The Conference Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns (CCUIC) has met regularly throughout the year, and continues to try to live out our constitutional definition as an ecumenical church, a church actively engaged in the quest for visible Christian unity. Our connectional United Methodist system provides the natural support for ecumenical and interfaith connection with all our neighbors.

We therefore as your team, recognize our responsibility for participation in learning encounters followed by sharing knowledge and resources within our conference agencies and churches. We sent a delegation to the National Workshop on Christian Unity in New Orleans, Louisiana in May of 2005 and plan to attend the workshop in San Jose, California this May. Through various ecumenical and interreligious experiences, we hope to assist UM agencies in their understanding and experience of God’s gift of diversity.

With our program council at Annual Conference, we initiated the Northern Illinois Conference "conferencing" about dialogue at Pheasant Run, and a dialogue with speakers. The General Secretary of the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, Larry Pickens, shared information from the General Commission about divestment and other Mid East issues and Bishop Sharon Raider shared a document "In Search of Security" initiated by the Bishops. Our NIC Commission also provided an information table at Annual Conference.

In October, members of CCUIC shared through a presentation, the work of Northern Illinois Conference CCUIC for the United Methodist orientation and gathering of Delegates and friends to the Annual Meeting and Pre-Assembly Event for the US Conference of the World Council of Churches.

We continue our active participation in The Illinois Conference of Churches as a judicatory member and as a member of the executive board. Through our participation on the Ecumenical Millennium Committee, we participated and encouraged full conference participation in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. As a member of the Ecumenical Millennium Committee we will help host the National Workshop on Christian Unity in Chicago in 2008.

We continue our Muslim Dialogue with the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC). Throughout the summer, we worked on a document of relationship about "issues of social justice". Another Islamic community we are engaged with is the Turkish Muslim Community through the Niagara Foundation. Through both, CIOGC and Niagara Foundation, we have been engaged in interfaith dialogue, dinners and educational interfaith events. We have also been engaged in Jewish/United Methodists dialogues.

CCUIC is intentional in covering and reporting on Chicago area ecumenical and interfaith events and continues to assess current UM Church ecumenical and/or interfaith community involvement so as to share methods and documentations as possible models for engagement. We are committed to learn and to share in our connectional communities tools which may promote understanding, harmony and peace.

Catiana McKay, Chair

Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns

Northern Illinois Conference

OUR ACTIVITY IS INITIATED BY:
Local church - distribute ideas page
CCUIC   - distribute web page and minutes
NIC - United power, DuPage Alphabet soup EMC, ICC, AJC, CIOGC, WPCU, NWCU CRLN NCCJ, CPWR,  UF Peace immigration
GCCUIC  - Tonight, Jurisdictional, Holy Mystery, DVD ecumenical/interfaith resource.


Symbolic ties - The "show up factor, like shew bread on the table - the table has different people, like CUIC idea to send rep to baptism in other churches  - We show up for Armenian church 1700th anniversary  visits of patriarchs, AJC
Bringing more people from commission to attend things.  We do have several people doing this: Catiana, Ed, Charles ICC, Chris staff, Linda cooperative, Media center with whom we screen materials. Our recent bishops have been supportive, bishop's awards, have had CUIC or Pan- Methodist  participation in ordination  Bishop Jung, has academic and GCCUIC background.