wfn.org | Newsline: Committee places increased emphasis on interfaith relations

["COBNews Newsline" <cobnews@brethren.org>]

Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service -- Oct. 9, 2008
Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, News Director
800-323-8039 ext. 260 -- cobnews@brethren.org

CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN COMMITTEE PLACES INCREASED
EMPHASIS ON INTERFAITH RELATIONS

Oct. 9, 2008 -- The Church of the Brethren's Committee on Interchurch
Relations (CIR) met in Elgin, Ill., on Sept. 4-6. Increased emphasis on
interfaith understanding and relations was a frequent topic of discussion
throughout the meetings.

In addition to a list of ongoing priorities, three areas were lifted up as
current CIR priorities. One of these is to encourage the Church of the
Brethren to think about and act on Christ's call for in a time when people
of various world religions are increasingly in contact and experiencing
conflict or opportunities for friendship and community.

Other priorities are to promote and celebrate participation in the Decade
to Overcome Violence through 2011, and to confer with the Church of
the Brethren delegates to the National Council of Churches (NCC) and
World Council of Churches (WCC) for mutual support and to help
promote implementation of larger church initiatives as appropriate in
congregations.

The CIR's mission statement was reviewed and affirmed as follows:
"The CIR will help the Church of the Brethren pursue, promote, and
celebrate respectful conversations, loving relationships, and shared
ministries with other communities of faith to create an ever-widening
circle of the Gospel of Peace."

Other items of business included reviewing the committee's practice of
sending Church of the Brethren representatives to the annual meetings of
the six other Brethren bodies who share common roots, and fostering
new and existing relationships with other denominations who have
expressed interest.

Ex-officio member Jerry Cain, president of Judson University in Elgin,
hosted the committee for dinner, where conversation continued on ways
to promote involvement of the Church of the Brethren with the
American Baptist Churches USA. Dialogue between the two
denominations to "discuss matters of mutual information and
understanding" dates back to a Church of the Brethren General Council
request in 1960.

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 more than 125,000
members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and
sister churches in Nigeria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and
India.

># # #

>For more information contact:

>Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
>Director of News Services
>Church of the Brethren
>1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
>800-323-8039 ext. 260
>cobnews@brethren.org

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