"That they may be one."

What an incredible experience this morning in worship. Anglicans, Roman Catholics, Methodist, Assemblies of God--all gathered for a covenant-signing service. This covenant, more than a document, but a sign of reconciliation in a small step toward fulfilling Jesus' wish in John 17--that they be one.

I felt quite moved by the service. I had been looking forward to it since I found out about it. When it came to the time for it all to take place, I felt quite humbled. Here I was, I've only been in the country for a month, and only on the job for two weeks, but as minister of two of the participating churches, and still, I signed my name to this incredible document. (I was also the only woman clergy...out of the 5 other clergy and 4 visiting ecumenical dignitaries. The prayer before the service started was when I first noticed. I'm sure it made quite a sight during the service.) The hymns were fantastic, the confession poignant, the readings appropriate, and the sermon challenging. Then, at the signing, lay representatives from each congregation came forward out of the gathered faithful to sign alongside the clergy. Following the affixing of signatures, we all shared the Peace with one another. It was simply amazing. I didn't know half of the people I greeted, and yet we are brothers and sisters in Christ, committed to proclaiming the Gospel to the people in Taverham, Drayton, and Thorpe Marriott.

At school, and as clergy, we often go on and on about how the Church is not what it is supposed to be, but here in this service, at this point in time, the Church took a step in the right direction. Our division into denominations is sinful. How can we present a unified witness as the one body of Christ when we aren't united? This isn't to say that the things we disagree about are not important or simply rectified. However, I don't know that any of us fully realize the importance of our unity or lack thereof. It is important to remember as well, that unity does not equal sameness. A unified Church does not mean a homogenous Church. Instead, it celebrates the diversity of traditions that currently serve as divisve elements instead of a cause for celebration.

Granted, there's still a long way to go. We couldn't celebrate the Eucharist/Holy Communion together and a discussion of Baptism would have been disastrous (not to mention the other 5 sacraments adhered to by the Roman Catholics.) But it's still a step in the right direction. Below you will find the text of the covenant. In the service this morning, the participating clergy read it aloud before we signed it--speaking the covenant outloud for all to hear, before God and all assembled. It is my prayer and hope that this will be something I can bring home...if not the text itself, but the idea that we must all work together in unity to bring about the Reign of God on earth.

“We declare our common belief as Christians in the love of God, the Lordship and saving grace of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. We believe that we are called by God to reach out in mission to the people of Drayton, Taverham and Thorpe Marriott.

To fulfill this calling, and in obedience to God’s will, we commit ourselves
to proclaim the Gospel by common witness and service in our locality,
to seek a deepening of our communion with Christ and with one another in the Church, which is his body
to the glory of the one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We rejoice in the rich variety of our heritage and we shall continue to pray and work for the unity of the whole church and its mission to all people.

We envisage our shared life being expressed in the following ways:
· Working together in mission
· Worshiping together
· Praying together
· Exploring the richness and diversity of our Christian discipleship
· Growing together in faith.

To this end, we commit ourselves and our churches to consult and to collaborate.”