The Council is a collaboration among church bodies with two major emphases:

First, Christians desire to be faithful:

• John 17:20-23 (NIV): “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
• 1 Corinthians 1:10 (NIV): “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.”
• Psalm 133 (NIV): “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.”

Church leaders are committed to knowing and learning from one another and the gifts within each tradition.  They move beyond suspicion and competition to mutual respect and offer a united voice for God’s shalom in society.  A few may seek theological and/or structural unity, but most value the diverse understandings and practices in the varied denominations.  Central to all is firm commitment to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Some wish to expand this ecumenism to include inter-faith dialog.  The belief in one God is also found in Judaism and Islam.  It seems important to join hands and hearts in overcoming suspicion and to work for the common good in society.

Second, church leaders recognize that the task of strengthening witness and embodying Christ in faithful service requires cooperation.  Challenges are great and resources are small.  Stewardship invites – and requires – collaboration.  Indeed, in many places where witness and service invite us, we cannot go alone or can be more effective together. Among many examples:

• clergy training – the Council has offered highly-regarded Pastors Conferences (one with attendance over 500), an annual prayer seminar and other seminars, sometimes with Roman Catholics
• chaplaincy services in public places – the Council has provided trained clergy for ministry among migrant farm workers, truckers, travelers and staff at major truck stops, at state institutions, in state park campgrounds and elsewhere – often at the invitation of the managers
• cooperation with the Pennsylvania Bible Society (e.g. distributing many thousands of Bibles and portions in the chaplaincy ministries)
• cooperation with Church World Service in which the Council managed settlement and outreach programs for Vietnam and other refugees in west Philadelphia, which became the largest service agency in that difficult section of the city
• lobbying state government regarding moral issues and institutional concerns
• enabling citizen political effectiveness
• training in racial/ethnic cooperation
• collegial support of local and regional ecumenical groups (e.g. participation in the Commission on Religion in Appalachia [CORA] – 2/3 of Pennsylvania is in Appalachia)
• disaster response coordination
• networking staff with and among local and county councils of churches
• publishing for Pennsylvania’s bicentennial a history of Christian denominations in the state, each chapter written by a denomination’s own representative
• operating the United Church Center, providing offices and support services for denominational and related bodies
• participating in the Pennsylvania Conference on Interchurch Cooperation with the Roman Catholic dioceses to enhance positive relationships and witness
• providing start-up staff and assistance in founding a public TV station (WITF).

The Council is an important facilitator. It relies on God’s Spirit, the wise leadership of church leaders and the generosity and prayers of God’s people across Pennsylvania and beyond.  May this faithful collaboration strengthen and expand.

– The Rev. Dr. Albert E. Myers, Council Executive Director, 1974-1997