Friday, January 07, 2005
Churches receive mailing on Brethren tsunami response.
Through partnership with Church World Service (CWS)--the global humanitarian arm of the National Council of Churches--and church organizations in the affected countries, "the Church of the Brethren was part of an immediate response" following the earthquake and tsunami in south Asia, according to Roy Winter, the General Board's director of Emergency Response.
Winter made the statement in a Jan. 6 mailing to Church of the Brethren pastors and church leaders. The mailing provided information about the Brethren tsunami relief effort and included a bulletin insert, information about how to give to the General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund, and assembly instructions for CWS Gift of the Heart Health Kits and Interchurch Medical Assistance (IMA) Medicine Boxes. The information in the mailing is posted at www.brethren.org.
"While other relief organizations are trying to mobilize staff, our local partners are responding, meeting the needs of survivors and assessing unmet needs," Winter wrote, calling it an "amazing level of response.... All these efforts are supervised by monitors and local CWS staff. This way we can ensure that our relief supplies are being distributed properly and used as intended." CWS has dispatched $1 million in immediate aid to the region and has set a goal of $5 million to be raised to support its recovery work.
Today an additional $40,000 grant from the Emergency Disaster Fund was approved for tsunami relief, which with the initial grant of $30,000 makes a total of $70,000 given in Church of the Brethren funds to date.
The day after the disaster, work began at the Brethren Service Center warehouses in New Windsor, Md., to assemble and pack material aid on behalf of CWS and IMA. Three shipments of over 35 tons of supplies were sent Jan. 4. Nine members of the center staff worked on the shipments, which included 5,000 blankets valued at $19,950 and 35,000 health kits valued at $420,120 for Indonesia; 7,875 health kits valued at $94,500 and 75 medicine boxes--providing basic medical supplies, medicines, and antibiotics for 75,000 people for a period of three months--valued at $270,000 for Sri Lanka; and 12 medicine boxes valued at $38,981.66 for Thailand.
The shipment to Thailand was prepared in a matter of hours by the board's Service Ministries staff and director Loretta Wolf following a request from CWS. The Embassy of Thailand was shipping a container of materials for the disaster survivors and IMA was able to make medicine boxes available as part of that shipment. The request came in at noon and Embassy personnel picked up the boxes at 4:30 that afternoon.
CWS assessment teams indicated humanitarian access to the province of Aceh, Indonesia, remains extremely limited, Winter reported in a Jan. 5 update on the situation in one of the worst-hit areas. "Team members describe `a tense and dispiriting situation in which most of those displaced by last week's tsunami have no shelter, experience shortage of food, no doctors, no hygiene materials, no cooking utensils and no blankets,'" he said. "Relief efforts in these very remote areas is made difficult because of limited transportation for supplies, a limited supply of fresh and clean water, and poor communication access. Nearly half of the province's residents are reported to have lost at least one relative, and trauma from the disaster has taken a serious toll on residents as they cope with the disaster. The Church of the Brethren will be working with CWS to address these needs."
"Another headline issue is all the children left homeless," he said. "CWS Indonesia is developing a proposal with local partners to provide 2,000 children who have been displaced by the disaster much-needed psychosocial activities. The program would focus on programs/activities for children ages 6-12 and in internally displaced camps located in Aceh. This will be one of several components of CWS' multi-tiered recovery effort in Aceh that the Emergency Disaster Fund grants will support."
The disaster has prompted increased giving to the Emergency Disaster Fund. Ten days after the tsunami hit, specific giving already totalled $18,165 according to LeAnn Wine, the board's director of Financial Operations. In addition, "it seems the volume of (unspecified) EDF donations coming in is higher than normal," she said.
See www.brethrendisasterresponse.org for more information. Tsunami-related resources from the National Council of Churches at www.ncccusa.org include worship and prayer resources, advice on connecting with Asian immigrant communities dealing with the tsunami aftermath, and action opportunities through FaithfulAmerica, the NCC's online advocacy ministry. Continuing coverage of the relief effort can be found at www.churchworldservice.org.
Source: 01/07/2005 Newsline
Through partnership with Church World Service (CWS)--the global humanitarian arm of the National Council of Churches--and church organizations in the affected countries, "the Church of the Brethren was part of an immediate response" following the earthquake and tsunami in south Asia, according to Roy Winter, the General Board's director of Emergency Response.
Winter made the statement in a Jan. 6 mailing to Church of the Brethren pastors and church leaders. The mailing provided information about the Brethren tsunami relief effort and included a bulletin insert, information about how to give to the General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund, and assembly instructions for CWS Gift of the Heart Health Kits and Interchurch Medical Assistance (IMA) Medicine Boxes. The information in the mailing is posted at www.brethren.org.
"While other relief organizations are trying to mobilize staff, our local partners are responding, meeting the needs of survivors and assessing unmet needs," Winter wrote, calling it an "amazing level of response.... All these efforts are supervised by monitors and local CWS staff. This way we can ensure that our relief supplies are being distributed properly and used as intended." CWS has dispatched $1 million in immediate aid to the region and has set a goal of $5 million to be raised to support its recovery work.
Today an additional $40,000 grant from the Emergency Disaster Fund was approved for tsunami relief, which with the initial grant of $30,000 makes a total of $70,000 given in Church of the Brethren funds to date.
The day after the disaster, work began at the Brethren Service Center warehouses in New Windsor, Md., to assemble and pack material aid on behalf of CWS and IMA. Three shipments of over 35 tons of supplies were sent Jan. 4. Nine members of the center staff worked on the shipments, which included 5,000 blankets valued at $19,950 and 35,000 health kits valued at $420,120 for Indonesia; 7,875 health kits valued at $94,500 and 75 medicine boxes--providing basic medical supplies, medicines, and antibiotics for 75,000 people for a period of three months--valued at $270,000 for Sri Lanka; and 12 medicine boxes valued at $38,981.66 for Thailand.
The shipment to Thailand was prepared in a matter of hours by the board's Service Ministries staff and director Loretta Wolf following a request from CWS. The Embassy of Thailand was shipping a container of materials for the disaster survivors and IMA was able to make medicine boxes available as part of that shipment. The request came in at noon and Embassy personnel picked up the boxes at 4:30 that afternoon.
CWS assessment teams indicated humanitarian access to the province of Aceh, Indonesia, remains extremely limited, Winter reported in a Jan. 5 update on the situation in one of the worst-hit areas. "Team members describe `a tense and dispiriting situation in which most of those displaced by last week's tsunami have no shelter, experience shortage of food, no doctors, no hygiene materials, no cooking utensils and no blankets,'" he said. "Relief efforts in these very remote areas is made difficult because of limited transportation for supplies, a limited supply of fresh and clean water, and poor communication access. Nearly half of the province's residents are reported to have lost at least one relative, and trauma from the disaster has taken a serious toll on residents as they cope with the disaster. The Church of the Brethren will be working with CWS to address these needs."
"Another headline issue is all the children left homeless," he said. "CWS Indonesia is developing a proposal with local partners to provide 2,000 children who have been displaced by the disaster much-needed psychosocial activities. The program would focus on programs/activities for children ages 6-12 and in internally displaced camps located in Aceh. This will be one of several components of CWS' multi-tiered recovery effort in Aceh that the Emergency Disaster Fund grants will support."
The disaster has prompted increased giving to the Emergency Disaster Fund. Ten days after the tsunami hit, specific giving already totalled $18,165 according to LeAnn Wine, the board's director of Financial Operations. In addition, "it seems the volume of (unspecified) EDF donations coming in is higher than normal," she said.
See www.brethrendisasterresponse.org for more information. Tsunami-related resources from the National Council of Churches at www.ncccusa.org include worship and prayer resources, advice on connecting with Asian immigrant communities dealing with the tsunami aftermath, and action opportunities through FaithfulAmerica, the NCC's online advocacy ministry. Continuing coverage of the relief effort can be found at www.churchworldservice.org.
Source: 01/07/2005 Newsline
National Youth Cabinet named for 2005-06.
The General Board's office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry has named a National Youth Cabinet for the years 2005-06, director Chris Douglas has announced. The first meeting of the new cabinet will be Jan. 14-17 at the denomination's General Offices in Elgin, Ill. Among other business, the group will choose a theme for the 2006 National Youth Conference (NYC).
Members of the cabinet are Leigh-Anne Enders of Mechanicsburg (Pa.) Church of the Brethren; Zac Morgan of La Verne (Calif.) Church of the Brethren; Rachel Stevens of McPherson (Kan.) Church of the Brethren; Nick Kauffman of Goshen City (Ind.) Church of the Brethren; and Erin Smith of Palmyra (Pa.) Church of the Brethren. Adult advisors serving on the cabinet are Becky Ball-Miller of Union Center Church of the Brethren in Nappanee, Ind., and Shawn Flory-Replogle of the McPherson church.
Working with the cabinet will be Douglas and the three NYC coordinators: Cindy Laprade, Beth Rhodes, and Emily Tyler. (Tyler's appointment has just been announced as well--see "Brethren bits" in this Newsline.)
Source: 01/07/2005 Newsline
The General Board's office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry has named a National Youth Cabinet for the years 2005-06, director Chris Douglas has announced. The first meeting of the new cabinet will be Jan. 14-17 at the denomination's General Offices in Elgin, Ill. Among other business, the group will choose a theme for the 2006 National Youth Conference (NYC).
Members of the cabinet are Leigh-Anne Enders of Mechanicsburg (Pa.) Church of the Brethren; Zac Morgan of La Verne (Calif.) Church of the Brethren; Rachel Stevens of McPherson (Kan.) Church of the Brethren; Nick Kauffman of Goshen City (Ind.) Church of the Brethren; and Erin Smith of Palmyra (Pa.) Church of the Brethren. Adult advisors serving on the cabinet are Becky Ball-Miller of Union Center Church of the Brethren in Nappanee, Ind., and Shawn Flory-Replogle of the McPherson church.
Working with the cabinet will be Douglas and the three NYC coordinators: Cindy Laprade, Beth Rhodes, and Emily Tyler. (Tyler's appointment has just been announced as well--see "Brethren bits" in this Newsline.)
Source: 01/07/2005 Newsline
Grant supports health care for Afghan refugees.
A grant of $15,000 from the General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund has been given to support Church World Service (CWS) work with refugees in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The funds will be used to help maintain and expand an ongoing CWS program that ensures access to community-based health care for the refugees.
CWS has been working with Afghan refugees since 1979, reported the board's Emergency Response office. "This effort continued through the political upheaval and war in 2002 when there were over a million refugees," the grant request said. "The Church of the Brethren responded to this incredible need by working with the CWS Emergency Response Program over the last two years." The work has focused on refugees in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan and Afghan refugees living in Mansehra, Pakistan. "CWS/IRP is working to expand these programs at the request of the Afghanistan Ministry of Health, while at the same time US government funding has been decreasing for this project," the grant request stated.
Source: 01/07/2005 Newsline
A grant of $15,000 from the General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund has been given to support Church World Service (CWS) work with refugees in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The funds will be used to help maintain and expand an ongoing CWS program that ensures access to community-based health care for the refugees.
CWS has been working with Afghan refugees since 1979, reported the board's Emergency Response office. "This effort continued through the political upheaval and war in 2002 when there were over a million refugees," the grant request said. "The Church of the Brethren responded to this incredible need by working with the CWS Emergency Response Program over the last two years." The work has focused on refugees in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan and Afghan refugees living in Mansehra, Pakistan. "CWS/IRP is working to expand these programs at the request of the Afghanistan Ministry of Health, while at the same time US government funding has been decreasing for this project," the grant request stated.
Source: 01/07/2005 Newsline
Brethren bits: Note, remembrance, and much more.
- In a note to the Dec. 31, 2004, Newsline report, "Historic Brethren pipe organ receives citation," the Harttman pipe organ referred to in the story is known to Brethren as the Kurtz organ. Henry Kurtz, editor of the first Brethren periodical "The Gospel Visitor," owned the organ and probably brought it with him from Germany, reported General Board archivist Ken Shaffer. The organ is known to the Organ Historical Society by the name of its maker, Johan Christoph Harttman.
- Bernard N. King, 98, a former district executive and Brethren college minister, died Jan. 2 at Hanover (Pa.) Hospital. King served as district executive of Middle District, based in Huntingdon, Pa., from 1961-67. He was college minister at McPherson (Kan.) College 1938-44 and at Bridgewater (Va.) College 1957-61. Born in Denton, Md., he attended Blue Ridge College in New Windsor, Md., and was a graduate of Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa.; Bethany Biblical Seminary in Chicago, Ill.; and the School of Theology, Boston University. He was ordained to the ministry at Stone Church of the Brethren in Huntingdon in 1931, and promoted to eldership at McPherson, Kan., in 1940. His pastorates included churches in Maryland, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio, Florida, and Pennsylvania. King was very active in First Church of the Brethren in York, Pa., where he lived after his "second" retirement after a first retirement in Florida. He also was active in the faith community of the Brethren Home Community in New Oxford, Pa. He wrote his memoirs in a book, "A Dunker Boy Becomes Ecumenical," in 1996. A memorial service will be held at the Nicarry Meeting House at the Brethren Home Community on Saturday, Jan. 8, at 11 a.m.
- Emily Tyler of McPherson (Kan.) Church of the Brethren has been named as the third coordinator for the National Youth Conference (NYC) 2006. As a Brethren Volunteer Service worker, she will serve with Beth Rhodes and Cindy Laprade to give coordination to the youth conference. More than 4,500 youth and advisors are expected to attend. NYC will be held in Fort Collins, Colo., July 22-27, 2006. Tyler is a 2003 graduate of McPherson College and has spent the past year teaching elementary music in Wichita, Kan. She also appeared as an instrumentalist in the Church of the Brethren Christmas Eve service aired on CBS, playing the flute. She will begin in the position on June 1.
- On Dec. 1, 2004, Marcia Smith began work as director of Alumni Development and Events Coordination for McPherson (Kan.) College. A McPherson native, Smith graduated from McPherson College with a B.S. in Business Administration. She is an active volunteer for USD 418 and the Mennonite Relief Sale effort. Her position incorporates working with the community and alumni to strengthen ties with the college and providing leadership for college and community events on campus. Church relations also play a major role in her responsibilities, as she will work with the campus ministries team and churches across the country. "Because of McPherson College's historical ties to the church it is important to have someone to coordinate efforts that reach out to congregations," said Shawn Flory-Replogle, campus pastor and co-pastor of McPherson Church of the Brethren. "We are excited to have Marcia working with us on such an important constituency." For more information call 800-365-7402 or e-mail info@mcpherson.edu.
- The deadline is approaching for those interested in applying to be on this summer's Youth Peace Travel Team. Every summer the General Board's Youth and Young Adult Ministry Office and Brethren/Witness Washington Office, the Outdoor Ministries Association, Brethren Volunteer Service, and On Earth Peace sponsor a team of high school youth and college-aged young adults to travel to Church of the Brethren camps to present peace education. Four people ages 18-22 will be selected for the 2005 team's eight-week journey. A stipend is available to team members. Deadline for applications is Feb. 4. Contact the Brethren Witness/Washington Office for applications at 800-785-3246.
- Church World Service, a faith-based international humanitarian aid organization, seeks a deputy director for Program, based in New York, N.Y. This senior program management position supervises five program directors and overseas program representatives and is responsible for helping to maintain positive working relationships with local partners in 80 countries and colleagues at 36 Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican communions. The successful candidate will have over 15 years of increasingly responsible program management experience, success in ecumenical environments, and experience in developing and managing government grants. Skills in facilitating group interactions and working with cross-program teams is important, as well as communications and interpersonal skills. Job description is located on the Church World Service, Human Resources, Job Opportunities website at www.churchworldservice.org. Send resume and cover letter to Church World Service, Inc., Attention: Karen de Lopez, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515; fax 574-266-0087; e-mail cwshr@churchworldservice.org. Deadline is Jan. 31.
- "Nourishing the Soul" is the theme for an upcoming Church of the Brethren Clergy Women's Retreat to be held Nov. 14-17 at Timber-Lee Christian Center in East Troy, Wis. Jan Richardson will be the keynote speaker. A brochure with registration information will be available in February. Cost including registration, room, and board is $175 for those registered by June 1 and $200 by August 1. Fulltime seminary and TRIM students can attend for $100 if registered by June 1 and $125 by August 1. For more information contact the General Board's Ministry Office at 937-274-0872.
- Peace Church of the Brethren will celebrate its 100th year of service to the Portland, Ore., community during the weekend of Feb. 25-27. "All friends of the Peace Church family are invited to attend and celebrate with us," read a note from Patrick Fiegenbaum, the congregation's clerk. Guests will include all living former pastors of the congregation, as well as past and present congregants. The celebration will feature a panel of former pastors on how their tenures at the church influenced their lives and careers. Current pastor Kerby Lauderdale will also participate. The celebration will culminate with worship led by Andrew Murray, who served at Peace Church in the 1970s. Murray is professor of Peace and Conflict Studies and Religion at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa., and director of the Baker Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies. Contact Peace Church of the Brethren, 12727 SE Market St., Portland OR 97233; 503-254-6380; e-mail peacecob@3dwave.com; or see www.peacecob.org.
- Bear Run Church of the Brethren in Mill Run, Pa., contributed $410 to a local "Give-a-Christmas" drive in Uniontown, Pa. The drive headed by "Sparkle," an animated Christmas star mascot, aimed to raise $35,000 for the work of the Salvation Army. "Dear Sparkle," read a letter from the congregation. "Enclosed please find our donation from the Bear Run Church of the Brethren to help make Christmas a little more merrier for some families. May God bless."
- Jeff Sweigart, his wife, Lisa, and many other volunteers from Cocalico-area churches, prepared a Thanksgiving feast for more than 450 people at the Pioneer Fire Hall in Lancaster County, Pa. Sweigart and family attend East Cocalico Church of the Brethren in Reamstown, Pa. "We notified 32 churches and got responses from 18," Sweigart told the "Intelligencer Journal." He added that his family is familiar with organizing such events. "My wife's parents, Carol and Barry Haller, started the one in Denver," Sweigart said. "It's a way to give back to the community." The dinner included turkey, potato filling, brown gravy, pepper cabbage, sliced green beans, and cranberry dressing, as well as six tables of pies, whipped cream, cherry cobbler, spice rolls, and German chocolate cake. Karen Zimmerman of Ephrata Church of the Brethren organized deliveries of food for those who could not come to the hall.
- Forty people from Beaver Creek Church of the Brethren in Hagerstown, Md., took part in a walkathon on the Washington Mall Nov. 20, raising $2,000 for the Brethren Nutrition Program in Washington, D.C. The 17th annual Help the Homeless Walkathon found more than 20,000 people participating. The five-kilometer event sponsored by Fannie Mae Foundation and other organizations raised money for Washington area groups that serve the homeless. Last year the walkathon raised $6.5 million. The "Washington Post" included mention of the church's participation in its article on the walkathon.
- The Forum for Religious Studies at Bridgewater (Va.) College has published "At the Crossroads: An Historic Peace Church in the 21st Century," a CD of reflections by scholars who met in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, and on the eve of the US invasion of Iraq, to consider the state of the peace movement in the Church of the Brethren. Reflections by Jeff Bach, Christina Bucher, David Eller, Earle Fike Jr., David Metzler, Celia Cook-Huffman, Roya Stern, and Timothy McElwee are included. The CD is edited by Steve Longenecker and Carol Scheppard. Order for $5 plus tax and $1.40 in shipping and handling from Forum for Religious Studies, Box 20, Bridgewater College, Bridgewater, VA 22812. Make checks payable to Bridgewater College. For more information e-mail slongene@bridgewater.edu.
- John L. Heatwole of Bridgewater, Va., author of "The Burning" and a noted sculptor and woodcarver, will address the annual meeting of the Valley Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center Board of Directors on Feb. 4 at 6 p.m., at Bridgewater Church of the Brethren. Heatwole will speak on the theme, "The Everyday Lives of Our ancestors," and the Valley Table Singers will provide music. The board and staff of the CrossRoads Center will reflect on the accomplishments of 2004 and plans for 2005, which include opening the center to visitors this spring. The public is invited to attend the dinner meeting for $12.50 per person. Deadline for reservations is Jan. 28, e-mail info@vbmhc.org.
- CBS has confirmed a Jan. 12 airdate for "60 Minutes" to feature Heifer International and the story of Beatrice Biira, a young Ugandan woman whose life was transformed when her family got a dairy goat. Airtime is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. The goat, named Mugisa (or "Luck" in the Okonzo language), produced milk for the family to drink and sell. For the first time the family could afford to send Beatrice to school. Today she is a freshman on full scholarship at Connecticut College, majoring in international studies. Beatrice is also the subject of the best-selling children's book, "Beatrice's Goat," by Page McBrier and illustrated by Lori Lohstoeter. CBS correspondent Bob Simon accompanied Beatrice on a trip back to her home in Urganda. "60 Minutes" also filmed a ceremonial "Passing on the Gift," in which villagers who have received goats from Heifer International give offspring to others in need in their community. Heifer International was begun as a Church of the Brethren program by Brethren leader Dan West. Heifer International currently supports projects in 50 countries that create sustainable small-scale farm enterprises to improve nutrition and supplement income. For more information about Heifer International call 800-696-1918 or see www.heifer.org.
- The National Council of Church's Eco-Justice Program seeks art, poems, and prayers for use on Earth Day Sunday. This year, Earth Day falls on April 22 and Earth Sunday falls on April 24. This year's theme is oceans and seas. The resources for use on Earth Sunday will feature art, poems, and prayers contributed by people of faith in an Earth Day Contest. "The Church of the Brethren has long been part of the National Council of Churches and urges Brethren to participate in this contest by submitting your entries by January 15," reported the General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office. Submit entries by e-mail to Cassandra Carmichael at Cassandra@toad.net or mail to Eco-Justice Programs, National Council of Churches, 110 Maryland Ave., NE, Washington, DC 20002. The Brethren Witness/Washington Office would like to receive copies of any Brethren submissions. E-mail washington_office_gb@brethren.org or mail to 337 North Carolina Ave., SE, Washington, DC 20003.
- The General Board's Brethren Witness/Washington Office is calling the attention of students grades 9-12 to the 2004-05 National Peace Essay Contest of the US Institute of Peace. "As members of the Church of the Brethren we are called to advocate Christ's message of harmony and reconciliation," the office said. "This contest provides an excellent opportunity for youth to explore means of coming to international peace and conflict resolution." The essay topic for the competition is "Transitions to Democracy," and will require students to analyze two countries' attempts at such a process. Winners at the state level will receive a college scholarship of $1,000 and can compete for the national award of a $10,000 scholarship. All state winners receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., for the week-long awards program in June. Visit www.usip.org/npec to register, receive a National Peace Essay guidebook, and view the question for this year's contest. Contest deadline is Feb. 2.
- "Sourcebook 2005," a publication of the Stained Glass Association of America (SGAA), will be available free to any church, institution, or architect beginning Feb. 1. The "Sourcebook" was created for architects, churches, and others who commission, maintain, or work with stained glass. The book features information about types of stained glass, selecting and working with stained glass craftspeople, stained glass repair and restoration, and the programs and membership of the SGAA. Full-color pages of portfolio advertising by accredited members of the SGAA also are included. To order call 800-438-9581, e-mail sourcebook@stainedglass.org, or see www.stainedglass.org.
Week of Prayer marks advance in Protestant and Catholic cooperation.
The 2005 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is scheduled for Jan. 18-25. This year the annual effort marks a new stage of cooperation between the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Roman Catholic Church, the WCC reported.
For the first time, the text for the week has been jointly prepared and jointly published by the WCC Faith and Order Commission and the Roman Catholic Church's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia and the secretary of the Pontifical Council Brian Farrell said that the joint work will hopefully usher in the "birth of a new era of collaboration" between the two bodies.
The theme for the week is "Christ, the One Foundation of the Church," from 1 Corinthians 3:1-23. Texts were prepared by members of the theological committee of the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Slovakia. The common task of churches is to "bring the spirit of reconciliation and cooperation, peace and justice into the society," said the chairman of the council, Julius Filo, and the chairman of the Conference of Catholic Bishops in Slovakia, Frantisek Tondra, in a joint invitation to the week.
Materials for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity are available at http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/faith/wop2005contents.html.
Source: 01/07/2005 Newsline
The 2005 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is scheduled for Jan. 18-25. This year the annual effort marks a new stage of cooperation between the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Roman Catholic Church, the WCC reported.
For the first time, the text for the week has been jointly prepared and jointly published by the WCC Faith and Order Commission and the Roman Catholic Church's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia and the secretary of the Pontifical Council Brian Farrell said that the joint work will hopefully usher in the "birth of a new era of collaboration" between the two bodies.
The theme for the week is "Christ, the One Foundation of the Church," from 1 Corinthians 3:1-23. Texts were prepared by members of the theological committee of the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Slovakia. The common task of churches is to "bring the spirit of reconciliation and cooperation, peace and justice into the society," said the chairman of the council, Julius Filo, and the chairman of the Conference of Catholic Bishops in Slovakia, Frantisek Tondra, in a joint invitation to the week.
Materials for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity are available at http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/faith/wop2005contents.html.
Source: 01/07/2005 Newsline
Losing the battle for Fallujah.
By Cliff Kindy
On Nov. 4, 2004, the US military bombed Fallujah, Iraq, as a prelude to an assault on the city of 300,000. Over the next four days, US forces attacked and took over an emergency clinic and the main hospital. The major ground invasion started Dec. 8.
More than seven weeks have passed since the first bombing runs, meant to rub out Fallujah's estimated 3,000 insurgents in preparation for elections on Jan. 30. US troops outnumbered the insurgents threefold and had support from Iraqi forces. Yet despite superior American firepower, the battle for Fallujah continues.
On Dec. 24, Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) visited refugees from Fallujah living in a camp south of the city. One young man had tried to return home four days earlier. At the outskirts of Fallujah, he saw US artillery firing into the city center and told skeptical CPTers that the resistance forces still held the city.
The following day, however, CPT read a security update that quoted an Iraq National Guard officer stating, "We made a big mistake when we told the (refugee) families that they could return to Fallujah.... I think now that the battle has begun all over again in Fallujah, or that history has taken us back to the first day of the battle...."
Red Cross/Red Crescent (RC) staff told CPT that water and electricity are still not hooked up across the city. The RC also indicated that two weeks after US forces had entered the city, they told the RC to close its offices "because it was too dangerous." They have not been operating in Fallujah since Dec. 5 but still provide relief convoys to four cities that house more than 17,000 refugee families from Fallujah.
In addition, an Iraqi journalist friend of CPT has visited several groups of refugees from Fallujah now living in Baghdad who also believe Fallujah is still not inhabitable. He reported that families from one section of Fallujah were allowed to return. US officials offered them trailers if their homes were destroyed but forced them to submit to an iris scan and fingerprints. Their information would be put on identity cards that would limit their freedom of movement within Fallujah. According to RC spokespersons, most of the 1,400 returnees left again because their homes had been destroyed.
A foreign journalist told CPT that 175 Fallujah families were living in tents at Baghdad University. On the day of the press conference announcing their return home, these families held a demonstration. They demanded an apology from the US, $1 billion in compensation to Fallujah's residents, and assurances that the people--as opposed to foreign contractors--would be allowed to rebuild their own city.
Both the US and UN predict a nearly total Sunni boycott of the coming elections in large part because of the Fallujah attacks. Lack of Sunni participation will jeopardize the validity of the election and calls into question the wisdom of trying to subdue Fallujah using violence.
--Cliff Kindy is a Church of the Brethren member serving with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT). He has spent much of the past two years in Iraq with the CPT team based there. CPT is an initiative of the historic peace churches--Church of the Brethren, Mennonites, and Quakers--with support and membership from a range of Catholic and Protestant denominations. Supporting violence-reduction efforts around the world is its mandate. For more information contact CPT at 773-277-0253, e-mail peacemakers@cpt.org, or see www.cpt.org.
Source: 01/07/2005 Newsline
By Cliff Kindy
On Nov. 4, 2004, the US military bombed Fallujah, Iraq, as a prelude to an assault on the city of 300,000. Over the next four days, US forces attacked and took over an emergency clinic and the main hospital. The major ground invasion started Dec. 8.
More than seven weeks have passed since the first bombing runs, meant to rub out Fallujah's estimated 3,000 insurgents in preparation for elections on Jan. 30. US troops outnumbered the insurgents threefold and had support from Iraqi forces. Yet despite superior American firepower, the battle for Fallujah continues.
On Dec. 24, Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) visited refugees from Fallujah living in a camp south of the city. One young man had tried to return home four days earlier. At the outskirts of Fallujah, he saw US artillery firing into the city center and told skeptical CPTers that the resistance forces still held the city.
The following day, however, CPT read a security update that quoted an Iraq National Guard officer stating, "We made a big mistake when we told the (refugee) families that they could return to Fallujah.... I think now that the battle has begun all over again in Fallujah, or that history has taken us back to the first day of the battle...."
Red Cross/Red Crescent (RC) staff told CPT that water and electricity are still not hooked up across the city. The RC also indicated that two weeks after US forces had entered the city, they told the RC to close its offices "because it was too dangerous." They have not been operating in Fallujah since Dec. 5 but still provide relief convoys to four cities that house more than 17,000 refugee families from Fallujah.
In addition, an Iraqi journalist friend of CPT has visited several groups of refugees from Fallujah now living in Baghdad who also believe Fallujah is still not inhabitable. He reported that families from one section of Fallujah were allowed to return. US officials offered them trailers if their homes were destroyed but forced them to submit to an iris scan and fingerprints. Their information would be put on identity cards that would limit their freedom of movement within Fallujah. According to RC spokespersons, most of the 1,400 returnees left again because their homes had been destroyed.
A foreign journalist told CPT that 175 Fallujah families were living in tents at Baghdad University. On the day of the press conference announcing their return home, these families held a demonstration. They demanded an apology from the US, $1 billion in compensation to Fallujah's residents, and assurances that the people--as opposed to foreign contractors--would be allowed to rebuild their own city.
Both the US and UN predict a nearly total Sunni boycott of the coming elections in large part because of the Fallujah attacks. Lack of Sunni participation will jeopardize the validity of the election and calls into question the wisdom of trying to subdue Fallujah using violence.
--Cliff Kindy is a Church of the Brethren member serving with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT). He has spent much of the past two years in Iraq with the CPT team based there. CPT is an initiative of the historic peace churches--Church of the Brethren, Mennonites, and Quakers--with support and membership from a range of Catholic and Protestant denominations. Supporting violence-reduction efforts around the world is its mandate. For more information contact CPT at 773-277-0253, e-mail peacemakers@cpt.org, or see www.cpt.org.
Source: 01/07/2005 Newsline
Credits
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on the first, third, and fifth Friday of each month, with other editions as needed. Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the source. Kelly Burk, Kathleen Campanella, Chris Douglas, Patrick Fiegenbaum, Darren Hendricks, Cliff Kindy, and Roy Winter contributed to this report.
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on the first, third, and fifth Friday of each month, with other editions as needed. Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the source. Kelly Burk, Kathleen Campanella, Chris Douglas, Patrick Fiegenbaum, Darren Hendricks, Cliff Kindy, and Roy Winter contributed to this report.
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