wfn.org | 'When Jesus prays, stuff happens!' Winbush tells ecumenical

[PCUSA NEWS <PCUSA.NEWS@ecunet.org>]

Note #6662 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

congregation
13-June-2001
GA01102

'When Jesus prays, stuff happens!' Winbush tells ecumenical congregation

by Bill Lancaster

LOUISVILLE, June 13-The Rev. Robina M. Winbush, the new director of
Ecumenical and Agency Relationships for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.),
preached to a large congregation at the Ecumenical Worship Service Wednesday
morning at the 213th General Assembly.  Her text was John 17:11-23, Jesus'
prayer that his followers "may all be one."

"Have you ever noticed? When Jesus prays, stuff happens!", she said. When
Jesus prays, 5,000 people get fed.  When Jesus prays, a man dead four days
is raised from the tomb.  "When Jesus prays, stuff happens!  That's scary!",
she said.

	"Is it possible when Jesus prays for unity, he's praying for you and me?",
she asked. One way God leads his people to unity is by not putting all his
gifts in one group.  We begin to say, "Lord, I need this" that someone else
has, and it leads us to them.  "There's a longing in us for wholeness," she
said.

"The Spirit moves us out of our ecumenical ghetto, " she said.  She
described going to an ordination service in which the Pope ordained Roman
Catholic bishops.  "There were so many similarities!" she said, and wished
that "God would help me understand in new ways the traditions that gave us
birth."

	The offering received at the service is going to The Balm in Gilead Inc.,
Healing Through Prayer, Education, Advocacy & Service, a United States
organization dedicated exclusively to empowering churches in the struggle
against HIV/AIDS in the Black community.  The agency works largely through
Black churches.

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