A consensus on the importance of evangelism and the need to eliminate domestic poverty marked the official formation of Christian Churches Together (CCT).
The CCT is composed of 36 churches and national organizations from virtually all U.S. Christian groups who have been seeking to come together for fellowship, worship and opportunities to share in important ministries, according to a news release issued after a February 6-9 meeting in Pasadena, California.
"Remember that you belong to God and God does not belong to you," said the Rev. Dr. Larry Pickens, quoting his mother's early admonition. That, said Pickens, is the wisdom that will hold CCT groups together.
"CCT is good news for American Christians," said the Very Rev. Leonid Kishkovsky of the Orthodox Church in America. "Our gathering of the wider spectrum of U.S. Christian churches is succeeding in building mutual trust and overcoming stereotypes. Our common hope and expectation is that CCT will enable our churches to offer a strong and united Christian moral voice and vision in the public square."
Christian Churches Together (CCT) began in 2001 out of a deeply felt need to broaden and expand fellowship, unity, and witness among the diverse expressions of Christian faith today. Over the past five years, with a focus on praying together and building relationships, CCT has formally organized and become the "broadest most inclusive fellowship of Christian churches and traditions in the USA," including Evangelical/Pentecostal, Orthodox, Catholic, historic Protestant and Racial/Ethnic churches among its participants, according to its news release.
A celebration and commitment service February 7 highlighted the gathering that included over 150 participants and observers and a group of seminary students and young leaders.
The 36 founding members include the most recent groups to become official participants in CCT: the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.
Other groups are currently investigating membership, said the Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson of the Reformed Church in America, chair of the CCT steering committee.
"Seeing the leaders of all the participating churches and organizations standing and praying together in their commitment to this vision was a powerful, visible sign of hope," Granberg-Michaelson said. "We have said from the beginning that our purpose is to grow closer together in Christ in order to strengthen our Christian witness in the world. In Pasadena we all experienced how this is truly happening and this fills us with joy for the future."
Evangelism and the need to eliminate poverty in the U.S. were major topics at the meeting.
Dr. William Shaw of the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc., declared poverty in the United States to be a "scandal."
Poverty "will not be redressed without intentional and painful effort by the total U.S. community," Shaw said. "CCT calls the country's conscience to that effort and commits itself to being a part of that redressing."
CCT participants continued discussions from the 2006 annual gathering in Atlanta on the topic of domestic poverty. A committee was appointed in Atlanta to find common ground and propose ways for CCT to challenge U.S. Christians and the whole country to address poverty. CCT considered the committee's proposals and approved a statement on poverty while agreeing to continue addressing domestic poverty in the future, including a strong focus at the 2008 annual gathering in Washington, D.C.
The text of the statement on poverty is available here.
The discussion on evangelism February 7 was open to a group of seminary students and young leaders "so that they might learn about the exciting movement for unity in the CCT as well as adding their challenges and perspectives," Granberg-Michaelson said.
Worship services included liturgies from all of the five faith families and musical contributions from a Korean choir of pastor's wives. At the invitation of His Eminence, Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, CCT participated in Evening Prayer and dinner at the Armenian Orthodox Center of Los Angeles on February 8. Prayer and meal fellowship adds to the formal discussions in creating the CCT movement and building relationships.
