Ecumenical Relations REPORT OF THE ECUMENICAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2012 INTRODUCTION Over this past year, it has become increasingly clear that the future of our country, in terms of economic growth, is inextricably linked to the economic situation within other key European countries. The global financial network ensures, through a ripple effect, that any disturbance in one section of the network will have an impact on the rest. Many ordinary people across Europe are being affected. The sight of a woman in desperation and hopelessness, about to jump from her apartment in Athens, must surely focus our minds on what our response as a Church should be. Our society needs hope - a hope that is seen and experienced through a relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. The message of the gospel needs to be heard. Within that context, what do the people in our society see? A Church which is divided and dividing, fragmented by theological dispute, historical division, and social misunderstanding at a time when a clear message of hope is required to help people address the emerging life issues that this significant global crisis is creating. Was this what Jesus prayed for in the garden of Gethsemane? "I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one - I in them and you in me - so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." (John 17:22-23) We have a responsibility to work towards diminishing the things that divide and promoting the issues that bind us, not for our own sake but for those outwith the Church, so that they can see Christ, and Christ only, in all the things that we do for the other person. This work can take place in many situations but clearly lies at the heart of any ecumenical work we engage in. As Paul writes, our work proceeds "until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:13) That level of maturity is achieved through the development and deepening of our Christian relationships, within and across all boundaries. Such ecumenical work, ranging from grassroots to denominational level, is overseen by the Lund Principle 1952, which "affirms that Churches should act together in all matters except those in which deep differences of conviction compel them to act separately." In Porte Alegre 2006, the World Council of Churches declared that all should "continue to facilitate deep conversations among various churches [so that] the honest sharing of commonalities, divergences, and differences will help all churches to pursue the things that make for peace and build up the common life." We must therefore be prepared to engage in discussions with those who hold a different theological position, with an openness to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. It is when we engage with others, in an openness to change, that we exhibit the movement towards the unity that Christ desires. By doing so, the diversity of the Church truly becomes our strength and others will be inspired by the respect, understanding and love that we show to one another.
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