At the invitation of His Beatitude, Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania, Prof. Dr. Anastasios, clergy and lay leaders from 46 Christian Churches, Orthodox and Evangelical, from 20 different countries gathered at the new Monastery of St. Vlash in Durrës from 2 – 6 September 2013. This meeting was the first international consultation of the Lausanne Initiative with the Orthodox Church.The theme of the meeting was “God’s Mission” and was opened by Archbishop Anastasios, who reminded the audience that “the Spirit constantly gives life to the Church and all its members, transforming them into living cells of the mystical body of Christ, and enabling them to participate in continuing in His mission of salvation for the entire universe.”
In addition, the evangelist, Dr. Darrell Jackson, recalled the purpose of the calling of the Lausanne Initiative with the Orthodox – for the whole Church to spread the Gospel throughout the world. He focused on the convergence between Orthodox and Evangelical ways of understanding spreading the Gospel, without neglecting those points that separate.
Central and appreciated in this meeting was the opportunity to study the Holy Scripture together, time spent in prayer and open discussions and interesting plenary sessions in small groups. The participants saw themselves as on a pilgrimage to discover one another, a journey not aiming for institutional or theological conformity, but faithful participation in the mission of God. This will bring us to a place where “a great multitude which no one could number, of all the nations, tribes, peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands… (Revelation 7:9 ).
In the open discussions, through personal testimonies and in the spirit of respect and hospitality, the participants debated the challenging issues of: proselytizing, canonical territories, salvation, theosis and many other issues; concluding to continue this journey together at a second international meeting, which is scheduled to take place in early autumn next year.
Moving forward together, the aim of the Lausanne Initiative with the Orthodox is to reflect in a constructive way the historic relations between the Orthodox and Evangelical communities, to work together toward better understanding and the healing of existing wounds. Through this process, the two sides will enrich and strengthen the apostolic work, with more mutual respect, support and cooperation.
TH.DH
