Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service -- May 24, 2007 Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, News Director 800-323-8039 ext. 260 -- cobnews@brethren.org
ECUMENICAL CITATIONS GO TO ANNA BUCKWALTER, WESTMINSTER CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN
(May 24, 2007) Elgin, IL -- The Church of the Brethren's Committee on Interchurch Relations has announced the 2007 recipients of its annual Ecumenical Citation. Anna Buckwalter has received the individual citation, for her work over many years showing compassion toward people regardless of faith tradition. Westminister (Md.) Church of the Brethren has received the congregational citation, for its expression of Christian compassion toward a Muslim fellowship.
The citations will be presented at the Ecumenical Luncheon at the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 3. At the luncheon the committee will highlight the recipients' creative, exemplary responses to Christ's call to show love for all people. The featured talk at the Ecumenical Luncheon is titled, "Living Among People of Other Faiths," and will be presented by Paul Numrich, a Church of the Brethren minister and educator.
This year the citation was given for individuals and congregations to share their experiences in ecumenical interfaith peacebuilding. At a time when tensions have risen between different religious traditions around the world, the committee has been seeking out those who are bridging the gap between different groups, aiming to be the embodiment of Christ amid hatred and misunderstanding.
The committee also is sponsoring an insight session at the Annual Conference, on the evening pf July 3, featuring a conversation between a Brethren evangelical Christian, Jim Eikenberry, and a Muslim teaching colleague, Amir Assadi-Rad. Both are instructors at San Joaquin Delta College in California. They will discuss how people of different faiths may relate constructively with one another while deepening their faith.
The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continuing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its faith in community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrates its 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts about 130,000 members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Nigeria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and India.
This report was provided by Robert C. Johansen, a member of the Committee on Interchurch Relations, senior fellow at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, and professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame.
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For more information contact:
Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford Director of News Services Church of the Brethren General Board 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120 800-323-8039 ext. 260 cobnews@brethren.org
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