Ecumenical Events
Yearly events: | National Workshop on Christian Unity | Week of Prayer for Christian Unity |
Archived from past events: | World Council of Churches Assembly | Faith and Order 2007, Oberlin |
September 26-28: North American Academy of Ecumenists meeting
 "Ecumenical Ecclesiology: One Church of Christ for the Sake of the World" will be the theme for the September 26-28 meeting  of the North American Academy of Ecumenists (NAAE) in St. Louis, Missouri. Announced presenters are Peter Boutenoff, Michael Kinnamon, David Daniels, and Jeff Gros. The due date for hotel reservations, to be made through NAAE, has been extended to September 12. Commuter registrations can be made any time until the meeting begins. See the preliminary 2008 agenda and information from the 2007 meeting in NAAE Links.
October 9-11: NCC Eco-Justice program biennial conference
"Mindful Living: Healthy People, Healthy Churches, Healthy Planet" will be the National Council of Churches' eco-justice conference, held at a Lake Geneva, a central Minnesota conference center. The focus will be on  environmental health and the
world of toxins found in everyday items. Plenary sessions will include stories from the field and two speakers, one from the scientific perspective and the other from the theological. Other educational opportunities will come through
workshops, hands-on experiences, and worship. One of the "stories from the field" speakers will be Gretchen Musicant (pictured) , the Minnesota health commissioner, who is a Presbyterian elder.
October 20-21: Mission convocation hosted by Church World Service
  Church World Service is hosting a missiological convocation on October 20-21 in order to engage in serious reflection with ecumenical partners and renew a commitment to shared mission. Keynoters Daryl Balia -- a United Methodist who is currently the international director of Edinburgh 2010 -- and Elizabeth Tapia -- who is the director of the Center for Christianities in Global Context at Drew University --will discuss the theme, "Hope  and Change in a Fragile World: Mission Together in the 21st Century." Charles Amjad-Ali (pictured left) is the Bible study leader, and Presbyterian Marian McClure (pictured right) is the convocation facilitator. The convocation will be in South Bend, Indiana. Ecumenical leaders and the churches' mission boards and staff will be in attendance, but others interested in mission and humanitarian concerns are encouraged to attend as well. The hotel's deadline for its conference rate is September 19.
October 30-November 1: A kick-off conference for the Calvin 500th
 The Institute for Reformation Research at the Theological University of Appeldoorn, the Netherlands, is organizing a conference as a kick-off for the ecumenical celebration of the 500th anniversary of Calvin's birth. Scholars will discuss whether Calvin really was a reformer and whether he was “saint" or "sinner.” Presenters, mainly European, include  Presbyterian elder Elsie McKee (pictured right) of Princeton Seminary and John Thompson (pictured left), a Presbyterian minister who teaches at Fuller Seminary. See the announcement online. Note that McKee and Thompson will also speak at a colloquium at Calvin College and Seminary on "Calvin: Myth and Reality" to be held on April 16-18, 2009 under the auspices of the Calvin Studies Society; Richard Mouw of Fuller Seminary, also a Presbyterian, will also be a speaker there.
January 29-February 1, 2009: WSCF North American regional event
The World Student Christian Federation (WSCF) North American region, as part of its revitalization efforts, will be mounting a regional event on January 29-February 1 at a venue in the San Francscio Bay area yet to be announced. The theme, "Student Activism in the 21st Century," will look at students' efforts to promote social change and work for peace and justice from a faith perspective. Students will have the opportunity to focus on how they live the legacy of the student movement's past, what it means to be a student and an activist in today's world, what keeps students from being activists, and how education plays a role in maintinging the status quo or fostering change. Students wil reflect also on the Bible passage of 1 Timothy 4:12-14. For information on how to get involved, send an e-mail.
April 15-22, 2009: PC(USA)-led educational trip to Geneva
The Unity and Reformed Heritage Seminar, an educational trip to Geneva for clergy and laity, is designed to broaden understanding of theological, social, and global economic issues and will address Reformed faith in the 21st century. These elements exist in concerns around ecumenical and interfaith dialogue, evangelization, church unity, and peace and justice, among others. There will be encounters with the World Council of Churches, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, Oikocredit, the Conference of European Churches, the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey, and the Museum of the Reformation, plus a full-day tour of Gruyeres and the Chateau de Chillon. The schedule of events from a similar 2007 trip is posted. Download the brochure and the application form . E-mail concerning questions or interest.
May 18-22, 2009: Festival of Homiletics
 Day1, a ministry of the Alliance of Christian Media, is co-sponsoring the 2009 Festival of Homiletics in Atlanta, Georgia on the theme, "Overcoming Divisions through Christ." The event will honor Desmond Tutu and Barbara Brown Taylor. The week of sermons, lectures, workshops, music, and fellowship will include the voices of Tom Long, Walter Brueggemann, Anna Carter Florence, Craig Barnes, and Brian Blount (pictured) among many. Information and registration material is available online. Register early.
TO TOP
The Ecumenical Institute of Bossey has year-round programming
The Ecumenical Institute in Bossey, Switzerland, has become the central focus of the WCC's program on education and ecumenical formation. It has long educated and formed ecumenical leaders -- clergy and lay -- for service in parishes, classrooms, and ecumenical centers around the world. Its ongoing formal programming now includes: a yearly one-semester Graduate School of Ecumenical Studies, a master of theology in ecumenical studies two-year academic program, a one-year academic program for a masters in advanced ecumenical studies, a Ph.D. in ecumenical studies requiring up to five academic years, and a summer three-month intensive course in English as a tool for ecumenical formation. Additionally, short-term seminars on cutting edge issues bring together small groups from around the world – in 2008, Human Rights and Human Dignity (May 26-June 1), Religions: Instruments of Peace or Causes of Conflict? (May 11-17), Buidling an Interfaith Community (July 7-31). Additionally, Ecumenical Water Network has announced a summer school on water to take place at Bossey (July 27-August 5), specifically for 18-30 year olds, for which applications are due by March 24. See general information on the Bossey web site and the student guidelines/application form.
Irish School of Ecumenics examines intersect of politics, theology, religion
The Irish School of Ecumenics, established in 1970, became fully integrated with Trinity College Dublin as a postgraduate institute in 2001. Its diverse programs particularly focus on the intersect of politics, theology, and religion. It has sixteen members on its academic staff and a substantial library.
In addition to its Ecumenical Studies, International Peace Studies, and Conflict and Dispute Resolution Studies programs based in Dublin, it offers a Reconciliation Studies program taught in Belfast.
Calvin's 500th to be celebrated ecumenically in 2009
John Calvin was born on July 9, 1509. Now, together with several Swiss-based bodies, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) is planning nternational commemoration activities for the 500th anniversary of his birth.
Ecumenical News International characterizes WARC's urging to its member churches as being "celebrate Calvin by changing the world": work for the unity of the church, promote social justice, and address war and violence. (ENI #08-0549) A Calvin09 committee is chaired by WARC president Clifton Kirkpatrick.
Geneva's new International Museum of the Reformation plans a special exhibition and sees this as a time for encouraging dialogue between different Christian traditions and different faiths.
Special resources are becoming available for use through 2009.
In the U.S., a September 3-5, 2009 conference at the Protestant Reformed Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan will focus on "After 500 Years: John Calvin for the Reformed Churches Today" (no information yet available). Members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will celebrate the occasion at a July 8-11, 2009 event at the Montreat Conference Center.
Additionally, special resources are available or in the planning stages:
- A booklet on Reformed ethics, in light of Calvin’s 500th birthday, to be prepared by the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP)
- John Calvin: His Life and Legacy, a 60-minute DVD, PDS
#17808001D (Watch a 3-minute trailer online.)
- A Presbyterian Outlook article (March 24, 2008) by Joseph Small
See also two recent occasional papers from the PC(USA) office of theology and worship:
The PC(USA) office of theology and worship also plans to prepare a special issue of its Register of the Company of Pastors to explore Calvin's influence in the church today. The office has invited contributions of essays (2,-5,000 words) using topics indicative of Calvin's legacy:
- Jesus Christ at the forefront of our living
Calvin critiqued the Church in the firm conviction that the it is entirely dependent on the presence of the living Jesus Christ through the power of God's Spirit.
- Proclaiming the glory of God
Calvin believed that the sovereign Creator God desires to be in intimate relationship with human beings.
- God's will brought to bear on all areas of life
The Law, the form of God's purpose for the faithful, offers a space for human flourishing that is welcoming and inclusive as well as binding and formative.
- Christian education.
Calvin's dedication to teaching sound doctrine stands alongside the statement of the Second Helvetic Confession (¶5.233): "The Lord enjoined his ancient people to exercise the greatest care that young people, even from infancy, be properly instructed."
The Calvin celebration will intersect with a celebration of Luther's Reformation that will observe 500 years from the date in 1517 when Luther is said to have nailed 95 Theses to the door of Wittenberg's castle church. |
x
2011 peace convocation to end WCC Decade to Overcome Violence
The culmination of the WCC Decade to Overcome Violence will be an International Ecumenical Peace Convocation on May 4-11, 2011 in Kingston, Jamaica. Work on an Ecumenical Declaration on Just Peace will culminate in its adoption there. The declaration will not be a consensus document but, as a public affirmation of witness that is theological and spiritual in character, it will affirm what can be said together, identify topics for further discussion, recommend examples, and initiate practical services for committed groups. The convocation, expected to have some two thousand participants, will include representatives of other faiths. Planners will search with these representatives for ministries that struggle against the current trend to turn political conflict into religious confrontation. A timeline of preparatory processes has already been outlined, suggestions for participation have been posted, and related events will be listed as information is available. Geiko Muller-Fahrenholz, who is working on convocation preparations for the WCC, has visited the U.S. in March to garner ideas and dialogue about the state of the ecumenical peace movement. Themes for the conference have been identified as: peace at heart, peace at home, peace in the virtual world, peace on earth is peace with the earth, peace in the market place, and make peace not war.
TO TOP
Upcoming events in brief
- National Council of Churches governing board, September 22-23, New York
- Christian Churches Together steering committee, September 22-23
- World Council of Churches executive committee, September 23-26, Lubeck, Germany
- North American Academy of Ecumenists, September 26-28, St. Louis, Missouri
- Christian Churches Together steering committee, October 1-2, 2008
- World Association of Christian Communication congress, October 6-10, Capetown, South Africa
- U.S. Faith and Order Commission, October 16-18, Oklahoma City
- World Community Day,"God's Wisdom Sets Us Free," November 7, 2008
- National Council of Churches governing board, November 11, Denver, Colorado
- National Council of Churches/Church World Service general assembly, November 11-13, Denver
- Human Rights Celebration, Church Women United, "God's Wisdom Honors Children," December 10, 2008
- Christian Churches Together, January 13-16, 2009 in Baltimore
- American Association of Interchurch Families conference, June 27-29, 2008 in Louisville, Kentucky
- Human Trafficking Awareness Day, January 11, 2009 (materials to be available from NCC)
- Christian Churches Together annual meeting, January 13-16, 2009
- Ecumenical Advocacy Days, "Enough for All Creation" emphasis on climate change, immigration/migration, poverty, March 13-16, Washington D.C.
- National Workshop on Christian Unity, April 27-30, 2009 in Phoenix, Arizona
- NCC governing board, May 18, 2009, New York
- WCC Faith and Order plenary commission meeting, October 2009
- International Ecumenical Peace Convocation to conclude the Decade to Overcome Violence, May 4-11, 2011 in Kingston, Jamaica
- NCC/CWS general assembly, November 10-12, Minneapolis, Minnesota
TO TOP
Continue to:
Items marked with  are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. For best results, right-click the link (or click and hold
for Macintosh), select "save target as" and save the document to your desktop for viewing and printing. Click on the image in the right column for free download of the Adobe Acrobat Reader.
© 2006 Ecumenical & Interfaith Network - PCUSA |
WCC Assembly:
