World News

EXPERTS IN health and human rights from around the world gathered in Geneva 16-18 January to ponder a question: How can churches create "safe spaces" where people can learn and discuss sensitive issues without fear of judgment? "We need to have open and inclusive dialogue on mental and physical health issues, so that we can create safe spaces, where communities ...

FOLLOWING THE devastating cyclone that wrecked havoc in India’s southern Tamil Nadu state at yearend, church charities are getting aid to affected families. "People are still struggling without electricity, [with] roofless houses and roads blocked by fallen trees," said Florina Benoit, chief zonal officer of Churches Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA). Benoit was speaking to ENInews on 16 January from Chennai, ...

A TROPICAL storm that hit the southern Philippines eight days before Christmas has prompted church and government leaders to ask Filipinos to tone down their festivities this season and give to hundreds of families left homeless and hungry. Some churches that celebrate morning or evening pre-Christmas services from 19 to 24 December have encouraged parishioners to contribute to a fund ...

CHRISTMAS church services in Christchurch, New Zealand were held outdoors after four strong earthquakes struck within three hours on 23 December, injuring 60, and causing further damage to the Anglican and Catholic cathedrals. Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said the quakes, which included 5.8 and 6.0 magnitude temblors, were distressing at a time when the council is slowly making the city safe ...

AS THE concept of "going green" continues to gain traction among consumers and businesses, churches in the United Kingdom are using the Christmas season to highlight their role in improving the environment. In early December, St. Luke’s, a Catholic church in the London suburb of Pinner, switched on its solar panels, while the Anglican dioceses of Gloucester, Exeter, Bath, and Wells ...

LEADERS OF a South Korean church council expressed on 19 December "sincere condolences" on the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. "We ask [the] international community to cooperate continuously, not taking this for breaking of security on the Korean peninsula, but for building peace in the region of North East Asia," said General Secretary the Rev. Kim Young ...

THE FORTIETH anniversary of Rev Dr Norma Spear’s ordination was cause to celebrate at Forest Lake Uniting Church, in Brisbane’s west, in October. Dr Spear was the fi rst woman to be ordained in the Methodist Church in Queensland prior to church union in 1977. The Forest Lake Uniting Church congregation hosted a morning of celebration for Dr Spear on ...

IN SEPTEMBER, eleven Queenslanders returned from a UnitingWorld InSolidarity trip to Tonga with a renewed appreciation of Pacific hospitality. Team Leader, Judy Morrison, of Caloundra, said the group was overwhelmed by the Pacific Islander hospitality. “The way they share absolutely everything is a real challenge to our lifestyle here at home,” she said. The trip allowed the group to meet ...

LAST YEAR, the Christmas Bowl raised $2.3 million to help people from conflict and disaster affected countries, including Burma, where violence and persecution have forced tens of thousands to flee to camps on the Tai-Burmese border. The Christmas Bowl is the annual appeal of Act for Peace, the international aid agency of the National Council of Churches in Australia. Funds ...

The Uniting Church in Australia has expressed deep concern for the Pacific nation of Tuvalu as it faces a devastating drought. Rev Tafue Molu Lusama the General Secretary of Ekalesia Kelisiano Tuvalu (EKT – the Christian Church of Tuvalu) wrote advising that on Wednesday the 28th September the Tuvalu government declared Tuvalu to be in a state of emergency due ...