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Church World Service Celebrates 65th Anniversary

“You have reached 65 years, but please don’t retire!” With those words, Vincent Cochetel, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees regional representative for the United States and the Caribbean, joined those wishing Church World Service a fond birthday as the global humanitarian agency marked its 65th anniversary and its long service and dedication to refugee protection.

Newsline for June 30, 2011

News stories: 1) Conference business addresses issues related to sexuality, church ethics, climate change, decorum. 2) Ministries of reconciliation and listening will offer assistance at Annual Conference. 3) Church leader signs on to letters about Afghanistan, Medicaid budget. 4) Group is encouraging local CPS anniversary celebrations. 5) Disaster fund gives $30,000 to start Pulaski Country rebuilding project. 6) Hiroshima monument is dedicated to founder of friendship center. 7) Joan Daggett resigns from Shenandoah District leadership. 8) Jorge Rivera ends service as associate executive for Puerto Rico. 9) Pérez-Borges to serve as associate executive in Atlantic Southeast District. 10) BBT calls John McGough to serve as CFO. 11) Brethren bits: Personnel, job openings, college news, more.

Church Leader Signs on to Letters About Afghanistan, Medicaid Budget

Church of the Brethren general secretary Stan Noffsinger has added his signature to two letters from American religious leaders, one addressing the Afghanistan war, and the other on the Medicaid budget. On June 21 as President Obama prepared to announce the number of troops he planned to withdraw from Afghanistan, religious leaders sent him an open letter stating, “It is time to bring the US war in Afghanistan to an end.”

Lwanj pou Bondyé ak Lapè sou Latè: Mésaj nan Konvokasyon Ékumenik Entènasyonal ak Lapè

A Creole translation of the final message of the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation, held in Jamaica in May 2011. “M’ap mande Bondye pou li ban nou, dapre richès pouvwa li a, fòs ak kouraj nan kè nou, pa mwayen pouvwa Sentespri a, pou nou ka grandi nan karaktè nou, pou Kris la rete nan kè nou ak konfyans nou gen nan li a. M’ap mande Bondye pou nou pouse rasin, pou nou chita byen fèm nan renmen,”(Efez 3:16-17)

Convocation Final Message Rejects War in Favor of ‘Just Peace’

“We understand peace and peacemaking as an indispensable part of our common faith,” states the opening sentence of a “final message” from the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC). The message issued yesterday, May 24, 2011, in Jamaica on the last day of the IEPC, is not considered an official statement of the sponsoring body, the World Council of Churches. Instead it is intended to represent a sense of the meeting.

Mennonite Ecumenical Leader Speaks About Peace Church Contribution to Decade to Overcome Violence

One of the results of the Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV) has been the full inclusion of peace churches in the ecumenical family of the World Council of Churches, asserts Fernando Enns. Interviewed in the Peace Convocation meeting tent after opening worship this morning, Enns reviewed the role of the Historic Peace Churches (Church of the Brethren, Mennonites, and Quakers) in the Decade, and commented on what he sees as a major shift in attitude toward the Gospel of Peace by many other churches.

Opening Worship and Plenary Features Strong Speakers on Peace

The International Ecumenical Peace Convocation opened the afternoon of May 18 with worship and a first plenary session. Highlights included the attendance of Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding and the keynote address by Paul Oestreicher.

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