News of Ecumenical Organizations:
United States
Resources from 100th anniversary celebration available for continuing use
 Vision papers were prepared by the National Council of Churches (NCC) and Church World Service for a major San Antonio, Texas, celebration of the 100th anniversary of Edinburgh 1910. They have since been commended for further use by both the NCC and the National Association of Ecumenical and Interfaith Staff (NAEIS). Now two of the papers,
"Christian Understanding of Unity in an Age of Radical Diversity" and "Christian Understanding of War in a Time of Terror(ism)," have been revised specifically for congregational use. "Christian Understanding of Mission in an Age of Interfaith Relations" will be revised later, as will papers on creation and the environmental crisis and the economy and inequality; all are available in their original format.
Café to Go: A quick reference guide for putting conversations to work, a resource used for conversation facilitation at the San Antonio event, remains available for reuse. The guidelines are intended to foster collaborate dialogue and active engagement leading to constructive action possibilities. See as well other resources from the World Café toolkit.
Christian Churches Together
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PC(USA) is now a full participant in our broadest national ecumenical table
At its General Assembly in 2010, the PC(USA) determined that it will officially be a full participant in Christian Churches Together (CCT) for the next four years, to be followed by a review. CCT is the broadest ecumenical table yet to exist in the U.S. Its celebration of formation occurred in February 2007 with an event at the Pasadena Presbyterian Church (California).
CCT in 2011 focuses on poverty seen through the lens of racism
CCT's purpose statement says, “Christian Churches Together shall seek to fulfill [its] purpose and to embody our unity in Jesus Christ through mutual support, learning, and outreach into our participant bodies and into American society.” CCT uses discernment and consensus as its primary decision-making model. Its general tasks, as defined in its by-laws, are to:
- celebrate a common confession of faith in the Triune God
- discern the guidance of the Holy Spirit through prayer and theological dialogue
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provide fellowship and mutual support
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seek better understanding of each other by affirming commonalities and understanding differences
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foster evangelism faithful to the proclamation of the gospel
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speak to society with a common voice whenever possible
- promote the common good of society and engage in other activities consistent with its purposes
CCT has committed itself to two basic emphases for the period ahead, evangelism and fighting poverty. In 2011 the CCT annual gathering was in Birmingham, Alabama, where it examined domestic poverty through the lens of racism. In a "letter from Birmingham" intentionally crafted as a response to the "letter from a Birmingham jail" written by Martin Luther King, Jr., it confessed,
"Though virtually all our institutions have formal statements against racism, too often our follow- through has been far less than our spoken commitments." It concluded,
"[W]e renew our struggle to end racism in all forms." See resources on domestic poverty and on evangelism posted by CCT.
Leonid Kishkovsky is the current CCT moderator and Richard L. Hamm (pictured) is executive director. See FAQs about CCT. See a short video about CCT and a brief summary of its history written by Ronald Roberson.
How can expansive ecumenism be expressed locally?
Christian Churches Together (CCT) is a new forum growing out of a deeply felt need to broaden and expand fellowship, unity, and witness among the diverse expressions of Christian faith in the U.S. today. As such, it is the most diverse ongoing ecumenical forum in the nation. But it has been only a national effort to date. How can it be expressed locally? The CCT steering committee has encouraged local use of four features of its model:
- Consensus decision making
- Designation of "families" of churches for purposes of participation and decision making : Catholic, Historic African American, Orthodox, Evangelical/Pentecostal, and historic Protestant
- Participation by as many churches as can claim three affirmations: believe in Christ according to the scriptures, worship and serve the Triune God, work together to present a credible Christian witness
- Inclusion of local organizations, up to 20% of participants (e.g., at the national level, Bread for the World, Habitat for Humanity, World Vision, American Bible Society, etc.)
Any local expression of CCT should avoid undercutting existing means by which Christian unity is encouraged and practiced in a community. CCT nationally may help network local CCT-type expressions. |
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Church Women United
Church Women United (CWU) is a racially, culturally, and theologically inclusive ecumenical Christian women's movement. It will celebrate its 70th birthday in December 2011. CWU is the custodian of the Fellowship of the Least Coin offerings in the U.S. and sponsors special days throughout the year: May Friendship Day, World Community Day, and Human Rights Day. While it formerly coordinated the World Day of Prayer celebration, a separate U.S. committee now takes that responsibility. A newsletter provides information about what is happening in the CWU legislative office in Washington D.C. CWU partners with a wide range of organizations, including the MalariaNoMore campaign to end malaria by 2012 and Church World Service to provide clean drinking water in Kenya. CWU executive officer is Djamillah Samad.
 Robin Fillmore (pictured), an experienced activist for ecumenical and interfaith organizations in Washington, has been named to the joint position of advocacy coordinator for the National Council of Churches (NCC) and Church Women United, beginning August 1. Her responsibilities will include creating advocacy for and by girls and women, developing communications with member communions and society at large, and representing the NCC in planning for the yearly Ecumenical Advocacy Days.
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The National Council of Churches / Church World Service
| NCC member churches | CWS affiliated organizations | Seeking Justice: economy and ecology |
| NCC annual report |
Church World Service turns 65 and still serves refugees
 Several persons who knew personally the second-chance, life-giving work of Church World Service (CWS) refugee ministries were on hand recently at the Museum of the City of New York when CWS celebrated its 65 birthday. Since
1946, CWS has helped resettle half a million refugees into the U.S. and has brought change to countless lives elsewhere. The birthday celebration also marked the 60th anniversary of the signing of the UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. The
U.S. Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration has asked CWS to conduct a year-long international study focused on the growing number of urban refugees worldwide; the study will seek to identify successful, replicable models for integration of refugees into host communities. CWS is also giving attention to the increasing numbers of persons forcibly displaced by
armed conflict, persecution, natural disaster and large-scale development projects.
CWS needs the partnership of congregations and individuals in the U.S., even beyond fund raising. It regularly posts "Speak Out" alerts that encourage constituents to communicate on key issues to urge policy changes; these concerns may involve governmental agencies or representatives, the UN, or international institutions. It is possible to sign up for e-mail notification of new alerts.x 
CWS is chaired by Johncy Itty (pictured left), a minister of the Episcopal Church. PC(USA) minister Jimmie Hawkins (pictured right) is its treasurer. x
Download the CWS brochure. Connect to the CWS e-magazine or ask for its annual report.
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Faith and Order study themes address today's ecumenism
The vice-chair of the U.S. Faith and Order Commission is currently Presbyterian Aimee Moiso. The commission is pursuing as studies in 2008-2011:
- Unity in Mission (involving more than NCC member communions)
- Justice and Salvation (asking how personal salvation is related to the transformation of the whole world and how justice is related to justification)
- The Nature and Mission of the Church (leading to a collaborative response to an important World Council of Churches' study process)
See reports from the meetings of October 2009 and October 2010. See Faith and Order documents from previous studies: a response to the Catholic paper, "A Petrine Ministry;" a consensus document on "The Authority of the Church in the World" (plus an introduction to the latter by Antonios Kireopoulos as well as papers from a variety of confessional perspectives); a contribution on "Meanings of Full Communion: the Essence of Life in the Body" on a theme from 2000-2003.
NCC education ministries are re-visioned
At a significant conference on April 27-29, the National Council of Churches (NCC) Education and Leadership Ministries Commission (ELMC) reviewed the council's educational work. NCC general secretary Michael Kinnamon identified key components in the council's view of faith formation at this moment in time:
"a) biblical literacy (through which we learn to challenge our culturally-shaped prejudices),
b) interfaith literacy (through which we come to know neighbors who adhere to other religions),
c) cross-cultural literacy (through which we come to relativize our own perspectives by encountering those of others), and
d) social literacy (through which we move beyond the individualism of our culture, including the tendency to see education solely in terms of personal betterment)."
ELMC, as an umbrella group, brings together 15 program committees in an ecumenical setting in which denominations and other institutions can interact. The commission has representation from 27 denominations. Garland Pierce has been the NCC associate general secretary for ELMC and has left to go to the World Council of Churches.
NCC receives the Community of Christ into its membership
In November 2010 the membership of the National Council of Churches was expanded through the addition of the Community of Christ by unanimous vote. (The Community of Christ, headquartered in Independence, Missouri, was once known as
the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.) In making its enthusiastic recommendation for membership, the council's Membership and Ecclesial Relations Committee affirmed that the church's theology is consistent with the requirement of the NCC constitution's preamble. It addressed two issues of possible confusion: The church was founded by Joseph Smith III and was not part of the migration of the Latter-day Saints to Salt Lake City; and, while the church uses the Book of Mormon in various ways, acceptance of it is not required for either membership or ordination and the Bible is the authoritative, foundational Scripture of the church.
 The church's ecumenical officer, Dale Luffman (pictured), said, "Our identity for many years was shaped by not only the prejudice that we experienced, but by our reaction and prejudice toward others. The fruit of this became manifest in our isolation from other Christian denominations. By the mid twentieth century, however, our movement began to be transformed...We wish to covenant with other communions in manifesting the unity, rather than the brokenness, of the church, pursuing the peace and reconciliation of Jesus Christ in the world."
See a substantial video of an interview with the President of the Community of Christ and explore its web site. Discover the Community of Christ congregation nearest to you.
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Churches Uniting in Christ
| Predecessor COCU's history | Marks of CUIC participation |
Racism at center of CUIC's mission and CUIC's floundering
 In 2010 leaders related to CUIC churches agreed to recommend to its member churches that a plenary be held in January 2011 calling for reaffirmation of its eight marks of commitment and identifying overcoming racism as the core commitment of CUIC for the period ahead. And the 2011 plenary has indeed occurred. Some 40 leaders gathered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in January. A full day of the plenary was spent on discussion of the intersection of race, church, and three contemporary issues: international policy, civil discourse, and the ordering of ministry. Presbyterian scholar Cynthia Holder Rich (pictured left) co-moderated the discussion on the need for churches to speak out in ways that model civility and truth telling in social discourse.
CUIC has faced significant difficulties since it was inaugurated in 2002. A core issue has been race. Two of its three historically black churches, the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (AMEZ) and the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), were absent from its 2008 plenary. The cause was concern that issues of racial justice which had been a part of the CUIC agreements were not being adequately addressed in its life and in that of member churches. AMEZ continues to be absent from the table though an AMEZ minister, Staccato Powell, preached at the 2011 plenary. Powell called his listeners to focus on transformation and not information, on conversion and not just convenience.
At CUIC's inauguration, it said, "To envision unity without addressing racism is to ignore our history in North America and deny the insidious nature of that which divides us." CUIC's intentions on racism rested on key understandings:
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There is a link between the churches' search for unity in faith, sacraments, and ministry and the struggle to overcome racism in the churches and the human community.
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Authentic unity is inclusive and requires justice within the churches and in society.
- Our prophetic witness against racism and the powers of oppression is a test of the churches' faithfulness.
The 2011 plenary reaffirmed the marks of commitment, and it discussed whether CUIC should continue with the work of seeking the reconciliation of ministries among the CUIC churches. Presbyterian Robina Winbush (pictured  right) expressed the hope that
that "we don't let ourselves off the hook by saying we're going to set it aside." It was agreed that the Coordinating Council would continue these efforts.
The officers who will lead the Coordinating Council for the next three years are
Ronald Cunningham, CME, president; Winbush, vice-president; Jean Hawxhurst, United Methodist Church, secretary; and James Tse, PC(USA), treasurer pro-tem. |
Majority of African Americans are affiliated to historic black churches
The importance of historic black churches for ecumenical relationships with African Americans is shown by statistics from the Pew U.S. religious landscape survey of 2007. Fifty-nine percent of African Americans are affiliated with historic black churches, according to the survey; fifteen percent belong to evangelical churches, four percent to mainline Protestant churches, and five percent to Catholic churches. (One percent are affiliated with Muslim congregations.)
CUIC has had eight visible marks of unity
The visible marks of unity to which CUIC members recommitted at their January 2008 plenary, the same year when CUIC activities were put on hold, had first been adopted at CUIC's beginning:
- mutual recognition of each other as "authentic expressions of the one church of Jesus Christ"
- mutual recognition of baptism
- mutual recognition of apostolic faith
- celebration of the Eucharist together with intentional regularity
- engagement together in Christ’s mission
- intentional commitment to promote unity and oppose marginalization / exclusion in church and society
- appropriate means for consultation and decision-making
- an ongoing process of theological dialogue
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On this web site:
 Seeking Justice: ecumenical organizations' work for economic and ecological justice
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