Episcopal News Service Thursday, June 15, 2006
From Columbus: Convention asked to consider Ecumenical, Interfaith
Relationships
By Nicole Seiferth
[ENS] Ecumenical and interfaith work is important to the church, says Tom Ferguson, the Episcopal Church's associate deputy for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations, for a simple reason.
"Jesus said we should do this -- we should be one so that the world may believe. It's not unity for unity's sake. Anything that takes a step towards moving beyond the divisions of Christianity is one that's worth taking," he said.
General Convention has been asked to consider several ecumenical and interfaith resolutions and will be welcoming ecumenical and interfaith guests to Columbus throughout Convention.
In September 2001, church leaders throughout the United States began to consider forming an organization that would bring together leaders from a variety of Christian denominations. After several years of conversations and meetings, the Episcopal Church became a founding member of Christian Churches Together in the USA (CCT-USA), by decision of Executive Council in February 2005. The Standing Commission on Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations is asking Convention to ratify that important decision with resolution A053.
"It's the broadest ecumenical table that's ever existed in this country," said Bishop Christopher Epting, Presiding Bishop's Deputy for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations, "and has the potential of really being a breakthrough in conciliar ecumenism.
"The Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Evangelical and mainline Protestant churches are all together at one table for the first time."
The CCT-USA steering committee met in Chicago May 30-31; the annual meeting will be held in Los Angeles February 6-9 and will include the first public launch of the organization. Membership dues in CCT-USA will come from the existing budget for the Office of Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations.
The House of Bishops adopted resolution A053 June 13; the resolution is currently in committee with the House of Deputies.
Resolution A055 calls for interim Eucharistic sharing with the United Methodist Church (UMC). Interim Eucharist sharing, Epting explained, means "we can stand together at the Eucharistic table, but not interchangeably. There must be ordained members of both churches at the table."
The steps in the conversation, he said, will be similar to the process the Episcopal Church went through in coming to full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). "We spent a number of years with interim Eucharist sharing in order to learn more about each other, worship together more frequently and resolve any remaining issues that divided us."
There are several key issues to be considered in the Episcopal Church's relationship with the UMC. Those issues include sacramental theology -- how the two churches view baptism and communion; ordained ministry and learning about one another's ethos. "We grew up separately," said Ferguson. "We're getting to know one another's histories."
"The ultimate goal," said Epting, "as with the Lutherans, is full Communion and interchangeability of ministers and ministries."
In legislative committee, several attendees expressed concern about the differences in eucharistic practices and theology between the two churches.
The Rev. Carol Hostler, a deputy from the Diocese of Arizona, spoke warmly about her recent move to a small town where the only mainline church is Methodist. She and her husband have found the church to be a dynamic community, where they have been welcomed and even asked to lead a service during Lent.
The House of Bishops discussed the resolution on June 15. Bishop Duncan M. Gray, III, bishop of Mississippi, proposed an amendment encouraging local participation in interim Eucharistic sharing ".so that the truest fulfillment of the vision for Interim Sharing of the Eucharist might be realized."
Several bishops stated their concern about a full communion relationship with the UMC. Bishop Keith Ackerman of Quincy spoke of the theological differences surrounding the "real presence" of Christ in the Eucharist.
"I cannot comprehend that we can be serious about this," he said.
Addressing those concerns, Bishop Franklin Brookhart of Montana and co-chair of the United Methodist-Episcopal Dialogue, emphasized, "this is an interim Eucharistic sharing. This is a time of living into possibilities."
The bishops adopted the amended resolution and sent it to the House of Deputies.
Other resolutions being presented are A054: "Ecumenical Participation in Ordinations" and A056: "Interreligious Relations."
A054 is based on discussions of the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Ecumenical Relations (IASCER), which produced guidelines in 2004 "in response to many requests and much confusion" for bishops and priests who are invited to participate in ordinations outside of the Anglican Communion. The House of Bishops adopted the resolution with amendment June 13.
Resolution A056 invites the Episcopal Church to engage in interreligious dialogue. Animated discussion in the Ecumenical Relations Committee June 14 centered on how the resolution presents the Christian beliefs and how that might affect conversation with people of other faiths. The resolution has moved out of committee and will be addressed by the House of Bishops soon.
General Convention will welcome a number of ecumenical and interfaith guests to Columbus, including representatives of the ELCA, UMC and Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI). At the ecumenical and interfaith reception June 19, Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold and Bishop Godofredo David, IFI Obispo Maximo will sign an updated "Concordat of Full Communion." Bishop Joris Vercammen, Old Catholic Archbishop of Utrecht, will preside at the June 19 Eucharist.
-- Nicole Seiferth is the editor of the Episcopal New Yorker.
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