As we went to press...

This news digest was prepared from news and wire reports by Witness news editor, Pat McCaughan.

‘What Would Jesus Drive?' Not a gas guzzler!

The Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN) launched its "What Would Jesus Drive?" advertising campaign to focus attention on fuel efficiency and environmental issues. Leaders of an umbrella group known as the Interfaith Climate and Energy Campaign (ICEC) delivered a letter signed by more than 100 heads of denominations and senior religious leaders from 21 states, to Ford, General Motors, and DaimlerChrysler executives and leadership at the United Auto Workers in Detroit on November 20. They arrived in a caravan of electric-hybrid cars. The letter asked automakers to build more fuel-efficient cars. Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold was among those who signed the letter, which focused on the damaging effects of pollution from vehicles on human health and the rest of God's creation, its contributions to global warming, and added a concern about U.S. reliance on imported oil from unstable regions of the world.

First native bishop dies at 92

Harold Jones, retired bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota, died Nov. 12 in Arizona at the age of 92. He was the first Native American to be ordained to the office of bishop by any Christian denomination. Bishop Jones was consecrated January 11, 1972. His consecration marked the highlight of a career that began in 1938 with his ordination to the priesthood.

World Council of Churches to cut staff by 15 percent in 2003

The World Council of Churches (WCC), faced with a financial shortfall of more than six million Swiss francs in 2003, has announced it will reduce staff by 15 percent, from 165 full-time positions currently to a total of 141 positions by year end. The WCC, the world's biggest church grouping, also will reduce its 2003 expenses and begin to discern new ways to fulfill its mandate of seeking unity and cooperation among its 342 member churches worldwide.

German Jewish community given ‘milestone' status equal to churches

The German government's plan to give the country's Jewish community an equal legal status to the mainline Protestant and Roman Catholic churches has been hailed as a milestone by Jewish leaders. "This is a historic event," said Paul Spiegel, head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany. "That Jews live here once again in considerable numbers is a fact that those who returned after 1945 can hardly imagine."

Sydney newspaper reports allegations of nepotism against archbishop

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, has been accused of nepotism after appointing his wife to a ministry position in the diocese. Jensen commissioned his wife, Christine Jensen, along with five other women at St. Andrew's Cathedral, to lead a newly formed women's ministry. It marked a first in Australian Anglican history, with no previous records of an archbishop performing the "commissioning" of his own wife, the newspaper reported. Less than three weeks earlier, Jensen infuriated critics by nominating his brother, Phillip, as new Dean of Sydney. With the archbishop's son, Michael, already serving as St Andrew's School chaplain, there are four Jensens in key positions in the Sydney diocese. The newly commissioned women's ministry team consists of three laywomen, including Christine Jensen, and three female deacons, the highest rank a woman can attain in the Sydney diocese, which bans women's ordination.

Interfaith group stages living-wage protest at Wal-Mart

Demonstrators rallied outside a Sam's Club (Wal-Mart) as part of the People's Campaign for Justice at Wal-Mart in Southgate, Mich., in late November. The Interfaith Committee on Worker Issues wants Wal-Mart, the largest private employer in the U.S., to provide jobs with a living wage and benefits and to end the trade in goods made in sweatshops.

Bid for ‘Dress Down Sundays' defeated in Church of England

A proposal to allow Church of England vicars to opt for jeans instead of cassocks and surplices on Sunday mornings was defeated at the church's general synod meeting in London. The "Dress Down Sundays" plan was a bid to appeal to younger congregations. Some supporters of the proposal said they felt as though they were dressing in drag when putting on cassocks, the Guardian reported. Some clergy already conduct services in corduroys and sweaters. According to a study, the Church of England faces a marked reduction in attendance over the next two decades. By 2030, it is predicted that the number of adult parishioners will fall from 800,000 to 500,000. And for every 100 children in churches in 1930, there could be just four in 2030.