wfn.org | Synod/Assembly draws more than 11,000 for exercise in Christian unity

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

Date: July 18, 2001
Disciples News Service
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Contact: Curt Miller
E-mail: cmiller@cm.disciples.org
on the web: http://www.disciples.org

01a-39

KANSAS CITY (DNS) -- "Christian unity is very dangerous to the
powers and principalities that thrive on division," said Dale
Bishop, executive minister of Wider Ministries of the United
Church of Christ.  The powers and principalities withdrew to
other realms as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and
the United Church of Christ worshiped, prayed, sweat, and played
together in celebration of their ecumenical partnership at
General Synod/Assembly 2001.

	More than 8,000 Disciples and 3,000 United Church members
gathered in Kansas City, Mo. July 13-17 in the second joint
gathering of the two denominations. The first joint meeting was
in St. Louis in 1993.

	The two churches, ecumenical partners since 1985, and in "full
communion" since 1989, acted on a wide variety of church unity
and social justice issues as well as internal procedural
matters.  The two communions also cooperated in mission work and
staged demonstrations and vigils in the streets of Kansas City.

	Before and during synod/assembly, more than 2,200 volunteers
repaired and rehabilitated 40 houses and a community center in
Kansas City's Ivanhoe neighborhood.  Disciples and UCC justice
groups protested that society ignores the voices of homeless
people and other marginalized groups.  The UCC held a
candlelight vigil in favor of reproductive choice and staged a
public witness against Missouri law that criminalizes sexual
contact between persons of the same gender.

	Young people were a strong presence in the Kansas City event.
Some 440 UCC youth and 1,249 Disciples youth attended "Big
Jammin' Youth 2001,' a gathering that ran parallel to
synod/assembly.  The young people had their own assembly hall
and worshiped, played, danced and prayed together.  They also
were a significant part of the volunteer work force in the
Ivanhoe neighborhood mission work.  Some young UCC members and
Disciples also responded peaceably to a small group of
out-of-town anti-gay/lesbian protestors outside the convention
center.

	The Disciples and UCC both passed resolutions to join with
seven other denominations in "Churches Uniting in Christ," an
ecumenical relationship that is to be inaugurated in January
2002.  It calls for the participating denominations to engage in
mission and worship together as often as possible.  Moreover, it
calls for a vigorous effort to eradicate racism in the lives of
all the churches.

	Both communions approved resolutions condemning the sale of
"conflict diamonds" sold by rebels in Sierra Leone to finance a
brutal war there.  They also approved resolutions for their
denominations to participate in the World Council of Churches
"Decade to Overcome Violence."  U.S. Surgeon General David
Satcher spoke July 14 in connection with that resolution.  His
office recently released a study showing that violence among
young people is far worse than official statistics show.

	Another jointly approved resolution calls for both churches to
study the issue of reparations for slavery.  The measure also
calls on the U.S. government to officially apologize to
Americans of African descent for slavery.  A UCC variation seeks
additionally to differentiate between "reparations" and
"restitution."  A Disciples speaker asked that the next
Disciples General Assembly issue the church's official apology
for its past silence and inaction on slavery.

	Disciples passed an "Act of Repentance Calling the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ) to Be an Anti-Racist,
Pro-Reconciling Community."  It admits that racist practice
exists throughout the life of the church.  It also endorses the
creation of an anti-racism commission to guide the church's
anti-racism work and to institutionalize anti-racist and
pro-reconciliation values.

	Disciples representatives also approved resolutions calling
for:  justice for Asian women forced into sexual slavery in WW
II; the release of Lori Berenson, an American journalist and
activist imprisoned in Peru; measures to make future large
meetings environmentally-friendly; and a renewal of the
Disciples relationship with the National Farm Workers Ministry.
Assembly also endorsed the ministry of Humane Borders, which
works to provide basic human necessities, such as food and
water, to persons crossing desert areas into the United States
from Mexico.

	Assembly chose not to adopt an emergency resolution calling on
the Disciples Pension Fund Board of Directors to reverse its
decision to extend family health care coverage to domestic
partners of church employees.  By only 35 votes, representatives
of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) turned back a bid
to return to a fall-summer rotation for its biennial General
Assembly.

                The steering committee on the Process of
Discernment on the Participation of Gays and Lesbians in the
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) presented a means for all
expressions of the church to enter the discernment process.  The
seven-step process includes: an introduction, spiritual
preparation, listening to stories, Bible study, telling personal
stories, "next steps" in relating to gays and lesbians, and
consecration. Detailed print and video resources will be
available in the fall for congregations and any other expression
of the church that wish to enter the discernment process.

	"If you can see it, then you can be it. If you can be it, then
you can share it.  Can you share it?" asked the Rev. Richard L.
Hamm.  He was speaking of a "2020 vision" for the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ).  An assembly presentation lifted
up a vision for revitalizing congregations, starting new ones,
and developing new leaders in the years leading up to 2020.  A
special collection of 2020 resources on CD-ROM was handed out.
It will be mailed to all Disciples congregations later in the
summer.

	UCC delegates approved resolutions supporting: federal funding
of research on human embryo stem cells; preservation of three
Native American languages; universal access to excellent public
schools; new strategies against youth tobacco use;  education on
the effects of drug eradication on Colombian farmers; the study
of lower compensation among American Indian clergy; action to
prevent the collapse of family farms; an end to the presence of
the U.S. Navy in Vieques, Puerto Rico; equal treatment for all
in juvenile justice; and an effort to end anti-Semitism. And
within hours of voting to join Churches Uniting in Christ, the
United Church also agreed to begin a new "intentional
relationship" with the Alliance of Baptists.

	Synod chose not to adopt measures calling for: suspension of
cooperation with Unitarians; scrapping all previous Synod
actions and resolutions to start anew;  UCC General Minister and
President John Thomas to retract his support of a declaration
that calls for the blessing of same sex unions … (and the)
ordination of sexual minorities.

	General Assembly honored the Rev. Donald Manworren, who will
retire at the end of this year.  Manworren has served as
Disciples associate general minister since 1986, and has been
the denomination's general assembly manager. General Synod paid
tribute to Joan Brannick, executive vice president of the UCC
Pension Boards, who retires this year.  She came to the Pension
Boards in 1980, and has been chief executive since 1996.

	A pre-assembly event, the National Evangelistic Workshop 2001,
drew 1,300 persons from 14 denominations, 48 states and three
foreign countries.  "Nuts and bolts" of evangelism and starting
new congregations were featured in NEW 2001 seminars.

	A total of 8,108 Disciples voting representatives and visitors
registered for assembly. The United Church registered 3,394 UCC
delegates and visitors for synod.

	Detailed reports on the business and events of General
Synod/Assembly can be found on the World Wide Web at
www.synodassembly.net.

                                   	-- end --