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NCC to Celebrate 55th Year with General Assembly

Some 300 representatives from three dozen denominations will celebrate their unity and discuss key social and ethical issues during the joint Church World Service/National Council of Churches’ 2005 general assembly today.

WASHINGTON -- Some 300 representatives from three dozen denominations will celebrate their unity and discuss key social and ethical issues during the joint Church World Service/National Council of Churches’ 2005 general assembly today.

This year’s assembly, which runs from Nov. 8-10 in Hunt Valley, Maryland, will also feature the installation of a new president for the NCC, the Rev. Michael E. Livingston.

According to the NCC, the General Assembly provides an “excellent orientation to the life of the National Council of Churches of Christ and Church World Service.”

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“It’s both business and fellowship,” explained Leslie Tune, communications director for the NCC.

Founded in 1950, the NCC represents a wide spectrum of Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, historic African America and Living Peace churches that include 45 million persons in more than 100,000 local congregations in communities across the nation.

While the Council is not completely free from criticism and controversy – evangelicals reject the Council as too liberal, and an orthodox church recently left citing similar reasons – it has maintained a stable supporter base, largely through the leadership of its General Secretary, the Rev. Bob Edgar.

Prior to Edgar’s election in 2000, the NCC faced a serious financial crisis that initiated talks to begin an alternative ecumenical organization called "Christian Churches Together in the U.S.A." By 2004 the NCC bounced back through streamlining operations and cutting costs, but the CCT was already at its formative stage.

One central difference between the NCC and the new organization, which is officially due in 2006, is that the former is heavily engaged in political monitoring and lobbying, while the latter strives to steer clear from such matters.

It is unknown whether the CCT will be a topic of discussion at the NCC meeting today, but politics and social ethics will likely be on the plate.

According to Tune, delegates may bring up issues such as the voting rights acts, bioethics and "justly" rebuilding the gulf coast. “There is still a lot of concern about the Iraq War as well,” she said.

During the sessions, delegates are allowed to bring up motions to adopt resolutions on such issues. If the motions get enough votes, they become official statements of the NCC for that year.

“I think generally the hardest part in terms of being a part of the process of the ecumenical movement is trying to find common ground,” said Tune. “It’s about working through denominational perspectives to find ways to speak in one voice.”

Special features of the meeting include: daily worship and Bible study; orientation luncheon for first-time participants; communion dinners; women’s caucus meetings; awards dinners; informative rotation forums; bookstores and exhibits; and young adults forums.

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