January 7, 2009 Many injured in Gaza can't be reached, says hospital director

Civilians injured by bombings in Gaza are stuck in their homes without food and water, unable to seek medical attention, says the director of an Anglican hospital in Gaza City. Nurses working at the hospital are unable to reach their own injured children at home.

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January 6, 2009 Evangelical Lutherans visit Middle East for planned conference

Despite the continuing violence in the Gaza Strip, bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) proceeded with their plans to travel to the Middle East from Jan. 6 to 13. The delegation was scheduled to travel to Jerusalem Tuesday, Jan. 6.

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January 5, 2009 Primate calls for end to violence in Gaza

Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, added his voice to the calls from many other leaders of churches and nations for “an immediate cessation to the horrific violence” in Gaza and the resumption of diplomatic negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

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January 2, 2009 Archbishop reflects on first full year as primate

Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, gave a New Year’s Day address at Christ Church Cathedral in Ottawa. He used the address, which has become an annual tradition, to do for the church what many people are doing as individuals – to reflect on the accomplishments and difficulties of the year past and to look forward to the year ahead.

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January 2, 2009 Archbishop of Canterbury calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel

In a statement issued on the eve of the new year, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams urged all those who have the power to end the spiralling violence in Gaza to do so. “I want to express my grief and sympathy for the innocent lives lost,” he wrote. “People of all faiths in this country will want to join their voices to the statements of the Christian Muslim Forum and the Council of Christians and Jews in urging a return to the ceasefire and efforts to secure a lasting peace.”

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January 2, 2009 Jerusalem Christian leaders seek day of prayer, halt to Gaza violence

The heads of Christian churches in Jerusalem have denounced continuing hostilities in the Gaza Strip as well as "all forms of violence and killings from all parties" and have called for a world day of prayer for peace in the Holy Land.

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December 30, 2008 Pope, World Council of Churches call for halt to Gaza campaign

Pope Benedict XVI and the general secretary of the World Council of Churches, the Rev. Samuel Kobia, have condemned violence in Gaza, calling for its immediate cessation following an intense bombing campaign by Israel there.

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December 24, 2008 Breaking free of the consumer culture: Canadian author's tips

At a time of year when people will fight with each other for the latest toy for their children, and after the trampling death of a store worker in the United States by shoppers who had queued overnight for post-Thanksgiving holiday sales, parents need help to break free of the consumer culture, says the author of a new book.

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December 21, 2008 Myanmar refugees bring Advent story alive for rural church in Tennessee

A rural church in Smyrna, Tennessee has grown both spiritually and numerically since welcoming 70 Myanmar refugees into its fold. "It's a classic example of the Advent story," said Michael Williams, incoming senior warden at All Saints, Smyrna, Tennessee. "We could not find God, but God found us. In this case, he appeared to us in the form of 70 people who came from Myanmar."

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December 15, 2008 World Council of Churches calls for radical steps to counter climate change

Church leaders have advised government representatives meeting at a United Nations conference on Poland on climate change to use a "window of opportunity" of less than 10 years to take action to limit environmental damage.

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