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2002-134

News Briefs

Faith and Values launching new morning television program 

     (ENS) Faith and Values Media is launching a new half-hour television program 
that will offer viewers an inspirational way to begin the day. "New Morning" will 
air Monday through Friday at 7 am on the Hallmark Channel, beginning June 3. 

     "Given the changes in the world around us, we believe there is a place for 
programming that celebrates what is good in the world--and that helps viewers 
start the day in touch with God, something to enrich their faith," said Edward J. 
Murray, president and CEO of Faith and Values Media. He said that the goal of the 
program is "to leave viewers feeling uplifted, spiritually renewed, and in a 
positive frame of mind as they go about their daily lives." 

     An early segment will feature an interview with astronaut Eugene Cernan, 
discussing how standing on the moon profoundly altered his view of God and the 
place of human beings in the universe. Another will feature a profile of a New 
York City street artist described by his friends as a "ghetto Confucius" who 
writes wise sayings in chalk on sidewalks to motivate and challenge passersby. 

     The program will be hosted by Timberly Whitfield, the daughter of United 
Methodist missionaries who spent her early years in Africa. "Through New Morning 
we want to make a positive impact on people's lives every day," she said. "Our 
goal is to help viewers slow down and rediscover the simple truths that make life 
so full and vibrant. We want to show them how they can make a difference in the 
world, while helping to strengthen their faith and their connection to God," she 
said. 

     (For more information and an electronic press kit go to 
http://press.newmorningtv.tv). 

Joint Lutheran-Anglican working group monitors closer relationship

     (ACNS) A joint working group established in 1998 by the Lutheran World 
Federation and the Anglican Communion to monitor progress in closer relationships 
between the two churches issued a communiqui following its meeting in Brazil in 
mid-May. 

     "The dialogue between Anglicans and Lutherans on the worldwide level has 
been underway in varying formats since 1970," the communiqui pointed out. It 
noted major agreements as the churches "moved toward different, binding forms of 
church fellowship" such as the Meissen Common Statement (1988) between the Church 
of England and the Evangelical Church of Germany; the Porvoo Statement (1996) 
between the British and Irish Anglican churches and the Nordic and Baltic 
Lutheran churches; the Reuilly Common Statement (1999) between the British and 
Irish Anglicans and the French Lutheran and Reformed churches; Called to Common 
Mission between the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in 
America (2000) and the Waterloo Declaration between the Anglican Church of Canada 
and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. 

     The Brazil meeting was asked to craft a final report, "Growth in Communion," 
that will now be submitted to the two world communions. It will assess the 
progress in relations in various regions of the world. 

Consultation affirms mission as the heart of the church 

     (ACNS) The first-ever Consultation of Coordinators of Mission and Evangelism 
in the Anglican Communion met in Nairobi, Kenya, in May and affirmed that 
"mission is at the heart of the life and calling of the Church. God's mission of 
love and life is universal in scope--to all people in all situations." 

     Representatives from churches in Asia, the Pacific, Australasia, the Middle 
East, several provinces in Africa, North America, the Caribbean, Britain and 
Ireland were joined by representatives from world mission agencies, the Mothers 
Union, Church Army (Africa), Church Mission Society and the United Society for 
Propagation of the Gospel. 

     "This has been an invigorating and spiritually refreshing experience," said 
John Clark, secretary for mission in the Church of England and chair of the 
consultation. He added that he sensed "a great energy and vitality amongst those 
present and within the Communion, and a renewed commitment to make evangelism and 
mission a priority in the life of our church. The consultation has helped us 
appreciate the rich variety of the Communion and to be deeply challenged by those 
amongst us who are seeking to forward the gospel in situations of great suffering 
and hardship." 

     Participants shared stories of how they were carrying out God's call to 
mission in their regional contexts, describing how the churches are growing 
despite situations of conflict and poverty. The challenge of life and witness in 
Islamic contexts and under Shari'ah or Islamic law was identified as a major 
concern. 

     The consultation also focused on evangelism and church planting in the 
context of affluent nations such as the United States, and also discussed 
cooperation between provincial structures and mission agencies, as well as work 
with other denominations. 

Religious freedom commission identifies repressive nations 

     (ENI) A report from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom 
claims that repression against religious believers is worsening in a number of 
countries--particularly in the Sudan, North Korea and Turkmenistan. 

     "Sadly, the situation worldwide has been growing worse," said Lawrence 
Goodrich, a spokesman for the commission established in 1998 by Congress. In a 
May 6 press conference that released the report commission chair Michael Young 
was particularly harsh in his assessment of the situation in the Sudan, arguing 
that religion was a major factor in that country's civil war and that "religious 
persecution by the Khartoum regime was intertwined with other human rights and 
humanitarian violations." He cited bombing of civilians and humanitarian 
facilities, denial of international assistance, abduction of women and children 
into conditions of slavery, and displacing whole communities in oil-producing 
regions. 

     Young said that "Sudan's government continues to commit genocidal atrocities 
against civilian populations in the south and central parts of the country," 
mentioning the bombing in February of a World Food Program feeding center in the 
western Upper Nile and the denial in April of access for humanitarian relief 
flights on which almost 2 million people depend. 

     Young said that religious freedom did not exist in North Korea and "what 
little religious activity that is permitted by the government is apparently 
staged for foreign visitors." He claimed that North Koreans are "perhaps the 
least free on earth, barely surviving under a totalitarian regime." 

     The commission recommended that the U.S. launch a major initiative to expose 
human rights abuses in North Korea and also pressure China to grant refugee 
status to North Koreans who cross the border into China. 

U.S. churches will participate in plans to send observers to Middle East

     (ENS) The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel was 
launched last February by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and churches in the 
United States are laying plans to participate by sending observers. 

     The mission of the EAPPI is to accompany Palestinians and Israelis in non-
violent actions and concerted advocacy efforts to end the occupation." That might 
include monitoring and reporting on human rights violations, offering protection 
through non-violent presence and supporting acts of non-violent resistance, and 
engaging in public policy advocacy. The framework for the effort was laid by 40 
churches and church-related organizations. The participation by American churches 
is being facilitated by the Middle East Forum's Accompaniment Working Group, 
chaired by the Rev. Mark Brown of the Lutheran Office of Government Relations in 
Washington, D.C. 

     The WCC launched the programme last February in response to pleas from the 
Christian community in the Middle East to move from making statements to taking 
action. "Please come, we can't wait any more," a WCC team was told at a meeting a 
year ago. 

     An application and further information are available from 
MiddleEastForum@earthlink.net. The deadline for applications is June 10 with 
orientation beginning at the end of July, and placements beginning in early 
August. 

Montreal bishop first elected electronically

     (Anglican Journal) Andrew Hutchinson of the Diocese of Montreal was elected 
archbishop and metropolitan of the province in what is likely the Anglican 
Communion's first electronic election. It took just one ballot for the 31 
provincial council members to vote. Only three failed to vote, including one 
bishop who objected to the electronic process. 

     Appropriately enough, Hutchinson serves on the Anglican Church of Canada's 
information resources committee that oversees the work of the church's national 
website, the Anglican Journal, and General Synod archives. The process saved an 
estimated $20,000 since it was not necessary to convene a provincial synod. 

     Bishop Donald Harvey of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador objected because 
of his concern that the secret ballot, which he called "sacrosanct," was being 
abandoned. Voters had two days to send their ballots by e-mail or fax to two 
"scrutineers" who would verify the e-mail or fax addresses. Although he endorsed the 
election of Hutchinson, Harvey said that he had to stand up for the principle of secrecy. 
He did not challenge the integrity of the scrutineers but was concerned that once one 
electronic election has taken place it may become the norm for episcopal elections, 
including the choice of a primate, or even votes on contentious issues such as sexuality.
He said that the election could have been conducted using regular mail, using double 
envelopes to protect the secrecy.