Updates From The President
Update on Christian Unity November 2007
Dear Friends of Christian unity,
"Exciting times. Tough days. But, ¬much to celebrate in the life, witness and program of the Council on Christian Unity!" That was the response I gave to a colleague here in Indianapolis who recently asked me, "Robert, how are things going?"
You see, he had read the news of our having to eliminate the position of our administrative assistant, Rozanne Robertson, who had worked with the CCU for over 13 years, in light of the continuing decline in our income from the Disciples Mission Fund. He had heard about the recent decision regarding a major cut in executive staff positions in the National Council of Churches. And, he was aware that many ecumenical organizations - local, national, and international - have been going through down-sizing and are facing significant transition in relation to their structures and programs. So he asked, "How are things going?"
My response was immediate: "It's an exciting time, in spite of the challenges and difficulties. Indeed, it may be one of the most creative periods I have experienced in over 30 years of direct involvement in the ecumenical movement." Let me explain, briefly:
- The Council on Christian Unity is just entering a three-year process to explore new relationships across the general life of the church - not in response to our financial situation, but as a way to give greater focus and energy to our calling as Disciples to be a people of unity and reconciliation: "seeking wholeness in our fragmented world." Together in new partnership with the Week of Compassion, Reconciliation Mission and the Office of General Minister and President, I am excited about the potential for deepening our understanding and passion for unity as Disciples through the practical application of meeting human suffering in our world. Compassion, unity, reconciliation, and justice belong together as we seek to give expression to our quest for Christian unity in these days!
- Churches Uniting in Christ will gather in a Plenary meeting in January 2008 to assess and evaluate its work over the past five years. The hope of this gathering is that the member communions of CUIC will re-affirm their commitment to becoming "God's Beloved Community" as an expression of full visible unity, with the clear mandate to pursue racial justice as the primary benchmark of CUIC's life and witness (refer to CUIC news release at http://www.cuicinfo.org/pdf/CUIC_Baltimore_News_Release.pdf)
- We celebrate the election of Michael Kinnamon as the new General Secretary of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA, as the NCCC looks to re-shaping its life in closer contact with, and responsiveness to, its 36 member communions. (refer to news release http://www.ncccusa.org/news/071108kinnamoninstalled.html )
- Finally, and perhaps most exciting of all, on November 6-9, 2007, I participated in the first Global Christian Forum, an unprecedented gathering of some 240 Christian leaders from 72 nations on all five continents, representing the most widely diverse range of churches, confessions and organizations ever: Anglicans, Catholics, Baptists, Orthodox, Evangelicals, Lutherans, Pentecostals, Reformed, Methodists, Disciples, Mennonites, and Seventh-Day Adventists - the whole sweep of the global Christian community coming together to explore the gift of our unity in Christ. Never before has there been such an ecumenical gathering! One statistician observed that 95% of the world's Christian population was represented in this event, coming together to share witness to our journeys with Jesus Christ, the Reconciler (refer to http://www.oikoumene.org/en/news/news-management/all-news-english/display-single-english-news/article/1637/quothistoric-breakthrou-1.html )
There is much to celebrate! Thanks be to God.
With best wishes, and my sincere thanks for your continued support to the CCU,
Robert
