Assistant Bishop Robert Paterson has been working with Churches Togeterh in Evesham and District to develop the group. They have recently published a new resource with the title ‘Stronger Together – Studies in a Covenant for Mission’. This resource and the background to its development offers insights and ideas that may be useful to other local ecumenical groups.
Bishop Robert writes:
In 2020, the Chair of Churches Together in Evesham & District (CTED), the Revd Dr Israel Selvanayagam, and I met to discuss the future of Churches Together and came to the conclusion that a re-evaluation of our role was needed. We wrote to the churches inviting them to take “A fresh look at our primary purpose, summarised in the words of our Lord Jesus: ‘May they all be one; as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, so also may they be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me’ (John 17. 21) and in the Statement of Belief of Churches Together in England.”
Several planned meetings had to be postponed owing to Covid-19 but, eventually, on 20 May 2021, the first Church leaders’ meeting took place. In the context of worship and prayer, and with the CTE Statement of Belief and a selection of Scriptures in front of us, we divided the day into two halves: ‘Why? to How?’ and ‘How? to What?’
In the first session, we looked at why being united is important; what particular gifts each Christian community brings to the table; in what ways we are able to express our unity (principles, not activities), and we noted examples of a local covenant.
After lunch we discussed “the practical ways in which we should express our unity in Christ, particularly those events that help to build up our churches in unity and/or witness to the faith of Christ in our community.” And we asked “What are the activities and events for which CTED is directly and fully responsible? …What are the other activities in which CTED takes an interest? … What are the basic lines of accountability?” Finally, we looked at our annual cycle of meetings and asked who should be there and to whom Churches Together is accountable.
In the second meeting, we looked in detail at a draft constitution, decided to proceed with a Covenant for Mission and agreed its basic structure. When we met again, we further refined the draft Constitution and draft Covenant in order to be able to send them to the churches for comments and amendments. A strap-line for CTED was considered and ‘Stronger Together’ seemed to be the obvious choice. Sadly, by this time Israel had moved to pastures new.
At a celebration on Advent Sunday 2021, the Covenant was signed by church leaders. Framed copies of the Covenant were supplied to all 24 churches of CTED.
Late in 2021 nine volunteers got together to plan a study-guide for the Covenant. Several meetings followed and eventually came together as ‘Stronger Together – Studies in a Covenant for Mission’. We will be using the book in seven ecumenical studies during Lent and Easter 2023 but the book was written in such a way that other Churches Together could use it and find it helpful. ISBN 978-1-387-88892-4 Available from www.lulu.com/shop or other booksellers.
