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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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Religious Leaders Say Arms Trade Treaty must Regulate Ammunition July 20, 2012 – Christian leaders representing organizations of some 90 percent of the world's two billion Christians have issued a joint appeal to the 194 governments currently negotiating the first global Arms Trade Treaty: Keep ammunition in the treaty. Proposals on the negotiating table would ban arms sales for genocide, war crimes and grave human rights violations. Almost all of the 194 states involved recognize that the arms and ammunition most often used in these crimes must therefore be included in the treaty. Churches and their members witness the human costs of unlawful armed violence every day, as victims are brought to church hospitals and church graveyards in different parts of the world. Religion Has Played Role at Olympics since Days of Ancient Greece July 26, 2012 – A 600-foot footrace was the only athletic event at the first Olympics, a festival held in 776 B.C. and dedicated to Zeus, the chief Greek god. For the next millennium, reports Religion News Service, Greeks gathered every four years in Olympia to honor Zeus through sports, sacrifices and hymns. The five-day festival brought the Greek world together in devotion to one deity. What began in ancient Greece as a festival to honor a single god, Zeus, has now become an almost Olympian task, as organizers of the games navigate dozens of sacred fasts, religious rituals and holy days. The London Olympics will try to accommodate religious athletes with 193 chaplains, a prayer room in every venue and a multi-faith center in the Olympic Village. United Methodists Elect Bishops, Assigned for 2012-16 July 23, 2012 – United Methodists elected 11 new U.S. bishops and assigned many bishops to new areas during jurisdictional meetings July 18-21. The jurisdictional conferences gathered simultaneously in five regions of the United States with the primary purpose of electing and assigning bishops. The United Methodist Church has 46 active bishops overseeing more than 7 million U.S. members. The new assignments take effect Sept. 1. In coming months, United Methodists also will elect or re-elect bishops in Africa, Europe and the Philippines. The denomination has 13 million members worldwide. Pastor Mourns Friend Killed in Aurora Shooting July 25, 2012, AURORA, Colo. – For the Rev. Elizabeth Jackson, the sadness of losing a friend in the Colorado movie theater shootings has become a portion of her life's journey. Only three weeks into her appointment as the pastor of the Edgewater (Colo.) United Methodist Church, the tragedy also has added a different dimension to the get-acquainted period for her and her supportive congregation. "There's a beauty and a sorrow," she reflected. "While it (the loss) is not the identifying characteristic of what I am, it's a piece of who I am." About 35,000 ELCA Youth, Adults and Volunteers Build a Community of Love July 24, 2012, NEW ORLEANS – Dane Bakken wanted to know what it was like to haul a 25-pound jug of water on foot for 3.7 miles – the average for what a woman or girl in Africa will walk to bring clean water for her family. "You can read about (such statistics) as much as you want, but until you do it, that's what makes you realize just how hard that is. Otherwise, it's just numbers," said Bakken, a participant at the 2012 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) Youth Gathering in New Orleans, July 18-22. "Here (in the United States) most of us can go to the kitchen to get a glass of water. The same is not true for many around the world," Bakken said. July 25, 2012 – The seeming disconnect in some parts of the Episcopal Church between the theology and practice of admission to communion became newly apparent to the Rev. Canon Beth Wickenberg Ely on a recent Sunday morning. Ely, canon for regional ministry in North Carolina, who was presiding at St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Charlotte, had to consult her notes to remind herself exactly how to describe who was welcome to receive communion. Washington National Cathedral Hosts AIDS Memorial Service July 23, 2012 – Washington National Cathedral hosted a gathering of more than 850 individuals from many faith traditions on July 21 for "From Darkness to Light," an evening service to memorialize those lost to AIDS and uphold a spirit of hope and commitment during the NAMES Project Foundation's 25th anniversary display of the AIDS Memorial Quilt in Washington, D.C. Nine 12-foot select blocks from the quilt, the world's largest living memorial, were on display throughout the nave, with two blocks hanging from the north and south balconies. Batalá Washington, D.C., a band of Afro-Brazilian samba-reggae percussionists, provided a lively welcome to attendees arriving outside the cathedral. Light Shines in the Darkness of Theater Massacre July 23, 2012 – In the midst of America's worst mass shooting, there were glimmers of goodness in the midst of a cold, calculating evil. As the body-armor clad killer methodically shot his way through the Century 16 theater in Aurora, Colorado, some showed the best of what humanity is capable of even amid the carnage. Patricia Legarretta cried out "My kids!" As chaos swirled around, 19-year-old Jarell Brooks saw the mother holding her two children between rows. Brooks helped her get to the aisle and pushed her ahead through an exit door. He walks on crutches now, recovering from a bullet wound in his leg. Los Líderes Religiosos Solicitan Que El Tratado Sobre 24 julio 2012 – Los líderes de organizaciones cristianas internacionales en las que están representadas un 90% de las confesiones religiosas de los dos millardos de cristianos del mundo han realizado una petición conjunta a los 194 gobiernos de los estados que están negociando actualmente los términos del primer tratado internacional sobre el comercio de las armas para que se incluya un reglamento sobre las municiones en el tratado. Llega Caravana Pastores Por La Paz Bajo El Lema De "Nuestra Licencia Es El Amor" 24 julio 2012, LA HABANA, Cuba – Bajo el lema de "Nuestra licencia es el Amor," referido a la autorización que debe dar las oficinas del Tesoro de los Estados Unidos, tanto para viajar a Cuba como para importar insumos a partir del bloqueo norteamericano impuesto a la Isla, arribó este sábado la Caravana de Pastores por la Paz a esta capital, burlando dicha ley por la veintitresava ocasión al traer más de 100 toneladas de ayuda humanitaria y demostrar, una vez más, que la solidaridad de los pueblos está por encima de cualquier política hegemónica. El CMI Invita a Las Iglesias a Celebrar El Día Internacional De Oración Por La Paz 22 julio 2012 – El Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) invita a las iglesias y congregaciones de todo el mundo a celebrar el Día Internacional de Oración por la Paz el 21 de septiembre. Este día coincide con el Día Internacional de la Paz de las Naciones Unidas. El CMI invita en particular a los participantes a orar y trabajar juntos por una paz justa dentro de sus comunidades, países, y en el mundo. Se compartirán oraciones de los distintos lugares del mundo a través de plataformas en línea como Facebook y Twitter. 26 julio 2012 – La Iglesia de la Provincia del África del Sur será conducida, por primera vez, por una obispa, de Suazilandia. Ellinah Ntombi Wamukoya, de 61 años, fue electa para el cargo, el 18 de este mes. Sucederá al obispo Meshack Mabuza. Wamukoya es capellana de la Universidad de Suazilandia, en Manzini, donde también presta servicios como secretaria municipal. Ella es la 24ª obispa mujer electa en la Comunión Anglicana. El CMI Abre El Plazo De Presentación De Candidaturas Para El Programa Del "Madang" 24 julio 2012 – El Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) ha abierto el plazo para la presentación de candidaturas para talleres, exhibiciones y eventos paralelos para la próxima X Asamblea que tendrá lugar en Busán (Corea). Las candidaturas podrán presentarse hasta el 31 de octubre de 2012. La asamblea del CMI tendrá lugar del 30 de octubre al 8 de noviembre de 2013 y llevará por tema "Dios de vida, condúcenos a la justicia y la paz." El Metodismo Mexicano Se Pronuncia Por Las Denuncias De Fraude Electoral 23 julio 2012, CIUDAD DE MÉXICO – La conferencia anual de la Iglesia Metodista de México, emitió una declaración a través de su Obispo Juan P. Morales exigiendo la transparencia total de los comicios presidenciales del pasado 1 de julio y condenando la manipulación de información, las expresiones violentas y todo abuso a los que menos tienen con fines electorales. La declaración se pronuncia "en contra de toda imposición que violente la voluntad popular" y propone "crear espacios de reflexión permanente, mediante el diálogo y la lectura comunitaria de la Biblia" Paraguayan President Faces Impeachment July 24, 2012 – Paraguay's Senate will decide on Friday whether to oust President Fernando Lugo in a lightning-quick impeachment trial that he said was tantamount to a coup. Here are some facts about Lugo, a former Roman Catholic bishop who took office in August 2008 for a five-year term: Pontifical Catholic University of Peru July 21, 2012, VATICAN CITY – The Vatican has stripped the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, one of the most prominent centres of learning in Latin America, of its right to continue calling itself a Catholic or pontifical university, saying it had damaged the interests of the Church. The university in the Peruvian capital, Lima, was founded in 1917 and has been identified with liberal, progressive thinking for decades. Gustavo Gutierrez, the priest considered the founder of the Liberation Theology movement, taught there for years. Peruvian President Ollanta Humala and former President Alan Garcia are both graduates. NEW ZEALAND: Milestone for Christchurch's Transitional Cathedral July 23, 2012 – Christchurch's Transitional Cathedral moves closer to reality this Tuesday as contractors prepare to lay the foundations by Latimer Square. If all goes to plan, the building should be completed by Christmas. Construction company Naylor Love has been contracted for the build after many months of discussions. Methodists Join in Olympic Dreams July 27, 2012, LONDON – When I was 11, my parents left my brothers and me at home in St. Petersburg, Fla., in the care of a babysitter, while they attended the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. They brought back an official Olympic rings lapel pin and wonderful stories that made me determined to go to an Olympic games one day. Forty-four years later, I'm on my way to London, having secured tickets for basketball and BMX bike competitions through the United Kingdom's 2012 Olympic ticket lottery. And this time, my British husband and teenage son are going with me. UNRWA Extends Funding for Six Months to Gaza's Ahli Arab Hospital July 26, 2012 – The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has offered to extend funding support for the Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza for six months, allowing the hospital to honor its financial obligations and retain its staff until the end of 2012. On June 1, UNRWA announced it would no longer fund the hospital, which provides primary and emergency health care to the almost exclusively Muslim population in Gaza. The decision cut the hospital's budget by approximately $1 million per year, or nearly half. Bishop Suheil Dawani said in a press release that the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, which runs the hospital, is "absolutely committed" to keeping the institution open, "as it is the only Christian hospital in the Gaza Strip, … [but] we know that we need to move quickly to help the hospital transition to a different model, so that it is not financially dependent on UNRWA from 2013 and so that donors can have confidence to continue to invest in equipment and programs." WCC Mourns the Death of Indigenous Theologian Maria Chavez July 26, 2012 – Renowned biblical scholar and consultant for the Indigenous Peoples programme at the World Council of Churches (WCC) Maria Chavez Quispe passed away on 24 July in Liestal, Switzerland. Coming from the Methodist Church of Bolivia, Chavez was a committed advocate for inclusive communities. She fought a long battle with cancer. The WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit expressed deep sadness over Chavez passing away. In his tribute to Chavez, he admired her contribution to the WCC and ecumenical movement. "Maria was born in Bolivia in La Paz, which means peace. |
