Switzerland sends Salvation Army to Eurovision gig; Architect appointed to rebuild Haiti Anglican cathedral; World Council of Churches’ delegation in Doha advocates for climate justice; Christian Aid welcomes UK climate finance support pledge; Protection of uprooted people is integral to religions, says WCC; Feeding South Sudan; Notre Dame Cathedral kicks off 850th birthday
Switzerland sends Salvation Army to Eurovision gig
Switzerland is putting its faith in the Salvation Army, whose guitarist is 94 years old, to win the Eurovision Song Contest when it is staged in Malmo, Sweden, next year.
Swiss television viewers chose the Christian missionary group’s rock tune from among five national finalists late Saturday.
The Eurovision contest is a kitschy fixture on the European cultural calendar watched by more than 100 million people across the world.
Viewers and juries pick the winner from an eclectic mix of bubblegum pop and rock acts representing each European country.
Political songs are forbidden and Swiss media have speculated that the Salvation Army’s Christian aims might still fall afoul of the rules.
Switzerland hasn’t won the contest since Canadian singer Celine Dion represented the country in 1988.
Architect appointed to rebuild Haiti Anglican cathedral
The Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti announce the selection of Kerns Group Architects, P.C., of Arlington, VA, as architect of the new Holy Trinity Cathedral in Port-au-Prince, Haiti (Diocese of Haiti).
On January 12, 2010, a massive earthquake struck Haiti, killing more than 300,000 people, seriously injuring more than 250,000, and leaving 1.3 million homeless. An extensive number of private and public buildings were destroyed including Holy Trinity Cathedral and the affiliated Episcopal institutions in the Cathedral Complex in Port-au-Prince.
The Project Team made its recommendation following a year-long strategic process. The members of the project team are diocese of Haiti officials: Bishop Jean Zaché Duracin; Sikhumbuzo Vundla, Chief of Operations; the Rev. Joseph Constant, Special Coordinator; and the Rev. John Runkle, RA, Consulting Project Manager.
“Faced with the enormity of rebuilding most of its churches, schools and other structures throughout the earthquake ravaged region, the Diocese of Haiti decided to concentrate its initial efforts on rebuilding Holy Trinity Cathedral as a prominent landmark of God’s abiding presence with the Haitian people and the Church’s commitment to serve them,”Bishop Duracin said. “The new Cathedral will be a beacon of hope to all who suffer.”
“The project team agreed Kerns Group is the architectural firm that will best embody the vision for a new Cathedral that reflects the history and culture of the Haitian people,” commented Constant. “Kerns Group bring years of extensive experience designing new churches, including a number of notable Episcopal Churches, throughout much of the United States. And with the Episcopal Church, they also share a profound sense of mission to the people of Haiti that will result in a Cathedral unique to the Church there.”
“This marks an important milestone in the effort to rebuild our church in Haiti,” noted
Bishop Stacy Sauls, Episcopal Church Chief Operating Officer. “It has come about because of the hard work of many people from the Diocese of Haiti, the Church Center, and beyond. It has come about in no small part due to the generosity of thousands of Episcopalians from across our Church who have given to rebuild the Holy Trinity Cathedral. I want to especially thank Albert E. Phillips and Laura Thomas of the Atlanta law firm of Cohen, Pollock, Merlin & Small for their tireless dedication and extreme generosity in getting us to this point.”
The new Cathedral will be designed to respect and celebrate the characteristics of the Episcopal Church in Haiti, the Haitian people and their culture. The worship space will be larger than the previous cathedral and will provide the flexibility to accommodate larger congregations. It will incorporate the three, surviving, world-renowned, painted murals, of the original 14 that adorned the interior of the destroyed cathedral. Its structure will comply with international seismic and hurricane building code standards. The building will be constructed to serve as a place of refuge in the event of future emergency situations.
For more information on supporting the fundraising effort: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/page/rebuild-our-church-haiti
World Council of Churches’ delegation in Doha advocates for climate justice
Negotiations in Doha have achieved little in the way of a fair and binding treaty that could reverse the current trends in climate change.
This was the observation of the World Council of Churches (WCC) delegates at the Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP 18.
At the conference in Qatar, concluding on 7 December 2012, the WCC delegates stressed that governments of the industrialised countries and emerging economies are not ready to reduce their CO2 emissions drastically.
Christian Aid welcomes UK climate finance support pledge
UK-based global development agency Christian Aid has welcomed the British government’s promise to provide new money for poorer countries to adapt to the effects of climate change, and called on other developed countries to follow suit.
At the United Nations climate change summit in Doha, Qatar, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Ed Davey, outlined the urgent need to avert climate catastrophe.
Protection of uprooted people is integral to religions, says WCC
The World Council of Churches’ General Secretary welcomed the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Dialogue on Protection Challenges with the theme of ‘Faith and Protection’ which was held on 12-13 December 2012 at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
The event was part of the UNHCR’s efforts to bring faith-based organisations (FBOs) together to highlight the role of local and international religious communities in protecting uprooted people such as refugees, stateless people and internally displaced people (IDPs).
Feeding South Sudan
The Episcopal Church’s efforts
http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/africa/feeding_south_sudan.html
Notre Dame Cathedral kicks off 850th birthday
http://news.yahoo.com/notre-dame-cathedral-kicks-off-850th-birthday-201727428.html