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News
from the
Ecumenical Committee
Spring 2000
Sent
to all District and Synod Ecumenical Officers, Synod World Church
Representatives and Synod European Link Co-ordinators for copying and
distribution to local churches.
Belonging
to the world-wide Church....
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The Council for World Mission Executive met in London in
November 1999. Proposed
changes to the structure of representation on CWM Council will try to
bring in more women and young people.
The United Reformed Church, which has had representation beyond
its size, will find that reduced.
The URC now has 500 subscribers to the CWM magazine, Inside
Out.
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The European Area Committee of the World Alliance of
Reformed Churches met in London in March 2000.
Its new General Secretary, Setri Nyomi and Theology Secretary,
Odair Mateus are already in post. Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth will come to the Women's Desk
later in the year. Elizabeth
Nash, current Moderator for Co-operation and Witness, expects to be
part of a solidarity visit to Indonesia in Autumn.
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Sheila Maxey attended the World Council of Churches
Ecumenical officers' meeting in Switzerland in November.
The new publication WCC News is to be sent to all synod
ecumenical, world church and European link officers.
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The committee has commented, on behalf of the United
Reformed Church on the WCC Faith and Order document, The Nature and
Purpose of
the Church.
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Revd Dr David Thompson will become the president of the
World Convention of the Churches of Christ at its Convention in
Brisbane in August. Southern
and Wessex synods will be represented by people committed to forming
the local arrangements committee for the next Convention in Brighton
in 2004.
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The Belonging to the World Church programme: a new
group linking FURY and the International Relations office has been
formed to develop youth opportunities: the first research fellowship
has been awarded, in a partnership between NW Synod and Northern
College: more lay opportunities are being developed through World
Exchange.
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Philip Woods has paid another solidarity visit to the
Presbyterian Church of Myanmar and the committee agreed to send £3000
in response to the Church of North India's appeal for help in cyclone
devastated Orissa.
....situated
in Europe
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CWM European Region is proposing that the CWM money
raised from the sale of St. Andrews Hall to the Baptist Missionary
Society should be used to make its Mission Enabler post full-time.
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CWM European Region brought together the Conference of
European Churches (CEC), the European Evangelical Missionary Alliance
and the Netherlands Missionary Council to mount a unique conference,
for young (under-40s) Christians. It was inspiring but impatient with
the Church.
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A partnership agreement between the Church of the Pfalz,
the United Reformed Church and the Yorkshire Synod, where that synod
is seen as the lead synod for this particular partnership throughout
the URC, will be offered as a model for others.
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The committee has approved, on behalf of
the United Reformed Church, the Charta Oecumenica, a remarkable joint
statement by the Conference of European Churches (which, of course,
includes the Orthodox churches) and the European Roman Catholic
Bishops Conference.
-
The synod moderators held their February meeting in
Brussels in order to be briefed on regionalisation by the CEC Church
and Society Commission. In
May the synod European Link Co-ordinators will also meet in Brussels
along with representatives from some of our European partner churches.
....and
rooted in multi-ethnic and multi-national Britain
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In Wales, the Commission of Covenanting Churches (Enfys)
celebrated 25 years, and the synod will bring the proposals for an
Ecumenical Bishop in Wales to the General Assembly.
A new Methodist/ United Reformed Church United Area has been
formed in Pembrokeshire.
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In Scotland, after the union of the Congregational Union
of Scotland with the United Reformed Church on 1 April, John Arthur,
the first moderator of the Synod of Scotland and Sheila Maxey will pay
a courtesy call on all the member churches of ACTS (Action for
Churches Together in Scotland) to introduce the new church.
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The Slough Asian Christian Church, an Urdu- speaking
Presbyterian Pakistani congregation, is applying for membership of the
United Reformed Church.
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The Presbyterian Church of Ghana will, in
May, officially recognise two Twi-speaking London congregations and
then seek an appropriate link between them and the United Reformed
Church.
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On 4 March a one-day consultation was held between those
with experience of single-ethnic and with multi-ethnic church life to
consider the way forward. It
was jointly organised by Sheila Maxey and Marjorie Lewis-Cooper.
News
of people
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With great sadness, the committee learned of the death
of Virginia Becher, a valued member of the Overseas Exchange
Sub-Committee.
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It was agreed that Mary Buchanan should represent the
committee at the
annual meeting of the Churches Commission on Mission. Walter
Houston, David Vincent and Douglas Tunbridge would continue to
represent the committee on the CCOM China, Pacific and European Forums
respectively.
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Mrs Jenny Carpenter, formerly Churches Together in England's
Field Officer for the North and Midlands will, from April, be Rural
Consultant for the United Reformed Church and the Methodist Church.
The
committee membership
Bob
Andrews (Convener), Mary Buchanan, Bethan Galliers, Phillip Jones, Jackie
Marsh, Richard Mortimer, Elizabeth Nash,
John Rees, Peter Arthur (Scotland),
Stuart Jackson (Wales).
Representing
other committees: Peter Brain, Jonathan Dean, Iain Frew, Suzanne
Hamnett, Rosemary Johnston, Tony Ruffell.
Representing
other churches: Gabrielle Ellis-Sarquar (Presbyterian Church of
Ireland), Colin Buchanan (Church of England), John Smith (Scottish
Congregational Church), Peter Sulston (Methodist Church)
Staff
Revd
Sheila Maxey, Secretary for Ecumenical Relations
Revd Philip Woods, Secretary for International Relations
Ms Lesley-Anne Morgan, International Relations Programme
Administrator
Ms Veronica Singh, Personal Assistant to Secretary for Ecumenical
Relations
Miss Grace Nkem, Personal Assistant to Secretary for International
Relations
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