Commission on Ecumenical and Interreligious Concerns
Mission Statement
"Guided by the Holy, we build bridges of understanding
among people of faith in Southern California."
Vision Statement
"Our vision is to become the Beloved Community: where we strive for justice and peace among all people, and where we respect
the dignity of every human being."
The Rev. Dr. Gwynne Guibord, Chair
The Rev. Dan Ade, St. John's, Los Angeles
Dr. Robert Bland, St. Patrick's Church, Thousand Oaks
The Rev. Lawrence M. Brown, St. Stephen's Church, Santa Clarita
Ms. Christine Budzowski, Church of the Holy Nativity, Westchester
The Rev. Lili Bush, St. Paul's Church, Barstow & Shepherd of the Desert Lutheran, Barstow
The Rev. Rick Byrum, Holy Trinity and St. Benedict Parish, Alhambra
The Rt. Rev. Sergio Carranza, Assisting Bishop of Los Angeles
The Rev. Michael Cooper, Director of Religious Education and Formation of Youth, Diocese of Los Angeles
Mr. P. Raymond Gallie, Prince of Peace, Woodland Hills
Ms. Elizabeth Hart, Prince of Peace, Woodland Hills
The Rev. Won-Jae Hur, Church of Our Savior, San Gabriel
The Rev. Dr. Giovan King, St. James' Church, Los Angeles
Ms. Kay Lindahl, St. Luke's Church, Long Beach
Ms. Maureen Murphy, St. Margaret's Church, San Juan Capistrano
The Rev. Pat O'Reilly, Executive Director, Ecumenical Council of Pasadena Area Churches
The Rev. Reese Riley, St. Paul's Church, Tustin
The Rev. Michael Slater, St. John the Divine, Costa Mesa
For more information or to subscribe to the monthly email newsletter, visit the Commission's website here.
Newsletter Archive
United Methodist Dialogue Study Guide
The Anglican-Roman Catholic International Committee (ARCIC) offers the following statements:
* The Gift of Authority
* The Agreed Statement (Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ)
Some basic terms
The word 'ecumenism' is a noun derived from two Greek words:
oikoumene (the inhabited earth) and oikos (house)
Ecumenical...the people of the whole earth who live in the house.
When applied to the teachings and prayers of Christ, ecumenism is used to describe the worldwide household of those who hold to one Christian faith and becomes a key for greater understanding, appreciation, and visible unity.
The work of ecumenism requires deep faithfulness. The work is relational...building relationships requires time, trust, seeking commonalities, and looking for and seeking Christ in the other.
The ecumenical movement is concerned with developing greater understanding and appreciation between all Christians, which will lead to greater mutual cooperation, visibility and unity. Such unity, it is believed by those in the movement, is God's will and is acknowledged as a gift from God in the person of Jesus Christ.
The term 'interfaith' or 'interreligious' refers to working with people of other faith traditions such as Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, etc.
Jesus lived a message in which there was no status defined by religion, by tribe, by culture, by ritual, or by illness that could separate any person from the love of God.
Jesus was a disturber of the status quo. In the cultural context in which Jesus lived women were defined as having less stature in the community than men. Some people were declared as ritualistic impure and not worthy of human contact. Mental illness was viewed as demonic possession. There was a chasm between the Jews and the Samaritans. They would not eat together, worship together, intermarry, or even share the same physical space if it could be avoided. Yet Jesus taught that the Samaritan was worthy.
We are engaged in ecumenical and interfaith work because Jesus modeled it for us. The example of Jesus is never just behind us...always out in front leading us toward a shift of how we are to be with each other.
