Forum invites churches on a common pilgrimage

By Carlos E. Ham

The Global Christian Forum (FCM) of Latin America was held in Santiago, Chile, from June 26 to 29, in coordination with the Latin American Council of Churches (CLAI), the Latin American Episcopal Conference (CELAM), and the World Council of Churches (WCC).

FCM is a movement which began in 1998 and tries to promote relationships between different Christian organizations which have otherwise not been in contact.  Only a select group of counterparts have communicated with each other or are involved in existing ecumenical relationships.  Therefore their purpose is to create a “space” where the participants can come together on common ground to stimulate mutual respect, to explore, and to deal with common challenges.

This Latin American conference is the last in a series of regional meetings, the first of which was held in Hong Kong, for Asia, in May of 2004.  The second was held in Lusaka, Zambia, in August of 2005, in which leaders from churches from all of Africa participated.  That was followed by a third meeting in Europe in June of 2006 in Warburg, Germany.  The process will end with a global meeting of the Forum which will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, from November 6 to 9, 2007, where the future of the Forum will be discussed.

The Latin American conference, meeting under the title, “Jesus Christ in Latin America – our pilgrimage with him,” had the participation of almost 80 leaders representing diverse churches such as the Roman Catholic Church, evangelical churches, Anglican or Episcopal churches, the Orthodox Church, Pentecostal churches, and Protestant churches, including representatives from the Caribbean Conference of Churches (CCC).

In spite of the growth in the number of uprooted people from their homes, millions of street children, urban violence and violence against women, advancement of HIV-AIDS, and crimes against human dignity in Latin America and the Caribbean, the leaders of these churches of the region emphasized that signs of hope are evident, expressed in various expressions of faith.

The Forum has roused all churches of the region to come together in a common pilgrimage, in which they might recognize each other on a common foundation, in which mutual trust and love can grow and can make themselves capable of proclaiming Jesus with renewed strength, “so that the world would believe in Him and have life.”

The final message decreed, “We see in the Forum the possibility for a broad and renewed space to come together, appreciate our differences, unite our strengths, and commit ourselves in mission.  Arms are open so that together we can build in diversity, we can support each other in hope, and we can be witnesses to Jesus Christ in our walk.  Because of this we desire to extend a broader invitation to our brothers and sisters of all churches so that they can join this pilgrimage of faith, recognizing each other on new common ground, from where mutual trust and love can grow and make us capable of proclaiming Jesus with renewed strength, so that the world will believe and have life in Him, for the glory of the only God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”