The John 17 Movement

Our John 17 leadership has decided that our only mission is to bring Christians together in worship and prayer, believing that our unity efforts will be a significant factor in building kingdom collaborations for the good of our city and state.

Direct and indirect outcomes of our John 17 Movement include:

  • AZ127 (www.az127.com), based on James 1:27, is a local church and parish movement to reduce significantly the number of foster children in our state system by getting kids into Christian homes. In the last couple years, AZ127 has place more children in foster care homes than all the other agencies of the state combined. The movement was initially formed and led by three evangelical megachurches, but in the last year, Paul Mulligan, President of Phoenix Catholic Charities, “translated” the AZ127 content into Catholic language, and the diocese has adopted AZ127 as a model for families in their parishes to open their homes to foster kids.

  • For the last eighteen months I’ve been serving as the Phoenix Mobilizer for American Bible Society’s 6-city scripture engagement campaign. Bishop Olmstead has given me his full blessing to spearhead a decade-long Bible engagement movement for the Diocese of Phoenix. Key Catholic priests and parish leaders have come together to develop and implement a plan.

  • The Arizona director of Alpha (http://alphausa.org/), Jad Levi, who also serves on our John 17 Movement advisory team, has had remarkable favor with the diocese. In the next six months, about two dozen of the 93 parishes in the diocese will be launching Alpha as a part of the the New Evangelization to bring Catholics and their friends into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. The website of the USCCB states, “The focus of the New Evangelization calls all Catholics to be evangelized and then go forth to evangelize” (http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teac…/…/new-evangelization/).


Source: Gary Kinnaman  -  Presented during Movement Day NYC, representing the John 17 movement and Greater Phoenix and Arizona Catholic/Evangelical Bridges, as posted on the John 17 FB page on 1 November 2016.

A Protestant Pastor Preaches about Catholics

Late 1990s. I preached a series of messages on what Evangelicals can learn from Catholics and what Catholics can learn from each other. Perhaps half of the people in my congregation were from a Catholic background. (I never called them “former” Catholics.) Most of their families were divided: Catholic family members were offended and angry their loved ones were no longer attending mass, and Catholic-background folks in my congregation wanted their Catholic family members to be “born-again.”
For my message on what we can learn from Catholics, I invited the local monsignor to do a video for us to answer the question. After the service, my wife said, “I want to go to his church.”
My purpose in this teaching series was to bring down the dividing walls of misunderstanding and hostility. As my dear friend in Phoenix, Auxiliary Bishop E. Nevares loves to say, “Can we just pray together?”
2000. We formed an interconfessional team (Catholics, Mainline, Evangelicals) to plan and implement a citywide celebration of the 2000-year history of Christianity. About 35,000 attended the event at our baseball stadium. I served on the planning team, which met at the diocesan center.

Source: Gary Kinnaman  -  Presented during Movement Day NYC, representing the John 17 movement and Greater Phoenix and Arizona Catholic/Evangelical Bridges, as posted on the John 17 FB page on 1 November 2016.

Fr. Martin Magill, Northern Ireland

Fr Magill’s determination to push the boundaries in terms of ecumenical outreach is evident from his practice of what the late Michael Hurley SJ called “ecumenical tithing”.

This means that part of his time each week, usually on a Sunday afternoon or evening is devoted to worshipping in another Christian denomination, sometimes St George’s Church of Ireland in Belfast “a very beautiful very high church”.

He believes this commitment comes from “the imperative I get from Jesus Christ in John 17”.

Fr Magill reveals that it is “only a matter of time before I will worship in a Free Presbyterian church as part of ecumenical tithing”.

He is also working on a list of ten things that Catholics can learn  from other denominations and “top of the list is welcoming because 90% of churches do welcoming better than we Catholics”, followed by singing.

Source: Martin O'Brien  -  "A Quiet Peacemaker", The Irish Catholic, 11 Dec 2014, http://www.irishcatholic.ie/article/quiet-peacemaker

Be the Bridge

Morrison’s mission was to enable racial reconciliation within local churches and develop resources for Christians who want to build cross-racial relationships.


Since then, Be the Bridge has exploded in size and now serves the local church by providing curricula and other tools that encourage bridge builders to “[foster and develop] vision, skills, and heart for racial unity.”

Source: Christianity Today  -  "Latasha Morrison: The Church Is the ‘Only Place Equipped to Do Racial Reconciliation Well’", interview by Morgan Lee, January 2017, http://www.christianitytoday.com/women/2017/january/latasha-morrison-church-is-only-place-equipped-to-do.html

Brick by Brick

Until I, as an evangelical Protestant, met some halfway decent Catholics I had no idea what they believed. Likewise, if it wasn’t for my Anglican friend I’d have no ideas how gosh darn similar we actually are.


It’s not until we actively begin to reach out and meet each other where we are that we can begin to take down these walls, brick by brick.

Source: K. Albert Little  -  The Cordial Catholic on Patheos, 1 May 2015, "Dear Christians: Take Our Unity Seriously, Because Everyone is Watching", http://www.patheos.com/blogs/albertlittle/dear-christians-take-our-unity-seriously-because-everyone-is-watching/

Catherine of Siena

620 years ago, April 29 1380, CATHERINE of Siena died. In 1970 she was made a Doctor of the Church, an uncommonly bestowed title for a woman. What many do not know is that she was a major ECUMENICAL figure in the 14th century, authoring hundreds of letters appealing for UNITY in the church. Her appeals were addressed to Pope, bishops, and civic leaders. She did not suffer fools gladly, calling out the chicanery of manipulative political and financial schemes among church authorities. We should celebrate her today, and pray that women like her be raised up in our time to lead in a church caught in the grip of its own institutional dysfunction, not least in the arena of women's roles. St Catherine, pray for us!

Source: Ut Unum Sint (Facebook Group), posted 29 April 2020

Pope Francis' 1st Lutheran Church Visit

Asked about his personal experience with the Lutheran Church, Pope Francis said the first time he ever entered a Lutheran church was when he was 17 and went to a co-worker’s wedding.

Later, as a Jesuit and professor at the Jesuit school of theology in Argentina, he said he had frequent contact and exchanges with professors at the nearby Lutheran school of theology.

“I invited a professor of spiritual theology from that faculty, a Swede, Anders Ruuth, to hold lectures on spirituality together with me,” the pope said. It was “a truly difficult time” for the pope personally, he said, “but I had a lot of trust in him and opened my heart to him. He helped me a lot in that moment.”

Friendships and formal exchanges with Lutheran pastors and leaders continued while he was archbishop of Buenos Aires and now as pope, he said.

Source: Catholic News Service  -  "Pope on why he’s going to Sweden: ‘Closeness does all of us good’", 28 Oct 2016, https://cnstopstories.com/2016/10/28/pope-on-why-hes-going-to-sweden-closeness-does-all-of-us-good/

Trading One Fullness for Another

Fundamentally, says Kreeft, an Evangelical is faced with the choice of trading one fullness for another, and that’s the dichotomy that we, as Catholics, must erase.


As an Evangelical Protestant convert to Catholic myself, I’ve been profoundly attracted to the idea of receiving the fullness of Christ in the Catholic Church: being able to receive Christ in the Eucharist, being able to receive more of a more of God’s graces through the sacraments, and reconnecting to the ancient Christian Church.


But, it’s a significant trade-off to leave the Evangelical world and become a Catholic.


To give up an enriching Evangelical community of fellowship, worship, and prayer.


Many parishes are sleepy: their worship music drones on with no one in particular joining in, their priest’s homilies are trite and without thread of a theme, their programming for families (something as basic as Sunday School) is largely absent, and they don’t feel like communities (everyone keeps their coats on and has a foot out the door by the end of Communion).


This is what Kreeft means by trading one fullness for another.

Source: K. Albert Little  -  The Cordial Catholic on Patheos, 26 April 2016, "The Catholic Church Must Become More Protestant", http://www.patheos.com/blogs/albertlittle/the-catholic-church-must-become-more-protestant/

Visiting a Greek Orthodox Church

… She and I went to the first day of ecumenical prayer week for Christian Unity together. It was my first experience of a Greek Orthodox service. It was such a joy to be invited into another expression of the church. The week continues and I hope to get to one more service. ...

Source: <Name withheld>  -  As quoted in a ministry eNewsletter from the Middle East in 2017 (name withheld due to sensitivity)

Pastor Andrew Responds to Criticism from his Congregation

But what made their situation truly remarkable is what Andrew did the Sunday after Susan and Elaine came to talk with him.

With Susan’s permission, he described their conversation to the entire congregation, commending Susan for her graciousness and courage as well as Elaine for her wisdom and advice.

And then he said this:

“As I’ve reflected on what Susan told me about my behavior toward her, I realized I’ve probably treated other people in our church with the same kind of pride, thoughtlessness and impatience. So I’m asking for your forgiveness today as well. If you need to talk with me about how I’ve treated you, my door is open. Please pray that God would help me to become more sensitive to how I’m treating others, and if you see me stumble, please do me the favor of pointing it out so I can continue to grow.”

Source: Ken Sande  -  "Public Confession is Counterintuitive", Relational Wisdom 360 eNewsletter, 7 August 2016, https://rw360.org/2016/08/07/public-confession-counterintuitive/

George and Hanna's Prayers

10 – Hanna (and I) began to pray prayers of blessing. “Come Lord Jesus. Redeem the past. Manifest your kingdom. Bless the Eifel and its people.”
11 – A Jewish follower of the Jewish Messiah had returned, in fulfillment of God’s calling to her people Israel—to bless the Gentiles. Genesis 12:3

Source: George Miley  -  Maturing Toward Wholeness in the Inner Life, Chapter 1, "Restore the Ancient Anointings", http://eifelfellowship.com/chapter-1-restore-the-ancient-anointings/, https://www.amazon.com/Maturing-toward-Wholeness-Inner-Life/dp/0578613719/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=maturing+toward+wholeness&qid=1579303032&sr=8-2

Jews & Muslims in Texas

Jewish people in a small Texas city handed Muslim worshippers the keys to their synagogue after the town's only mosque was destroyed in a fire.
The Victoria Islamic Centre burned down on Saturday and had previously been burgled—the cause is being investigated by federal officials.
...
One of the mosque's founders, Shahid Hashmi, said: "Jewish community members walked into my home and gave me a key to the synagogue."

Source: Jon Sharman  -  "Jewish people give Muslims key to their synagogue after town's mosque burns down", Independent, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/victoria-islamic-centre-mosque-fire-texas-jews-give-key-synagogue-muslims-worship-gofundme-a7556331.html?cmpid=facebook-post

Margarita's Story

When my son knocks on the door and I go to open it, I yell from the inside, “Who is it?”  He answers back, “its me!” His voice is so familiar.  Excitement and joy permeate my entire being, and as I open the door, the expression on my face reveals a welcoming smile, and an accepting embrace tells us both we are home. 

We are home! What a feeling!

On June 2012, I was invited to The Lausanne Catholic and Evangelical Dialogue on Christ’s Mission held in Chicago.  It was there that I first heard about the Wittenberg 2017 Initiative.  As time moved on, I started grasping the purpose of this event. This is to be the 500 years commemoration of Martin Luther’s nailing of the 95 theses to the door of All Saint’s Church; which began a chapter of history that has brought much brokenness, separation and isolation to Catholics and Protestants. So when I heard that the four-fold purpose of Wittenberg 2017 is “to gather Christians together for prayer, repentance, reconciliation and unity,” I felt committed to support.

As I read Psalm 23, the so common, but unique, and beloved Psalm, I experience a journey of reconciliation, healing and restoration.  It is a symphony about God’s assurance for those walking close by his side.  It is a poem that speaks directly to the joys and fears of us human beings who are committed to raising a prophetic voice. “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (v 6) I believe God is calling us back home to that place.

When I was a little girl, growing up as a Latina Catholic in a town where there was little tolerance or acceptance of evangelicals and blacks, I heard conversations and witnessed a rage that existed in the minds of my community -- so I know a little about prejudice and racism. When I asked my grandmother why people were so mean, she would always say; “because of their ignorance.  So, let’s pray that one day we can see Christ in those who are different than us.” Then she and I would kneel and begin to pray the rosary. It was then that I recognized a need to develop a different type of conversation; one that appreciated the similarities and accepted the differences.  I was determined to see Catholics and non-Catholics become friends in the unity of worship and the symbol of the cross as representing a believer. 

When I first entered Fuller Theological Seminary for post-graduate studies, I was looking for a school that would provide me with the opportunity for a multicultural and mission experience.  The diversity of an interdenominational approach in ministry that Fuller presented was something that attracted me as part of my desire for higher education.  I believed then and now, that my mission and vision were to be dedicated to addressing and eliminating all socially constructed -ism’s, stereotypes, and prejudices that have historically been used to discriminate and segregate groups of people.  As a Roman Catholic and a Latina, I wanted to understand why, in many of our traditions, we still were not able to stay in conversation without bringing in our own arguments that separated us instead of finding items that would bring us together.  My questions at that time were: How can I bring a transformative and constructive language into my own sharing as I sought to live out 1 Peter 3:8:  “Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind”?  How can I represent my tradition and be willing to learn from others?  How can I do and learn my Catholic theology in a different context of reflection?  These and other questions were part of my initial curiosity as I entered Fuller Seminary.

Achieving a Masters in Divinity (2007) gave me the ability to seek greater possibilities as a Latina and as a Catholic.  As a woman of color in an ever-changing Latino culture in America, I’ve had the opportunity to reach horizons never before opened in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, where the position of Parish Life Director was first made available in 2006 for lay ecclesial minsters. 

As Parish Life Director, I was a lay leader who was entrusted with the leadership of a parish. I am convinced that the opportunity and experience at Fuller equipped me, and from there, doors began to open.  It was not just an open door to the position of being appointed as a Parish Life Director, but also to an environment that continues providing me with the affirmation of my call and vocation.  I welcome the conversations, discussions and one-on-one’s with colleagues, professors and friends.  The possibilities for the future continue to expand.

I am a mother of six children, all grown and nearly finished with their higher education. As I entered into this new generation with its constant changes, my children are now teaching me the power of creating new possibilities.  And like my grandmother’s prayers, I pray that with every involvement, every encounter and opportunity, we can grasp throughout our conversations the unique presence of God in our everyday life journey.  As for my own journey, I have learned that there is often no place to really call home.  But in the larger context, home is where acceptance, reconciliation, and genuine encounters reflect God’s love. 

Source: Wittenberg 2017  -  "Margarita's Story", from the Wittenberg 2017 (US) website
http://www.wittenberg2017.us/margaritas-story.html

Father Symonds

Father Symonds was to be the first Catholic priest to give a sermon at Ballymena’s Methodist church for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Jan. 18-25.

“I love working here,” he said. “I’ve made great friendships, both within my own congregation and within the Protestant communities. Members of the Presbyterian Church have been particularly supportive of my ministry. I am convinced that I am doing what God has wanted me to do.”

Source: Catholic Review  -  "English priest receives awards for work in Northern Ireland", 5 Jan 2008, http://www.catholicreview.org/article/faith/vocations/english-priest-receives-award-for-work-in-northern-ireland#sthash.kh59mvOi.dpuf

Jaroslav Pelikan

In 1959, on the eve of the Second Vatican Council, [Jaroslav Pelikan] coined another phrase of continuing relevance when he wrote of “the tragic necessity of the Reformation.”

That phrase appeared in a book titled The Riddle of Roman Catholicism, published while Pelikan was still a Lutheran. Much later in his life, in 1998, he was received into the fellowship of the Orthodox Church in America. This decision represented an Eastward tilt in Pelikan’s own spirituality that had been long in the making. But he continued to believe that the great religious upheaval in the Christian West at the dawn of the modern era had involved both the necessity of reform and a division at once scandalous and tragic.

Source: Timothy George  -  First Things, "The Reformation: A Tragic Necessity", 11 July 2016, https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2016/07/the-reformation-a-tragic-necessity

Richard Harvey & Martin Luther

My encounter with Martin Luther brought into sharp focus the place of Luther in the tradition of Christian anti-Judaism and popular anti-semitism in a way that has challenged my own faith perspective, my ability to forgive Luther and Lutherans for the sufferings brought about by him on my people, and a strong desire to see reconciliation between Lutherans, Jews and Jewish Christians today.

Source: Richard Harvey  -  "A Messianic Jew Looks at Luther", https://lutherandthejews.com/2017/02/09/a-messianic-jew-looks-at-luther/

Catholics, Presbyterians, Church of Ireland and Methodists

With the benefit of hindsight, Fr Magill (53), one of the region’s best known priests and a regular broadcaster and tweeter, thinks that his love for ecumenical endeavour stems from his upbringing in the religiously mixed townland of Ballymacilhoyle close to the international airport at Aldergrove.

“Where I grew up it was normal for Catholics, Presbyterians, Church of Ireland and Methodists to live side by side.”

Source: Martin O'Brien  -  "A Quiet Peacemaker", The Irish Catholic, 11 Dec 2014, http://www.irishcatholic.ie/article/quiet-peacemaker