NCCCUSA

National Council of Churches logo represents the church
as ecumenical ship, serving the world
1997 NCC General Assembly, Nov. 11-14, 1997, Washington, D.C.

Highlights From The Agenda
(Agenda is subject to amendment)

All Sessions are in the Ballroom on the Lower Level of the Hotel Washington, Unless Otherwise Noted.

TUESDAY, Nov. 11

3:00 to 5:00 p.m. - Case Study on Global Issues in Religious Freedom and Persecution & General Assembly Orientation (Hotel Washington, Roof Level).

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 12

8:45 a.m. - Gathering in Song, lead by Charlene Moore Cooper, Followed by Worship in the Tradition of the Progressive National Baptist Convention.

10:00 a.m. - Seating of the Delegation of the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of India, the NCC's 34th Member Communion.

10:20 a.m. - Election of New NCC Officers for 1998-99.

10:30 a.m. - The Churches' Response to the Changing Religious Landscape of the United States. Guest Speaker: Dr. Diana Eck of the Harvard University Pluralism Project.

11:45 a.m. - Address by His Holiness, Aram I, Catholicos, the Great House of Cilicia, Armenian Apostolic Church, and Moderator, World Council of Churches Central Committee.

1:45 p.m. - Greetings from Local Ecumenical Partners: Dr. Sulyman Nyang, President, InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington, and the Rev. Gordon M. Forbes, Interim Executive Director, The Council of Churches of Greater Washington.

2:00 p.m. - Ecumenical Greetings from the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.

2:05 p.m. - Special Presentations and Actions on National Ministries Issues: Organ and Tissue Transplantation, Churches and Disabilities, Churches and the Public Schools, No Barriers for Deaf People in Churches, Leonard Peltier, Paper Use.

4:00 p.m. - Presentation on Institutional Barriers to Inclusiveness in Our Churches.

4:30 p.m. - Report of the NCC General Secretary, the Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell.

6:30 p.m. - Service of Installation of Bishop Craig Barry Anderson as NCC President for 1998-99 and of Other NCC Officers (Washington National Cathedral).

THURSDAY, Nov. 13

8:45 a.m. - Gathering in Song, Followed by Worship in the Tradition of the Armenian Church in America.

8:50 a.m. - Special Address by the Hon. Albert Gore, Vice President of the United States.

9:30 a.m. - What Shape Might Future U.S. Ecumenical Cooperation Take? (Final Report of the NCC's Ecclesiology Task Force)

10:45 a.m. - Introduction of the New Book "Out of the Ashes," a Theological, Ecclesiological and Ethical Reflection on the Church Burnings.

11:00 a.m. - International Ministry Issues, Including the 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Anti-Personnel Land Mines. Guest Speaker: Jody Williams, Coordinator, International Campaign to Ban Landmines, and Co-Winner (with the ICBL) of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize.

1:45 p.m. - The 70th Anniversary of the Faith and Order Movement, with a Look at Today's Church-Uniting and Church-Dividing Issues. Guest Speaker: Dr. Mary Tanner, Chair, Faith and Order Commission, World Council of Churches.

3:20 p.m. - A Celebration of Ecumenical/Interfaith Service Achievements.

4:00 p.m. - Christian Response to the Nazi Holocaust, Then and Now: A Tour and Program on "Protestant and Orthodox Rescuers and Resisters." (U.S. Holocaust Museum)

7:30 p.m. - Reception for the Rev.Dr. Riad Jarjour, General Secretary, Middle East Council of Churches, and Mr. Alimany I. Koroma, General Secretary, Council of Churches of Sierra Leone.

FRIDAY, Nov. 14

8:45 a.m. - Gathering in Song, Followed by Worship in the Tradition of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

9:40 a.m. - Christian Witness in the Public Square. Special presentation by Bill Moyers, Correspondent; Case studies on campaign finance refom and Debtor Nation/Jubilee 2000.

11: 00 a.m. - Witness in the World: Report of NCC Delegation Visits to East Timor, North Korea and the Middle East. Guest Speaker: The Rev. Dr. Riad Jarjour, General Secretary, Middle East Council of Churches.