News 11
No guns in churches After the movie theater massacre in Aurora, Colo., and a deadly shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis., Americans are divided on gun con- trol, and attitudes are far from ambiva- lent within certain religious groups. But a majority doesn’t want guns in churches, according to an August poll by the Public Religion Research Insti- tute conducted in partnership with Religion News Service. More than three-quarters of respondents (76 per- cent) said concealed weapons should not be allowed in houses of worship, compared to 20 percent who disagreed.
Gathering the Lutheran Community
in New York City Lodging for
Servant Trips Youth Ministry
Parish Getaways Clergy Meetings
Maybe a stroll on the Brooklyn Bridge and always
Sacred Hospitality
Convenient ●Comfortable ●Affordable Clergy Discounts
Seafarers & International House
123 East 15th Street New York, NY 10003
info@sihnyc.org www.sihnyc.org
An ELCA mission for seafarers and sojourners, with an 84-room guesthouse in the Union Square neighborhood that facilitates your congregational mission while you facilitate
ours. Collectively, God’s Work, Our Hands. 12 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
Boycott of settlement products The United Church of Canada’s high- est legislative body resolved to boy- cott products produced in Israeli set- tlements in occupied Palestinian terri- tory. Church leaders hope to pressure the Israeli government to stop expan- sion of settlements and end its mili- tary occupation. A report prepared by the church’s Working Group on Israel-Palestine Policy called settle- ments “a serious obstacle” to peace.
Church divests from Murdoch The Church of England sold $3 mil- lion worth of shares in Rupert Mur- doch’s News Corp. due to concerns about the company’s ethics. Eight News Corp. journalists have been charged by British authorities in con- nection with a phone-hacking scandal. “The Church of England was not satis- fied that News Corp. had shown, or is likely in the immediate future to show, a commitment to implement neces-
sary corporate governance reform,” the church said in a statement.
Lutheran help for Assam
In Assam, India, Lutherans are help- ing restore peace after interethnic violence left 80 people dead and dis- placed hundreds of thousands from their homes. Until four youth were killed in July, the ethnic Bodo com- munity and migrant Muslims had mostly lived in peace. Now, said Hira Mosahary, a member of a North- ern Evangelical Lutheran Church congregation in Goladangi, “espe- cially the children and old people [are] struggling to adjust to the relief camps. We need security and peace, which will help us to go back to our village.” The United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India is work- ing with Lutheran World Federation partners to provide food, clothing, hygiene kits and other aid to more than 2,500 displaced families.
Shelter for displaced Syrians A
t the beginning of September, at least 150,000 Syrians had fled fight- ing between government and opposition forces in Syria and crossed the border into Jordan. Since February 2011, about 2.5 million people have fled to Jordan, other parts of Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey. ELCA Disaster Response committed $250,000 toward the Lutheran
World Federation’s work with more than 14,500 Syrians at Za’atari, a U.N. refugee camp near Mafraq, Jordan. Lutherans are providing camp management, psychosocial support, education and other aid. LWF President Munib Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, has been working with Jordanian officials on how Lutherans can best help with the crisis. Earlier this year, the ELCA allocated $200,000 to provide food, clothing and other aid for displaced Syrians. To help, send gifts (write “Syria Conflict” on the memo line—100 percent will be used in response to the conflict) to ELCA Disaster Response, 39330 Treasury Center, Chicago, IL 60694-9300; www.elca. org/disaster/donate; 800-638-3522.
Correction
The kayaker in the photo is Jim Lewis (September, page 11). For more news, visit
www.thelutheran.org/feature/october
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52