As usual (this year marks my third such retreat), the event was a wonderful experience. It was an opportunity to catch up with people I don't get to see enough (among both the Roman Catholics and the Disciples), including a few who've experienced health challenges over the past year. It was also an opportunity to enjoy the hospitality and pleasantness of the Bishop Hodges Pastoral Center, outside of Huttonsville. I appreciate any chance I get to drive into the Valley, which is so beautiful. And the Pastoral Center is a relaxing, friendly place with a knack for serving lots of wonderful food.
Dr. Morgan offered three sessions inviting us to remember and then look ahead, first our personal stories, then our shared stories, and then what he termed the "master story" -- the Gospel. At one point he offered the excellent point that "the master story (the Gospel) is always correcting our story," meaning that the truth of the gospel always interprets, and sometimes must amend or correct, our vision of the events and experiences of our lives. This is both a good way to understand the role of faith in our lives generally, and also a glimpse of how honest inter-faith dialogue can occur.
I cannot reconstruct the context for much of what was shared during our discussions, so I will refrain from mentioning specifics, so I do not give the wrong impression. However, I can share that I appreciated the openness of our time together, our prayers together, our meals together, and our discussions together. Those gathered recognize that Jesus called his followers to be one, but that we are not; we also recognize that there are many significant reasons why the church is divided. I was impressed, despite how brief our time together was, with how much we shared, both our hopes and our frustrations with this process. We celebrated our time together and enjoy our growing relationships. At the same time, we realize that we cannot share the Eucharist together, despite the centrality of Holy Communion for both Roman Catholics and Disciples.
Ecumenism, like much important work of living out our faith, is fulfilling but often hard work. Often, it is overlooked work, as Christians focus on other things, many of them (though probably not all of them) valuable. There is always much to do, especially in our own congregations and communities, that pushes our attention and our time commitment away from making the effort to share with other faith communities.
Central Christian is blessed with some long-standing ties to other churches. Through the regional church, we are longtime members of the West Virginia Council of Churches (now in its 130th year); we also enjoy the fruits of longtime ecumenical dialogues with both the Roman Catholic church and the United Methodist Church. Within Fairmont, we are an active member of the Greater Fairmont Council of Churches, whose ministry is shared in surprising ways, from our presence at government meetings, to public access Channel 19, to service projects (ecumenical mission trips, the CROP Walk, last November's "Christmas Toy Drive"), to shared worship and education activities.
I value our contributions to the ecumenical life of the church (I'm not sure I could pastor any congregation which refused to support such things); I hope we all do. I firmly believe that it makes us better disciples, better doers of the God's Word. I also think that it makes us better listeners, more aware of God's continuing involvement in our lives.
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