wfn.org | Young adults add 'New Fire' to the future of ecumenism

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

Young adults add 'New Fire' to the future of ecumenism

> By Jordan Blevins

Denver, November 25, 2008  -  Over the course of three days, spanning 
the weekend of November 8 - 10, approximately 40 young adult 
ecumenists gathered  here in the Renaissance Hotel to explore how 
they could be in better relationship with one another, work more 
effectively to be the body of Christ to  the world, and how they 
might add New Fire to the ecumenical movement.

"It is clear that there is a renewed young adult movement emerging in 
the U .S., both on an institutional as well as grassroots level, but 
there has be en little coordination to see that awareness and 
relationship and is maintained until now," said David Fraccaro, young 
adult ecumenical formation coordinator for the U.S. Conference for 
the World Council of Churches. "New Fir e provided a space for 
representatives from numerous young adult ecumenical  initiatives to 
connect with one another, and to build the foundations for  a 
sustainable movement."

"We were deeply impressed by the depth of the participants' questions 
and the intelligence of their engagement with us," said the Rev. Dr. 
Michael Kinnamon, National Council of Churches General Secretary. 
"The energy at New F ire bodes well for the future  -  and the 
present  -  of the ecumenical movement."

The participants of the "New Fire: Young Adult Ecumenical Days" 
issued a statement to the General Assembly of the National Council of 
Churches and Church World Service that followed their meeting.

"We understand that our present unity in Christ is not the end goal, 
but the beginning of engagement with the world," the statement said. 
"We have a deep commitment to conversations and relationships with 
our fellow Christian s, including those with whom we most deeply 
disagree, and those who have no t yet been part of our 
conversation.  We hope to use these deepening relationships with one 
another to share resources and knowledge that will enable  us to act 
cooperatively on diverse issues in diverse contexts."

Representatives from the U.S. Conference of the World Council of 
Churches,  the National Council of Churches Ecumenical Young Adult 
Ministries Team, the Young Adult Ecumenical Forum, Canadian Student 
Christian Movement, the National Catholic Young Adult Ministry 
Association, the World Student Christi an Federation, Ecumenical 
Advocacy Days, and the Eco-Justice Program of the  National Council 
of Churches, as well as various others connected to the ecumenical 
movement, expressed a strong desire to work together more 
effectively, and to grow into stronger relationships with one 
another. Commitments were made to increase the breadth of the 
ecumenical movement by  reaching out to partners who were not at the 
gathering, to develop a mechanism to better share resources with one 
another of time, funding, staff, and more, and to deepen the personal 
relationships that exist within the movement.

Out of the weekend came the unveiling of a new website, 
http://www.faithconnectus.org/, housed by the World Council of 
Churches U.S. Conference, which will provide a space for young adult 
ecumenists to share with one another , view resources and events, and 
deepen their involvement in the movement.
Coming out of this weekend, the feeling that the future of the 
ecumenical movement was bright and burning was affirmed by the 
General Assembly of the  National Council of Churches and Church World Service.

"We pushed our boundaries, shared our vulnerabilities, and grew 
together as  brothers and sisters part of something larger than 
ourselves," the group declared in their common statement. "By 
deepening our relationships as ecumenical groups and individuals, we 
solidified the relationships that will keep this fire burning, and 
brighten it into the future."

Jordan Blevins is assistant director of the National Council of 
Churches Eco-Justice program.
For more information see http://www.ncccusa.org/

NCC Media contact: Philip E. Jenks, 212-870-2228, pjenks@ncccusa.org