Ecumenicals: Christian Unity Not About Mere Friendliness

By By Audrey Barrick 18 Jan, 2011 09:24 EST

Churches around the world kicked off on Tuesday The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

And ecumenical leaders are emphasizing that the week is "not just a nice occasion for friends to gather."

Rather, "it is a time to give thanks to God for the gift and promise of unity, to be renewed in our ecumenical resolve by the assurance of God’s leading, and to recommit ourselves to participate in what God is doing to overcome the barriers between God’s children," said the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, general secretary of the National Council of Churches.

Churches will be praying and celebrating under the theme "One in the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer," which comes from the New Testament book of Acts. It was chosen by a group of Christian leaders from Jerusalem.

Participants in the northern hemisphere are being called to not only return to the essentials of faith but to also remember the time when the church was still one.

"We do not get discouraged, even when division seems rampant, because we trust that God’s reconciling love is at work in the world, calling us, as I Corinthians puts it, to be ambassadors of that reconciliation," said Kinnamon.

The Rev. Bob Fyffe, general secretary of the ecumenical organization Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, celebrated the achievements of the ecumenical movement so far, refusing to downplay the significance of Christian unity.

Division among Christians, he pointed out, offers poor witness to the world.

And the Christian unity movement is "not about ecclesiastical coziness," he stressed.

"It is not merely that churches have become more friendly with other churches on a superficial level," he stated. "It is this movement that has helped to overcome some deep rooted enmities that have scared communities, transforming churches to be more open to each other.

"And this has not only changed them, but changed the society around them, making the lives of individuals and families more peaceful, settled, at ease with their community."

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is observed annually in January by churches in the northern hemisphere and at Pentecost for churches in the southern hemisphere.

Survey: Hong Kong teens generally identify with traditional Chinese cultural values

In order an effort to promote traditional Chinese culture, the Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong, in collaboration with Macao YMCA, Guangzhou Suigang'ao Teenagers Institute, and the Teacher Chang Foundation of Taiwan, has conducted a survey on teens measuring their cultural awareness. They found that Hong Kong youths generally identify with and support the values of traditional Chinese culture.
Global Lutherans celebrate Reformation Day, ‘trusting in the power of grace in a merciless time’.
Yesterday, October 31, was Reformation Day, and Lutherans around the world held various events in commemoration. In Singapore, the Lutheran Church advocated for Christian communion, while the German Lutheran Church encouraged believers to face the challenge of “trusting in the power of grace in a merciless time.”
Many American churchgoers expect their pastors’ sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues
American churchgoers are looking for more than biblical explanation from their pastor each week. Many expect the sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues.
2.1M Korean Christians estimated at joint worship service to affirm family, oppose gay marriage, pray for nation
In the afternoon of Reformation Sunday, Oct. 27, some 2.1 million Christians gathered for a joint worship service from 2pm to 5pm in Seoul, Korea to “unite for repentance, revival, and restoration of holiness in our society.” According to organizers, an estimated 1.1 million joined onsite despite the bad weather with another 1 million joining online. The unprecedented joint worship service brought together Korean churches across denominations as they affirmed traditional marriage and family and
Willow Creek Community Church invites believers to write prayer cards for the next president
This past Sunday, Willow Creek Community Church based in Illinois invited believers to “pray for the next president” during the service. The church not only expressed its concern for the upcoming election but also emphasized the role believers should play in the process and the importance of offering prayers for the nation's leaders.

Ecumenicals: Christian Unity Not About Mere Friendliness

Survey: Hong Kong teens generally identify with traditional Chinese cultural values

Many American churchgoers expect their pastors’ sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues American churchgoers are looking for more than biblical explanation from their pastor each week. Many expect the sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues.

Survey: Hong Kong teens generally identify with traditional Chinese cultural values

Global Lutherans celebrate Reformation Day, ‘trusting in the power of grace in a merciless time’.

Many American churchgoers expect their pastors’ sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues

2.1M Korean Christians estimated at joint worship service to affirm family, oppose gay marriage, pray for nation

Many American churchgoers expect their pastors’ sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues
American churchgoers are looking for more than biblical explanation from their pastor each week. Many expect the sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues.