wfn.org | Re: UCC / NewsBytes

["Barb Powell"<powellb@ucc.org>]

Monday, July 27, 1998 

Welcome to NewsBytes

Welcome to UCC NewsBytes, the headline news service from
the United Church of Christ. Updated weekly, it is produced by
the UCC Office of Communication, 700 Prospect Ave.,
Cleveland, OH 44115; (216) 736-2200 - William C. Winslow,
Editor, (212) 870-2137 or e-mail <winsloww@ucc.org>.

Religious persecution bill dead 
           
Legislation that would punish foreign countries practicing
religious persecution is dead for this year as a Senate committee
has removed the bill from discussion. And with that decision
comes a sigh of relief from mainline religious leaders. "The bill
would have done more harm than good to our colleagues
overseas," says David Y. Hirano, executive vice president of the
United Church Board for World Ministries. Hirano and Jay
Lintner of the UCC's Office for Church in Society submitted a
statement to the Senate pointing out that sanctions do more
damage to the innocent than to the guilty. They also said that
political realities would make enforcement unequal. China, for
example, is a tempting target, but the church leaders ask if the
United States would enforce sanctions against allies like Saudi
Arabia and Israel, both of which are accused of practicing
religious persecution. Another perception of the Senate bill, says
Hirano, is that it protects Christians only. 

Free Puerto Rican political prisoners 
           
At an ecumenical worship service at National City Christian
Church in Washington, D.C., this past weekend in support of
Puerto Rican self-determination, United Church of Christ
President Paul H. Sherry called for the release of 15 "prisoners
of conscience" now in federal penitentiaries. 
      "On this occasion of the centennial of the U.S. invasion of
Puerto Rico," Sherry said, "I can think of no better step toward
reconciliation and resolution than the release of these men and
women from prison." Many of the Puerto Rican political
prisoners have been behind bars for 18 years or more, including
Alejandrina Torres, wife of UCC pastor JosT Torres. 
      Following the service, Sherry participated in a rally outside
the White House. Puerto Rico is now a commonwealth of the
United States. Some supporters are pressing for independence,
others for statehood. There are 58 local UCC churches on the
island. 
      Links: For full news release:

http://www.ucc.org/headline/h072398a.htm

Women in Promise Keepers not good idea 
           
Promise Keepers is "looking into" inviting women to participate
in future events, including stadium rallies, says Randy Phillips,
president of the all-male evangelical organization. And that's not
good news for women, says Lois M. Powell, executive director
of the United Church of Christ's Coordinating Center for
Women in Church and Society. Powell says the news might be a
public relations ploy on the part of Promise Keepers. 
      They do not have the best interest of either women or men in
mind, says Powell. "Their leadership articulates clear gender role
expectations for women and men in the family which keep
women subordinate to their husbands." 
      Attendance at Promise Keeper rallies is down this year. Last
week's Minneapolis event attracted just 16,500 men. Previously,
it peaked at 60,000. The organization recently laid off 345
full-time staff members and has stopped charging a $60 entrance
fee for stadium rallies. 

Wall to wall people 
           
Floridians breathed a sigh of relief last week when rains helped
douse thousands of raging fires. For Dwight Lee Wolter, it meant
reclaiming his bedroom. The assistant pastor of Ormond Beach
Union United Church of Christ had opened the doors of his
home to evacuees. Seventeen showed up for an extended period
of time, including a family of four who camped out in the master
bedroom. 
      "I vacated my bed and then I vacated the bed I went to from
my bed," he says. "I've never done anything like this. I'm a very
private person." 
      The "guests" are gone now, but the fires could return. Wolter
has his own escape route. "I'll wade into the Atlantic Ocean
carrying a jug of water and pray that the Coast Guard picks me
up. 
      Meanwhile, the UCC's disaster relief office has sent $10,000
for emergency relief to its regional Florida Conference. 
      For information and updates on this story. 

http://www.ucc.org/global/disaster/

      Thanks to Disaster Response Network. 

http://www.disasterresponse.net

'Amistad' Mystic Seaport days are real bargain 
           
Mystic Seaport is offering United Church of Christ members a
real bargain the weekend of Aug. 22-23. Any UCC member can
get into New England's number one tourist attraction for two
days for just $6. The normal daily charge is $16. The special
deal is to celebrate Mystic's building of a re-creation of the slave
ship "Amistad," whose history is tied up with the UCC. In fact,
the church's Board for Homeland Ministries contributed
$225,000 toward building the 80-foot wooden boat. For more
information, call the Connecticut Conference of the United
Church of Christ, (860) 233-5564, x720. 
      The story of Amistad:

http://www.ucc.org/amistad/amistad2.htm             

      The Mystic Seaport web page:

http://www.mysticseaport.org            

Clergy Views

"I often look upon interim ministry as a kind of dance. As dance
partners new to each other, we need to quickly learn one
another's style and sense of rhythm. It's likely that somewhere
along the line, we will get out of sync and accidentally step on
each other's toes. We may need to apologize as well as learn
how to laugh, and take some things in stride. Most of all, as
partners we need to both be listening for the music God is
playing for us, for that's what has drawn us onto the dance floor
in the first place!" 

The Rev. Linda Kuhn, serving as interim minister at First
Congregational United Church of Christ, Eau Claire, Wis., in
the church newsletter, "Talk of the Tower."

Good News

Go tell it on the neighborhood
           
When Pilgrim Congregational UCC, Cleveland, changed church
school from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., they knew there might be
trouble ahead. Kids get used to routine. Even though a notice
was sent to every family, attendance was expected to be light the
first Sunday of the switch. They did not count on the effective
evangelism of a second grader named Andrea. She rose early
that Sunday morning and went door-to-door in her
neighborhood to the home of each child she had ever seen at
Pilgrim and announced, "If you want to save your life, get up, get
dressed and come to Pilgrim." By 9:20 a.m. she was leading a
group of 20 children up the sidewalk to church. 

Thanks to Susan Sanders, minister for volunteer service,
United Church of Christ Board for Homeland Ministries.

Quick Quotes

"Religious Right partisans ask government for preferential
treatment for their specific spin on Christian doctrine. When they
do not receive it, they talk as if government is anti-religious." 

The Rev. James W. Watkins, minister of Old South United
Church of Christ, Kirkland, Ohio, from an Op-Ed piece in the
Cleveland Plain Dealer