We have heard of and rejoice in stirrings around the world seeking to discover anew the true nature of the Church of Jesus Christ. We are encouraged by numerous stories of common witness from around the world, which we had not known. We have been deeply challenged by the Holy Spirit to remember God's radical hospitality for strangers, aliens and the disadvantaged.

We have been reminded of God's call to the followers of Jesus to proclaim the Gospel, and to witness in the world through care of those who are oppressed, marginalized and deprived of dignity and the basic necessities of life.

We affirm with the first ecumenical conference that, "there is a sense of urgency about unity in mission in the light of critical situations in the world." The need for common witness, that is followers of Christ participating and witnessing together in God's mission in the world, is dramatically evident to those with eyes to see.

There are already numerous examples of common witness and we believe the Holy Spirit is leading us to deeper understandings. We recognize the many obstacles preventing the churches and individual Christians from expressing their full unity in Christ. Nonetheless, this Conference stands as a vision of the oneness of all who follow Jesus and a call to the churches to explore more deeply the possibilities of common witness.

As a movement called together by God, we support the quest for Common Witness by U.S. Catholic Mission Association and Church World Service and Witness of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and pledge ourselves to urge others, especially people of color, to join so that we may express more fully the rich diversity of the Church of Jesus Christ.

There is an urgent need for members of our diverse churches and Christian agencies to know about this vision and the many expressions of common witness already underway. We, therefore, call on the Continuing Committee to establish a Common Witness website on the Internet as a means of sharing the signs of hope and lifting up the challenge of common witness.

Such a site could provide links not only to the sponsoring organizations but also to many of the groups collaborating in mission. Members of USCMA, CWSW and other interested groups could also be invited to provide a link on their site to the Common Witness site.

One foundation of our common witness is our common life in the Spirit. Prayer and spirituality are at the heart of mission. We urge the Continuing Committee to explore ways to deepen this search for a missionary spirituality that undergirds our common witness. We covenant with each other to pray for this effort in common witness.

Signs of Hope

We have searched for signs of hope as we approach the new millennium. We have shared these signs of hope with one another:

• The possibile interaction of people at all levels through travel, the Internet, media, etc. One aspect of globalization, this interaction can create new relationships through technology, communication, immigration, migration and economic development.
• The growing awareness of the unbridled power of some corporations, and of the need to learn where decisions are made in government; awareness of the linkage between the local and the global.
• A growing recognition that wealth is not the ultimate value.
• The networking taking place among many groups at local, national and international levels - a networking that crosses denominational, religious and ideological lines.
• Collaboration in advocacy on behalf of refugees, undocumented persons, 'criminal aliens,' etc.
• Collaboration in solidarity with people excluded from power.
• The search of youth for spirituality, values and meaning.
• Commitments of churches to work for transformation in urban areas; urban-suburban partnerships; young people moving back into the cities.
• Openness to dialogue, to discern our differences, to discover one another; the presence and participation of members of the evangelical community.
• Emerging sense that proclamation is related to transformation, reconciliation, and respect for the integrity of the person who is culturally and religiously different.
• Shared lectionaries, prayer services and grassroots efforts.
• Collaboration in mission formation.
• Re-birth of the discussion of the importance of community.

We celebrate the many collaborative efforts of Common Witness underway. In particular, we lift up some related to the themes we have studied:

• Jubilee 2000
• Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility
• People of the Golden Vision
• Chicago Center for Global Ministries
• Milwaukee Inner City Congregations
• Allied for Hope (MICAH)
• Billy Graham Crusades
• Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Through our interaction with each other, we have been inspired to suggest many activities to further our common witness. We urge the members of CWSW, USCMA and other interested Christian groups to study and implement them. We refer these to the Continuing Committee, trusting their wisdom to sort our next steps and to adjust these visions to the realities of human and financial resources.

• To develop networks of information that will help Christian communities to be well informed and work in Common Witness.
• Collaborate ecumenically to get good reporting in developing countries, in order to inform our public and our churches here.
• To work for Common Witness among different traditions and to move progressively from intra- congregational to trans-congregational projects.
• Bring together the groups from different denominations that are doing similar things, in order to meet and strategize together.
• To confront the emerging economic, governmental, corporate and political policies that threaten God's creation.
• In trying to familiarize local groups with the effects of globalization, get someone who has been a victim of globalization e.g., a woman who has worked in a maquiladora, etc.
• On-going vigil at prisons where immigrants are detained.
• To support ministries to immigrants, migrants, and asylum seekers.
• To facilitate our partner churches overseas to link with communication technology.
• To look for ways to support faith-based technology around globalization, bio-genetics, etc.
• To collect official statements re: Jubilee from different denominations and send them to President Clinton, U.S. Congress, IMF, World Bank.
• To reflect on the theological significance of evangelization and proclamation in relation to the Missio Dei; have a consultation that focuses on a single issue, e.g. proclamation; have a consultation on spirituality /prayer which sustains mission.
• To reflect on the theological significance of the local congregation as a Church Without Walls.
  -- Church in the streets, or in the homes
  -- name and celebrate the grass roots efforts underway
      e.g., diocesan covenants, shared resources, etc.
• To collect stories and develop the art of story-telling in relation to proclamation, globalization, mission in the cities, and people on the move as sources of education, inspiration, encouragement, and hope.

Looking To The Future

We are people on a journey, entrusted with a gift of faith. We do not travel alone, but together with one another and with sisters and brothers throughout the world. In this conference we have been called to give account of the hope that is within us. We have lifted up the vision of a new heaven and a new earth. We will seek to respond together, celebrating and sharing the Good News of God's love for all peoples in the practice of radical hospitality.

Continuing Committee on Common Witness