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Big change comes on Mass. Council’s 100th birthday:
Greek Orthodox Diocese welcomed into membershipMarch, 2002
The Massachusetts Council of Churches kicked off its 100th year doing what it does best: bringing divergent Christian traditions together.
Massachusetts Conference Minister and President Nancy S. Taylor (second from left) and Metropolitan Methodios, leader of the Greek Orthodox Diocese of Boston (wearing head covering) take part in a processional at the Massachusetts Council of Churches’ 100th Anniversary Celebration at the Wesley United Methodist Church in Worcester on Jan. 23rd. The Greek Orthodox Diocese was welcomed into membership at the meeting.
© Photo by Christopher FitzgeraldAt its Annual Meeting in Worcester on Jan. 23rd, the Council welcomed into membership the Greek Orthodox Diocese of Boston, extending it’s membership beyond Protestant denominations for the first time.
The Diocese was accepted into membership by a unanimous vote, at which point the nearly 200 people in attendance broke into a spontaneous singing of “A-men.”
“What we do today, on the historical occasion of the Council’s 100th anniversary, is a natural outcome of the bonds of unity we share through Christ,” said Council Executive Director Diane Kessler.
“On this day ... the churches in the Massachusetts Council of Churches have made visible in new ways what we have experienced for so long – the real though incomplete unity that is at the heart of Christ’s mission and at the depth of Christ’s love,” she said.
Metropolitan Methodios, leader of the Orthodox Diocese, thanked Kessler for encouraging Greek Orthodox participation within the Council for many years.
“We believe we have been enriched by our participation in the ecumenical movement, internationally, nationally and on the local level, both in the field of ecclesiastical and theological experiences, and in the arena of Christian love and solidarity,” he said.
The Massachusetts Council of Churches now has 16 members, including the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ.
The Council is dedicated to healing the division of the Church of Jesus Christ, and is an avenue for churches in the state to express their unity in Christ through mutual counsel and common programming.
