Petition Text: 22023-IC-NonDis-O

Understanding Petition Numbers

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Whereas, the Scriptures call us to one hope; "one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all" (Ephesians 4:4-6); and

Whereas, Jesus prayed for the church "that they may all be one" (John 17:21); and

Whereas, despite the brokenness of the church, the Holy Spirit works among us to break down the dividing walls between Christians; and

Whereas, the diversity of gifts among Christians is for the building up and strengthening the Body of Christ; and

Whereas, The United Methodist Church has pursued and supported the unity of the church through prayer, study, and leadership in the ecumenical movement; and

Whereas, The United Methodist Church has been a member of the Consultation on Church Union (COCU) from its beginnings, giving leadership to the work of the nine denominations in the United States as they have sought to make visible the unity of the Body of Christ; and

Whereas, The COCU Consensus: In Quest of a Church of Christ Uniting was given overwhelming support by the 1988 General Conference as an expression of the Apostolic Faith and "a sufficient theological basis for the covenanting acts to be proposed by the Consultation..." (1992 Book of Resolutions, page 206); and

Whereas, the COCU covenanting proposal, Churches in Covenant Communion: The Church of Christ Uniting, has been developed by the representatives of the nine member denominations of the Consultation and studied by The United Methodist Church over the past eight years; and

Whereas, the United Methodist Council of Bishops stated in May 1992, "We celebrate God's call to the concept of covenant relationships expressed in Churches in Covenant Communion...[and] long for the day when the covenant may be realized among us, and acknowledge with joy our eagerness to enter into covenant" (1992 Book of Resolutions, page 217);

Therefore, be it resolved, that the 1996 General Conference of The United Methodist Church adopt the covenanting proposal of the Consultation on Church Union, Churches in Covenant Communion: The Church of Christ Uniting; and

Be it further resolved, that the 1996 General Conference of The United Methodist Church send greetings of grace and peace in Christ to the other member churches of the Consultation, offering prayers that we may all be one so that the world might believe.

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Petition Text: 22023-IC-NonDis-O
1996 United Methodist General Conference