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filings summer 2002
- issue 16
"Ecumenism must become main-stream. The world has
moved on: has ecumenism?"
(the URC younger ecumenists' consultation)
And to the next generation?
The Seventh United and Uniting Churches'
International Consultation will take place in September and will be hosted
by the Dutch 'uniting churches' – the two Reformed churches in the
Netherlands and the tiny Lutheran Church there. The theme is unity,
identity and mission. The URC, with its experience of uniting, has played
a key role in these meetings over many years. David Thompson will give
the keynote address on the place of identity in the commitment to both
unity and mission. Francis Amenu, the present Ghanaian Minister for
London, will describe his bridge-building ecumenical work across
denominational, ethnic and language barriers.
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Our two main Korean partners,
the Presbyterian Church of Korea and the Presbyterian
Church in the Republic of Korea, are sending a small delegation in October
to learn about the URC's experience of uniting and to see its present
ecumenical life.
In April, in Devizes, the two Wiltshire United Areas
(functioning both as Methodist Circuits and URC Districts for more than 20
years) shared their experience, good and bad, with 25 URC and Methodist
people from all over England and Wales. The report is on the URC
web-site.
Also in April, older ecumenists (Martin Cressey,
David Cornick, Elizabeth Caswell and David Goodbourn) shared their
ecumenical vision and current concerns with an invited group of younger
URC ecumenists (under-40, lay and ordained) and then listened carefully to
theirs. They are:
*mission is primary -'witness to God's
love for all people'
* the goal is visible unity in each local
community - 'sought not forced'
* differing visions of
unity – from 'shared decision-making and shared resources' to 'mutual
acceptance and daring to disagree'.
* the use and abuse of
power and authority in the Church (including the URC) is an issue
An Anglican-Methodist Covenant
The Methodist Conference in June and the Church of
England General Synod in July will be asked to request the various
councils of the two churches to study the Covenant and debate a motion
approving it, and to report the outcome, with voting figures, by 31 May
2003.
The Conference and the General Synod will also be
asked to request a range of partner churches – the United Reformed Church
being the only named UK one – to study and comment on the Covenant.
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Towards a United Reformed Church response at Assembly
2003.
* in July, every local
church, district/area secretary and synod clerk will receive a guidance
leaflet Conversations and a Covenant, together with A Reader's Guide to An
Anglican-Methodist Covenant and a response form.
* Conversations on the
Way to Unity, the report of the three-way conversations of which the URC
was a full member, will be recommended as the lens through which to
consider the Covenant and make any response.
* Local churches
(including Wales and Scotland) are encouraged to respond through
district/area council and/or synod.
* the Ecumenical
Committee will report on the responses to Assembly 2003, and use them to
guide any resolution(s) brought to that Assembly.
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Small ecumenical steps in Scotland and Wales
* The Church of Scotland
General Assembly agreed to allow the Scottish Church Initiative for Union
to present its report in 2003. A Roman Catholic bishop urged the churches
to keep on talking: a former Moderator urged them to stop talking.
* St Nicholas, Aberdeen
is the newest URC/CofS LEP – approved by the Synod of Scotland in March,
and by the Church of Scotland in May. (every new CofS LEP needs its own
petition to Assembly)
* The Methodist
Conference will consider the proposals for an Ecumenical Bishop for
Wales: the Church in Wales has remitted them to a second stage in
October: the URC General Assembly in St Andrews will be asked to approve
them.
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The Golden Jubilee – an ecumenical opportunity?
* Glasgow: the Queen
joined leaders of the churches and of the other faith communities in an
ecumenical service led by the minister of Glasgow Cathedral but with
ecumenical participation: the Moderator of the Church of Scotland General
Assembly preached.
* Bangor: the Queen
joined leaders of the churches and of the other faith communities in an
ecumenical service planned by the Church in Wales with ecumenical
participation: Archbishop Rowan Williams preached.
* Windsor: following an
overnight meeting at St. Georges, Windsor, of the leaders of the CTE
member churches (which included the URC Assembly Moderator and General
Secretary) they attended a service planned for the Queen by the Dean of
Windsor (he also preached the sermon). After the service, in the presence
of the Queen, the four presidents of Churches Together in England signed a
personal covenant.
* the Queen held a large
reception at Buckingham Palace for the leaders of the faith communities
from the four nations. CTBI, ACTS, CYTUN and CTE were the main channels
for finding the Christian representatives.
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New Publications
Growing Together: working for unity locally by Flora
Winfield £12.99 plus p&p
Aimed at Church of
England congregations, but generally useful, it has a particularly
valuable central section where almost every member church of CTE describes
itself.
A Church Shaped for Mission: study group material
based on An Anglican-Methodist Covenant £4.95 plus p&p
Prepared for local
Anglican and Methodist churches, but also intended to resource ecumenical
groups as they consider local mission and local unity.
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