Episcopal, Methodist and URC Discussions

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This is the last of five posts of the Ecumenical Relations in Scotland report to the Methodist Church, 2010. 

The Episcopal, Methodist, URC (EMU) Partnership agreement was signed on 23 January 2010 in the Scottish Episcopal Church (SEC) Cathedral in Perth.  The partnership sets out to explore together ways of:
Being Church and serving God together;

• Increasing the confidence of our members to speak of God and faith in ways that make sense to others;
• Cooperating in teaching and learning about Jesus Christ, and our mission together;
• Cooperating on Church and Society issues, supporting community development and taking action together for justice, especially among the most deprived and poor in Scotland;
• Sharing in the provision and deployment of both lay and ordained ministries of all the people of God;
• Sharing our resources across Scotland to fulfil our shared Christian mission to spread the Gospel.

Copies of the full agreement are now with each church and the onus is on local congregations as well as the national level if this relationship is to develop.

The EMU group met twice in 2010 with the main focus being the fleshing out of a  development plan, developing a "Federation" on training / learning together and exploring other possibilities for co-operation both locally and nationally.  With Welsh and Scottish Episcopal Church participation in the Joint Implementation Commission (JIC) 2 of the Anglican Methodist Covenant, EMU provides a possible vehicle for taking forward initiatives arising in this forum within Scotland, as the URC also participate in JIC2.

Related articles

• The Methodist Church in Scotland Ecumenical Relations Report 2010 (ecumenicalissues.blogspot.com)
• Action of Churches Together in Scotland (ACTS) (ecumenicalissues.blogspot.com)