Well, I started out thinking I would do the one week version and then looked at how little I had flagged and decided it was probably just as well to consider them all in a two-week block.
Let me begin with the extra day here, November 11, and note that for those in Europe, and even in Canada, this is a much, much bigger day of Remembrance than our American observance of Veterans’ Day. For those of us in the U.S. we observe something similar on Memorial Day in May which has ties to our own Civil War about 150 years ago. However, in my own congregation our Veteran’s Day observance was marked by prayers over one of our members who is about to be deployed with the Marines to Afghanistan. But from other parts, here are a few of the headlines for Remembrance Day:
Fallen remembered at Sunday services – from Portadown Times
A tribute to all victims of war – from The News of New Glasgow, Canada
Scotland marks Remembrance Sunday – from BBC News
Remembrance Day – from Stornoway Gazette
Some other headlines…
Some details came out about the failure of the Presbyterian Mutual Society in Northern Ireland and its attempts to find another financial institution to take it over:
Co-op bank refused the PMS – from Belfast News Letter
In Ghana the calls for the church to help straighten out the state continue
Ghanaian youth must demand accountability – Kufuor – from GhanaWeb
Christians urged to support the government – from Ghana Business News
Otumfuo appeals to the church to fight against corruption – from Ghana Business
And while we are on church and state issues, pieces about Mizoram state of India and the strong influence of the church in the elections:
Mizoram: Church imposes rules, controls poll – from Deccan Chronicle
Church-backed watchdog body has its own poll rules – from The Morung Express
And finally, the second Presbyterian installed as a seminary president in as many weeks. In Pasadena, TE Mark Labberton was installed as the new President of Fuller Seminary:
‘Renaissance man’ elected as fifth Fuller president – from Pasadena Star-News
So that is it for now. Take care