Leaders from across the Christian landscape, including the United Church of Christ, met Jan. 10-11 in Baltimore to discuss the future of the Christian unity movement in the United States.

Convened by Cardinal William Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore, the "Christian Unity Summit" included leaders from African-American, Catholic, Evangelical, Historic Protestant, Orthodox and Pentecostal perspectives who participate in four unity organizations: Christian Churches Together in the USA (CCT), Churches Uniting in Christ (CUiC), the National Council of Churches (NCC), and the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE).

The summit "was a gathering of folks from across the ecumenical spectrum, and it was important for the UCC to be there, to lend our presence among our religious partners," said the Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson, the UCC's minister for ecumenical and interfaith relations. There are so many different expressions of faith across the religious spectrum. Being present with Roman Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Evangelicals, Pentacostals and others made for a rich dialogue."

The gathering concentrated on ways the four unity groups could be more effective amid the changing social fabric. Attendees identified common challenges that affect the changing Christian unity movement and point to the need for ongoing dialogue across traditions and organizations:

- reduced financial resources in many communions and organizations
- the post-Christendom environment
- intensified interfaith engagements, and
- continuing and new challenges regarding poverty, racism, the environment, and religious freedom.

Summit participants echoed the UCC motto in asking, "How can the churches be faithful to Jesus' prayer, 'That they may all be one,' and how can the Christian unity organizations work in a less competitive and more collaborative way in this context?"

The meeting included a special focus on how the CCT and the NCC can work in more complementary ways. The UCC is a part of the NCC and CCT (which includes Roman Catholic, Penteacostal and Evangelical bodies, none of whom are part of the NCC).

"What we saw was the need to be engaged in open dialogue and engaged with each other, as opposed to going to meetings together, conducting business and missing opportunities to learn more about the communions represented," said Thompson. "We sit at tables [to work on various issues] but have a lot more to learn and understand about each other's traditions."

At the close of the summit, the group released a report it hopes will motivate deeper change and help bridge longstanding antipathies and misunderstandings. The group will meet again in January 2013 to gauge progress.

Said Thompson, "The UCC continues to be committed to Christian unity and to ecumenism, to having a role in shaping the ecumenical discourse, and perhaps even in defining the religious landscape for the future."