Explore the work of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) in our Autumn 2024 magazine.
You can read the magazine online or download as a PDF.
Welcome.
Significant anniversaries in the church calendar can provoke mixed reactions. Sometimes they are regarded as a welcome stimulus and opportunity for reflection. Sometimes they are considered to add unhelpful pressure to create additional events or resources on top of the already demanding routine workload. In the case of the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which we will mark next year, the response amongst our members in Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) has been overwhelmingly the former. Perhaps because of the times we are living in, marked by deep divisions and violent conflict around the world on a scale unprecedented in recent times, this anniversary is being embraced as an opportunity for critical self-examination of our progress in the work of Christian unity and the contribution of that work to a wounded world.
The anniversary establishes a hopeful foundation for these reflections: the first Ecumenical Council is a moment of shared history for all Christians, despite the many ways in which the paths of different traditions may have diverged since then, and it is a reminder of the endurance of our faith in spite of persecution and challenge over the centuries.
At the heart of the first Ecumenical Council, and our contemporary examination of its significance, is our shared faith in Christ. The question that forms the central theme of the 2025 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity – ‘Do you believe this?’ – is an invitation to dialogue about what it means to be disciples of Christ in our contemporary world. This is underpinned for many Christians by the confirmation of that unity in belonging through baptism. In this edition of the magazine, we explore what that means in practice through the example of an ecumenical synodal dialogue in Ireland. A theme that resonates strongly from this work is that the work of ecumenism cannot remain separate from the work of social justice and societal healing. They are deeply interconnected. The credibility of the Church in engaging with issues of social justice is undermined by divisions between Christians, and the work of overcoming those divisions inevitably calls us to engage with the many other barriers to relationships we encounter in our society and in the wider world.
Once again in the pages of this magazine you are invited to explore how CTBI, working in partnership with the National Ecumenical Instruments, our member churches, bodies in association and other partner organisations, is working to promote a vision of unity that reflects those values and builds on that experience.
Looking ahead to the Season of Creation we are reflecting strategically on how best to deepen ecumenical cooperation in the work of climate justice and care of creation. We are learning once again from the experience of one of our member churches on these islands in their ecumenical journey, with sincere thanks to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain for sharing this reflection. We remain focused on the work of racial justice as a key priority in the work of unity, both in terms of what is needed for communities to feel safe, supported and respected on these islands, and globally in taking forward the work of reparations for slavery to help address the damaging legacy of past injustice and violence. The work of inter faith relations continues to come under pressure, and we take support from the particular encouragement from our member churches for CTBI’s engagement in this area.
In difficult times for our work on issues of justice and peace, we draw strength from our fellowship, and experience the benefits of the investment in relationships over many decades that allow us to face the complex and painful challenges together, not retreating from the hard questions, and yet still keeping a hopeful vision of unity at the heart of all that we do.
Dr Nicola Brady, General Secretary Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.
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CTBI Magazine – Edition 10 (PDF, 6.3MB)
