“They showed us unusual kindness” was the theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2020, with services taking place across the Lower Mainland.
The annual week of prayer marks Christ’s call for the unity of his Church in his prayer to his father, “That they all may be one … that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (Jn 17:21).
Services took place at 10 locations including St. Ann’s in Abbotsford, St. Mark’s at UBC, and the John Paul II Pastoral Centre in Vancouver.
“I rejoice because in Jesus we have an ally for the whole human race, who loves us one and all, who is found by those who do not seek him. I rejoice too because God is a God of compassion, who calls others by name, not just me, and who counts the hairs on every head. I rejoice because God knows those who are his, and God is kind. My message today: be teachable, be kind, love Jesus.”
— Rev. John Sovereign, retired rector of St. Thomas Anglican Church, Chilliwack
“The word ecumenism has the same root as the word economy: oikos, the Greek word for house. Those who live in one house share the same economy. Those who are baptized into Christ live in the same house, even if we occupy different rooms.
We have not always known that we live in the same house, even though we have always known that the apostle speaks of one Lord, one faith, one baptism (Eph 4:5).
— J. Christoph Reiners, pastor of Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Richmond
