Ecumenical Relations, a ministry area of the Office of the General Assembly, is seeking PC(USA) leaders to join the Convening Tables of the National Council of Churches of Christ (NCC) from 2022 to 2025.

Interested PC(USA) ministers of word and sacrament, ruling elders, and staff should email Sherri Hunter, Program Assistant for Ecumenical Relations, by August 11. Appointments will be announced later this year.

NCC Convening Tables are composed of ecumenical officers, member communion staff, emerging ecumenical and church leaders, academics, and partners from NCC member and non-member communions representing a broad spectrum of American Christianity, including Catholics, Mennonites, Evangelicals and Pentecostals.

The PC(USA) has been an NCC member, through its predecessor Presbyterian denominations, since the National Council of Churches’ founding in 1950.

According to NCC, each of the four Convening Tables focuses on one core area of work: theological study and dialogue; inter-religious relations and dialogue (with a recent focus on Jewish-Christian dialogue and Muslim-Christian dialogue); joint action and advocacy for justice and peace; and education, formation, and leadership development.

Persons appointed to the Convening Tables will be assigned to one table.

Dianna Wright, Director of Ecumenical Relations, sees the Convening Tables as an important way for Presbyterians to collaborate across denominational boundaries on issues concerning Christians and non-Christians in the United States and around the world.

“As I think about our current health, economic, and racial crises, I am reminded of how important it is for the children of God to work together, to be united in love as we work to fulfill God’s call for justice and peace. NCC serves as that body that brings us together for work and fellowship.”

During the 2022-2025 cycle, Convening Table members will attend at least two meetings a year. Throughout COVID-19, all meetings will be virtual.

Other Convening Table responsibilities include engaging in email exchanges and conference calls as needed; participating actively in planning and implementation of joint work; and mobilizing respective organizations’ assets (human and financial) to resource joint work.

All four tables “embrace the mandate to be attentive to concerns highlighted by the economic, gender, and racial lenses that inform all the initiatives and entities of NCC.”

For more information email Sherri Hunter at sherri.hunter@pcusa.org.