Continuing
the Commitment to Christian Unity Throughout the Year
The initiatives called forth, strengthened and
enhanced during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity can be sustained
throughout the year. After the Week of Prayer activities and
evaluation, a core of persons may be invited to continue as a task
force to consider other occasions in the year when interchurch collaboration
or ecumenical celebrations might be desirable. Here are some
suggestions to help support the ecumenical impulse throughout 2003.
Throughout the Year
Working with the appropriate staff, create or expand
the local public library’s religion section. Compile and
circulate a bibliography or religious references for local congregations
as a means of promoting religious studies and ecumenical awareness.
These materials on the internet from the Graymoor Ecumenical &
Interreligious Institute include a bibliography under Resources
for Ecumenical and Interreligious Understanding. Encourage your public library to purchase these publications and subscribe
to these periodicals.
Form a study group on the Church and World: The Unity
of the Church and the Renewal of Human Community. This text
helps bring the classic search for Christian unity into creative dialogue
with evangelization. A World Council of Churches Faith and Order
document, Church and World may be ordered from the WCC Distribution
Center, PO Box 346, Route 222 & Sharadin Road, Kurtztown, PA 19530-0346.
Tel: 800-523-8211. Fax: (+212) 870-2030. Email nccc_usa@ncccusa.org.
Website www.ncccusa.org.
Other books listed on this website under Resources
for Ecumenical and Interreligious Understanding could
also be used for common reading and discussion.
Consider extending your ecumenical
endeavor into a wider area of interreligious understanding by exploring
the world's great religious traditions, particularly with Jews, Muslims,
Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs and others in your area. Among possible
ways of pursuing this are: shared readings and experiences of one
another’s faith stories; inviting members of other religions to speak
at your congregation; organizing times when the prayers of each religion
can be expressed at the same time and place for peace and interreligious
understanding.
Souper Bowl of Caring Sunday
(January 26)
On a day when many people are football-focused, neighborhood churches
participate in the Souper Bowl of Caring by inviting an offering of
$1.00 from every person, the collection to be given to a local agency
serving the poor. For information and materials contact the
Rev. Brad Smith, PO Box 23224, Columbia, SC 29224.
1-800-358-7687; Tel (+803) 788-3746. Fax (+803) 419-7244.
Website www.souperbowl.org.
Brotherhood/Sisterhood
Week
(February 16-22)
This annual observance challenges our awareness of and involvement
in the wider ecumenism of interfaith understanding. For information
contact the National Conference for Community and Justice, 475 Park
Avenue South, New York, NY 10016.
Tel (+212) 545-1300. Fax (+212) 545-8053.
Website www.nccj.org.
Ash Wednesday
(March 05, Western Churches)
Neighborhood churches having a joint celebration of the word of
God, including the blessing and imposition of ashes or another act
of repentance, is a symbolic way to begin the season of Lent.
Lent
(March 05-April 19, Western Churches;
March 10-April 27, Eastern/Orthodox
Churches)
A modern-day pilgrimage, invite Christians to experience
worship in a different church in their neighborhood on consecutive
Sundays, encourages interest in Christian unity. Interest increases
when visitors are publicly welcomed and given opportunity to talk
informally with the host congregation. As a lenten pilgrimage,
such services express an ecumenical dimension to the season’s
prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
World Day of Prayer
(March 07)
Written by World Day of Prayer Committee by the Christian women
of Romania, this year’s theme for the WDP is “Holy
Spirit, Fill Us”. For information contact the World Day
of Prayer International Committee, 475 Riverside Drive, Room 729,
New York, NY 10115.
Tel (+212) 870-3049. Fax (+212) 864-8648.
Email wdpic@worlddayofprayer.net
Website www.wdpic@worlddayofprayer.net
The Black Church Week
of Prayer for the Healing of Aids
(March 02-08)
The Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of Aids is a national
call to religious leaders and to the African American community at-large
to involve and educate our churches by providing prevention facts
about HIV/AIDS and by encouraging compassion for people infected and
affected by the disease. For information contact the Balm In
Gilead, Inc., 130 West 42 Street, New York, NY 10036.
Tel (+212) 730-7381. Fax (+212) 730-2551.
Email balmingilead@aol.com
Website www.balmingilead.org
Palm Sunday
(April 19, Western Churches;
April 20, Eastern/Orthodox
Churches)
An Ecumenical Palm Sunday celebration, now a custom
in many communities, enables members of an area's churches to get together
in parks, playgrounds, squares and shopping center parking lots to
hear God's word, receive blessed palm branches and participate in
a procession which can lead to continuing the liturgy of the day in
their respective traditions.
Good Friday
(April 18, Western Churches;
April 25, Eastern/Orthodox
Churches)
The stations of the cross becomes a touching, contemporary
experience when Christians of various denominations visit and pray
together at fourteen sites in the community which stand in need of
God's healing. If distance,
weather or other factors do not encourage an outdoor celebration,
audio-visuals such as dance, drama, film, slides, videotapes, etc.,
make creative expressions of stational movement indoors.
Easter Sunday
(April 20, Western Churches;
April 27, Eastern/Orthodox
Churches)
A sunrise service of the celebration of the word
of God or the liturgy of the hours gives the Easter liturgy its ecumenical
dimension when shared by neighborhood churches. This can be
followed by a simple fellowship of sharing traditional Easter foods
which highlight the cultural aspects of interchurch activity.
May Friendship Day
(May 02)
Prepared by a special program committee of Church Women United,
the theme for this day is “Many Gifts one Spirit”. For information
contact Church Women United, 475 Riverside Drive, Room 1626, New York,
NY 10115.
Tel 1-800-298-5551; (+212) 870-2347. Fax (+212) 870-2338.
Website www.churchwomen.org.
Email cwu@churchwomen.org.
Pentecost Sunday
(June 08, Western Churches;
June 15, Eastern/Orthodox
Churches)
A festival of music, at which choirs, soloists
and musicians from various churches “make a joyful noise unto
the Lord”, is a timely way to celebrate
this feast of the church ecumenically. See “A
Selection of Thematic Music...”
Summer
Laying aside formal programs, summer events such
as vacation Bible schools, picnics, food festivals, flea markets and
fairs are ideal examples of seasonal interchurch activities.
Peace With Justice Week
(October 16-24)
Commonly celebrated in October, this annual celebration can be
anytime. The current theme “Building a Culture of Peace
with Justice” provides opportunity to support the United
Nations Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children
of the World, adopt the Hague Agenda for Peace and Justice
for the 21st Century, join the call of the WCC to participate
in the Decade to Overcome Violence, (2001-2010) and explore Pillars
of Peace, the NCC policy statement
on the UN. The Peace and Justice Week network has grown through
the intentional strengthening of ties between national office and
local groups and through linking local groups with each other.
For information and the PWJW organizer’s flyer full of action
ideas and resources for congregations, ecumenical and community groups,
concerned individuals and families, contact Peace with Justice Week,
475 Riverside Drive, Room 670, New York, NY 10015.
Tel (+212) 870-2424. Fax (+212) 870-2055.
Email pwjw@ncccusa.org.
Website www.ncccusa.org.
World Community Day
(November 06)
The day's theme, prepared by the Celebrations Committee of Church
Women United is “Circles of Love”. For information about its observance contact
Church Women United, 475 Riverside Drive, Room 1626, New York, NY
10115.
Tel 1-800-298-5551; (+212) 870-2347. Fax (+212) 870-2338.
Email
cwu@churchwomen.org.
Website www.churchwomen.org.
Thanksgiving
(November 27)
The day on which our nation gives thanks offers a natural opportunity
for ecumenical worship in praise and gratitude to God for the many
gifts given us. Interchurch services on the eve of Thanksgiving
or Thanksgiving morning may express our common faith and faithfulness
when prayer and collecting offerings of food, clothing or money are
done together.
World AIDS Day
(December 01)
The religious community can be called to prayer with an interfaith
service of healing, hope and remembrance. An offering taken
up for an organization ministering to people and their families with
HIV disease seals the commitment shared by the faith communities gathered.
For information contact American Association for World Health, 1825
K Street, NW, Suite 1208, Washington, DC 20006-3403.
Tel (+202) 466-5883. Fax (+202) 466-5896.
Email staff@aawhworldhealth.org.
Website www.aawhworldhealth.org.
Advent
(December 01-24)
For each week of Advent one passage of scripture can be the focus
of a gathering of Christians from different traditions. The
Bible study can be hosted in a different congregation each week.
For information contact the Liturgical Conference, 8750 Georgia Avenue,
Suite 123, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
Tel 1-800-394-0885; (+301) 495-0885. Fax (+202) 832-6523.
Email litconf@aol.com.
Website www.litconf.org.
Watch Night
(December 31)
A number of Christian traditions have the practice of a New Year’s Eve vigil of reflection,
music and prayer as an alternative observance held as midnight approaches
or earlier in the evening. This could be a celebration planned
and offered ecumenically.
Graymoor
Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute
PO Box 300, Garrison, New York 10524-0300