Indianapolis - The Executive Committee of the Council on Christian Unity recently met and approved an official dialogue between the Disciples of Christ and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, called for strategic planning around the ecumenical witness of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and elected new officers for 2004-2005.
The goal for the dialogue between the Disciples and ELCA is for discussions to be "full communion." The theme for the initial phase of conversations is "the role, place and power of the sacraments and the confession in shaping our identities as church." The first meeting of the new dialogue team will take place on April 29-May 2, 2004.
Robert Welsh, president, CCU, was urged by the Executive Committee to engage the whole church more deliberately in the vision to "rekindle, confess and nurture the visible unity of the church" as stated in CCU's Mission Statement, through a new strategic planning process. The new planning process is intended to better equip congregations and regions while lifting up the church's current mission imperative statement that begins with the fundamental Disciples' commitment, "In our quest to embody Christian unity, . . ."
Welsh stated during his report to the General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Charlotte, N.C. that "Our vision, our mission, our imperative, and our covenant only make sense and find their true meaning and power as we claim Christian unity as our foundation as a people and the Holy Spirit as our source!"
Officers elected for the coming biennium are the Rev. Helen Enari, associate minister, First Christian Church, Bloomington, Ind., as chair; David Brown, businessman and member of Lindenwood Christian Church, Memphis, Tenn., as vice-chair; the Rev. Sue Shadburne Call, minister, Downey Avenue Christian Church, Indianapolis, Ind., as secretary; and, Jeanette Cotman, school teacher and member of Bethany Christian Church, Detroit, Mich., as treasurer.
In a cost-saving effort, the meeting took place via conference call - a first for the Executive Committee. With declining income from the Disciples Mission Fund, the primary source of funding for the CCU, the board decided to work in this more cost-effective manner on a trial basis, thereby exercising good stewardship of CCU's limited funds. Jack Sullivan, Jr., regional minister of the Northwest Region and chair of the board stated, "This conference call meeting worked well because many board members were able to gather in Charlotte during the General Assembly to review the upcoming agenda items and to offer their input and advice."