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JANUARY 2008
January 8, 2008, New York –
The new general secretary of the National Council of Churches USA has sent
messages to church councils in Pakistan and Kenya to assure them American
churches are praying for them, and to identify ways the NCC can support the
churches in these violence-torn nations.
January 10, 2008, New York –
The NCC’s Justice for Women Working Group call upon people of faith
to not only observe National Day of Human Trafficking Awareness on
January 11, 2008; but to also move beyond awareness to collaborative actions
that will end this exploitation.
January 17, 2008, New York
–
The general
secretary of the National Council of Churches USA has signed on to an
interfaith letter to Congress urging a bipartisan diplomatic and
political strategy that will lead to the withdrawal of U.S. troops
from Iraq.
January 28, 2008, St. Simon's Island, Ga.
–
The NCC general secretary has added his voice to the chorus of condolences
and expressions of grief over the death today of Archbishop Christodoulos, 69, who headed Greece's Orthodox Church for 10 years.
FEBRUARY 2008
February 11, 2008, New York –
Metropolitan Ieronymos of Thebes and Levadeia
was elected by the Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church as the
new Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, and as the Prelate of the
Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Greece.
February 11, 2008, New York –
Ruth Stafford Peale bore one of
the most famous clergy names in America, and she was widely known as
the First Lady of Positive Thinking.
February 14, 2008, Belfast, Northern Ireland –
Amid historical religious and political divides, a U.S. interfaith
delegation met with church leaders, non-governmental organizations, and
government officials here to discuss how global climate change can help
inform the peace and reconciliation process in Northern Ireland.
February 14, 2008, New York ̶
The NCC's 2008 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches reports
on the results of a groundbreaking survey on church health care
ministries.
February 20, 2007, Washington –
A Mass of
Christian Burial will be offered here today at Holy
Trinity Church for Father Walter J. Burghardt, 93,
renowned Jesuit theologian, who died February 16.
February 21, 2008,
Washington –
This Earth Day, the National Council of Churches
Eco-Justice Programs is marking Earth Day Sunday (the Sunday closest to
Earth Day) by recognizing the interconnectedness of poverty and climate
change and offering a resource for worship, adult study, and youth
activities.
February 21, 2008, New York –
The Rev.
Dr. Samuel Kobia’s decision not to seek a
second term as World Council of Churches general secretary
removes an “administrator with a pastoral heart” from an
important position of ecumenical leadership,
NCC General Secretary Kinnamon said.
February 28, 2008, New York
–
NCC
General Secretary Michael Kinnamon has joined three faith leaders
representing the evangelical, Muslim and Jewish communities to ask
President Bush to sign legislation ending torture as an interrogation
technique.
MARCH 2008
March 3, 2008, New York –
As Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice travels to meet Israeli and
Palestinian leaders in the wake of the chaos occasioned by Israel's
intervention in Gaza, senior U.S. church figures have written calling for
urgent action.
March 5, 2008, New York –
The editor of the National
Council of Churches' annual
Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches commends the
report of the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life's survey of the
U.S. religious landscape, and said the survey also raises
interesting
questions.
March 7, 2008, New York
̶
The General Secretary and heads of National Council of Churches member
communions have expressed shock and sorrow at the shootings on the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva in Jerusalem.
March 7, 2008, Alexandria, Va.
̶̶
More
than 700 people are here this weekend for the sixth annual Ecumenical
Advocacy Days week-end.
March 8, 2008, Alexandria, Va. ̶
A Mennonite "professor of peacebuilding" brought more than 700 religious
peace advocates to their feet this morning with a declaration that
security is the result of diplomacy and development, not military
intervention.
March 8, 2008, Alexandria, Va.
̶ Ecumenical
activists are "hopeful realists," NCC General Secretary Michael Kinnamon
told an Ecumenical Advocacy Days gathering Saturday night.
March 9, 2008, Alexandria, Va.
̶ The
President of the National Council of Churches USA told participants in the
Ecumenical Advocacy Days conference that Christians have a biblical
obligation to help the poor and ease suffering around the world.
March 12, 2008,
New York –
Professor Dr. Lukas Vischer, 81, a
Presbyterian scholar and early leader in the worldwide Faith and
Order movement, died March 11.
March 13, 2008,
New York –
As the fifth
anniversary of the March 17 invasion of Iraq approaches, the
general secretary of the National Council of Churches USA
repeated the message: the war has been a ‘disastrous mistake’
and should be brought to an end.
March 28, 2008, New York –
The rhetoric of the 2008 campaign is heating up, and the NCC general
secretary says candidates should follow the golden rule of ecumenism.
APRIL 2008
April 1, 2008, New York
–
Leaders and member communions of the National Council of Churches USA are
extending a warm welcome to Pope Benedict XVI when the pontiff visits the
United States April 15-20.
April 3, 2008, Chicago
̶
The heads of the NCC and UCC and Pastor Otis Moss III
today addressed a press conference at Trinity United Church of Christ to
suggest the ministries of the former pastor and the congregation have been
distorted by some members of the media, and to call for pastors around the
nation to address the subject of race on Trinity Sunday, May 18.
April 7, 2008, Vatican City –
An elegantly
hand-lettered edition of the New Revised
Standard Version St. John's Bible was
presented Friday to a delighted Pope Benedict XVI.
April 9, 2008, New York –
Symbols & Sanctity: the Objects of Religion,
a CBS interfaith religion special produced with the cooperation of the NCC,
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, a consortium of Jewish
organizations and The Islamic Society of North America, will be broadcast Sunday, April
27
April 10, 2008, Washington
– Faith groups and individuals from around the country sent
encouraging messages to Congress yesterday as the U.S. House of
Representatives passed the National Landscape Conservation System
Act by a vote of 278 to 140.
April 14, 2008, New York –
An experienced Mennonite editor has been elected chair
of the NCC's Uniform Series Committee.
April 16, 2008, New York –
Krister Stendahl, a tireless ecumenist who
was dean and a member of the faculty of Harvard Divinity School and
a former bishop of Stockholm, Sweden, died Yesterday in Boston. He
was 86.
April
22, 2008, Washington –
Using Earth Day resources developed by the
National Council of Churches, hundreds of congregations and
communities around the country are celebrating Earth Day this year,
recognizing their faithful call to protect God’s creation.
April 30, 2008, Fort Worth, Texas –
Clare J. Chapman, Chief Operating
Officer of the National Council of Churches (NCC) and a veteran
United Methodist ecumenist, has been honored by her denomination for
"her exceptional leadership."
MAY 2008
May 20, 2008, St. Louis,
Mo. –
Addressing the graduating class of the Aquinas
Institute of Theology here, NCC General Secretary Kinnamon said Christian
unity is advancing through the power of the Holy Spirit.
JUNE 2008
June 3, 2008, New York
–
Hospitality, openness and a common commitment to the
gospel of Jesus Christ were abundantly evident in Church-to-Church visits to
two member communions conducted by National Council of Churches (NCC)
delegations.
June 17, 2008, New York
–
A prominent Christian leader in Iraq has lamented that
few Americans are aware of the Christian presence in Iraq.
June 23, 2008, New York
–
State and regional councils of churches are implementing exciting
and effective immigration ministries, and the National Council of
Churches USA is featuring those ministries on its Web page.
JULY 2008
July 1, 2008, New York –
W. Sterling Cary, former NCC president and
still active civil rights leader, warns that racism persists in the
U.S. and "cannot be glossed over."
July 2, 2008, Washington
̶
The National Council of Churches Eco-Justice
office has honored "green" churches around the nation.
July 3, 2008, New York –
Former NCC Faith and Order head Jorge Lara-Braud has died at 77.
July 16, 2008, New York
̶
A recent New York Times/CBS News poll
revealing deep national divisions along racial lines is an urgent
reminder of the need for “sacred conversations on race,” NCC General
Secretary Michael Kinnamon said today.
July 23, 2008, New York
̶
Plans are underway for the annual General
Assembly of the National Council of Churches USA (NCC) and Church
World Service (CWS) in Denver November 11-13.
July 24, 2008, New York
̶
Antonios Kireopoulos will represent the NCC at Yale's
Christian-Muslim dialogue July 28-31.
AUGUST 2008
August 4, 2008, New
York ̶
A group calling itself "Anonymous,"
specializing in on-line vandalism, obscenity, and harassment, has
stepped up its attacks on ethnic and religious minorities and
individual citizens
̶
and church human rights groups, including the Queens Federation of
Churches, are sounding the alarm.
August 4, 2008, New
York -
High ranking Catholic, Jewish, Muslim and
Protestant leaders have called on the presidential candidates of
both major parties to use their primetime slots at the nominating
conventions to offer plans for combating poverty.
August 12, 2008, New York ̶
Officials of the National Council of
Churches have concluded a 12-day visit to the Middle East where they
stressed the importance of Christian unity and interfaith
cooperation as keys to establishing "a biblically grounded vision"
for peace and justice.
New
York, August 13, 2008 --
Russia's attack on Georgia is a disheartening reminder that the 21st
century remains a primitive age of fanatical
nationalism and military bullying, members of the National Council
of Churches USA said today.
August 19, 2008, New York
--
The World Council of Churches is celebrating
six decades of service this month and NCC General Secretary Michael
Kinnamon is asking member communions to remember the occasion in
prayer during Sunday services August 24.
August 29, 2008 --
Three church leaders have called upon the
nominating conventions to cut the Labor Day rhetoric and call for
immediate action on urgent social issues.
SEPTEMBER 2008
September 2, 2008, New
York --
Now that Hurricane Gustav has spared New
Orleans a direct hit, many Americans believe their prayers have been
answered. But praying for protection from hurricanes can be a tricky
thing.
September 11, 2008, New
York --
National Council of Churches General Secretary
Michael Kinnamon offers a prayer of remembrance on the
anniversary of a day of horror and tears.
September 16, 2008, New
York --
More than 100 religious leaders from a wide
range of traditions – including the president and general secretary
of the NCC and heads of NCC member communions – have criticized “the
slow pace of recovery” from devastating hurricanes and have called
for a “moral response” to national disasters.
September 24, 2008, New York --
The National Council of Churches
Governing Board approved an ecumenical response to the Muslim
message, "A Common Word Between Us and You," declaring Christianity
and Islam share a love of God and "are compelled to find common
ground."
OCTOBER 2008
October 2, 2008, New York --
More than 70 persons attended
an Ecumenical
Conference on Human Trafficking, held at the Church Center for the
United Nations September 29 - October 1.
October 3, 2008, Washington --
Churches around the country will be overrun with
feathers and fur Saturday, October 4, as children, families, and other
congregants celebrate St. Francis Day with a Blessing of the Animals
Worship Service.
October 8, 2008, New York --
The National Council of Churches Governing Board has
approved an ecumenical response to the Muslim message, "A Common Word
Between Us and You," declaring Christianity and Islam "are compelled to find common
ground."
October 8, 2008, New York --
In response to overheated campaign rhetoric
apparently aimed at inflaming crowds, NCC General Secretary Michael
Kinnamon has re-issued a call to apply "the Golden Rule" of dialogue.
October 9, 2008, New York --
The National Council of Churches is posting
a series of monthly "Ecumenical Moments" on its Web page as one of
several ways of celebrating it's 100th anniversary this year. There
have been some surprises.
October 9, 2008, New York --
Before reaching 18, the average U.S. child
will witness 200,000 acts of violence on television, including
40,000 murders. The UCC and Rainbow/PUSH are calling for a
fast from television violence.
October 13, 2008, New York --
The worldwide economic crisis effects most
households, and both major party presidential candidates are expressing
their solidarity with middle class people on main street. But
NCC leaders are reminding presidential candidates that
persons living in poverty in the United States and around the world
are hurt the most by the economic downturn.
October 14, 2008, New York --
"The persecution of Christians in India must stop!"
declared National Council of Churches General Secretary Michael Kinnamon
at rally of the National Association of Indian Christians near
United Nations headquarters in New York.
October 20, 2008, New York --
National Council of Churches General Secretary
Michael Kinnamon has welcomed a call by World Council of Churches General
Secretary Samuel Kobia "to quell the violence" against the Christian minority
in Iraq.
October 30, 2008, New York--
National Council of Churches Interfaith Relations
Commission warns against 'Obsession,' which it calls a ‘distorted and
misleading’ DVD about Islam
NOVEMBER 2008
November 5, 2008, New York --
Dear Mr. President-Elect, our prayers are with you.
November 7, 2008, New York --
The leaders of the National Council of Churches have
urged President-Elect Barack Obama to make health care coverage "a first
priority" of his administration.
November 10, 2008, Denver --
The General Secretary of the National Council of
Churches tonight began what he said would be an ongoing conversation with
ecumenical communicators about the theology of communication and the way the
NCC story should be told.
November 12, 2008, Denver --
In opening sessions of a General Assembly
observing the first 100 years of the ecumenical movement in the
U.S., a nationally known theologian told delegates that the movement
has "an historic opportunity to change."
November 12, 2008, Denver --
The annual General Assembly of the
National Council of Churches USA and Church World Service convened
Tuesday for its three-day annual meeting in the Renaissance Denver Hotel in Denver.
November 13, 2008, Denver
–
The
Rev. Otis Moss III, pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago,
brought the General Assembly of the National Council of Churches and
Church World Service to its feet with his rousing sermon on race in
America.
November 13, 2008, Denver --
The
annual General Assembly of the National Council of
Churches USA and Church World Service
adjourned
with a celebration of the past 100 years in ecumenism
and a renewed hope that the future of this communion of communions
is bright.
November 17, 2008, Denver --
The General Assembly of the National
Council of Churches and Church World Service sent greetings and
prayers to the newly elected Metropolitan of the Orthodox Church in
America, which was holding its 15th All American
Council in Pittsburgh as the General Assembly met here.
November 18, 2008, Denver –
Humanitarian and ecumenical leaders with
deep roots in the Christian unity movement were feted during the
2008 General Assembly of the National Council of Churches and Church
World Service.
November 20, 2008, Denver
–
The
NCC-CWS General Assembly has adopted a joint immigration reform
resolution that calls on the federal government to, among other
things, end mass indiscriminate immigration raids on places of
employment.
November 24, 2008
–
The National Council of Churches
will present three
one-hour specials in December on
affiliates of the ABC, CBS and NBC television networks, and
another special on ABC affiliates in early January.
November 25, 2008,
Denver
–
Over the course of three days, approximately 40 young adult ecumenists
gathered to explore how they could be in better relationship with one
another, work more effectively to be the body of Christ to the world, and
how they might add New Fire to the ecumenical movement.
DECEMBER 2008
December 5, 2008, Washington
–
The National Council of Churches' Eco-Justice
staff are recipients of the 2008 "Blessed Are the Peacemakers" award
of the U.S. Conference for the World Council of Churches.
December 6, 2008, Washington
–
Church leaders attending the annual
meeting of the United States Conference for the World
Council of Churches in Washington began drafting a message
to President-Elect Barack Obama that they plan to send to
him prior to his inauguration on January 20.
December 12, 2008, New York
–
The NCC's Interfaith Relations Commission has issued a brochure
explaining the dangers of Christian Zionism.
December 16, 2008, New York
–
The death December 12 of
Cardinal Avery Dulles was a sad event for ecumenists related to
the National Council of Churches USA, both because of the
Cardinal's friendship with the NCC's Faith and Order Commission
and because of his father's close relationship with the Council
in its early years.
December 18, 2008, Washington
–
In a statement issued today, the National Council of Churches urged
the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) to enforce new
legislation banning the use of phthalates in products made for
children.
December 19, 2008, New
York
–
NCC General Secretary Michael Kinnamon joined Church World
Service Director John McCullough and more than a dozen other
Christian leaders Dec. 18 in asking President-Elect Barack Obama
to ease travel restrictions to Cuba that have made it harder for
religious delegations to visit or support church partners there.
December 29, 2008
–
As the death toll in Gaza exceeded 300 in the third day of
Israeli attacks, and as violence continued in other world hot
spots, the General Secretary of the National Council of Churches
USA has offered a prayer of contrition and a plea to God to
"make war cease."
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