'Circles of Names' will
support women's ministries
Mindful
of the historic contributions of women leaders in its
member communions and concerned about recent cutbacks in
gender justice and women's ministries, the National Council
of Churches is taking steps to nurture the work.
During the
National Council of Churches/Church World Service General Assembly Women’s
Luncheon in Minneapolis earlier this month, the Rev. Ann Tiemeyer, NCC
Women’s Ministries Program Director, announced the launch of the “Circles
of Names” Campaign to enable donors to support ongoing and future work
by honoring women who have made a difference in the church and in individual
lives. “In light of
recent cuts to denominational budgets and staff in the areas of women’s
ministries and gender justice work,” Tiemeyer said, “now more than ever we
need to make visible the broad support for this work in our communions.”
The “Circles of Names” campaign asks participants to
submit the name of a woman who is or has been influential in their faith
life, and to contribute $100 in that woman’s honor. The names will be
displayed on the Circles of Names Web site,
www.circlesofnames.org.
Pledges can be
made online as well. The website offers essays on the importance of
gender justice work at this time, as well as answers to frequently asked
questions.
More.
General Assembly adjourns with an eye to the future
The
General Assembly of the National Council of Churches and
Church World Service, celebrating the biblical call to
rejoice, pray and give thanks, also called upon churches
and governments to take additional steps toward
worldwide justice and peace. The General
Assembly adjourned Thursday night following the installation of National
Council of Churches President Peg Chemberlin and President Elect Kathryn
Lohre.
More.
General Assembly opens citing unity as its strength
The
annual General Assembly of the National Council of
Churches USA and Church World Service commenced
November 10 amid sober assessments of national and world
conditions and calls for renewal of the the churches'
historic commitment to unity. As of noon Tuesday, 28 of
the General Assembly's 35 member communions had
registered delegations, said NCC President Elect Peg
Chemberlin as she called the roll.
More.
Biblical practices defy world's wisdom, Aymer declares
Choosing
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (“Rejoice always, pray without
ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances”) as the theme
for the 2009 General Assembly of the National Council of
Churches and Church World Service is “utterly absurd,
patently illogical and Pollyannish,” Presbyterian
theologian Margaret Aymer told the Assembly’s opening
plenary in Minneapolis November 10.
More
New Fire dreams dreams and makes concrete plans
With
a prayer of thanksgiving and guidance, asking for, “the
work of the Spirit in expanding our communications ...
the gift of prudence as we lay organizational
foundations … the gift of discernment as we pilot our
New Fire seed grant project … , the participants of New
Fire 2009 left its meeting space having dreamt dreams,
and then implemented action plans for a vision of a
revitalized young adult ecumenical movement.
More.
Chemberlin prepares for installation as NCC president
The
Rev. Peg Chemberlin, executive director of the Minnesota
Council of Churches, will be installed as NCC President
at 7:30 p.m. November 12, in a public service at St.
Mark's Episcopal Cathedral here.
Chemberlin will be the 25th
president of the National Council of Churches since 1950. She is the second
Moravian, the fourth woman, the first Minnesotan and the first head of a
state council of churches to hold the office.
More.
Kathryn Lohre of the ELCA elected NCC President Elect
Kathryn
M. Lohre, assistant director of the Pluralism
Project at Harvard University and an ELCA
representative to the WCC Central Committee, has been elected the President
Elect of the by the NCC. Lohre will assume the office January 1,
2010 and will also be installed Thursday evening,
November 12, in St. Mark's Cathedral in Minneapolis. The Rev. Peg
Chemberlin, current NCC President Elect, will be installed as NCC President.
More.
In second day, New Fire stokes flames of church unity
In
the second day of the ecumenical young adult gathering
New Fire 2009, nearly 40 young adult participants from
across the country attended Sunday worship at the Church
of All Nationsin Minneapolis. After church the New Fire
delegates met with ecumenists over 35 ̶
"seasoned ecumenists" in the lexicon of young adults
̶ to talk about building momentum to keep the New Fire
movement going forward.
More
14,000 ask President and Congress for climate justice![]()
With the UN climate change negotiations only five weeks
away, more than 14,000 signatures were delivered to the
President and Congress calling for an effective and
moral response to the climate crisis. "As people of
faith, we are called to be good stewards of Creation and seek justice for
all of God’s people," said NCC General Secretary Michael Kinnamon. "We must address this issue with compassion, resolution and
grace."
More.
NCC offers guidelines for avoiding H1N1 influenza virus
The
NCC has issued flu prevention guidelines for
congregations that includes both standard hygiene
activities and unusual worship practices. Members of
congregations are urged to use hand sanitizers, clean
door knobs and hand rails, and fill candy dishes with
individually wrapped candies. But during the flu season,
they are also encouraged to stop shaking hands and
hugging one another during the traditional "passing of
the peace."
More.
NATO leaders get church support on nuke disarmament
Four
global, regional and national ecumenical organizations
have told NATO leaders that the time to continue the
trend toward nuclear disarmament is now. "The present
opportunity must be transformed into conclusive
actions," said ecumenical leaders including NCC General
Secretary Michael Kinnamon. "The new striving to abolish
nuclear weapons" is a sign able to "raise hope in the
world."
More.
Ecumenical leaders urge action against Honduras junta
An
international ecumenical delegation has met with the
Organization of American States and the U.S. State
Department to urge action against human rights abuses in
Honduras. "My concern is that the U.S. churches have not
paid enough attention to the situation in Honduras,
when, in fact, the coup against a democratically elected
government is a threat to the stability of Latin America
as a whole," said NCC General Secretary Michael
Kinnamon.
More.
NCC prepares study guide for new Mitch Albom book
The National
Council of Churches has partnered with Mitch Albom to produce a discussion
guide for his latest bestseller. Have
a Little Faith, Albom’s first
nonfiction venture since the phenomenal success of Tuesday’s with Morrie
more than a decade ago, was released last month. The book is an
interfaith story, intertwined with elements familiar in Albom’s books—love
and friendship life and death. More.
Faith groups advocate green jobs for persons in poverty
Citing
a shared tradition of justice and compassion, the faith community, is
organizing across the country to call on government officials to create new,
sustainable and green job opportunities for persons living in poverty.
Thirty-four national faith organizations representing the Jewish, Christian,
Muslim and Hindu communities will hold public events across the country to
encourage government officials to act.
More.
NCC Governing Board renews its opposition to nukes
The
National Council of Churches, which has been relatively
silent about nuclear disarmament since the end of the
Cold War, has firmly renewed its opposition to
proliferation with a ringing resolution. The NCC
Governing Board, meeting here September 21 and 22,
unanimously adopted a statement developed by its Justice
and Advocacy Commission called, "Nuclear Disarmament:
The Time is Now."
More.
NCC Women's Ministries offer fistula education program
Women’s
Ministries at the National Council of Churches has
announced a pilot program for young women exploring the
connections between faith and action, through the lens
of obstetric fistula, a birth injury affecting more than
2 million women worldwide. Sponsored by the UN
Foundation, this project seeks to bring faith
communities into the campaign to end fistula in this
generation. Read
more.
CC issues brochure on dangers of Christian Zionism
"Christian
Zionism" is a dangerous movement that distorts the
teachings of the Church, fosters fear and hatred of
Muslims and non-Western Christians, and has negative
consequences for Middle East Peace.
A
new brochure, Why We Should Be Concerned About Christian
Zionism, by the NCC (in English and Spanish) is now available as an
educational tool for groups who
want to share these warnings with their members.
More.







This 87-page book, edited by Dr. Antonios Kireopoulos, the National Council of Churches’
Senior Program Director for Faith and Order and Interfaith Relations, examines the issue of peace and international relationships with essays, Bible studies, prayers, litanies and other worship resources. 
Your comments and suggestions are welcomed: