Looking forward to Pentecost, General Minister Sharon Watkins and Disciples Council on Christian Unity President Robert Welsh request the publication of this letter from the National Council of Churches. They not only note agreement with the content of the letter, but remind us of unity as a mark of the earliest church in Jerusalem, as described in Acts.
That same church, which was of one mind and spirit, at least for a time, moved outward to transform the world. How appropriate that our Pentecost offering for New Church should help empower God's people to do likewise in our time and place!
The National Council letter follows:
Pentecost Letter
National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA
National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! This letter comes with greetings from the 35 member communions of the National Council of Churches—and with an invitation.
The National Council of Churches is probably best known for its sponsorship of Bible translation (the RSVand NRSV) and for its work on behalf of justice and peace. The Council, however, is much more than such activities, important as they are. It is, in the words of its Constitution, “a community of communions,” a fellowship whose very existence offers a sign of hope in a world so often fragmented by competing interests and fearful of differences. In this community of communions, Orthodox and Quakers sit together. In this community of communions, churches with roots in Africa, Asia, and Europe talk and work together. In this community of communions, gifts of the Spirit are shared in order that the body of Christ might be built up in love.
There are still real theological differences among us, differences significant enough that some of our member churches cannot yet break bread together at the table of our Lord. But we do affirm that all of us, in some mysterious way, belong to Christ; and this allows us to pray with and for one another.
This letter is an invitation to engage in such prayer in your own setting. We urge you to contact congregations/parishes from other communions in your neighborhood (especially ones with which you may not have had much previous contact) in order to organize a time of fellowship and prayer together this spring. Many of these congregations are also part of the member communions in the National Council of Churches. The work of Christian unity requires leadership. Our fervent hope is that you will give such leadership in your local setting.
In this season following Easter and looking to Pentecost, we are writing to invite you and your congregation to celebrate our common commitment to Jesus Christ and to join in the universal Christian language—the language of prayer. Resources for this time of prayer together, including prayers for peace in our troubled world, will soon be available on the National Council of Churches website (www.ncccusa.org) where you can also inform us of your participation.
May God bless you and your community as we celebrate of the resurrection of our Lord. May the Holy Spirit move among us all with the reconciling power made manifest on that first Pentecost event of unity and reconciliation.
Michael Kinnamon Archbishop Vicken Aykazian
General Secretary President
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! This letter comes with greetings from the 35 member communions of the National Council of Churches—and with an invitation.
The National Council of Churches is probably best known for its sponsorship of Bible translation (the RSVand NRSV) and for its work on behalf of justice and peace. The Council, however, is much more than such activities, important as they are. It is, in the words of its Constitution, “a community of communions,” a fellowship whose very existence offers a sign of hope in a world so often fragmented by competing interests and fearful of differences. In this community of communions, Orthodox and Quakers sit together. In this community of communions, churches with roots in Africa, Asia, and Europe talk and work together. In this community of communions, gifts of the Spirit are shared in order that the body of Christ might be built up in love.
There are still real theological differences among us, differences significant enough that some of our member churches cannot yet break bread together at the table of our Lord. But we do affirm that all of us, in some mysterious way, belong to Christ; and this allows us to pray with and for one another.
This letter is an invitation to engage in such prayer in your own setting. We urge you to contact congregations/parishes from other communions in your neighborhood (especially ones with which you may not have had much previous contact) in order to organize a time of fellowship and prayer together this spring. Many of these congregations are also part of the member communions in the National Council of Churches. The work of Christian unity requires leadership. Our fervent hope is that you will give such leadership in your local setting.
In this season following Easter and looking to Pentecost, we are writing to invite you and your congregation to celebrate our common commitment to Jesus Christ and to join in the universal Christian language—the language of prayer. Resources for this time of prayer together, including prayers for peace in our troubled world, will soon be available on the National Council of Churches website (www.ncccusa.org) where you can also inform us of your participation.
May God bless you and your community as we celebrate of the resurrection of our Lord. May the Holy Spirit move among us all with the reconciling power made manifest on that first Pentecost event of unity and reconciliation.
Michael Kinnamon Archbishop Vicken Aykazian
General Secretary President
