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TechnoratiIn a separate address, Johns spoke of the need for Christians in the North and South, and East and West to overcome their prejudices and stereotypes.
“The churches of the South must appreciate the costly legacy of human rights and democracy that is found in the North and West,” she said. “I would ask that the Southern churches and their leaders avoid the temptation of judgment and instead offer the gift of tears for the tarnished beauty they see in the North.”
The presence of Evangelicals and Pentecostals was also welcomed as “unprecedented” by the Bishop of Barking, the Rt. Rev. David Hawkins, who was representing the head of the Anglican Communion at the forum.
“I think the very fact that there has been such a degree of trust – that they would have been given such a fair hearing, such a sympathetic hearing, and that indeed both the keynote speakers on the stage were coming from the Pentecostal tradition – would have restored a lot of mistrust that Pentecostal and Evangelical traditions have had in the past,” he said.
Hawkins added that the week had been “inspiring” because delegates had been able to “experience a different quality of working ecumenically.”
“The quality has come from deliberately starting the conference by sharing our testimony, our faith story, with one another as human beings, as people who have discovered Jesus, and who are traveling with Jesus in ministry and leadership. That’s where we started. Every conversation thereafter was in reference to that personal relationship,” he said.
“I think that’s the reason why a new trust and a new relationship have begun to be developed on common ground – because we all understand that God has entered our lives through Jesus and we have been called to serve God and lead the church.”
The joint message committed delegates to continue with the process within the Global Christian Forum, stating, “We will pray and work for local and regional events, as well as other possible global encounters, to deepen this journey.”
The Rev. Sarah Rowland Jones, an Anglican priest and researcher and member of the GCF continuation committee, revealed that there would be a process of dialogue and consultation to reflect more deeply on the outcome of the GCF.
