wfn.org | Swan to Head North American Academy of Ecumenists

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ELCA NEWS SERVICE

November 5, 1998

SWAN TO HEAD NORTH AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ECUMENISTS
98-39-224-FI

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Darlis J. Swan, associate director of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Department for Ecumenical
Affairs, will be president of the North American Academy of Ecumenists
(NAAE) in 1999 and 2000.  The organization held its 1998 conference Sept.
25-27 in Covington, Ky.
     "I hope that we can continue to provide a forum where those committed
to Christian unity can think creatively and provocatively about fostering
the reception of dialogue results already achieved," Swan said after the
conference, when asked about her goals for her term as NAAE president.
     The NAAE was founded in 1957 "to inform, relate and encourage men and
women whose profession or ministry in the church involves them in
ecumenical activities and studies."  Its annual conferences are scholarly
in content and informal in structure to explore "issues too important to be
left exclusively to official ecumenical agencies and projects."
     "As we approach the millennium, I see this society attempting to
renew the ecumenical vision in such a way that more church leaders and
others will see it as crucial to the life and mission of the church," said
Swan.
     "I hope that, in the year 2000, the NAAE will include more members
from Christian churches that have not been part of the Academy and that
more seminarians will play an active role in the annual conference," she
said.
     "I look forward to more scholarly research and honest dialogue about
what separates the churches and how we can overcome those differences to
provide a more powerful witness to the world," Swan added.
     Swan was elected at the NAAE's 1997 conference in Toronto and serves
as the organization's vice president and president-elect.
     The Covington conference, under the theme, "Ecumenism: Renewing the
Vision, Revitalizing the Challenge," focused on the "oneness" of the
ecumenical movement and the various visions of unity that Christians have.
Swan preached during the conference's Sunday morning worship service at
Ludlow Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Ludlow, Ky.

For information contact:
Frank Imhoff, Assoc. Director (773) 380-2955 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
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