Photo by Maidstone Mulenga
Episcopal-UMC Full Communion
The Episcopal-United Methodist Dialogue Committee met in Washington, D.C. Oct. 2, 2017 with United Methodist Bishop Gregory V. Palmer and Episcopal Bishop C. Franklin Brookhart serving as co-chairs.
Oct. 24, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Episcopal Church-United Methodist Dialogue Committee met in Washington, D.C., recently to continue its work on establishing a full communion relationship between the two denominations.
The committee has adopted a draft proposal for full communion entitled A Gift to the World: Co-Laborers for the Healing of Brokenness (The Episcopal Church and The United Methodist Church, A Proposal for Full Communion) and is seeking feedback from laity, clergy and bishops in both denominations before an official resolution could be presented to respective legislative bodies.
During the meeting at the UMC Building Oct. 2-4, the committee began to plan for the future consideration of the draft proposal by the each church’s law-making bodies. The committee is also working on designing a series of regional conversations between United Methodists and Episcopalians related to the proposal.
Members further agreed to share communication celebrating the close relationship between the two denominations, especially highlighting the practical and missional opportunities that a full communion agreement would provide.
The Committee also called for continued prayers for the United Methodist Church’s Commission on a Way Forward, which is working on proposing a way forward for the denomination in regard to human sexuality.
The meeting concluded with a joint Eucharist with Ohio West Area Resident Bishop Gregory V. Palmer, who is The United Methodist Church co-chair, presiding at the table while his Episcopalian counterpart, Bishop C. Franklin Brookhart, who leads the Diocese of Montana in The Episcopal Church, was the homilist during the service.
A full communique was issued by the Committee after the meeting.
The Dialogue Committee will meet next on April 23-25, 2018 in Chicago.
To learn more about the work of the bi-lateral dialogue committee, click on these links:www.episcopalchurch.org/page/united-methodist-episcopal-dialogue and www.ocuir.org/bilateral-dialogues/episcopal-church/.
This press release was distributed by United Methodist News Service.