Front Page

Chaplain: ‘Find Ways to Be a Redemptive Voice'

April 10, 2008 – The Rev. Clark D. Carr, who served as a chaplain for his Maryland Army National Guard Unit, returned from Baghdad on March 31 after deploying in June 2007. He is scheduled to return to his appointment as pastor at Grace United Methodist Church, Hagerstown, Md., on April 20. United Methodist News Service sent three questions and asked him to reflect on the five years since the start of the Iraq war. He answered the questions en route home with his soldier congregation.

Impact of Migration on Churches to Be Focus of Global Ecumenical Conference in Beirut

April 9, 2008 – Testimonies by young Christians from the Middle East on why many of them leave the region in search of a brighter future will inform the Public Hearing on Migration and the Changing Ecclesial Landscape to be held in Beirut, from 15 to 16 April. An ecumenical delegation headed by World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia will attend the hearing at the outset of a seven-day visit to the region focusing on migration as a global phenomenon.

United Methodists Reflect on the Costs of Iraq War

April 7, 2008 – As the Iraq war enters its sixth year, the costs extend far beyond the more than 4,000 U.S. soldiers and 600,000 Iraqis who have died in the violence. Thousands have been left wounded in their bodies, minds and souls – and face a lifetime of struggles related to the experience, says a United Methodist chaplain who has seen those wounds up close. "I am deeply concerned about the returning troops and the mental and physical wounds they have sustained," said the Rev. Laura Bender, a Navy chaplain who served in a field hospital in Iraq. "This all-volunteer force has borne the full weight of this war through multiple, back-to-back deployments and has done so at great cost."

Filipino Mother Seeks Justice for Missing Son

April 8, 2008, WASHINGTON – "Sometimes I wonder if he has a blanket or a pillow, or if he is being fed," said Edith Burgos, her calm voice belying the anguish that only a mother whose son is missing could know. "I wonder if he is being tortured right now even as I speak." Burgos, widow of maverick Filipino journalist Jose Burgos, continued: "I feel like the widow before the unjust judge (Luke 18). She persisted until she received justice. I speak out to keep the issue alive."

United Methodist Video Examines ‘White Privilege'

April 11, 2008 – In a church fellowship hall, a long line of people are beginning to realize that many of them live with "an invisible, unearned advantage" based on the color of their skin. They listen and respond as the Rev. Marion Miller, pastor at St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, reads a list of commands in an exercise on "white privilege" in the United States. "If you should need to move," she asks, "can you be pretty sure of renting or purchasing housing in an area you can afford and in which you would want to live? If this is true, take one step forward."

Iraq Action Days to Advocate for Victims of Forcible Displacement

April 9, 2008 – Continuing its support for Iraqi refugees, the Episcopal Church will join 20 human rights organizations April 14-16 in sponsoring three days of advocacy on behalf of the more than four million victims of forcible displacement caused by the ongoing war in Iraq. The advocacy initiative Iraq Action Days will be launched on April 14 with a forum at George Washington University under the auspices of the Institute for Middle East Studies. On the following two days, visits to Congressional offices will be arranged to urge representatives to take action on behalf of Iraqi refugees.

General News

United Methodist Communicators Get RCC Awards

April 11, 2008, CHANTILLY, Va. – Religion communicators with United Methodist ties earned 14 of the 2008 DeRose-Hinkhouse Memorial Awards presented by the Religion Communicators Council. Members of the international interfaith organization submitted 330 entries in the contest, which honors excellence in religion communications and public relations. The awards were presented April 3 during the association's annual meeting. Robin Russell, Bill Fentum, Mary Jacobs and Kristin Del Mul of United Methodist Reporter received two awards of excellence in the national newspaper category of the periodicals class. Other awards of excellence winners were:

Camden Diocese Not Alone in Mergers

April 10, 2008 – The announcement today that is expected to consolidate some South Jersey parishes is part of a trend sweeping across the Catholic Church in this country. Pressed by shifting demographics, a severe priest shortage and declining Mass attendance, Roman Catholic Bishop Joseph Galante is to announce a major restructuring of the Camden Diocese that will likely led to the closing of some parishes in six South Jersey counties. Across the country, and especially the Northeast, bishops facing similar problems are cutting parishes – with sometimes contentious results. Between 1995 and 2007, nearly 700 parishes were closed nationwide, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University.

Laas Helde: ‘It’s Just Enough’

April 10, 2008, KOHILA, Estonia – The Rev. Laas Helde, 86, stands up straight in the hallway to welcome visitors to the small house he shares with his wife, Maimu, 83. Every lock of Helde's halo of curly snow-white hair is in place. He extends his hand as he balances on a cane – and one leg. The other leg was "cut off" while he was a patient in a Russian Army camp in Siberia during World War II. After the war, he was a notary for several years and spent five years in a KGB prison in Narva, having been accused of "things for which I was blameless." In 1967, he began a 17-year pastorate at the Methodist Church in Parnu.

Representatives of 9 Faith Groups to Lead Religion Communicators Council in 2008-09

April 4, 2008 CHANTILLY, Va.—Communicators from nine faith groups are leading the nation's oldest public relations association for the coming year. Members of the Religion Communicators Council, founded in 1929, elected 2008-09 officers today during their 79th annual convention. The slate included members of seven Christian denominations, a Muslim and a Hare Krishna. New officers are:

National Ministries' Communications Recognized by RCC

April 9, 2008, VALLEY FORGE, PA – The Religion Communicators Council (RCC) has recognized the Communications team of National Ministries, American Baptist Churches USA for notable work. The RCC's DeRose-Hinkhouse Awards were presented at the professional organization's annual meeting in Washington, D.C. last week. Susan Gottshall, National Ministries' associate executive director for Communications, received an Award of Excellence in the promotional/informational video category (under 15 minutes) for "Rebuilding Lives One Family at a Time."

Online Game Delivers Virtual Nets, Saves Real Lives

April 8, 2008 – Throughout April, visitors to the Nothing But Nets Web site can play an interactive game to deliver virtual sleeping nets to Africa and, in the process, raise money to buy real insecticide-treated nets through the malaria prevention campaign. It's all part of a renewed push for the United Methodist-supported Nets campaign leading up to World Malaria Day on April 25. The "Deliver the Net" game challenges players to deliver as many virtual nets as possible before the sun goes down and malaria-carrying mosquitoes come out to bite.

Archbishop of Canterbury Condemns Recent Violence Against Lesbian and Gay Christians

April 9, 2008 – Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has described the recent violence and threats towards "Christians involved in the debate on human sexuality" as "disgraceful." Responding to a press release from Changing Attitude England announcing that gay leaders of the organization's Nigeria branch were seriously assaulted, Williams said: "The Anglican Communion has repeatedly, through the Lambeth Conference and the statements from its Primates' meetings, unequivocally condemned violence and the threat of violence against gay and lesbian people. I hope that this latest round of unchristian bullying will likewise be universally condemned."

Ecumenical News

Bishop Park to Greet Pope Benedict in New York

April 8, 2008, NEW YORK – A United Methodist bishop will be among those welcoming Pope Benedict XVI to New York on April 18. Bishop Jeremiah Park of the denomination's New York Area has been invited to greet the pope at a 6 p.m. ecumenical meeting at St. Joseph Church on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The meeting's theme is "Christ, Our Hope for Unity." In addition to Park, two other United Methodists are scheduled to attend the ecumenical meeting: United Methodist Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar of the Greater New Jersey Area and the Rev. W. Douglas Mills, a staff executive of the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns.

ELCA Ecumenical, Interfaith Work Enters New Phase

April 11, 2008, CHICAGO – Ecumenical and interfaith relationships are significant ministries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), which maintains full communion agreements with five Protestant churches and the possibility of another in 17 months. With new leadership in its churchwide ecumenical and interfaith section, the ELCA – often described as a "bridge" church seeking to build connections with other Christian churches – is assessing where it wants to go now and in the future. Since the late 1990s the ELCA has been in full communion with the Episcopal Church, Moravian Church in America, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Reformed Church in America and the United Church of Christ. This month, the United Methodist Church General Conference will vote on a full communion proposal with the ELCA.

Editorial Page

Commentary: An Invitation to Evangelical White Males

April 9, 2008 – A few months ago, I attended a conference in Memphis, Tenn., where a Texas judge, who identified himself as a white, evangelical male, made a remarkable statement. He called himself "the most discriminated-against person on the face of this earth!" I was astounded by the comment. After all, he is in such a unique position of power. How could he possibly feel discriminated against? As a well-paid employee of the U.S. criminal justice system, he sits in judgment of others. He serves in a nation with less than 6 percent of the world's population, yet that houses more than 25 percent of the world's incarcerated. There is an enormously high African-American population among those incarcerated, but this white judge believes he is "the most discriminated against."

Commentary: It's Time for a New Set of Assembly Priorities

April 11, 2008 – The four areas of focus being presented to the upcoming 2008 General Conference may very well serve as the springboard for a new beginning for The United Methodist Church. Starting and renewing churches, developing future leaders, addressing global poverty and world health are challenges that are worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and our life's work as his church. As a second-time delegate to General Conference, I have been struck by the interest these focus areas have engendered in those who often are weary and even cynical of quadrennial themes and top-down mandates in The United Methodist Church.

Commentary: Avoiding Sexuality Issue Is Not True Peace

April 11, 2008 – Many voices from across The United Methodist Church are suggesting there is no way forward in the 36-year-long dialogue about the role and status of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the church. Declaring an impasse, these voices call for an end to this dialogue in the name of peace and unity. Forty-five years ago, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a now-famous letter from a jail cell in Birmingham, Ala., to a group of white clergy (including two Methodist bishops) who – in the name of "unity" and "peace" – had publicly called on King and his allies to cease their disturbing nonviolent protests against racial segregation.

Spanish News

Ejército De Salvación E Iglesias Instituidas En África
Participan En El Foro Sobre Diálogos Bilaterales

9 abril 2008, GINEBRA, Suiza – Las Comuniones Cristianas Mundiales y la Comisión de Fe y Constitución del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias enviaron representantes al Noveno Foro sobre Diálogos Bilaterales para compartir información sobre las consultas bilaterales celebradas recientemente entre las iglesias para examinar la visión de la unidad expresada en sus textos ecuménicos. Por primera vez, la reunión celebrada del 10 al 15 de marzo en Breklum, Alemania, contó con la participación de teólogos del Ejército de Salvación y de las Iglesias Instituidas en África.

Federación Luterana Mundial Respalda Al CLAI En Nueva Etapa

7 abril 2008, TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – La Conferencia de Obispos y Liderazgo luterano acordó dar todo su respaldo a los directivos actuales del CLAI que se proponen fortalecer una nueva etapa en dicha institución. La medida fue tomada después de escuchar un informe del reverendo Felipe Adolf sobre la crisis que pasó el Consejo Latinoamericano de Iglesias, a raíz de la renuncia de su secretario general, Rev. Israel Batista y otros funcionarios.

Sudán: Jóvenes Y Mujeres Señalan Desafíos En Un País Azotado Por La Guerra

11 abril 2008 – Basándose en una franca evaluación de los efectos de dos decenios de guerra, jóvenes sudaneses señalaron a dirigentes eclesiales lo que más necesitan: capacitación en oficios, puestos de trabajo y formas de participar en la configuración del futuro de su país. Las mujeres sudanesas, a su vez, hablaron sobre su vulnerabilidad, acrecentada por la guerra y los modelos culturales.

Los Efectos De La Migración En Las Iglesias Serán El Tema
De Una Conferencia Ecuménica Mundial En Beirut

9 abril 2008 – Los testimonios de jóvenes cristianos de Oriente Medio sobre por qué muchos de ellos abandonan la región buscando un futuro más halagüeño configurarán la Audiencia Pública sobre migración y cambios en el paisaje eclesial, que tendrá lugar en Beirut los día 15 y 16 de abril. Una delegación ecuménica presidida por el secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia, asistirá a dicha audiencia al comienzo de una visita de siete días a la región centrada en la migración como fenómeno mundial.

Pronunciamiento De Cristianos Y Cristianas De Iglesias
Y Organizaciones Ecuménicas De Latinoamérica Y El Caribe

9 abril 2008, CARACAS – LA JUSTICIA Y LA PAZ SE BESARON (Salmo 85:10) Nosotros, cristianos y cristianas pertenecientes a una diversidad de iglesias y organizaciones ecuménicas de todo el continente americano y el Caribe, concientes de nuestra responsabilidad ética frente a los acontecimientos que hoy sacuden a nuestros pueblos, en busca de ser una comunidad de vida, de honestidad y equidad queremos reconocer, en primer lugar, la presencia liberadora de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo en los eventos solidarios que afirman nuestra histórica decisión de ser pueblos libres, soberanos y dignos de vivir en una sociedad de justicia.

EST Concederá Título a Boff

7 abril 2008, SAN LEOPOLDO, Brasil – Uno de los principales nombres de la Teología de la Liberación en el Brasil y en el mundo, el teólogo Leonardo Boff será condecorado con el título de doctor honoris causa por la Escuela Superior de Teología (EST), de San Leopoldo. Este será el primer título que Boff recibe de una institución brasileña. El homenaje será realizado el día 15 de abril, a las 20hs. en el auditorio del Colegio Sinodal, en el Morro do Espelho, en San Leopoldo. Del 12 al 16 de mayo, el homenajeado dictará un curso de extensión intitulado "Leonardo Boff y la Teología Protestante."

National News

Institute Applauds Passage of U.S. House Tibet Resolution

April 10, 2008, WASHINGTON, DC – The Institute on Religion and Public Policy commends the U.S. House of Representatives on today's passage of an important resolution concerning China's human rights abuses in Tibet. The resolution, sponsored by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, bluntly recounts China's March crackdown on Tibetan protestors in Lhasa and provides concrete and clear-eyed prescriptions for U.S. policy in the region. Among the recommendations, the House calls on China to "begin a results-based dialogue, without preconditions, directly with His Holiness the Dalai Lama" on the grievances of the Tibetan people.

Lutherans Prepare for First Anniversary of Virginia Tech Shooting

April 10, 2008, CHICAGO – The Lutheran Student Movement at Virginia Tech is providing opportunities for growth while bracing for the media attention of the first anniversary of the worst campus shooting in U.S. history. On April 16, 2007, a lone gunman killed 32 faculty and students at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Va., before killing himself. The Rev. William H. King said the greatest anxiety he hears among students as the first anniversary of the shooting approaches is the media attention. According to King, the feeling on campus is "Here come the (news) trucks again." King serves as one of the campus pastors at Luther Memorial Lutheran Church.

Presiding Bishop Endorses Debt Cancellation Legislation in Letter to House of Representatives

April 7, 2008 – Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori sent a letter to the House of Representatives on April 6 offering the Episcopal Church's "very strong endorsement" for H.R. 2634, the Jubilee Act for Responsible Lending and Debt Cancellation, which is scheduled for consideration on the House floor this week.

International News

‘I Won't Be Climbing the Hills Again for Water'
Rwanda: Interfaith Initiative Will Promote Health, Reduce Poverty

April 8, 2008, KIBUNGO, Eastern Rwanda/GENEVA – Judith Mukurugwiza is among residents of Muganza village who are still celebrating "the arrival of water" in her locality. Yet the hilly, wet and evergreen neighborhood, abundant with banana crop has had plenty of water for as long as the 63-year-old grandmother can remember. Indeed as one approaches the village from the main highway, several clear water points are visible. But according to experts, most of it is unsuitable for human consumption. "We are so happy! We have all reasons to celebrate," Mukurugwiza told Lutheran World Information (LWI), during a recent visit to the area.

Lutherans Provide Assistance in Response to Eritrea's Emergence from War

April 9, 2008, CHICAGO – International Disaster Response of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) provided $50,000 to help meet the basic needs of people in Eritrea. Emerging from three decades of conflict and recurring drought conditions, the damage to Eritrea's economy is immense. The ELCA sent the funds to Action by Churches Together (ACT) for implementation by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), which issued an appeal for funds, said Dr. Belletech Deressa, director, international development and disaster response, ELCA Global Mission.

Report Urges Deeper Ties with Latin America, Caribbean

April 9, 2008 – United Methodists should officially reconnect with their Methodist brothers and sisters in Latin America and the Caribbean. That's the conclusion of a report for the United Methodist General Conference, which meets April 23-May 2 in Fort Worth, Texas. A study commission will present its findings to the delegates April 26. The study panel was authorized by the 2004 General Conference to consider the relationship between The United Methodist Church and autonomous Methodist Churches of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Southern Sudanese President Salva Kiir
Reaffirms Willingness to Work "Side by Side" with Churches

April 7, 2008 – "We remain committed to work side by side with the churches," the president of Southern Sudan Salva Kiir Mayardit told representatives of an international ecumenical delegation in Juba, Southern Sudan, on 3 March 2008. "As the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SLPM) has always stood for the people, we have no problems with the churches," said Kiir, speaking at a meeting with a small group of representatives from an ecumenical delegation led by the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia.

Sudanese Youth and Women Identify Challenges in a War-Torn Country

April 9, 2008 – Based on a candid assessment of how two decades of war have affected them, Sudanese youth told church leaders what they need most: skills training, jobs and means of participating in shaping their country's future. Sudanese women, in turn, spoke out about their vulnerability, increased by war and cultural patterns. In Sudan, youth have been treated "as passive objects rather than participants in shaping the society," affirmed a statement by some 30 Sudanese young Christians gathered in Juba, capital of Southern Sudan, for a three-day conference of church leaders, women and youth.

Middle East News

Iraqi Christians Face Mounting Violence

April 8, 2008 – Jacob Kramer says the kidnapping and subsequent death of a Chaldean Catholic archbishop has made Iraq "even more unsafe and unwelcome for his followers and other Christians." Kramer is the Christian Reformed Church World Relief Committee's international relief director. He says he knew Archbishop Paulus Faraj Rahno, whose body was discovered in late March in a grave near the northern city of Musol, because the two had worked in 2003 and early in 2004 distributing food to needy Christians and others in northern Iraq.

New DVD Illustrates Lutherans Working for Peace in the Middle East

April 8, 2008, CHICAGO – "Peace Not Walls: Making a Difference in the Holy Land" is a new DVD that illustrates the ways members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are working for "peace with justice" in the Middle East. Made available April 7, the 28-minute video examines the ELCA's engagement with Christians, Jews and Muslims working for peace, accompaniment with Palestinian Lutherans, the Israeli separation barrier and settlements, Christian Zionism and more.

Terror Rises in Green Zone, Says CRC Chaplain

April 8, 2008—Christian Reformed Church Army chaplain Rev. Gordon Terpstra says the horrible sound of rocket and mortar fire fills the air nearly every day in the Green Zone in Baghdad. But even worse, he says, are the screams and moans from the soldiers and civilians who have been injured by the enemy missiles. The bombings, which began in earnest on Easter, are part of the assaults undertaken by militia groups linked to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The worst day so far was Sunday, April 6, when rockets crashed into the Green Zone, killing two soldiers, one of them Terpstra's friend, and injuring 18 others. The fortified Green Zone is home to the United States military command in Iraq.

UMW Study on Middle East Provides Context for Mission

April 7, 2008, NEW YORK – For more than 75 years, United Methodist Women has sponsored "Schools of Christian Mission" as a means of informing and educating its members. But complaints have arisen about the geographic study on Israel-Palestine that was used in 2007 and will be used again this year. The complaints call into question the study's depiction of the issues between Israelis and Palestinians. The purpose of the geographic study, according to Harriett Olson, chief executive of the Women's Division, United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, is to provide a context for the mission of the church. The division, which produces the studies, is UMW's administrative arm.