Friday, December 2, 2011

Colleagues List, December 2nd, 2011

Vol. VII. No. 16

*****

Wayne A. Holst, Editor

*****

Colleagues List Blog:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/

My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telusplanet.net

*****

Special Item:
In This Issue -

Book Notice:

Beyond Religion -
Ethics for a Whole World, 
by the Dalai Lama
___

Colleague Comment:

Hardy/Elfrieda Schroeder
Alex Lawson
Gretchen Janssen
___

Colleague Contributions:

Mark Noll
Isabel Gibson
Jim Taylor
___

Net Notes:

Elections in the Congo
Tutu Challenges Canada
Old Texts Available Online
Clinton Supports Aid Tracking
Egyptian Voters Endure Long Lines
Life in a Time of the Great Dying
Couple Faces Mixed Race Church Ban
Vatican Calls Legionaries to Account
Malaysia Group Discourages Conversions
Would World be Better Without Religion?
German Pres. Meets Asian Religious Leaders
Christmas Celebrations Assume World Flavour
___

Global Faith Potpourri:
Eighteeen ENI Geneva stories.
___

Quotes of the Week:

Jiddu Krishnamurti
Sylvia Boorstein
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Anne Lamott
Henri J.M. Nouwen
___

On This Day:

Nov. 28, 1943 - Roosevelt, Churchill 
and Stalin meet in Tehran during WWII.

Nov. 29, 1947 - UN General Assembly passes 
resolution calling for partitioning of 
Palestine between Arabs and Jews.

Dec. 1, 1959 - 12 countries, sign treaty 
making Antarctica a scientific preserve, 
free from military activity.

___

Closing Thought: Jesus

(end)

*****

Dear Friends:

Colleague Reginald Stackhouse of
Toronto and his family mourn the
loss of his wife Margaret who died
on November 30th. Her funeral will
be held at Wycliff College, Toronto
on Monday, December 5th.

Reg. you are in our thoughts and
prayers.

Also passing from this life this
past week is Doug Hogkinson who
was living in retirement in the
Okanagan Valley of British Columbia.
Doug was a calm, stabilizing presence
in my life when I was in special need
of it. You are remembered, Doug.

Here is his obituary from the
Anglican Journal:


http://tinyurl.com/87mla66

---

My special item this week is a book
notice on the latest from the Dalai
Lama. It is entitled:

"Beyond Religion - 
 Ethics for a Whole World"

It continues to help me in my own 
thoughts on the development of ethics 
without God. I hope it will be of
interest to you also.
___

Colleague Comment:

This week, notes came from:

Hardy/Elfrieda Schroeder,
Alex Lawson and Gretchen Janssen

I pass them on to you.

___

Colleague Contributions:

Special articles appeared online
this week from -

Mark Noll, Isabel Gibson and
Jim Taylor

Enjoy!
___

Net Notes:

"Elections in the Congo" - we follow 
developments in a nation that has
undergone great turmoil in recent years
(New York Times)

"Tutu Challenges Canada" - The South
African bishop keeps his attention
trained on injustice, and this time
he sees it in Canada (Vancouver Sun)

"Old Texts Available Online" - the
web has become a great place to locate
ancient manuscripts (The Atlantic)

"Clinton Supports Aid Tracking" -
a lot of money circles the globe in
order to help people, but who keeps
track of it? (The Guardian, UK)

"Egyptian Voters Endure Long Lines"
- will democracy emerge in Egypt,
and will everyone benefit? This
week, Egyptians voted en masse
(Los Angeles Times)

"Life in a Time of the Great Dying"
- a good article on the ecological
crisis from a credible source
(Time Magazine)

"Couple Faces Mixed Race Church Ban"
- unfortunately, not all parts of
the old American South have moved
beyond the days of the Confederacy
(The Guardian, UK)

"Vatican Calls Legionaries to Account"
- an order that was almost closed down
because of the duplicity of its founder
has been given a chance, but under very
careful scrutiny (Vatican Insider)

"Malaysia Group Discourages Conversions"
- here is a nation where interfaith
rivalry can be deadly (Ucan News)

"Would World be Better Without Religion?"
- a debate on the merits and demerits of
religion in the world today - video
(National Public Radio)

"German President Meets Asian Religious Leaders"
- this official has gone to India and other
eastern countries to learn more about promoting
peaceful relations between religions (Ucan News)

"Christmas Celebrations Assume World Flavour"
- a young Mennonite couple served overseas
and their Christmas celebrations have undergone 
considerable change (Christian Week)

___

Global Faith Potpourri:
Eighteeen stories appear this week from
Ecumenical News International, Geneva.
___

Quotes of the Week:

Jiddu Krishnamurti, Sylvia Boorstein,
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Anne Lamott
and Henri J.M. Nouwen provide wisdom.
___

On This Day:

Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin met in 
Tehran during WWII (1943)

UN General Assembly passed a resolution 
calling for the partitioning of Palestine 
between Arabs and Jews (1947)

12 countries, signed a treaty making 
Antarctica a scientific preserve, free 
from military activity (1959)

___

Closing Thought: 

The Historical Jesus
Comment by Matthew Fox

Blessings on your pre-Christmas
preparations this week!


Wayne

************************

SPECIAL FALL STUDY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Introducing the Full Program

ST. DAVID'S MONDAY NIGHT STUDY 2011

Series nearing completion:

"Living Ethically Amid Chaos"
Two Books by Richard Holloway

September 19th - December 5th
TM Room, St. David's United Church
7:00PM - 9:00PM

"Between the Monster and the Saint"
Spiritual support for pursuing a life
that seeks above all to be good

Information on the book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/4369obx

---

"Godless Morality" 
Learning how to separate "God says" 
from doing what is right

Information about the book from Amazon.ca
http://tinyurl.com/3d45x3t

---

Final 'Bookend' Session
Monday, December 5th, 2011

Special Guests from the Calgary gay,
lesbian and transgendered community - 
the Kirby Centre and Knox United Church, 
downtown.

Theme:

"How can St. David's congregation be
more hospitable to the gay community?"

---

Led by Jock McTavish and Wayne Holst

Registration: $25.00 for class fees,
and special hospitality. No more books 
are available. Order from Amazon.ca.

*****

UNIVERSITY TUESDAY NIGHTS

A Study Program Sponsored by:
The Department of Continuing Education
At the University of Calgary

Taught by: Wayne Holst

"God, Atheism and Morality" (ten sessions)
Tuesday Nights, 7:00PM - 9:00 PM
September 27th - December 6th, 2011

Series concluding.

*****

ST. DAVID'S ACTS MINISTRY AND
THE FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY CENTRE 
ON THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY CAMPUS

Fall series concluded:

Welcome to our -

Noon Hour Book Discussions for Faculty, 
Staff and Students Winter Series for 2012:

"An Altar in the World" by Barbara Brown Taylor

Discovering God in the ordinary experiences of life
March 2nd - March 30th - five Friday noon sessions

Time and Location for all sessions:
12:00 to 1:00PM in the Native Centre Board Room
Located above the Dairy Queen, Mac Hall Student's 
Centre

Led by: Wayne Holst, 
Coordinator of the ACTS Ministry, St. David's United
and a Faith and Spirituality Centre Liaison.

Cost of the book: $15.00 each

---

Hear Barbara Brown Taylor speak in Calgary!

Friday - Sunday, December 2nd-4th, 2011
Christ Church, Elbow Park

http://tinyurl.com/7onepkf

*****

Join us this year for stiumlating campus discussions!

For more information: Adriana Tulissi 403-220-5451
Co-ordinator, Faith and Spirituality Centre, U. of 
C. - artuliss@ucalgary,ca

*****

SPECIAL ST. DAVID'S LINKS

Contact us at: asdm@sduc.ca (or)admin@sduc.ca
St. David's Web Address - http://sduc.ca/

Listen to audio recordings of Sunday services -
http://sduc.ca/services.htm

*****

STUDY ARCHIVES

An accumulation of twenty-five+ studies conducted
since 2000 can quickly be found at:
http://bookstudies.stdavidscalgary.net/

This collection of study resources represents 
more than a decade of Monday Night Studies at 
St. David's, plus extra courses too!

You are welcome to use our course outlines,
class notes and resource pages in your personal
and group reflections.

******************************************

SPECIAL ITEM

Book Notice:

BEYOND RELIGION
Ethics for the Whole World
by the Dalai Lama.
McClelland and Steward,
Toronto, ON. 

Release date: 
December 6th, 2011
$27. CAD. 188 pages.
ISBN #978-0-7710-4603-2.

Publishers Promo:

A bracing and essential modern-day polemic 
from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, "Beyond 
Religion" is a blueprint for all those who 
yearn for a life of spiritual fulfillment 
as they work for a better world. This is 
HHDL's new model for mutual respect and 
understanding - rooted in our shared 
humanity - between religious believers 
and non-believers.

Ten years ago, in his bestselling 
"Ethics for a New Millennium" His Holiness 
the Dalai Lama first proposed an approach 
to ethics based on universal rather than 
religious principles. Now, in "Beyond 
Religion" the Dalai Lama, at his most 
compassionate and outspoken, elaborates 
and deepens his vision for the non- 
religious way. Transcending the mere 
"religion wars," he outlines a system 
of secular ethics that gives tolerant 
respect to religion - those that ground 
ethics in a belief in God and an after-
life, and those that understand good 
actions as leading to better states of 
existence in future lives. And yet, 
with the highest level of spiritual 
and intellectual authority, the Dalai 
Lama makes a claim for what he calls 
"a third way."

This is a system of secular ethics 
that transcends religion.

---

Author's Words:

"This book may seem strange coming
from someone who from a very early
age lived as a monk in robes.

Yet I see no contradiction here.
My faith enjoins me to strive for
the welfare and benefit of all
sentient beings, and reaching out
beyond my own tradition, to those
of other religions and of none,
is entirely in keeping with this.

"I am confident that it is both
possible and worthwhile to attempt
a new secular approach to universal
ethics. My confidence comes from
my conviction that all of us, all
human beings, are basically inclined
or disposed toward what we perceive
to be good... In view of this I am
of the firm opinion that we have
within our grasp a way, and a means,
to ground inner values without
contradicting any religion and yet,
crucially, without depending on
religion."

- from the Introduction

---

My Thoughts:

For more than a year I have been
teaching courses on envisioning ethics
"without God" as a Source or Judge. I
have taught using books by an atheistic
scientist and a religious humanist. This
title by the Dalai Lama helps to broaden 
and deepen the debate because it is 
written by a spiritual leader who wants 
to ground ethics in human, not religious 
values.

The Dalai Lama does this for two reasons.
He believes that many people no longer
follow ethical codes grounded in religion.
He also believes that we live in a time
when it is impossible to follow religion-
based ethical codes in isolation from the
equally valid codes of other faiths or no
faiths. Whose ethics are right? 

Our village has become global.

Truly, a better way is needed. A truly 
universal set of ethical principles must 
be secular, not religious in nature, says
the Dalai Lama.

---

To help us understand what he means, the
author speaks of the democracy existing
in his host country, India. Gandhi, the
father of modern India, he says, was a 
deeply religious man, but he realized that 
for India to become a workable democracy, 
a secular government needed to be in place
that transcended all the various religions 
and philosophies believed by the citizens 
of that nation. In a very similar sense, 
a universally inclusive set of moral 
principles is needed to guide humans 
today.

---

No one with any sense of history will
question the fact that religion has been
the cause of much human conflict. It often
defies the very good principles it espouses.

Those of us who are self-defined spiritual
people frequently look upon the religious
record with chagrin and sadness. Still,
we tend to cling to religion-based ethics
because alternative moral systems have 
never become part of our experience. 

At this point, people like the Dalai Lama
are emerging to suggest that good and
alternative systems are indeed available 
for our consideration.

Transcending inter-religious contention,
he outlines a system of secular ethics that
gives tolerant respect to all religions -
including those that believe in God, an
afterlife, and that good actions can lead 
to better states of existence in a future 
life after we die.

At the same time, his secular ethics offer a 
"third way" between religious and atheistic 
codes.

"What we need today," he says, "is an
approach to ethics which makes no
recourse to religion and can be equally
acceptable to those with faith and those
without." 

The author believes that all human
beings are basically inclined or
disposed toward what we perceive to
be good. He wants to ground inner
values without contradicting any
religion and yet, not depending on
any religion.

He claims such values include love,
compassion, justice and forgiveness.

The Dalai Lama wants everyone to come 
personally to their own understanding 
of the importance of these values. 

Inner values, he says, are both the 
source of an ethically harmonious world 
and the individual peace of mind, 
confidence and happiness we all seek.

The two pillars of secular ethics are
our shared humanity and our human
interdependence.

While he builds from his own set of 
Buddhist-based moral values, he does 
not want to impose those values on
anyone else.

The more we work to discern our own
individual human values, the closer we 
will come to realizing universal human 
values.

---

I think these ideas are well worth
persuing. Any kind of 'universal'
ethics we as humans might devise
will not be without its flaws. 

No system will be perfect. It is true 
that we would be replacing one set of 
'challenges' with another.

Still, the most honest and aware
among us know that we cannot continue
living with all those inherited moral
contradictions - such as how we treat 
gay people, euthanasia or stem cell 
research.

Integrity has been lacking.

Discussing the old problems with
a new set of "ethical eyes" can
be most invigorating - as my classes
will attest.

---

I will add this book to my ethics
reference list because I believe
the Dalai Lama does, indeed, have
something important to add to our
modern quest for a renewed and
meaningful ethic for living.

_____

Buy the book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/87cj8rv

*****

COLLEAGUE COMMENT

HARDY/ELFRIEDA SCHROEDER
Winnipeg, MB.

November 29th, 2011

Wayne, 

Advent Greetings to you and Marlene..

We DO read ("as able"!) and appreciate 
your Colleagues List blog.

We especially value "Quotes of the Week."
The Miroslav Volf segment in the last 
posting was particularly relevant and 
meaningful to us.

Cordially,

Elfrieda and Hardy

---

ALEX LAWSON
Lethbridge, AB.

November 21st, 2011

Wayne, 

How wonderful to reconnect with you.
I look forward to your blog.

Alex

---

GRETCHEN JANSSEN
Portland, OR.

November 20th, 2011

Wayne,

I can heartily recommend for your list 
the DVD "Of Gods and Men." 

It is based on a true story about a French 
Trappist monastery in Algeria. Nine monks 
lived and worked there. They had a very 
simple life and were well integrated into 
the Moslem community where they were very 
respected. One of the monks was a medical 
doctor and he provided a medical clinic 
for the community.

In the chaos of Algeria during the 1990's 
seven of the monks were forcibly taken from 
the monastery and killed. It has never been 
made clear who did it. All seven have since 
been granted saint status by the Catholic 
Church. I learned that a month ago when I 
was in Sweden and saw their names in the 
church book of Saints.

It is a beautiful film with gorgeous 
photography and explores the issues of 
leadership, friendship, love, commitment 
choice making and faith.

I've seen it four or five times because 
I keep sharing it with friends.

Gretchen

*****

COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

MARK NOLL
Notre Dame, IN.

Books and Culture
Nov/Dec. 2011

"Long Live the King"
400 Years of the KJV


http://tinyurl.com/bld6xja

---

ISABEL GIBSON
Ottawa, ON.

"Beginning to Look a
 Lot like Christmas"

Traditional Iconoclast
Personal Blog
December 1st, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/7vuhgud

*****

JIM TAYLOR
Okanagan, BC

"Matthew - Good Riddance 
 to a Venemous Gospel"

http://tinyurl.com/6vo7rsl

*****

NET NOTES

ELECTIONS IN THE CONGO
"What do I fear?... Death"

New York Times
November 29th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/6t62nug

*****

TUTU CHALLENGES CANADA
OVER OUR BIG OIL

Vancouver Sun
November 29th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/8yfthll

*****

OLD TEXTS AVAILABLE ONLINE
A Rich Treasure Trove

The Atlantic Online
December 1st, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/6p2pc46

*****

CLINTON SUPPORTS AID
TRACKING INITIATIVE
Global Money Trails

The Guardian UK
November 30th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/72g73hs

*****

EGYPTIAN VOTERS ENDURE
LONG LINES AT POLLS
Embryonic Democracy

Los Angeles Times
November 28th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/6pqpvcj

*****

LIFE IN THE TIME 
OF THE GREAT DYING
The Ecological Crisis

Time Magazine
November 25th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/785gdgf

*****

COUPLE FACES MIXED RACE 
KENTUCKY CHURCH BAN

The Guardian, UK
December 1st, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/d5z574s

*****

VATICAN CALLS LEGIONARIES 
OF CHRIST TO ORDER
Errant Leader's Group Survives,
But Remains Under Tight Control

Vatican Insider
November 30th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/7mrfnxz

*****

MALAYSIAN GROUP WARNS
AGAINST CONVERSIONS
Concern for Mutual Respect

Ucan News
November 30th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/7f38bhj

*****

WOULD THE WORLD BE
BETTER OFF WITHOUT RELIGION?

National Public Radio Debate
November 28th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/86zefjw

*****

GERMAN PRESIDENT MEETS
ASIAN RELIGIOUS LEADERS
Learning from Interfaith Experience

Ucan News
November 29th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/7zymdro

*****

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS TAKE
ON WORLD FLAVOUR FOR EX-PATS

St. Jacobs, ON. couple are
changed by overseas experience

Christian Week
November 24th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/6ss5zcf

*****

GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI

Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
25 November 2011

London art exhibit examines images 
of three faiths

London (ENI news) How do you express in art 
the relationship between the three Abrahamic 
faiths? This was the challenge given artists 
last year by a consortium of interfaith groups 
in London. There were dozens of entries and 
the finalists are on display at the Red Gallery 
until 4 December, one of many events marking 
Interfaith Week. One studio is devoted to 
exploring the letter A within the three 
traditions. Five artists produced a series 
of silkscreen pictures based on the letter 
in Hebrew, Arabic and Latin. "All great 
faiths have their sacred texts and we 
reflect on how language began," explained 
painter Francesca Ulivari. 

_____

Japanese bishops release 
delayed anti-nuclear message

Tokyo (ENI news) - Pressure from business 
people and different views of the crisis 
after the 11 March earthquake, tsunami and 
nuclear power plant disaster caused Japanese 
Catholic bishops to delay an anti-nuclear 
message for six months, according to a 
church official. "Immediately after the 
earthquake disaster, there was, of course, 
a voice within the church that we should 
express our concrete position to abolish 
nuclear power plants," said Noriko Hiruma, 
a Japanese Roman Catholic sister of the 
Mercedarian Missionaries of Berriz who 
is serving as the secretariat staff of 
the Japan Catholic Council for Justice 
and Peace, in an e-mail to ENInews. 
_____

In Scotland, faith leaders 
visit each others' sanctuaries

Edinburgh (ENI news) - Interfaith Week 
in Scotland was preceded on 25 November 
with a three-day pilgrimage in Edinburgh
in which Jewish, Muslim and Christian 
clergy worshiped in each others' 
sanctuaries, the first time such a 
program has been held in the capital.
Members of the three Abrahamic faiths 
should emphasize what they have in 
common and not what divides them, said 
the Rev. David Arnott, Moderator of 
the General Assembly of the Church of 
Scotland, speaking after a service at
the Annandale Mosque.
_____

Hindu Christian Forum 
launches at Lambeth Palace

Canterbury, England (ENI news) -
In a move to create an "opportunity for 
dialogue and depth," the Archbishop of 
Canterbury, Rowan Williams, and Sri Shruti 
Dharma Das Ji launched the Hindu Christian 
Forum today at Lambeth Palace, according 
to a Church of England news release. "The 
conversation of interfaith dialogue is 
always one where we look eagerly and 
expectantly for enrichment. We're not 
playing for victory, we're seeking 
understanding from one another...by 
learning the depth of one another's 
commitment and vision; dialogue and 
depth is what we all hope for," said 
Williams. 

_____

Cluster bomb accord derailed after 
failing to meet humanitarian concerns

Geneva (ENI news) - Religious leaders 
and disarmament campaigners hailed the 
decision by 50 countries to derail a 
proposal backed by the United States, 
Russia, China, India, and Israel to 
create a new global accord on cluster 
bombs, because it did not meet 
humanitarian concerns. The proposal, 
put forth during the Fourth Review 
Conference of the Convention on 
Conventional Weapons (CCW), which 
concluded today, called for the 
destruction of all cluster munitions 
produced before 1980, but would have 
allowed the use of munitions with a 
failure rate of one percent or less, 
as well as those with only one 
safeguard mechanism. 

*****

28 November 2011

In some Arab villages, 
imams now preach driver safety

Rahat, Israel (ENI news) - Muslim 
clergy in Arab villages in southern 
Israel are adding safe-driving 
messages to their sermons after 
taking a course in the town of 
Rahat that highlights the dangers 
of careless driving. "We have a 
very special role to play in 
passing this message to the 
community," said Rahat imam Ager 
Al-Atrash in a telephone interview. 
He said the topic of driving safety 
was of special importance to him 
because his son was seriously 
injured in a driving accident. 
"Life is a gift from God and we 
should not play with it or take 
it away from someone else. 
Especially in our society we 
have to think about how people 
drive and how we can avoid car 
accidents," he said.

_____

Faith groups in Kenya seek 
to strengthen HIV/AIDS strategies

Nairobi, Kenya (ENI news) - As new 
HIV/AIDS infections and related 
deaths decline, Christian and Muslim 
leaders in Kenya discussed how to 
improve their strategies at a 
conference in Nairobi from 23 to 
25 November entitled "Doing More, 
Doing Better:Towards Zero New 
Infections." It critically 
examined faith groups' approaches 
and concluded that some led to 
increased stigma, denial and shame. 
"For the last 30 years or so, 
religious leaders across the 
different religions have generally 
perceived and approached HIV and 
AIDS as asexual moral issue," said 
the Rev.Wellington Mutiso, general 
secretary of the Evangelical Alliance 
of Kenya.
_____

Interfaith rally in Durban 
highlights climate change

Durban, South Africa (ENI news) - 
An interfaith rally in Durban, 
South Africa on 27 November urged 
a United Nations conference to 
deliver a fair, ambitious and 
binding treaty that addresses 
the important issue of climate 
change. "This is the only home 
we have," said Nobel Peace Prize 
laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 
referring care for the planet Earth, 
according to a news release from 
the Geneva-based World Council of 
Churches (WCC). The 17th Conference 
of Parties to the U.N. Framework 
Convention on Climate Change 
(UNFCCC), or COP 17, runs from 
28 November to 9 December. 

*****

29 November 2011

Radical Somali group 
bans aid agencies

Nairobi, Kenya (ENI news) - Banning 
humanitarian agencies from Southern 
Somalia will worsen the situation for 
160,000 severely malnourished children 
and thousands of people recovering from 
famine, relief agency officials said. 
They spoke after the Al-shabab radical 
Islamic group banned 16 aid agencies, 
including some with a Christian focus, 
on 28 November, from areas it controls. 
Drought and warfare this year have 
affected millions of Somalis, with 
hundreds of thousands seeking help 
at refugee camps. 

_____

Ugandan cleric urges churches 
to push governments on AIDS 

Nairobi, Kenya (ENI news) - African 
churches need to urge governments to 
do more to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS,
according to a prominent Ugandan Anglican 
cleric who was the first religious leader 
on the continent to declare publicly his 
HIV-positive status. "The church is doing 
something, but if it were enough the 
pandemic would have gone away. The church 
has not challenged the governments to put 
money where the problem is," Canon Gideon 
Byamugisha, 59, said in an interview with 
ENI news in Nairobi, where he spoke from 
22 to 24 November on HIV/AIDS prevention. 

_____

Cuban theologian will lead Reformed church 
justice office

Geneva (ENI news) - Cuban theologian and 
pastor Dora Arce-Valentin has been appointed 
to head the Justice and Partnership program 
of the Geneva-based World Communion of 
Reformed Churches (WCRC). She will begin 
her work in January 2012, according to a 
WCRC news release. "Dora Arce-Valentin is 
moving into a key role," said WCRC General 
Secretary Setri Nyomi. "Her experience of 
grassroots ecumenism and her involvement 
in social justice initiatives give her 
strong connections to the local contexts 
of member churches." 
_____

Reformed Church officers 
review financial situation 

Geneva (ENI news) The officers of the 
World Communion of Reformed Churches 
(WCRC), meeting in Geneva from 20-21 
November, reviewed the organization's 
financial situation in light of the 
drop of the value of contributions in 
Euros and American dollars against the 
Swiss franc, according to a WCRC news 
release. Initiatives to seek additional 
support to cover the shortfall of income 
against expenses and to reduce spending 
were endorsed, the WCRC said. According 
to the WCRC's 2010 financial statement, 
published on its website, revenues for 
the Geneva-based group declined to 
1.388 million Swiss francs (US$1.508 
million) in 2010 from 1.601 million 
Swiss francs in 2009. 

*****

30 November 2011

In Nairobi, treating HIV 
on an empty stomach

Nairobi, Kenya (ENI news) - Dealing 
with HIV infection is hard enough, 
but the rise in food prices throughout 
the Horn of Africa has produced a new 
problem -- treating HIV on an empty 
stomach. "When you take the (anti-
viral) medicine and you don't eat, 
you shake," said Joan Ochieng, 41, 
a single mother who like others in 
the Kiamaiko section of Nairobi is 
faced with feeding herself and her 
family on less food while sticking 
to a drug regimen to combat the virus 
that can lead to AIDS. 
_____

Asian group discusses 'building 
HIV-competent churches'

Pattaya, Thailand (ENI news) - Looking 
toward World AIDS day on 1 December, 
an Asian Christian grouping is holding 
a four-day seminar in Thailand from 29 
November to 3 December on the subject 
"Building HIV-Competent Churches." For 
the first time, "the seminar ... is 
organized and led by a pastor living 
with HIV, Pastor Ponsawan Khankaew, 
who herself experienced stigma and 
discrimination from her own family, 
church and circle of friends when 
she was first diagnosed with HIV 14 
years ago," Erlinda N. Senturias, 
consultant on HIV and AIDS of the 
Chiang Mai-based Christian Conference 
of Asia (CCA), told ENInews in an 
e-mail. 
_____

Church members demonstrate in Rio 
to support trolley service

Rio de Janeiro, 30 November (ENI news) -
Church members brought an ecumenical 
presence to a demonstration in Rio de 
Janeiro's Santa Teresa neighborhood on 
27 November that protested government 
neglect of a transportation system that 
is a lifeline for the residents. The 
state government's lack of attention 
to the trolley system has caused 8 
deaths and injured 50 in the last 
three months, according to reports 
from the Latin American and Caribbean 
Communication Agency (ALC). 

Representatives of the Anglican, Lutheran, 
United Presbyterian and Baptist Churches, 
and the Koinonia Ecumenical Presence and 
Service organization, took part in the 
protest. 

*****

1 December 2011

Religious leaders encourage 
deeper engagement on AIDS

Toronto (ENI news) - Leaders from five 
world religions gathered in Toronto just 
ahead of World AIDS Day on 1 December 
to encourage their peers to deepen their 
engagement and action on HIV-AIDS "by 
addressing the difficult issues raised 
by the pandemic, in dialogue with people 
living with HIV." At the same time, the 
faith leaders expressed "dismay at the
recent drop in funding for the AIDS 
response just as recent statistics 
show the effectiveness of prevention 
and treatment approaches." 
_____

Protestants and Catholics in Berlin 
assist HIV/AIDS patients

Berlin (ENI news) - For Christians 
diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, fear of a 
lack of acceptance from the church 
community can be a very real concern. 
But for HIV positive Christians in 
Berlin, projects run by both 
Catholics and Protestants are 
providing a network of community 
support in which they know they
will not be judged. Pastor Dorothea 
Strauss set up Church HIV Positive, 
an ecumenical initiative that provides 
pastoral care for those with HIV and 
AIDS and their families, in 1993. 
The experience of a friend and 
fellow pastor dying from AIDS-related 
illness was part of the motivation 
for the project. 
_____

Russian government turns to church 
for help fighting AIDS epidemic

Moscow (ENI news) - As the number 
of people suffering from HIV/AIDS 
continues to grow in Russia, 
government agencies are turning 
to the Russian Orthodox Church 
for help in stemming the epidemic, 
ministering to its victims, and 
fighting their stigmatization by 
society. In the latest example of 
such cooperation, officials in the 
Ryazan region, about 120 miles 
southeast of Moscow, announced 
on 30 November that they have 
requested the local diocese's 
assistance in providing an 
approach to the crisis that 
is beyond the state's capacity. 

*****

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Provided by Sojourners.online

November 28th, 2011

"You must understand the whole of life, 
not just one little part of it. That is 
why you must read, that is why you must 
look at the skies, that is why you must 
sing, and dance, and write poems, and 
suffer, and understand, for all that 
is life."

- Jiddu Krishnamurti

---

November 29th, 2011

"My father . . . used to say, 'I need
my anger. It obliges me to take action.' 
I think my father was partly right. 

Anger arises, naturally, to signal 
disturbing situations that might require 
action. But actions initiated in anger 
perpetuate suffering. The most effective 
actions are those conceived in the wisdom 
of clarity."

- Sylvia Boorstein

---

November 30th, 2011

"If we could read the secret history of 
our enemies, we should find in each [one's] 
life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm 
all hostility."

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

---

December 1st, 2011

"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope 
that if you just show up and try to do the 
right thing, the dawn will come. You wait 
and watch and work: You don't give up."

- Anne Lamott from "Bird by Bird: 
  Some instructions on writing and life"

---

December 2nd, 2011

"Hope prevents us from clinging to what we 
have and frees us to move away from the safe 
place and enter unknown and fearful territory."

- Henri J.M. Nouwen

*****

ON THIS DAY

Provided from the archives
of the New York Times

Nov. 28, 1943 - President Roosevelt, 
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill 
and Soviet leader Josef Stalin met in 
Tehran during World War II.

http://tinyurl.com/6q8ysya

---

Nov. 29, 1947 - the U.N. General 
Assembly passed a resolution calling 
for Palestine to be partitioned between 
Arabs and Jews.

http://tinyurl.com/6rbyh4e

---

Dec. 1, 1959 - representatives of 12 
countries, including the United States, 
signed a treaty in Washington setting 
aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve, 
free from military activity.

http://tinyurl.com/795pq62

*****

CLOSING THOUGHT

"The Kingdom of God is Within You"
"The Queendom of God is Within You"

- the Historical Jesus

Politically, Jesus is taking on all
empires and kingdoms and saying they
can be idols. Those who hold keys to
kingdoms, queendoms and empires are 
not necessarily those who hold keys 
to what is really important.

We re-translate the phrase "queendom" 
to bring in the feminine dimension of
the "reign" of God (celebrated the
last week of the church year.)

In both 0f these sentences the Greek
word can mean "among" as well as
"within."

- Matthew Fox in "Christian Mystics"

(end)


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