UCC GMP visits Puerto Rico to celebrate the retirement of one leader and meet the new head of communion for the IEUPR

Puerto Rico was the setting for a celebration of the retirement of the Rev. Edward Rivera Santiago and the welcoming of the new head of communion for Inglesia Evangelica Unida Puerto Rico (IEUPR), Pastor General Rev. Rafael Garcia Toro. United Church of Christ General Minister/CEO Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson participated in the event in late February, and shared in the solidification of the relationship between the IEUPR and the UCC.

Last year in Kansas City, at the 35^th General Synod of the UCC, it was declared the church to be in ‘full communion’ with its longtime Caribbean partner, the Iglesia Evangélica Unida de Puerto Rico. This came after the U.S. and Puerto Rican church partners parted ways nearly 20 years ago, following a relationship that dated back to the 1950s. Synod delegates passed the resolution by a vote of 606 yes, 52 no and 22 abstaining.

Thompson said the relationship is continuing to build under new terms, and she was pleased to be there for Santiago’s retirement farewell. “Edward’s commitment to ecumenism, to a relationship with the United Church of Christ and to the IEUPR have been evident over the years with his leadership. The UCC has funded the Church’s relief efforts over the years–after the earthquake, after the hurricane–and I think that those continue to speak to our common commitment to mission and ministry together. We certainly will wish Edward the all the best.”

Looking ahead, Thompson continued, “In his next endeavors, as he moves out of this role in in the life of the Church, we look forward to the ways that Edward will continue to serve. We also look forward to opportunities for us in the United Church of Christ to continue to learn and grow in partnership with IEUPR.”

Thompson said the event was a good time to meet Rev. Rafael Garcia Toro. “We look forward to further the agreement in our relationship under his leadership in the weeks and months to come,” she shared. “We have hopes we can visit together again early in his tenure as we create a plan for our two churches beyond General Synod and IEUPR decisions.”

Historically, in spite of the 2007 break, the two partners never lost contact. The joint Global Ministries of the UCC and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) provided a built-in tie with Puerto Rico. Years of focused, bilateral talks between the UCC and Iglesia Unida then followed. The two discussed their ties and how a new relationship might look. Full communion is not a merger or union. Rather, the World Council of Churches has laid out a vision for this kind of relationship between churches.

It involves:

• common confession of Christ

• mutual recognition of members

• common celebration of the Holy Communion

• mutual recognition and reconciliation of ordained ministries, and

• common commitment to mission.

More on full-communion relationships, including those that the UCC shares with other denominations, can be found here.

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