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Stronger Baptist Ecumenical Ties Sought American Baptist News Service (7/9/02)--The American Baptist Churches USA Committee on Christian Unity, at its meeting last month in Green Lake, Wis., examined ways to expand American Baptist relationships with churches that share historical roots with the Baptist tradition but with whom there have been no close contacts in recent years. General Secretary A. Roy Medley noted at the meeting the need to build closer ties with communions from the Anabaptist tradition like the Brethren and the Mennonites. Working with Roy Unruh, the Church of the Brethren representative to the General Board, and Les Aeilts, General Board representative to the Church of the Brethren, the Office of Cooperative Christianity will pursue avenues of greater cooperation with them. The committee also encouraged a closer relationship with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, which already is working with American Baptist Churches USA in new church development. It commended Churches Uniting in Christ, comprised of nine communions that have come together in part to address racism, and encouraged American Baptists to enter more intentionally into a relationship with the such historic Black Baptist denominations as the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.; the National Baptist Convention U.S.A., Inc.; and the National Baptist Convention of America, Inc. In support of the "Declaration on an Issue of Importance: The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict," passed by the General Board in November 2001, the committee recommended to the board several ecumenical documents: "By My Spirit: What Will Make for Peace in the Middle East," a statement by a delegation of U.S. church leaders to the Middle East issued in April 2002; Baptist World Alliance General Secretary Denton Lotz's statement on the Middle East, printed in April BWA newsletter; the Ecumenical Prayer Vigil for Peace in the Middle East led by the Lutheran Church and the Churches for Middle East Peace; and the "Lebanon Declaration" issued by a U.S. evangelical group. The Office of Cooperative Christianity will develop guidelines to assist churches in their relationships with people of other faiths. It recommends to churches the "Dabru Emet (to Speak the Truth): A Jewish Statement on Christians and Christianity" and the American Baptist response to the statement. In relating to the Muslim community it recommends the "Declaration on an Issue of Importance: Anti-Islam, Anti-Muslim, and Anti-Arab Prejudice in the United States of America," passed by the General Board in November 2001. To gain a better understanding of Buddhism and the people who come from predominantly Buddhist countries it recommends the ecumenical study-tour to Thailand, Jan. 3-17, 2003. Information on the aforementioned resources can be found on the Web site of the Office of Cooperative--www.abc-unity.org--or by calling 1-800-ABC-3USA/x2279. 02ABN100 American Baptist News Service: Office of Communication, American Baptist Churches USA, P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851; (610)768-2077; fax: (610)768-2320; www.abc-usa.org; richard.schramm@abc-usa.org |
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