News
New Fire 2009 Gathers with the Aim of Igniting a Worldwide Movement
Minneapolis, November 7, 2009 -- Forty young adults from 17 communions, 15 states, the District of Columbia, the Philippines and Canada, have gathered here this week-end with an ambitious aim: to launch a nation-wide movement of young adults for Christ.
Browse photogallery from New Fire 2009.
"The world desperately needs our example," said the Rev. David V. Fraccaro, Young Adult Ecumenical Formation Coordinator for the National Council of Churches who provided staff support for the New Fire 2009 planning team.
"We are a broken, fragmented world," Fraccaro told the conferees. "We can be a powerful witness for Christ, especially if this movement catches fire."
New Fire 2009 is meeting November 7-9 prior to the annual General Assembly of the National Council of Churches and Church World Service. The General Assembly meets in Minneapolis November 10-12.
The first New Fire gathering was held a year ago prior to the General Assembly in Denver. The event generated much enthusiasm on the part of young adults who discovered they had an important role to play in the ecumenical movement. The movement has a Web page created by the Young Adult Task Force of the U.S. Conference for the World Council of Churches, www.faithconnectsus.org, and considerable energy has gone into the planning of the current meeting.
One of the group's goals, Fraccaro said, is to bring together young adults who are already active in unrelated ecumenical and interfaith groups.
"There are numerous young adult organizations that are meeting all the time, but if you go to their meetings you'll never see a familiar face," Fraccaro said. "A lot of people have never heard of the other organizations."
Another goal of New Fire is to reintroduce ecumenism to young adults who have lost interest. "We want to take ecumenism down from its elite rafters and make that world real for you," Fraccaro said.
The Rev. Reggie Bachus of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., leading the group in opening worship, expressed high hopes for the movement,. "We need to know there is still power in the Holy Spirit, still power in our being together," he said. Citing the popular movie, Field of Dreams, Bachus said, "If you ignite the flame, they will come.
Leaders the young adults describe as "seasoned ecumenists" were present to encourage the group.
The Rev. Peg Chemberlin, executive director of the Minnesota Council of Churches who will be installed next Thursday as President of the National Council of Churches, urged the participants not to wait until they were older to seize the mantle of leadership.
She cited Joshua DuBois, a 26-year-old who now staffs the White House office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. DuBois went to then Senator Barack Obama three times before he was able to convince the senator to add him to his staff.
"Don't wait for the title, don't wait for the authority, take a risk," Chemberlin advised the young adults.
The Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, NCC General Secretary, asserted that "the unity of the church is a gift, not simply an achievement. Unity is not a matter of us coming together in agreement. God has acted in Christ to bring the world together to God's own self. Everyone who has communion with Christ is united with everyone who has communion with Christ."
The message of ecumenism is that all Christians are inexorably united and can no longer look upon other Christians as different, Kinnamon said.
He recalled sitting in a meeting the Chaldean bishop of Baghdad during the 1991 assembly of the World Council of Churches in Canberra, Australia, when the U.S. was bombing Iraq.
"The bombs are falling on you, too," the bishop said, pointing out that if Christian sisters and brothers in Christ were experiencing the bombing in Baghdad, all Christians shared the experience.
Kinnamon urged the young adults to reject modern idolatries of Christianity, including "the idolatry of claiming absolute knowledge of God's will. God is God and we aren't."
The Rev. Ann Tiemeyer, director of the NCC's Women's Ministries, urged participants to be patient. "We need to stand together on the historic (ecumenical) movement that is there and not reject it because the structure cannot move fast enough," she said. "The ecumenical movement is about relationships and listening."
The New Fire participants will worship Sunday in the Church of All Nations, a Presbyterian congregation in Minneapolis. They will be joined Sunday evening by ecumenical officers of NCC member communions and by National Council of Churches and Church World Service staff.
The sessions Monday morning will include a strategy session on how to stay connected.
It is very encouraging to hear about this endeavor in the US. I hope that this fire will also enlighten those who Christian young adults who are living their faith in Lebanon, in the Middle East.
I had also had the privilege to meet with Mr. Kinnamon, from NCC, when he visited Lebanon, and he shared that a new young adult movement was on the way. And here it is, the NEW FIRE!
This year's new fire was an absolutely wonderful experience once again. As a second year participant it's exciting to see the movement growing, taking shape, and moving in a more clearly defined direction. Through facebook I've encouraged all of my frineds to check out the site, donate, and join the movement!
See you next year!
Reggie Bachus
The 2009 New Fire weekend was so empowering for me, and all the other young adults in attendance. With this year being my first time hearing about this movement, I confidently can say that I have much more to learn - which is great! And a healthy challenge!
Throughout my time at New Fire, I was so inspired by the passion and commitment of everyone that participated . I also was reminded of how important it is, for us, as believers, to engage God's second commandment of "love your neighbor as yourself". And if we ever want to make an impact for Christ Jesus - if we ever want to minister to those within our own sphere of influence, we have to stand as a united church. As the Body of Christ, no matter what denomination we are committed to.
We cannot allow our beliefs and systems to keep us from accomplishing our divine mission, God's impossible dream, to draw all His people closer to Him. And not stop until every tribe and nation bows before Him, as a united body.
I strongly believe in this movement. God is surely alive and at work.
I am here at the New Fire conference....and it is great (for the second time)!!!! It has truly been a blessing to meet other young adults who believe in the movement of coming together on one accord and going on in the name of the faith. It has been a humbling experience to also put down any preconceived notions, any stereotypes, etc. I am thankful for the opportunity and will be excited to continue the movement.
It is my challenge to everyone reading and or writing this blog to continue the ecumenical movement; to continue to challenge yourself; to learn about other denominations; to continue to be free of yourself and free to worship.
God bless
I am convinced that in the next 30 years Christianity's face will be on average 30 years younger. Building the New Fire ('09) is witness to the plethora of talented and faithful young adult Christians dedicated to living out the Good News, spreading their fire for the faith, and renewing our communions for the sake of Christ--"so that the world may believe"!
I am privileged to have spent the weekend with such visionaries! These people--my friends old and new--have renewed me and I've re-dedicated myself to this movement. I cannot wait to see where Building the New Fire will take me in this next year and to see the fruits of New Fire grow in our communities. We are focused on the importance of grassroots and local ecumenism because we believe that ecumenism makes a difference in the lives our congregations. We assert that ecumenism is the authentic way of living in Christ--growing in communion with our Christian neighbors across the street and down the road from us, loving those who are difficult to love, and repenting always.
The visions and concrete plans that we've put together are going to go far! Thanks be to God!
In the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as in many other denominations, the percentage of young people active in the church has been declining. It has been extraordinarily refreshing for me to come to New Fire and meet other young adults who are engaged in and care deeply about the church, especially when it sometimes feels like there are so few of us out there. Through dialogue, worship, and fellowship, we have brainstormed ways to re-invigorate the ecumenical movement and hopefully our own denominations as well. I will cherish the relationships made during this weekend and look forward to working with these amazing people through the ecumenical movement in the years to come. God bless!
I have great hopes and prayers for this amazing ecumenical movement. I believe New Fire will help empower young adults to get involved in the ecumenical movement in the US and across the globe.