April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
OUR NEIGHBORS' FAITH
How to promote Christian unity
Part of our call is to respond to the needs of the world for peace, justice and compassion. This includes seeking unity among those who love one another as Christian sisters and brothers, and to seek a closer relationship to God in Christ through the wider church. We understand Christian unity to be both a gift from God and one of the goals which guide our Christian lives.
Thirty years ago, I became part of an association of clergy and laity called "Envoys for Ecumenism" through the Massachusetts Council of Churches. This is an association of individuals committed to invigorating the ecumenical movement through Scriptural renewal in companionship and community.
For these 30 years, I have personally been committed to 10 points of spiritual practices. I encourage everyone to develop a similar form of spiritual discipline, focusing on Christian unity, as we continue to implement the teachings of "Unitatis redintegratio," the Second Vatican Council's decree on ecumenism, into the future.
Another Vatican document which can serve as the basis for ecumenical activities is the Ecumenical Directory, last revised in 1993. Both documents provide the background of our work for Christian unity and practical steps for study and action.
Here are the 10 points. Many of these, you are probably already doing, but this discipline helps make activities more intentional. You can adapt the language to your situation as a clergy or layperson and expand this ecumenical activity to include interreligious affairs.
1. Practice daily prayer and meditation in the spirit of John 17:21, "that they may all be one...so that the world may believe," including intercessory prayer for other "Envoys for Ecumenism."
2. Read, at last weekly, literature about the quest for Christian unity and/or the relationship between the unity and mission of the church.
3. Practice monthly shared Bible study with a person or persons of another Christian tradition.
4. Give some time, each year, to a voluntary association devoted to promoting Christian unity.
5. Gather once annually with other "Envoys for Ecumenism" for dinner and dialogue about observations, hopes and concerns of ecumenical work, experienced through involvement in voluntary associations.
6. Contribute financially to an ecumenical organization.
7. Facilitate and/or participate in at least one ecumenical worship service (such as the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity).
8. Attend annually at least one ecumenical event for personal edification.
9. Witness frequently to one's ecumenical commitment (especially in a local church), and encourage annually at least one other person to become an "Envoy for Ecumenism."
10. Participate in an annual 24-hour retreat for "Envoys for Ecumenism" to become a gathered community and be refreshed by, renewed for and rededicated to the ecumenical mandate.
Our personal relationship with God and Jesus Christ motivates us to develop relationships with people of the wider Christian Church. In my faith journey, I adapt the prayer for Christian unity so that it includes all people of every Christian tradition around the world. For me, ecumenical study includes reading online and print media; the weekly reading of The Evangelist and daily news media provide information about the quest for Christian unity.
We are blessed by many ecumenical and interfaith organizations within the region of the Albany Diocese, as well as many national and international organizations, all of which deserve our time, talents and resources. The annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Jan. 18-25, provided opportunities to attend ecumenical events in cooperation with other local churches. Many retreats have an ecumenical dimension. The Lenten season is an especially vital period in which to take part in a retreat or shared experiences.
In this new year of 2015, I encourage each person to select several actions to incorporate into our own spiritual lives as we focus on ecumenical relations.
(Rev. Dr. Loesch is pastor of Zion's United Church of Christ in Sand Lake and the Protestant representative on the Albany Diocese's Commission for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. He is the author of "One Year: The Ministries of One Parish and Pastor." Contact him at [email protected].)[[In-content Ad]]
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