wfn.org | Church of the Brethren Committee on Interchurch Relations sets focus

[COBNews@aol.com]

Date: Oct. 27, 2005
Contact: Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
V:  847/742-5100 F: 847/742-6103
E-MAIL: _CoBNews@AOL.Com_ (mailto:CoBNews@AOL.Com)

CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN COMMITTEE ON INTERCHURCH RELATIONS SETS FOCUS

Oct. 27, 2005 (Elgin, IL) --  The Church of the Brethrenâs Committee  on
Interchurch Relations met in New Windsor, Md., Sept. 9-11, to set priorities  for
its work and a theme focus for the next two years.

The committee set a priority to "encourage the Church of the Brethren to
think about Christ's call for us in this time when people of various world
religions are increasingly in contact and experiencing conflict, or  opportunities
for friendship and community."

The theme and focus for the committee over the next two years will
continue 
to be on the Decade to Overcome Violence, a program of the World Council
of 
Churches, with particular attention to interfaith relations. The committee also
 continues its focus on relationships with the American Baptist Churches USA.
 Rothang Chhangte reported from the American Baptists on several items from
their  ecumenical committee, called the Committee on Christian Unity.
There was
 considerable discussion on where the two denominations are heading,
multicultural learnings, and planting of new churches.

In line with the theme, the Ecumenical Citation to be awarded at the
Church 
of the Brethren Annual Conference in 2006 will shift from a youth/young adult
focus to a focus on congregations. "Continuing in the theme of the Decade to
Overcome Violence, the committee seeks stories of how congregations are
pursuing  ecumenical, intercultural, or interfaith connections that build
friendships and  community," the committee said.

Deborah DeWinter, program executive  of the US Office of the World Council of
Churches, will be the speaker for the  Ecumenical Luncheon at the 2006 Annual
Conference, with the suggested topic,  "Where Have All the Christians Gone?
The Changing Face of the World's Churches."  She will be invited to give
information on the population shift of the Christian  church from the northern to
the southern hemisphere.

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 Brazil,
the 
Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Nigeria.

# # #

For more information contact:

Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
Director of News Services
Church of the  Brethren General Board
1451 Dundee Ave.
Elgin, IL 60120
847-742-5100  ext. 260
_cbrumbaugh-cayford_gb@brethren.org_
(mailto:cbrumbaugh-cayford_gb@brethren.org)

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 director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board.
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