c. 2006 Religion News Service
World Vision President Emeritus Ted Engstrom Dead at 90
(RNS) Ted Engstrom, the president emeritus of the evangelical relief agency World Vision International, died Friday (July 14) at age 90, the agency announced.
The author of more than 50 books, Engstrom also was known for his influence among evangelicals through his work with Youth for Christ International and the Zondervan publishing company and his service on the boards of Azusa Pacific University in California and Focus on the Family in Colorado.
“He valued everyone and made everyone feel valued,” said Dean Hirsch, president and CEO of World Vision International, in a statement. “And his ability to integrate the gospel with everyday life was absolutely inspiring. Dr. Ted made work and faith walk together.”
Early in his career, the Cleveland native worked as an editor for Zondervan, which is based in Grand Rapids, Mich. As the local director of Youth for Christ in Grand Rapids, he invited Billy Graham to lead what would be the now-famous evangelist’s first citywide crusade.
He became executive director of Youth for Christ in the 1950s. He later served as vice president and then president of World Vision, retiring in 1987. He was interim president of Azusa Pacific University from 1989-90 but served on the evangelical school’s board of trustees for almost 20 years. He served 26 years on Focus on the Family’s board.
“This is an enormous loss for the cause of evangelical Christianity and for the thousands of men and women whose lives were made better by Ted’s love, compassion and faith,” said Focus on the Family Chairman James Dobson in a statement.
Engstrom spoke of his eternal hopes when he turned 90 in March.
“Whenever the Lord calls, I’m ready,” he said at a birthday party with friends and colleagues. “I’m not only ready, I’m eager. I’ll have all eternity to celebrate God’s goodness and grace.”
_ Adelle M. Banks
“Green Patriarch” Leads Delegation Up the Amazon
(RNS) More than 200 delegates have traveled up the Amazon River in Brazil with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the Istanbul-based leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church, to explore the interplay between faith and caring for the earth.
The delegation, which is meeting from July 13-20, constitutes the sixth symposium of religious leaders, environmentalists and policymakers from around the world that Bartholomew has led since 1995.
Bartholomew, known widely as the “Green Patriarch,” for his statement years ago that pollution is sinful, conducts the symposia from a boat and says that water is the source of life throughout the world. “Land separates, but he believes that waters unite,” said the Rev. Alex Karloutsos, priest of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, who is familiar with Bartholomew’s symposium.
“We have come to listen to (The Amazon River’s) stories, to learn from its history, to admire its fragile beauty and to gain hope for the entire world from its resilience,” said Bartholomew in his opening remarks to the delegates.
Kofi Annan, secretary-general of the United Nations, said that since seven countries border the Amazon’s river basin, international cooperation is necessary to avoid competition over resources.
“It is very encouraging to know that you are using this symposium to explore opportunities for cooperation and burden-sharing,” Annan said in a statement to the symposium.
Delegates aboard the 10 boats have visited the port city of Santarem and discussed deforestation and the loss of biodiversity in the Amazon.
Over the years, the symposium has sailed the Baltic Sea, Adriatic Sea, the Danube River, the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea. Bartholomew first organized the “Religion, Science and the Environment” symposium in 1995 to “provide common ground among the worlds of religion, science and the environment in the interest of protecting the environment,” according to the symposium’s Web site.
_ J. Edward Mendez
Lutheran Minister’s Death From Carbon Monoxide Spurs Investigation
(RNS) The death of a retired minister is under investigation after he died while at a residence hall of a Lutheran college that was found to have had a buildup of carbon monoxide.
The Rev. Walter J. Vierling, 91, of Pearisburg, Va., died Friday (July 14),the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America announced. More than 100 people visiting the Roanoke College campus in Salem, Va., were taken to area hospitals after they began feeling sick.
The college, which is affiliated with the ELCA, announced Monday that the last patient who had been hospitalized in the incident had been discharged.
Vierling had been attending a conference for congregational leaders sponsored by the Virginia Synod of the ELCA. A service was held in his honor and attended by conference organizers and members of the college community.
“We’re profoundly grateful for the prayers, words of support and the care expressed,” said Sabine O’Hara, president of the college.
Since the incident, the college has installed carbon monoxide alarms in several residence halls and plans to use them in other campus buildings. Officials described the work as a “temporary safety measure” while they explore permanent alternatives.
“Providing for the safety of our entire campus community is our top priority,” said Teresa Gereaux, the college’s director of public relations.
_ Adelle M. Banks
Christian Peacemaker Teams to Send Delegation to Hebron
(RNS) The North American activist group Christian Peacemaker Teams, which lost a member to violence in Baghdad this year, is sending 12 delegates to the West Bank town of Hebron on July 26 for a short course on peacemaking.
“Those who believe in nonviolence have to be as willing to take risks as soldiers who believe in violent ways in solving problems,” said Claire Evans, delegation coordinator for Christian Peacemaker Teams.
The peace activists drew international attention after members of their group were kidnapped in Baghdad in November, an incident that led to the death of an American, Tom Fox. His body was discovered in early March.
Earlier this year, the group sent two other 12-day delegations to the West Bank and plans to send two more in the fall and winter. The delegates will enter Hebron at a time of turmoil in the Middle East.
During the educational trip, delegates will hear from human rights groups from both Israel and Palestine, and meet in Hebron with full-time peace activists who have committed to a three-year position with Christian Peacemaker Teams.
Delegates come from across the U.S. and Canada and usually share what they experience with members of their churches and public officials when they get back home, Evans said.
Christian Peacemaker Teams have been in Hebron since 1995, when they were invited by the city’s mayor. There also will be a delegation to address race relations in Grassy Narrows, Ontario, from July 28-Aug. 6 and to meet with church leaders and human rights workers in Bogota, Colombia, in the fall.
_ J. Edward Mendez
Executive of Katrina Fund Resigns Following Pastors’ Criticism
(RNS) The executive director of the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund resigned her post Friday (July 14) after prominent members of the fund’s religious advisory committee quit and harshly criticized the manner in which the fund made grants to houses of worship.
Fund co-chairs Don Evans and Alexis Herman announced that Mary Ann Wyrsch would be replaced by Constance Berry Newman, an executive with a Washington lobbying group, while acknowledging the concerns stated by former committee co-chairs, Bishop T.D. Jakes of Dallas and the Rev. William H. Gray III of Philadelphia.
“We respect the concerns of the ministers and share their desire for our actions to work as well as possible for the churches and congregations in need,” wrote Evans and Herman.
“In the best interests of the mission of The Fund to help the people of the Gulf region rebuild their lives, Mary Ann Wyrsch has … submitted her resignation as executive director of the fund.”
Wyrsch, in her resignation letter, cited her concern about “distractions” and “anything that would slow the momentum we have established for getting assistance to those in need.”
The fund, which has awarded $65 million to various hurricane-related causes, has earmarked $20 million to help religious organizations and $1.5 million of that sum has been approved for 38 recipients. Bill Pierce, a spokesman for the fund, said some of those recipients have received checks and others are in process. In addition, “hundreds” of other grant applications are being evaluated, he said.
Jakes and Gray questioned the financial oversight of the fund that was established by former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush.
Jakes said “checks were flying out the door” before their committee could verify that grant applicants truly had a need. Gray called the fund “a philanthropic FEMA,” referring to criticism of the Federal Emergency Management Agency after Hurricane Katrina last year.
Gray said the majority of the nine-member committee has resigned but Pierce could not confirm resignations beyond Gray’s and Jakes’.
Archbishop John Favalora of Miami, the former spiritual leader of Catholics in New Orleans, is on vacation and was still a member as of Monday, a spokeswoman said. The Rev. Fred Lucas, president of the New York-based Faith Center for Community Development, said committee members had “very legitimate” concerns but he remained committed to accomplishing their original goals.
“I’m not leaving the table until that’s done,” he said. “I think somebody needs to be there to do that.”
_ Adelle M. Banks
Quote of the Day: White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove
(RNS) “We were all an embryo at one point, and we ought to as a society be very careful about being callous about the wanton destruction of embryos, of life.”
_ White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove, speaking to the Denver Post’s editorial board on Monday (July 10). He was quoted by the Associated Press.
DSB/JL END RNS
