wfn.org | UCC NewsBytes 8/17/98

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

Monday, August 17, 1998 

NewsBytes is published electronically every Monday by the
Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ.
For more information, visit our website at
<http://www.ucc.org>.

Church officials concerned about colleagues in
embassy bombings 
           
While rescue teams in East Africa dig through the rubble in the
tragic aftermath of the U.S. embassy bombings, others dig for
news and information on the status of colleagues who may have
been harmed. Daniel Hoffman, Africa area executive for the
Common Global Ministries of the United Church Board for
World Ministries and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ),
says that contact has been made with the Rev. Phyllis Byrd, a
missionary to Nairobi who reports that she and her family are
safe. 
      "Our immediate concern is for one of our partner institutions
in Kenya, the National Council of Churches of Kenya," says
Hoffman. The NCCK offices are across from the
embassy-about 75 meters-and initial attempts to contact them
were unsuccessful, he says. The Rev. Jon Chapman, Africa
Secretary for the Presbyterian Church, finally received word that
20 staff persons from NCCK were hurt as a result of the
bombing, but there were no casualties among the injured staff
members. 
      "We regret very much the loss of innocent Kenyan and
American lives in this bombing," says Hoffman. "We believe that
this tragic event will not contribute to the achievement of
democracy or stability in Kenya, a country that is struggling to
put in place a system of participatory governance against great
odds."

http://www.disciples.org/dom/Africa/bombings.htm
http://www.ucc.org/global/disaster/d081398a.htm              

Of mice and (wo)men 
           
Move over Minnie Mouse. The lovable Disney character may
soon be joined by another Minnie. And another Minnie. And
another Minnie. And another. And another... 
      The startling July 22 announcement that scientists from
Hawaii have made dozens of adult female mouse clones-and
even clones of the clones-has once again brought the cloning
issue into the headlines. The announcement, following months of
rumors, stunned the scientific and religious communities. If little
else, it means that advances in cloning are coming faster than
earlier projected. And the latest feat, say scientists, demonstrates
that cloning an adult animal, like Dolly the sheep, is not a fluke as
some have suggested. Dolly was created last year by a team of
biologists at Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, Scotland. 
      "Some thought that Dolly was not for real, that somehow the
Edinburgh experimenters had made a mistake," says the Rev.
Ronald Cole-Turner. A UCC minister and professor at
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Cole-Turner says the latest
news is significant for several reasons. "Once again we see the
surprising advance of science. Researchers appear to have
re-written a fundamental principle of biology. Suddenly, living
things have become even more flexible in human hands." 
      It may be just a coincidence, but both Dolly and the mice
were produced from cells found only in females. "It's possible,"
says Cole-Turner, "that only female cells will work. It might be
interesting to think how public reaction to cloning would be
affected if that occurred." 
      Cole-Turner believes the recent cloning is significant in other
ways, too. "We need to decide fairly quickly about such
research. Competing bills-some banning, some permitting this
research-are before the U.S. Congress. The science will
continue to surprise us with its quick jumps and unexpected
turns. As a Church and as concerned human beings, we need to
play our role in shaping a public climate of moral deliberation."

http://www.ucc.org/headline/clone697.htm
http://bioethics.gov/bioethics/pubs.html
              

Vote shows Anglicans divided over
homosexuality 
           
A vote by Anglican bishops at its Lambeth Conference Aug. 5 to
condemn homosexual relationships shows that the
70-million-member denomination is deeply divided. 
      At one end of the argument is the U.S. province of the
communion, the Episcopal Church, which has refused to ban the
ordination of gays and lesbians. At the other end is a resolution
passed by the bishops at the Lambeth Conference. 
      The Anglican bishops, who meet in England every 10 years
at the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, voted
seven-to-one for the resolution, which condemns "homosexual
practice as incompatible with scripture" and opposes ordination
of homosexuals and church recognition of same-sex
relationships. The tough wording ignored a plea by South
Africa's primate, the Most Rev. Njongonkulu Ndungane, to
"acknowledge the diversity of practices within our communion." 
      Bishops opposing the resolution said there was an
atmosphere of homophobia in the debate. The Canadian
primate, the Most Rev. Michael Peers, said, "The debate was
marked at times by outright condemnations of homosexual
persons, sometimes phrased in viciously prejudicial language.
This is not consistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ as I
understand it." 
      Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey later apologized to
gays and lesbians for any "pain" the action may have caused, and
pledged that he will work to open a dialogue with the church's
homosexual members.

http://www.anglican.org/online/
http://www.lambethconference.org
              
Not in my church, you don't! 
           
Is there a way for Christians to resolve conflict among
themselves? Yes, say professional Christian conciliation
consultants. Their advice? Read the Bible. 
      "Anything Christians can fight about, the Bible has a process
to resolve," says Ken Sande, executive director of Peacemaker
Ministries, a national conciliation ministry based in Billings, Mont.
Sande teaches what he calls the "Godly way" to settle problems.
The answers to solving conflicts and reaching forgiveness and
peace, even when people still disagree, are found in the Bible, he
says. 
      Four basic convictions guide the work of the Peacemaker
ministry: the centrality of Christ; the role of the church; the
necessity of counseling; and the comprehensiveness of God's
principles. 
      Conflict among Christians can surface in surprising ways.
The Rev. Richard Hammond Price, Order of Corpus Christi,
United Church of Christ, spends a good deal of his time
counseling clergy who have experienced abuse by their own
congregations. Price is director of Phoenix Consultants in
Langhorne, Pa. 
      "People say, 'Wow! This is the church. This shouldn't
happen,'" says Price. But conflicts do arise. Last year Price
counseled 18 clients. By August of this year he had worked with
125. 
      Price, who provides consultation for a variety of faith
communities, says he has been heartened by the response to his
conciliation work. "People are starting to take the issue of
conflict within the church seriously," he says. 
      -Thanks to ReligionToday.com for portions of this story.

http://www.peacemakerministries.org
http://clsnet.com/welcome.html
http://www.ucc.org/ucnews/killer.htm              

350 candles on Cambridge Platform cake 
           
In 1646, the General Court of Massachusetts invited
representatives from the Congregational churches throughout
New England to convene a Synod at Cambridge. The immediate
purpose of the gathering was to rebuke recent challenges to "the
Congregational Way" by setting forth an authoritative description
of church discipline as it has evolved in the New World.
Completed in 1648, the Cambridge Platform for Church
Discipline became the definitive manual of Congregational
organization, government, and ministry, and a document of
critical importance for the study of American Puritanism. 
      This year marks the 350th anniversary of the publication of
the Cambridge Platform. To celebrate the legacy of this historic
and still-contemporary document, representatives of the four
"inheriting" church fellowships (Conservative Congregational
Christian Conference, National Association of Christian
Congregational Churches, United Church of Christ and Unitarian
Universalists Association) will hold a two-day public observance
Oct. 28- 29 in Cambridge, Mass. 
      Well-known Puritan scholars Charles Hambrick-Stowe
(UCC) and Francis J. Bremer will keynote. In addition, there will
be seminars on issues raised by the Platform and period music.
The concluding session will bring together-for the first
time-the executive ministers of all four inheriting fellowships to
discuss their assessment of "the transient and the permanent" in
the Cambridge Platform. 
      For more information about events, contact the Rev. Harold
F. Worthley, Congregational Library, 14 Beacon St., Boston
MA 02108; (617) 523-0470; email blwhfw@aol.com. 

http://www.14beacon.org             

Disciples' board endorses anti-racism training 
           
The General Board of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ),
meeting in Indianapolis, July 25-28, engaged in a new process of
churchwide planning and endorsed a series of training events
aimed at eliminating racism in church structures. 
      The board identified several "vital issues" to be addressed by
the church: evangelism and witness, spiritual vitality and faith
development, leadership development, congregational hospitality,
diversity and inclusiveness, justice and reconciliation, services
and public advocacy, and strong worship life. Moderator
Michael Mooty of Lexington, Ky., and General Minister and
President Richard L. Hamm named a 12-member "mission
council" to carry the churchwide planning process forward. 
      The anti-racism training approved by the board was
recommended by a discernment steering committee on racism.
The discernment process wasn't aimed at determining "whether
racism is wrong or not," says Hamm. "We know it's wrong.
We're trying to discern how it operates in our day-to-day lives." 
      On a similar note, the United Church of Christ national
offices created a Diversity Task Force in 1994. As a result of
task force recommendations, the national staff engage in
anti-racism workshops on an annual basis. 

Clergy Views

'That Catholic thing' 
           
"From time to time people ask me why I do 'that Catholic thing'
during the benediction. Actually, when I make the sign of the
cross I am offering a traditional Christian gesture of blessing
which is used in many kinds of churches. Since the cross is the
central symbol of the faith we all share, I use this gesture to
remind me, and, I hope, many of you, who we are and whose
we are as we conclude our weekly worship and return to the
business of our daily lives." 

The Rev. James A. Bronwell, First Congregational United Church of
Christ, Sutton, Mass., in the church newsletter "The Spire"

Good News

An exceptional youth
           
Kevin Harnsberry of First Congregational Christian Church in
Birmingham, Ala., is an exceptional youth. He has a resolution
from his state senator to prove it! Kevin was awarded the
framed document commending him for outstanding achievements
by Sen. Roger Smitherman. 
      The resolution applauds Kevin, a senior at Altamont School
in Birmingham, for his scholastic achievements as a member of
the Junior National Honor Society and the National Honor
Society, his civic commitments as president of the Birmingham
chapter of the Jack and Jill organization and his athletic
achievements in varsity baseball and basketball. 

http://www.ucc.org