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THE
NATIONAL WORKSHOP
ON
CHRISTIAN UNITY
Origins
In
1963, a group of Roman Catholics, in the context of
Vatican II, met to equip local leadership for the
task of ecumenical ministry. In 1969, they invited
leaders of other Christian communions to join, and
today the national ecumenical officers of the churches
continue their oversight of the workshop, which is
planned by national and local committees. There are
both denominational and ecumenical sessions during
the workshop. This is the 41st year of the National
Workshop on Christian Unity, which celebrates the
spirit of ecumenism by:
- providing
meeting seminars for all who are concerned with
the ministry of Christian unity: laity, clergy,
ecumenical officers, theologians, staff of ecumenical
organizations;
- stimulating
an exchange of ideas and experiences among people
concerned with Christian unity and the bodies
they represent;
- being
a resource and balance between national planning
and local responsibility, general ecumenical discussions
and particular interchurch conversations, and
regional leadership efforts and local realities,
- encouraging
denominational networks to develop and serve as
a framework within which they can interact;
- celebrating
the unity which already exists among Christians
and searching for ways to overcome the divisions
that remain.
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