National Workshop on Christian Unity to be Held
Diocesan Press Service. October 24, 1973 [73236]
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The 12th annual National Workshop on Christian Unity will be held March 11-13, 1974, at the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston, S.C., it has been announced by the Rev. Dr. Donald B. Strobe, chairperson of the National Advisory Committee on the Workshop and pastor of First United Methodist Church, Ann Arbor.
The National Workshop, which has become what is considered one of the most broadly based forums for ecumenical dialogue, is usually attended by ecumenical officers of denominations and other persons with ecumenical responsibilities and interest. The purpose, said Dr. Strobe, is generally to provide an arena for wide-ranging ecumenical discussion, exploration of issues of Christian unity, exchange of information on ecumenical events and sharing of concerns by persons in the ecumenical movement.
1974 will mark the first time the interchurch Workshop will have been held in the South. The invitation to Charleston came from three dioceses, one Roman Catholic and two Episcopal. South Carolina chairpersons for the Workshop are Msgr. Charles J. Baum (Catholic), Greenville; the Rev. Thomas Hudson (Episcopal), York, and the Rev. Barry Garvin (Episcopal), Charleston Heights. 1974 will mark the first year the invitation and hosting of the National Workshop will be joint; in previous years, the invitation has come from a Catholic diocese.
The Workshop was begun under Catholic auspices 11 years ago; there has been Protestant participation for the last eight years. In recent years, it has been the custom for some churches to hold one-day denominational seminars on ecumenism in connection with the Workshop, and several are expected to do so in 1974, Dr. Strobe said.
He noted that though participation has been growing, the hope for next year is to involve persons from a larger number of communions than ever before. "Though the Workshop already offers one of the broadest based opportunities for ecumenical dialogue, we would like to have persons from even more churches, including friends and colleagues in black and evangelical denominations and agencies," he added.
Information about the 1974 National Workshop on Christian Unity is available from: the Rev. Barry Garvin, registrar, P.O. Box 4474, Charleston Heights, S.C. 29405.