National Council of Churches celebrates 100 years of ecumenical cooperation
Episcopal News Service. April 15, 2008 [041508-01]
National Council of Churches General Secretary Michael Kinnamon is calling on member communions to celebrate the organization's centennial anniversary in 2008 by commemorating ecumenical milestones of the last 100 years and key events in its collective history.
In an April 14 letter to NCC colleagues, Kinnamon says that a century after the Federal Council of Churches was formed in December 1908 "the event is worth celebrating" because of the ecumenical accomplishments of the past 100 years.
Kinnamon acknowledges that the majority of NCC delegates historically have "favored immigration reform, labor reform, the abolition of child labor, improved conditions for the poor, and temperance. As a result, they were regularly accused of being socialists – a worn-out canard that critics have not improved on in 100 years."
He commended Methodist Frank Mason North's report on 'The Church and Modern Industry' as "perhaps the most important accomplishment to come out of the founding convention."
That report included recommendations for reform that were subsequently adopted by individual denominations as "The Social Creed of the Churches.'" The NCC recently updated that declaration as "A Social Creed for the 21st Century."
"All of this, and the activities of the churches in the past 100 years, make the 100th anniversary of the Federal Council/National Council of Churches worth celebrating," said Kinnamon, a Disciples of Christ minister who became NCC's ninth general secretary on January 1, 2008. "Ours is a history shared by every communion in the National Council of Churches, and we believe deeply that this history will illuminate our future paths."
Bishop Christopher Epting, the Episcopal Church's ecumenical and interfaith officer, said: "I hope Episcopalians will take a look at the 'Social Creed for the 21st Century' to which Dr. Kinnamon refers in his letter. These positions are compatible with Anglican social teaching and it is important to know that we share these concerns and perspectives with Orthodox and Protestant Christians in this country as well."
The NCC is the ecumenical voice of America's Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican, historic African American and traditional peace churches. These 35 communions have 45 million faithful members in 100,000 congregations in all 50 states.
The full text of Kinnamon's letter follows.
April 14, 2008
Dear Colleagues,
In early December 1908, delegates from 32 communions came together in Philadelphia's majestic Academy of Music to form the Federal Council of Churches. A century later, that event is worth celebrating.
In many respects the delegates to that meeting reflected the limitations of their times. They were male, English-speaking and predominantly middle-aged. Delegates from three historic African American denominations attended the meeting, but they are difficult to find in the minutes and photographic record. And reports offer little evidence that the delegates took note of Jim Crow or the Suffrage movement.
Despite this apparent myopia, it is also clear that their zeal for social reform put these ecumenists severely out of step with most Americans during the period between the Spanish American War and World War I. The majority of the delegates favored immigration reform, labor reform, the abolition of child labor, improved conditions for the poor, and temperance. As a result, they were regularly accused of being socialists – a worn-out canard that critics have not improved on in 100 years.
Perhaps the most important accomplishment to come out of the founding convention was Methodist Frank Mason North's report on "The Church and Modern Industry" that included recommendations for reform that were subsequently adopted by individual denominations as "The Social Creed of the Churches." A century later, the member communions of the National Council of Churches USA have updated the declaration as "A Social Creed for the 21st Century."
All of this, and the activities of the churches in the past 100 years, make the 100th anniversary of the Federal Council/National Council of Churches worth celebrating.
You may have already noticed one facet of our celebration on our Web page: monthly moments in ecumenical history that commemorate key events in our collective history, and celebrate the men and women who brought them to pass.
I invite you to share these ecumenical moments with your colleagues and congregations. We would be pleased if communion and congregation Web pages provided links to these moments. And, though ecumenical history is rich enough to give us an abundance of topics to celebrate over the next year, we also welcome your suggestions for future moments.
Ours is a history shared by every communion in the National Council of Churches, and we believe deeply that this history will illuminate our future paths.
The goal we share was never better expressed than in the words of Frank Mason North himself: "Christ's mission is not merely to reform society but to save it. He is more than the world's Re-adjuster. He is its Redeemer."
Grace and peace,
Michael Kinnamon
General Secretary