GA06071

A glorious gathering

Three denominations gather for joyful worship service

by Emily Enders Odom

BIRMINGHAM, June 18 — With bulletins waving, ribbons streaming and hands clapping, thousands of Presbyterians representing three distinct denominations celebrated worship Sunday evening in the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center arena.

The historic gathering of the three churches — the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Cumberland Presbyterian Church (CPC) and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America (CPCA) — was "an expression of commitment to the Christian unity for which Christ prayed," according to the Rev. Setri Nyomi, general secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches.

Through well-juxtaposed choices of word, song, dance and the sounds of instruments in the eclectic and colorful liturgy, the worship highlighted the uniqueness of each church while affirming the common heritage of all.

In his sermon, based on Micah 6:6-8 and Hebrews 11:29-12:2, Nyomi called upon members of the three denominations to "lay aside every weight and sin" — especially divisiveness and fragmentation — in order to run the race of faith properly.

"I'm afraid that fragmentation has crept into the church," he said. "Everything is seen as a disposable good, including relationships and the oneness of the church."

Nyomi further exhorted his listeners to renew their focus on Jesus Christ. "Our Lord has made it possible for us to run the race successfully," he said. "We won't have to struggle alone."

Christians, he said, can do something about the injustice in the world and can be agents of "transformation in our societies, with all the cloud of witnesses surrounding us."

"How ready," Nyomi asked in conclusion, "are we to run this race in this world?"

As the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was celebrated, moving anthems by the massed choirs of the CPC, CPCA and PC(USA) and the Chorale Presbyterienne du Congo continued to invoke the Spirit's powerful presence.