks her 60-year anniversary as head of the British monarchy, a poll has found that most British people agree that she should continue to have an important faith role in the country. Around 73 percent of respondents to a poll conducted by Comres agreed that the queen should keep her title as "Defender of the Faith," which was first given to Henry VIII. The title makes her the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, making her formally superior to the Archbishop of Canterbury. In Connecticut, Barbara Campbell Named First ‘Diocesan Poet' May 21, 2012 – Barbara Campbell of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in New Britain has been invited by the bishops in the Diocese of Connecticut to be the first "Diocesan Poet." But don't think of this as some stuffy, distant appointment. "We invited Barbara to tap into our inner poet and claim a creative expression of our faith," said Bishop Suffragan Laura J. Ahrens, who took the lead on this effort. "By calling her ‘Diocesan Poet' we hope she'll help all of us, as a diocese, to claim our collective poetic voices," she said. Tutu, Jefferts Schori Discuss Mission in the Church May 21, 2012, WASHINGTON – Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town Desmond Tutu shared a personal story from his childhood during a mission-focused conversation May 19 at Washington National Cathedral, a story that has stuck with him for more than 70 years. The 30-minute, live webcast conversation between Tutu and Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori was moderated by David Crabtree, a news anchor at WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina, and a deacon in the Diocese of North Carolina. Tutu told a story about his mother, a poorly educated domestic worker, who cooked and cleaned for blind, black women during an age in South Africa "when blacks were ‘inferior,' or so they were told," he said, adding that on this particular day, when he was 8 or 9 years old, he was standing with his mother at her place of work. Finding God in Unexpected Places May 22, 2012 – In my work for The United Methodist Church, I expect to run into people who are willing to share their faith. But sometimes, I encounter God in the most unexpected ways. Even as the weather gets warmer in my hometown, my thoughts keep going back to an experience I had this winter. The mountains were white with snow. The airport was full of happy vacationers off to ski the slopes or sit in the lodge heated by the warmth of the fire. Survey Finds Clergy's Worries Add on Pounds May 23, 2012 – One of the biggest health risks United Methodist clergy face boils down to one word: stress. Too many church potlucks, pizza-delivery nights and meals on the run are not helping. Those are two implications of a study of clergy physical, emotional and spiritual health released this month by the Center for Health at the United Methodist Board of Pension and Health Benefits. Volunteers Change World in 1,500 Places May 23, 2012 – How many United Methodists does it take to change a light bulb? Probably just one. However, when it comes to changing the world, United Methodists proved, once again, the more the merrier! On the third annual Change the World Weekend, May 19-20, United Methodists in more than 1,500 locations around the globe ventured beyond the walls of their church buildings, got involved in their communities and participated in a global push to fight malaria. Folks in the Philippines got the ball rolling. Valora Benedicto XVI Compromiso De Obispos Estadounidenses 23 mayo 2012, EL VATICANO – De "gran generosidad" calificó Benedicto VVI a los católicos de Estados Unidos que acogen a los nuevos inmigrantes, en declaraciones recientes, a la vez que respaldó el compromiso de los obispos estadounidenses con una reforma migratoria más humana y menos injusta que la actual. Mensaje De Los Presidentes Del CMI En Pentecostés De 2012 "Todos ellos estaban atónitos y perplejos, y se decían unos a otros: "¿Y esto qué significa?" –Hechos 2:12 Los días posteriores a la resurrección deben de haber sido estremecedores y difíciles de comprender para los seguidores de Jesús. De hecho, algunos de ellos habían visto al Cristo resucitado, en el aposento alto, en el camino a Emaús, e incluso habían tocado sus heridas y compartido una parte de pescado. Iglesias Y Organizaciones Apoyan a Personas Con VIH/SIDA 24 mayo 2012, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Diversas asociaciones e iglesias, así como el Consejo Latinoamericano de Iglesias (CLAI), capítulo Nicaragua, se pronunciaron esta semana en solidaridad con las personas que conviven con el VIH/Sida, apoyándolas en sus demandas de atención sin discriminación por parte de las autoridades de salud, así como que se les proporcione empleo. VIH/SIDA, Principal Causa De Muerte 21 mayo 2012 – La principal causa de muerte en esta isla caribeña es el VIH/Sida, cuando más de 200 mil personas padecen la enfermedad, reveló, este fin de semana que concluye, el Ministerio de Salud Pública de este país. Gabriel Timothée, titular de esa cartera gubernamental, explicó que la pandemia también incide en la tasa de mortalidad infantil, en tanto la cifra de menores contagiados con el virus aumenta considerablemente y, al menos, unos 25 mil niños quedaron huérfanos por la misma causa de este padecimiento, aunque reconoció ciertos avances en la comprensión generalizada sobre los riesgos de la enfermedad y mejoras en el comportamiento responsable de las personas infectadas. CLAI Realiza Consulta Continental Sobre Iglesia Y Los Derechos Sexuales Y Reproductivos 21 mayo 2012, QUITO, Ecuador – Durante ese año, el Consejo Latinoamericano de Iglesias-CLAI y el Fondo de Población de las Naciones Unidas-UNFPA están desarollando la Consulta Continental sobre Iglesias y los Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos de cara a la Asamblea del Consejo que se realizará en febrero próximo en Cuba. Interfaith Supporters of Farmworkers Rally in Albany May 22, 2012 – Fifteen years ago Rural & Migrant Ministry began advocating for New York's farmworkers with the goal that the state's labor laws be modified to extend basic labor rights and protections to the men and women who work in the fields, the orchards and the food-processing plants that comprise the state's $3 to 4 billion agricultural sector. On May 21, RMM organized an interfaith delegation of more than 100 civil rights advocates, clergy and farmworkers from across the state – some traveling more than four hours one way by bus – to descend on Albany for "Farmworker Day," to once again to ask legislators – mainly senators – to pass the Farmworkers Fair Labor Act. If passed, the law would grant farmworkers a day of rest, overtime pay and workers' compensation, collective bargaining rights, and would extend public health sanitary codes to migrant worker's camps. ELCA Synod Bishop Says Hope Remains in Tornado-Ravaged Town May 22, 2012, CHICAGO – Although there are still signs of devastation one year later throughout Joplin, Mo., hope remains, said the Rev. Gerald L. Mansholt, bishop of the Central States Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The United States' deadliest tornado in six decades struck Joplin in the afternoon of May 22, 2011. Thousands of homes, businesses and church buildings were reduced to rubble, including Peace Lutheran Church, an ELCA congregation there. "Joplin is a place of hope and healing," said Mansholt. "It's a community where people have pulled together. The Christian community has been a great source of comfort and encouragement through their own witness and service and in helping the community of Joplin to rebuild." EDF Grants Support Disaster Rebuilding in Alabama, Food Crisis in Africa May 24, 2012, ELGIN, IL – Brethren Disaster Ministries has received an Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) grant for $17,000 to continue its work in Arab, Ala., following an EF 4 tornado that hit the town on April 27 last year. In another recent EDF grant, $8,000 has been given to aid food security in the Sahel region of north Africa. In other news from Brethren Disaster Ministries, associate director Zach Wolgemuth has been elected to the board of National VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster). At the rebuilding project site in Alabama, in the area of Arab, more than 200 volunteers have given more than 1,400 days of service to build two new homes and repair 20 others. May 22, 2012 – Delegates and visitors to the 2012 United Methodist General Conference had the opportunity to step away from their regular business and broaden their perspectives on the issue of poverty. From May 1 to 4, a poverty-immersion experience took place in a Tampa Convention Center ballroom. For two hours, participants took on the role of a low-income person through the looking glass of one month in that person's life. The simulation was sponsored by the Board of Global Ministries and the Rural and Urban Network and offered by the nonprofit Think Tank Inc., in partnership with The United Methodist Church. Brethren World Assembly Planned for July 2013 May 24, 2012, ELGIN, IL – A Brethren World Assembly, consisting of constituents and friends of the Brethren groups descended from the German Anabaptist/Radical Pietist religious leader Alexander Mack in the early 1700s, will be held in the Dayton, Ohio, area Thursday-Sunday, July 11-14, 2013. The meetings will be hosted by the Brethren Heritage Center in Brookville, Ohio, with evening worship services at Salem Church of the Brethren and Brookville Grace Brethren Church. Back Again at the Reception Center May 25, 2012, KAKUMA, Kenya/GENEVA – Violence along the border between Sudan and South Sudan over territorial control and resources, and clashes between communities during cattle raids in the newly independent South are bringing back hundreds of families to a refugee camp in neighboring Kenya, where they lived several years ago. The growing numbers are putting pressure on already strained services at the Kakuma refugee camp in northwestern Kenya, according to humanitarian organizations providing services there, including The Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Christian and Muslim Leaders Visit Nigeria May 25, 2012 – An inter-religious delegation of senior Muslim and Christian leaders has begun a fact-finding visit to Nigeria on 22 May, where in recent months an increase in violence has threatened relations between the two religious communities in Northern Nigeria. The delegation is being led by Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), and Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad of Jordan, chairman of the Royal Aal Al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought. In addition to investigating first-hand the situation and factors in the present tensions, the delegation by its presence is expressing to the political and religious leaders in Nigeria the concerns of the international community about the violence. May 25, 2012 – The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) member churches in Latin America and the Caribbean affirmed that their continuing commitment to environmental justice is integral to the Lutheran identity. At the 23-27 April regional Church Leadership Conference (COL) in Florianopolis, Brazil, under the theme "Rereading our Common and Unique Lutheran Identity in Latin America and the Caribbean," they pledged to work ecumenically and with civil society. "Together with our sisters and brothers living in vulnerable conditions and suffering the effects of climate change, we propose alternatives to advocate and support models that build sustainable life for everyone," they said in a final message. WCC General Secretary Visits Romanian Member Churches May 21, 2012 – Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), began a five-day visit to the WCC member churches in Romania with a consultation on 16 May at the patriarchal residence in Bucharest. He met with Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church and other leaders from the Orthodox churches. On 18 and 19 May, Tveit continued his trip with visits to Sibiu, where he met leaders of the Lutheran Church of the Augsburg Confession in Romania, and to Cluj, where he was received by leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Romania and Reformed Church in Romania. "The position of the churches in Romania is a very strong one. The Swiss Church in London Celebrates 250th Anniversary May 22, 2012 – The Swiss Church in London celebrated its 250th anniversary Sunday with a multi-lingual service in the presence of Switzerland's ambassador to the United Kingdom, Anton Thalmann. The service is one of a series of celebrations scheduled for 2012 to mark the founding of the congregation in 1762 by immigrants from the French-speaking region of Switzerland. "This church offers a spiritual home to the Swiss community," Gottfried Locher, president of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches, told the congregation in a sermon delivered at the anniversary service. "It is a special place for Swiss and others who like a multi-lingual, multi-cultural experience." May 25, 2012, JERUSALEM/GENEVA – The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) President Bishop Dr Munib A. Younan thanked Kurt Cardinal Koch for the common work between Lutherans and Roman Catholics, when the Vatican official visited the LWF offices on the Mount of Olives, East Jerusalem. During the 24 May meeting with Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU), Younan said the 45 years of bilateral discussions between the LWF and the PCPCU had resulted in productive dialogue "in our continued search for Christian unity." The LWF president urged that in the time ahead, both partners "jointly lift up what we have achieved together in our patient, hard and hopeful work, and point together gratefully to all the agreements we have reached." |
