Lutheran bishop calls for immigration reform

     CHICAGO (ELCA) - In Nov. 1 letters to President Barack Obama and members of Congress, the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has called for comprehensive immigration reform and support for the DREAM Act (the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act), legislation that would provide a path for citizenship for undocumented high school graduates.

In his letter, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson wrote that the absence of reform has left several states to construct their own immigration laws, which are often "shortsighted and misguided."

"The ELCA needs your leadership," wrote Hanson, urging the president to engage Congress and U.S. citizens in the need for comprehensive immigration reform and to explore compassionate policy reforms that advance the common good.

Hanson is a member of the president's advisory council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

The 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assembly voted to support immigration reform and the DREAM Act. The churchwide assembly is the ELCA's highest legislative authority serving on behalf of the ELCA's 4.2 million members.

"The biblical call to hospitality (has) inspired Lutheran congregations across the country to discuss transforming communities into centers of hospitality through relationship building and advocacy," Hanson told the president. Hanson also added that ELCA congregations are working to lift up the experiences of undocumented youth and encourage broader public support for the legislation.

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, one of the nation's leading agencies in welcoming and advocating for refugees and immigrants and based in Baltimore, works on behalf of the ELCA, The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod and the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In addition, congregations of the ELCA and Lutheran social ministries provide critical services to migrant populations, spread the word of welcome and advocate for fair and humane immigration reform.

"As a national church body, the ELCA -- our congregations, bishops, schools and millions of individual members -- continue to preach, teach, advocate and work with and on behalf of (everyone)," Hanson wrote. "This nation has achieved such greatness due to the resilience, labor and intellect of immigrants. We will roll up our sleeves and work tirelessly until this nation is once again a place of welcome and justice for  newcomers."

The full text of Hanson's letter is available at http://www.ELCA.org/bishop/messages.

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16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence

Call to Action against Gender Violence

WACC (the World Association of Christian Communication) is calling on its networks and friends to participate in the takebackthetech campaign to end online violence against women and girls. The campaign is organised by APC Women (Association of Progressive Communications), a global network that supports women networking for social change and women's empowerment through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). The focus of the campaign during the 16 Days this year is to map and build evidence of technology-related violence against girls and women.

See full letter below:
Warm greetings from Toronto!
The 16 days of activism against gender violence run from today November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and end on December 10, International Human Rights Day. These dates symbolically link violence against women and human rights, and emphasize that such violence is a human rights violation. 

WACC is asking its networks and friends to participate in takebackthetech campaign to end online violence against women and girls. The campaign is organised by APC Women, a global network that supports women networking for social change and women's empowerment through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). The focus of the campaign during the 16 Days this year is to map and build evidence of technology-related violence against girls and women. 

Please go to http://www.takebackthetech.net/mapit to map your stories of technology-related violence against women and girls. Document stories that have appeared in your local news about: [...]
 + Online harassment and cyberstalking (28 November)
 + Intimate partner violence (1 December)
 + Sexual assault and rape (4 December)
 + Violence targeting communities because of their gender or sexual identity and politics (7 December) 
These are stories related to violence against girls and women through the internet, mobile phones or other technologies. Mapping and building evidence supports advocacy and action to end such violence. 

Join with others to document cases that have appeared in the news in your country.
The online mapping platform (was) launched on 25 November on the takebackthetech site, with detailed instructions on how to take action and document your stories.

To learn more about the campaign, watch the video at takebackthetech.
Read about the campaign and other ways to participate.
For more information, please contact Terry Mutuku at MT@waccglobal.org
or APC women at info@takebackthetech.net.

Sincerely,
Karin Achtelstetter
General Secretary

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To see my other work or to receive regular bulletins concerning justice and peace in Palestine and Israel, sign up at my other blog - A Texas Lutheran's Voice for Peace: http://www.voicesforpeace.blogspot.com/

Five fabulous years at Casa Sirena

My pal, innkeeper Steve Broin, reports on five fabulous years at Casa Sirena, Isla Mujeres, Mexico.  Check out the latest news!

I keep dreaming of reunions with best friends at the beautiful boutique hotel, but it's still in the dreaming stage.  Here's the home page for the Casa Sirena.

         Micky McGrath illustration: "The world will be saved by beauty!"

To see my other work or to receive regular bulletins concerning justice and peace in Palestine and Israel, sign up at my other blog - A Texas Lutheran's Voice for Peace: http://www.voicesforpeace.blogspot.com/

Greetings from Quinhagak, Alaska

This uplifting, joyful , adorable video from the small Yupiq Eskimo Village of Quinhagak, Alaska , was a school computer project intended for the other Yupiq villages in the area. Much to the villagers' shock, over a half million people have viewed it.

Click this link for a wintery musical celeberatiion provided by some amazing fifth graders. 

To see my other work or to receive regular bulletins from Ann Hafften concerning justice and peace in Palestine and Israel, sign up at my other blog - A Texas Lutheran's Voice for Peace: http://www.voicesforpeace.blogspot.com/

The World Council of Churches (WCC) supports Egyptian Christians

 

WCC continues to support Egyptian churches in their quest for peace

For immediate release: 18 October 2011

The World Council of Churches (WCC) supports Egyptian Christians in their quest for justice, rejection of violence and initiatives for dialogue in the wake of 9 October clashes between peaceful protestors and the army in Cairo which resulted in 25 people dead, mostly Coptic Christians, while the country was preparing to return to democracy.

Egypt’s Christians make up about 10 percent of the population and mainly consist of Coptic Orthodox as well as Coptic Presbyterian, Maronite, Greek Orthodox, Greek Catholic, Armenian Orthodox and Armenian Catholic churches.

Christians in Egypt have remained vulnerable to the threat of religious extremism for some time, and their concerns have emerged crucially during the recent changing political landscape of Egypt.

They are now asserting themselves in condemning violence as witnessed on 9 October, and in the burning of churches like the Church of Al-Marinab and Edfu-Aswan this year.

A recent statement issued by the Protestant Church in Egypt says, “Churches reject acts of violence in Egypt during this time of socio-political transitions. We therefore appeal to all those within the nation to stand together side-by-side in order to confront these incidents. We call on all Egyptians to reject the use of violence and, in doing so, work together to create a unified legislation to allow for building places of worship for all.”

“Thus,” the statement continued, “as Egyptians – both Muslim and Christians alike – we must call for the immediate investigation of the events of 9 October, with emphasis on bringing accountability to the doors of those responsible for the violence which, tragically, left many dead.”

Similarly the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Service joined hands with civil society actors including writers, academics, religious leaders, youth and media professionals to condemn the violence. A joint statement at the end of a symposium on “Together against sectarian tension” stated:

“We appeal to all Egyptians to call for an end to violence. We must act now, collectively, to save the future of our great nation from the alternative – a divided and violent future which reminds us little of the Egypt we know and love.”

The WCC praises the efforts of the churches in raising their voices for peace and dialogue. Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the WCC, says, “We as churches condemn the violence perpetrated against the Coptic Christians during the unfortunate incidents of 9 October. We hold the victims in our prayers. It is through the resilience of Egyptians, both Christians and Muslims, that the sectarian strife can be defeated. We stand in solidarity with the Egyptian churches in these difficult times.”

The WCC through its programme Public witness: addressing power, affirming peace has been engaged with the churches in Middle East in collective efforts by ecumenical partners to achieve peace and justice at local, national, regional and international levels.

Read also:

Christian presence in the Middle East: theological and political challenges

WCC Central Committee Minute on the Presence and Witness of Christians in the Middle East 2011

Churches in the Middle East: solidarity and witness for peace  

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The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.