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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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WCC Affirms Appeal for Peace in Syria from Patriarch Ignatius July 31, 2012 – The World Council of Churches (WCC) has expressed appreciation for an appeal from the primate of the Antiochian Greek Orthodox Church, who has called upon all Syrians to "work together in order to achieve peace and stability in Syria." In his message, Patriarch Ignatius IV of Antioch and All the East said that "countless numbers of Christians and Muslims are victims of the violence; the hospitals are full with injuries, and the pain is endless. Syrians, in spite of their religious backgrounds, have the right to live in their country with pride and dignity." A Dark Picture of Religious Freedom in Iran August 2, 2012, WASHINGTON – In a report released Monday, the United States painted a dark picture of religious freedom in Iran, documenting how the government there oppresses the followers of virtually every religious minority in the country, restricting their religious activities, limiting their economic prospects, and imprisoning them when they tell others about their beliefs. "Government rhetoric and actions created a threatening atmosphere for nearly all non-Shia religious groups, most notably for Baha'is, as well as for Sufi Muslims, evangelical Christians, Jews, and Shia groups that did not share the government's official religious views," said the 2011 annual US Department of State's report on International Religious Freedom in its section on Iran. Churches Hope Arms Trade Treaty Process Will Continue with Renewed Commitment July 28, 2012 – Following delay in the proposed adoption of a global Arms Trade Treaty after four weeks of negotiations at the United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty in New York, the World Council of Churches (WCC) expressed concern for "people and communities waiting for protection from the unregulated arms trade." Having started on 2 July, the UN Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty concluded yesterday. The negotiations on an arms trade treaty have been called off after governments were not able to reach agreement on international regulation of arms exports. "God Wants Me to Live a Positive Life" July 30, 2012, WASHINGTON, DC/GENEVA – Drums thunder and cheers soar to the ceiling of the Washington, DC, convention center, where a teeth-rattling, youth-led percussion jam gets underway at AIDS 2012. It's one in the afternoon in the conference's immense Global Village, an aircraft hanger-like hall whose acres of booths and banners hum with chatter and motion. Youth bring the buzz to this conference hall, and among the thousands of activists, leaders, and educators are Lutherans from all over the world. They are part of the throng of 20,000 that descended on Washington D.C. 22-27 July for this, the biggest global event dedicated to "turning the tide" against HIV. Presiding Bishop's Message to the Church on General Convention August 3, 2012 – We emerge with abundant hope, better discipline for working together and with partners beyond this Church, for our fundamental reason for being – engagement with God's mission," Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori states in her Aug. 3 message to the church about the 77th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, held in July in Indianapolis, Indianapolis. VBS Programs Keep up with Times August 3, 2012 – For decades, vacation Bible school has been a staple of summer programming for local churches. Not only does it keep the church bustling at a time when attendance traditionally decreases, it also fills a niche in the community by providing God-centered fun for children who might never set a foot inside a Sunday school door. Every year volunteers who help make the thousands of activities happen learn something new to remember for next year. Here is a look at some of the ideas and activities from 2012 that churches can replicate next year. 2011 Numbers Show U.S. Members Still Sliding August 2, 2012 – The United Methodist Church saw a reduction of at least 71,971 U.S. members in 2011. Put another way, the denomination in the United States lost in one year roughly the equivalent of the Minnesota Annual (regional) Conference and Red Bird Missionary Conference combined. This snapshot comes from reports from 55 of the 59 U.S. conferences, which followed spring and summer annual conference gatherings. The vast majority disclosed declines between 2010 and 2011 in membership, worship attendance or church-school participation – three commonly used metrics for charting disciple-making. Chicago Church Puts Faith into Action August 1, 2012 – The Rev. Robert Biekman has a way of simplifying complex issues. He is even known as Pastor B. – just one example of his preference for keeping things simple and to the point. For five years, he has served as senior pastor of Chicago's Southlawn United Methodist Church on the city's South Side. For five years, Biekman has taken a hands-on approach to dealing with the many social issues endangering his church's neighborhood. His dedication links directly to his theology. "John Wesley said that the world is my parish," Biekman explained. "And if you think about the world as our parish, then we need to begin in the neighborhood." Women in Inter-Religious Dialogue in Indonesia July 31, 2012 – "As women, we have a bond that helps us to engage in interfaith dialogue at the grassroots level in communities. Together we can identify the issues that concern all of us," said the Rev. Krise Anki Gosal from the Christian Evangelical Church in Minahasa, Indonesia. Gosal, who is from North Sulawesi, is coordinator for the women and youth department at the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (CCI), an ecumenical organization representing member churches of the World Council of Churches in Indonesia. At the CCI, Gosal has organized several interfaith programmes involving women and youth since 2008. "We have a strong network among women's organizations, where we engage with Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and indigenous women," explained Gosal. Musulmanes Enfrentan Doble Reto En La Olimpiadas Al Coincidir Con El Ramadán 28 julio 2012, LONDRES, Gran Bretaña – Algunos de los atletas musulmanes que compiten en los Juegos Olímpicos de Inglaterra, que comenzaron esta semana, han comentado a la prensa que tendrán que incumplir la abstinencia que propone el llamado Ramadán en cuanto a comer y a beber, incluso a no tomar agua mientras no se oculte el Sol, cuando el incremento la cantidad de horas de luz solar en esta capital sede, en esta época del año, los dejará sin otra opción. Iglesia Luterana Envía Carta a Sala Constitucional Pidiendo Respeto Por La Sexualidad Humana 30 julio 2012, SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica – "Nuestra Iglesia considera que la sexualidad humana es un don de Dios, que debe ser ejercido responsablemente por cada persona, de acuerdo con su propia orientación sexual, mas siempre en el marco del respeto a la dignidad, a la libertad y a la responsabilidad entre las personas que interactúan y comparten sexualmente," expresa una carta enviada, recientemente, por el obispo Melvin Jiménez, presidente de la Iglesia Luterana Costarricense (ILCO), a la Sala Constitucional costarricense. ELCA Members Cite Progress Toward Sustainable `HIV Response, but Not Enough August 3, 2012, CHICAGO – Leaders from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) attended the 2012 International AIDS Conference July 22-27 in Washington, D.C., as advocates of the ELCA Strategy on HIV and AIDS." We are at a critical moment in the response to HIV," according to Dennis Frado, who directs the Lutheran Office for World Community and serves as the primary ELCA representative at the United Nations in New York. "Progress has been made, but it is not enough and will be lost if political will and financial commitments are reduced now. Faith communities are therefore committed to strengthening ongoing work and partnerships to ensure a strategic, sustainable and effective HIV response," said Frado, who attended an inter-faith pre-conference July 20- 21. Lutheran Grace: Keeping the Faith at AIDS 2012
July 30, 2012, WASHINGTON, DC/GENEVA – A speaker in a lime-green vest bellowed about HIV with the energy of a carnival barker, while Lutheran volunteers patiently greeted a stream of participants in the Faith Zone of the Global Village at the 19th International AIDS Conference in Washington, D.C. The Lutheran Grace (GRowing AIDS Compassion Everywhere) team was part of the community of educators, caregivers and people with HIV who had come to the U.S. capital 22-27 July to try and "turn the tide" against AIDS. For the Lutheran Grace volunteers–who are from the Metro DC Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area–it was a matter of keeping the faith. Flanked by posters that read "I believe in an end to stigma" and "I believe in dignity," they collected prayers for people living with HIV, explained their mission, and adorned willing listeners with bright Lutheran Grace wash-off tattoos. August 1, 2012 – The President of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Bishop Dr Munib A. Younan has called Norway a beacon of hope and inspiration for the way it has dealt with the horror and pain of the Utøya massacre. Younan, the bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land, was speaking at the week-long St. Olav Festival running from July 28 – August 5, following the one-year anniversary of Norway's deadliest attack since the Second World War, where an anti-Muslim extremist killed 77 people in two separate attacks. "You have shown, in the way you have processed the horror and pain of 22 July 2011 that you do not accept violence as a means of obtaining social and political change. Continuing Indaba Team Welcomes "Biggest Change to Mission Policy in 50 Years" August 3, 2012 – The Church of England's recent decision to move its model of mission from one of dependency to mutuality has been warmly welcomed by the Anglican Communion's Continuing Indaba team. The resolution1 passed at the York synod was not only a major step for Church of England, but also a boost for everyone involved with the Anglican Communion's efforts to encourage dialogue across difference. "This vision of a new way of doing mission has far reaching consequences for the Church of England and the Anglican Communion," said Continuing Indaba's Canon Phil Groves. August 2, 2012 – Ralston Deffenbaugh, Lutheran World Federation (LWF) assistant general secretary for International Affairs and Human Rights, shares impressions of his visit to the Department for World Service (DWS) program in Chocó, Colombia, following the LWF Council meeting 15-20 June 2012 in Bogotá. "Chocó Magicó" ("Magical Chocó") reads the beautifully photographed poster for the LWF's Department of World Service program in Colombia. Yes, Chocó – a department in the northwest, situated along the Pacific coast – is magical. But it is also in pain. More than 40% of Chocó's half million people have been forcibly displaced as a result of Colombia's violent conflicts. Post War Sri Lanka Needs Trust and Confidence for Peace and Reconciliation August 3, 2012 – As post war Sri Lanka experiences a high level of militarization, the northern provinces of the country continue to face serious humanitarian and human rights problems. Three years after the end of a protracted conflict and war that ravaged the country for quarter of a century, the people and communities are struggling to attain a sustained peace and reconciliation. This warrants intensified efforts in building peace and reconciliation among people and communities, observed an international ecumenical solidarity team that visited the war-devastated northern regions of Sri Lanka from 28 July to 1 August. The solidarity visit was organized by the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA) of the World Council of Churches in collaboration with the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA). Churches Renew Commitment for HIV Prevention at AIDS 2012 Conference August 3, 2012 – At the recent International AIDS Conference, ecumenical participants focused on the need to intensify churches' efforts to support women trapped in societies marred with sexual and gender-based violence. There was also an emphasis on reducing stigma attached to HIV in communities. The AIDS 2012 conference recently concluded in Washington D.C., United States, on 27 July, having taken the theme "Turning the Tide Together." "HIV and AIDS have challenged our conventional theologies and have made us face our own prejudices in the light of the Lord's transforming love," said Dr Susan Parry, regional coordinator for southern Africa with the Ecumenical HIV and AIDS Initiative in Africa (EHAIA), a project of the World Council of Churches. Sectarian Violence in Nigeria "Goes Beyond Just Religious Tensions" August 1, 2012 – A report has revealed that the violence in Nigeria, responsible for hundreds of deaths since January, is due to more than religious tensions alone. According to a report by a high level Christian-Muslim taskforce comprising the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Royal Jordanian Aal Al Bayt Institute (RABIIT), while the violence between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria is the worst between members of the two faiths since the Bosnian war of 1992-1995, the sectarian conflict is driven by poverty, inequality and injustice. The religious aspect of the violence, the report says, is reinforced by radical Islamist groups like Boko Haram which, the taskforce believes, exploits the secular issues, and the revenge killings by Christians and Muslims. Iraqi Christian Children Survive Double Bomb Blasts July 31, 2012 – Canon Andrew White, the vicar of the only Anglican church in Baghdad, said it was "a major miracle" that a bus load of children returning from their First Communion were not killed in a double bomb attack. Canon White had first alerted his supporters across the Anglican Communion in Facebook and Twitter posts at around 1pm BST. At that time, he believed that some of the children had been killed. His post read, "The bus bringing the children back to St George's from their First Communion class has been blown up. At the moment all we know is that there are dead and injured amongst the children. Please pray for them." This prompted shocked comments and retweets from people around the world. Anglicans in Zimbabwe Threatened with Arrest, Barred from Shrine Once Again July 30, 2012 – Anglicans in Zimbabwe's Diocese of Masvingo may once again face arrest for trying to commemorate the life and ministry of Arthur Shearly Cripps1 and for carrying out their ministry. As ACNS reported last year, clergy and pilgrims were prevented from holding their celebrations at the Shearly Cripps Shrine by excommunicated bishop Dr Norbert Kunonga supported by police. Dr Kunonga claimed to be in charge of the shrine and 78 Anglican churches in Masvingo Diocese. The Bishop of Masvingo, the Rt Revd Godfrey Tawonezwi has revealed that this year they have had to move the event to the beginning of August for the same reasons, but that the police have labelled the planned gathering "illegal." In India, Churches Accuse State of Favoring Hindu Temples July 31, 2012, BANGALORE, India – Church leaders in India's southern Karnataka state have joined secular groups in criticizing the state government's decision to give 170 million rupees (US$3 million) to Hindu temples that agree to pray for rain in a drought-wracked monsoon season. "Lack of rain is a worry for everyone … Let everyone pray for rain. But we cannot approve of the government spending money to conduct prayers in temples," Bishop John S. Sadananda, head of the Karnataka Southern Diocese of the Church of South India (CSI), told ENInews on July 30. Gary R. Hall Named Dean of Washington National Cathedral July 31, 2012 – The Rev. Canon Gary R. Hall, Episcopal priest of 35 years and currently rector of Christ Church Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, has been named as the 10th dean of Washington National Cathedral. The cathedral chapter made the announcement on July 30 after a search committee recommended Hall from "a diverse pool of candidates from across the country in a process that spanned more than seven months," a cathedral release said. The Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation Board of Trustees is expected to approve the nomination on August 17. A 20-day review is mandated by the foundation's bylaws. |
