Staffing request More than 15 pages of signatures accompanied a letter from the ELCA Youth Ministry Network board of directors to the ELCA Congrega- tional and Synodical Mission unit. The letter, delivered in mid-June after being posted on the Internet for signatures (many from youth work- ers), thanks the unit for recently add- ing two staff positions for youth and young adult ministries. But it asks for an additional position for children’s ministry, which was one of some 40 staff reductions made in 2009.
No ‘Allah’ for paper
The Supreme Court of Malaysia let stand a lower court ban June 23 on the use of “Allah” by The Herald, a Roman Catholic newspaper. It’s part of a larger discussion among Malay- sians about whether Christians and other non-Muslims may use Allah to refer to God. Christians in Malaysia have done so for centuries. In related news, more than 300 Malay-language Bibles are still being confiscated by Selangor [State] Islamic Religious Council. Although Malaysia’s attor- ney general found no basis for hold- ing the Bibles, the council has refused to recognize the decision.
Synod staffer fired On June 9 the Northwestern Pennsyl- vania Synod terminated a staff mem- ber due to financial misconduct, said Bishop Ralph Jones. Leaders and congregations were told that the mis- conduct involved unauthorized use of the synod’s bank business card for personal gain, unauthorized trans- fers of funds from one account to another and from the synod account to a personal account, and the falsi- fication of reports to hide the activ- ity. The staffer reportedly admitted to the withdrawal of $50,000 from other church funds. At presstime the synod was determining the extent of the
P
Presbyterians act on marriage & more In other action delegates:
resbyterian Church (U.S.A.) delegates at the biennial General Synod in June voted
371-238 to allow clergy to perform same-sex weddings in states where it is legal to do so. Congregations and clergy aren’t
bound to conduct same-sex wed- dings and may still decide what happens in their facilities. Delegates also voted 429-175 to
change the church’s description of marriage from “between a man and a woman” to “between two people, traditionally between a man and a woman.” The constitutional change must be approved by a majority of the church’s 172 presbyteries (regional bodies).
losses. Police and insurance agents were informed.
Climate change urgent Current and future climate change is a matter of “utmost seriousness,” said the Lutheran World Federa- tion Council. Its June 16 statement commiting the LWF to global action states: “Both from the perspective of our belief in God as the Creator and from the perspective of justice and human rights, climate change is a matter that must be urgently addressed by human beings in our age.” The council called on world political and business leaders to design a strong global response to cli- mate change that reduces carbon pol- lution and helps vulnerable commu- nities adapt to climate change effects they are already experiencing.
51.2 million displaced In 2013, 51.2 million people were displaced around the globe—the
• Divested from Caterpillar Inc., Hewlett-Packard and Motorola Solutions, which do business in Israel-Palestine. They noted “the complexity of the issues, the decades-long struggle, the pain suf- fered and inflicted by policies and practices of both the Israeli govern- ment and Palestinian entities” and the church’s “own complicity in both the historic and current suffering of Israelis and Palestinians yearning for justice and reconciliation.” • Reduced the church’s 16 synods to between 10 and 12 in the next two years, with boundaries “based on an emerging sense of purpose, partnership, context and call.”
highest since the end of World War II. Lutheran Immigration and Refu- gee Service “was created to resettle Lutherans displaced during [the war],” said Linda Hartke, its presi- dent and CEO. That 75 years later “the global population of people forced to flee their homes has now exceeded 50 million further underscores the need for the important work LIRS continues to do to support refugees and migrants as they establish self- sufficiency and integrate into Ameri- can society,” she added. Visit www.
lirs.org to learn more.
Moravians vote The Moravian Church’s Northern Province voted 181-62 on June 22 to ordain gay and lesbian clergy and create a religious ceremony for same- sex couples. It also voted to be inclu- sive of differing views on the issues. Covering 13 states, it is the largest of the denomination’s three provinces
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