September 14, 2009
The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 1 Cor. 12: 12 – 14
Dear Friends,
This month I’d like to share a little snapshot of what we’ve been thinking about around here at WMF Omaha. At Beggars Society (the monthly advocacy meeting of WMF) a couple nights ago the topic of our conversation was ecumenism. Word Made Flesh is an ecumenical organization meaning we draw staff from all different Christian faith traditions: Protestant, Orthodox, and Catholic.
At the meeting I reflected on why WMF celebrates and embodies ecumenism. Some of the earliest influences of WMF range from missions professors at a conservative Christian college to World Vision to Mother Teresa to St. Francis of Assisi. As our mission and vision for serving Jesus among the poor developed in a global context we started to meet and learn form people of all different Christian traditions. As we hope to build partnership and work within an incarnational framework we learn from our Orthodox brothers and sisters in Romania and our Catholic brothers and sisters in South America and our Penecostal brothers and sisters in Sierra Leone.
The end of the WMF vision statement reads: We focus our energy to make Jesus known among the poor while reconciling the church with the poor. WMF is not a church, but rather a community that hopes to be a prophetic voice to the church concerning God’s heart for the poor. Ecumenism does not mean that we all want to be the same. In WMF, we celebrate the differences, because the different parts help us see more of God. We celebrate that although we are one body, we are made up of many different parts.
Thank you for the generous response to my financial appeal this summer. I am filled with gratitude as I think of all the gifts that came in from some of the least expected places! I continue to seek monthly financial supporters to meet a monthly shortfall of about $500, but my most urgent needs have been met.
With Gratitude,
Marcia