On Tuesday last I left the mighty city of on the Mersey and travelled down south to the equally mighty city on the Thames.
No apocalyptic scenes of snowed-in villages and glaciers or avalanches causing or threatening to cause mayhem and destruction. Some white-powdered fields at most, not even a repeat of last week's terrential downpour.

So, smoothly I journeyed to the Nation's Capital and met up with a group of people that have become very dear to me over these last few years. We might not always agree, but it is a type of disagreement one could only find in the closest and warmest of families. A place also where I have been encouraged to rekindle an old love of mine, writing.

Never heard of the Anglican-Lutheran Society? Well, it’s a multilingual and international organisation that aims at promoting and fostering deeper understanding of the Lutheran and Anglican traditions within the Christian Church. The Anglican-Lutheran Society or ALS (the abbreviation has caused initial concern among family and friends when first mentioned) is an international group of enthusiastic ecumenical-minded people who have taught me a lot about grass-roots interdenominational fellowship, but also about more high-level inter-church interactions. The Society has members from all over, on all continents save Antarctica! Our Conferences are always stimulating. They have taken place all over Europe and the World, and have always been well-attended and lively. Every year there is an Annual General Meeting, usually held in London. These are always enjoyable, often challenging, and also centred on specific topics.
We try to stay connected through other media too. There’s our well-received magazine, The Window. This is a great source of news and ‘gossip’, reports and photos of local get-togethers, book reviews, and accounts of relevant developments within and between our two traditions. There’s also the ever expanding social media. We have a website and a Facebook page and National Coordinators manage internet pages in their own localities. We are also experimenting with YouTube and virtual conferencing as possible means of actively engaging members restricted by intercontinental travel and visa issues.
But the really interesting bit is how the ALS came to exist:

Imagine having a friend -as most of us usually do, and usually more than one- and knowing that this friend attended church on Sundays, just like you, but not the same church. And imagine not knowing al that much about your friend's church, why they attend that one and not the same one you attend. Wouldn't you be curious? At least a little?
Now, I fully realise it's not fashionable to be interested in once own religious background, let alone someone else's -though times they are a-changing.
In many instances faith and religion have become such 'taboo subjects' that even close friends, acquaintances of many years if you prefer, don't discuss it (all that much). No finances, politics or religion at the dinner table, thank you very much... sex, drugs and rock'n'roll and the latest boyband or reality stars' escapades, those we can handle, but not God!
Why is that? Because we don't like to come across as pushy or a 'fundie' or -latest term inspired by Muslim terrorists- a 'Christianist'? Fair enough, the days of public testimony and martyrdom have long gone, but between friends??! Surely even faith and/or religion ('cause they're not the same!) are 'acceptable' topics of conversation between mates?! Surely that is the place and time to go beyond the modern 'disease' of 'religious embarrassment'?!

So back to the friends in our story. In 1984, these two friends, one Anglican and one Lutheran, discovered that -even though they were aware of each other's respective affiliation- they weren't all that well-informed. The ALS was born.
Surprising perhaps to some and certainly not that matter-of-fact in the '80s, let alone in our time, these friends decided to investigate and inquire more about each other's respective traditions. And to do so in a systematic and friendly way, they even founded an organisation. They created a neutral, common ground where Anglicans and Lutherans from around the globe could come and worship together, learn from and about each other and explore that shared Christian faith, whichever way or according to whatever 'style'.

What impact or importance can an organisation like the ALS potentially have? I think not even all of our own most loyal of members are fully aware of the reach and potential.
We recently celebrated the Baptism of Christ and we'll be moving into the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity tomorrow; that common heritage of baptism, of belonging, and that common inspiration to contribute to the Kingdom of God... well, it supersedes the 30.000+ groups labelling themselves 'Christian', it supersedes liturgy and church orders and hierarchies.
"What's in a name?" the Bard asked. Well, for us at the ALS it's 'Christ' who's in the name, His Name! Is it bad to specify denominations for practical reasons? Yes, it is if we forget the Name that ultimately matters!!

And that group of people, of friends, of fellow Christians, who I went to meet on Tuesday, they have taught me that even on our -growing!- little scale, there is an impact to be had... if just for one AGM, one conference, one ecumenical prayer service...

I'm really grateful there was no ice or snow that day to hinder me from going to the Nation's Capital.

ps; www.anglican-lutheran-society.org and www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Anglican-Lutheran-Society/373889079369252?fref=ts; Baptism of Christ=first Sunday after Epiphany, this year on 13th January 

17-01-2013, 19:07 geschreven door jojanv