The ecumenical movement in the United States notes a milestone:
The Centennial Gathering of the National Council of Churches and Church World Service opens today with a crowded schedule that begins with greetings from Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson and concludes tonight with a sermon by Archbishop Gregory Michael Aymond of New Orleans.The agenda includes greetings from 15 national and international religious bodies and an interfaith luncheon featuring a Jewish and a Muslim religious leader. An afternoon address by the Rev. Dr. John M. Buchanan, editor of the Christian Century, will take a different form than planned because Dr. Buchanan is unable to attend the meeting. But his prepared address will be summarized by the Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins, general minister and president of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and discussed by three of the nation's prominent church leaders. The Hon. Lisa Jackson, a former New Orleans resident who now directs the Environmental Protection Agency, will bring greetings from President Obama, who was unable to attend the gathering because of his travel to Asia. Mr. Obama met with heads of communion in the White House November 1.
