CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Darlis J. Swan, associate director of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Department for Ecumenical Affairs, will be president of the North American Academy of Ecumenists (NAAE) in 1999 and 2000. The organization held its 1998 conference Sept. 25-27 in Covington, Ky.
"I hope that we can continue to provide a forum where those committed to Christian unity can think creatively and provocatively about fostering the reception of dialogue results already achieved," Swan said after the conference, when asked about her goals for her term as NAAE president.
The NAAE was founded in 1957 "to inform, relate and encourage men and women whose profession or ministry in the church involves them in ecumenical activities and studies." Its annual conferences are scholarly in content and informal in structure to explore "issues too important to be left exclusively to official ecumenical agencies and projects."
"As we approach the millennium, I see this society attempting to renew the ecumenical vision in such a way that more church leaders and others will see it as crucial to the life and mission of the church," said Swan.
"I hope that, in the year 2000, the NAAE will include more members from Christian churches that have not been part of the Academy and that more seminarians will play an active role in the annual conference," she said.
"I look forward to more scholarly research and honest dialogue about what separates the churches and how we can overcome those differences to provide a more powerful witness to the world," Swan added.
Swan was elected at the NAAE's 1997 conference in Toronto and serves as the organization's vice president and president-elect.
The Covington conference, under the theme, "Ecumenism: Renewing the Vision, Revitalizing the Challenge," focused on the "oneness" of the ecumenical movement and the various visions of unity that Christians have. Swan preached during the conference's Sunday morning worship service at Ludlow Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Ludlow, Ky.
For information contact:
Frank Imhoff, Assoc. Director (773) 380-2955 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
