Local activity focus of Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

 — Jan. 3, 19873 janv. 1987

by Doug Yonson, Ottawa Citizen

Ottawa-area churches will be emphasizing local activities to mark the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Jan. 18-25.

In other years, at least one region-wide activity has been held during the ecumenical week. But Peter Schonenbach, president of the Christian Council of the Capital Area, said that this year each local ministerial association is making its own plans to mark the week among the neighborhood congregations.

“We felt this year it would be better to give priority to local events because that is where people get involved.”

There are perhaps a dozen ministerial associations organized around geographic zones in Ottawa, Nepean and Gloucester alone.

In Schonenbach’s home area of Kanata, for example, the 14 faiths in the Kanata Ministerial Association are organizing a service and pot-luck supper Jan. 18 at the newly-opened Glencairn United Church. Intended to be attractive to the many young families in Kanata, the service will be incorporated into the meal, he said.

The ecumenical week is celebrated around the world.

In Canada, eight Christian denominations participated in the planning: Anglican, Baptist, Christian Church (Disciples), Lutheran, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Salvation Army and United Church.

The Canadian theme this year is “Christ, our Reconciliation.”

Background material explains that just as a child gradually transforms the ragged, disjointed fragments of a jigsaw puzzle into a complete picture, so Christ can transform broken, hurting individuals into healthy human beings.

In the same way, the Christian church, although diverse and at times broken into sects, still finds in Christ the essential picture of its mission and the source of the faith that binds Christians together.

Schonenbach said Christian unity week has been been effective in the last 15 years in particular in making area Christians more mindful of ecumenism. But he said there is a risk that inter-church co-operation will be taken for granted.

The challenge for the faiths is to ensure that the enthusiasm for ecumenism is translated into practical deeds, he said.

Posted: Jan. 3, 1987 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=6381
Categories: News • In this article: WPCU Transmis : 3 janv. 1987 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=6381
Catégorie : News • Dans cet article : WPCU