Bartholomew
The Rev. Susan Henry-Crowe, general secretary, General Board of Church and Society, welcomes His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew during a reception at Simpson Chapel in the United Methodist Building. (Photo by Amber Gaines/GBCS)
The General Board of Church and Society welcomed His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Simpson Chapel and the United Methodist Building Oct. 26.
The occasion was an ecumenical reception held by the National Council of Churches during first leg of the Ecumenical Patriarch’s U.S. trip.
In her message, the Rev. Susan Henry-Crowe, general secretary, noted that the building’s location on Capitol Hill had served as a witness “to the works of love and justice in the name of Jesus Christ” for 98 years and also is “home to myriad faith communities of Christians and people of faith from many parts of the world who desire a world of freedom and joy.”
Dr. Henry-Crowe expressed gratitude for the presence of His All Holiness. “In the midst of a world-wide pandemic, a world suffering from conflict, war and destruction, creation that is abused, peoples migrating from their homes fleeing climate change and violence, you come witnessing to the love of Christ and the healing of the nations,” she said.
“Your very presence embodies the love of Christ and a message of hope for all creation,” Dr. Henry-Crowe said.
Jim Winkler — a United Methodist serving as NCC President who is a former general secretary of Church and Society — also brought greetings to the Ecumenical Patriarch and to the gathering.
Bart signing
His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew signs the guest book at Simpson Chapel in the United Methodist Building in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Amber Gaines/GBCS)
The spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide signed the guest book for the Simpson Chapel and gave a formal address at the reception on “The Future of Ecumenical Dialogue.” The address focused both on the need for placing unity and communion at the center of a commitment to the ecumenical movement and protection of the environment as an ecumenical milestone.
“The determination of the Ecumenical Patriarchate with the ecological crisis is grounded in the principle that we cannot have two ways of looking at the world: one, religious and another one, worldly,” he said.
“We cannot separate our concerns for human dignity, human rights, or social justice from our concerns for ecological preservation and sustainability.”
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew also met with President Biden and leaders of Congress during his Washington visit.
Veteran United Methodist communicator Linda Bloom serves as interim communications director for the General Board of Church and Society.