What is Ecumenism

What is ecumenism? the principle or aim of promoting unity among the world's Christian Churches

NSW Ecumenical Council?
The NSW Ecumenical Council trading as Churches Together NSW.ACT is a fellowship of churches (currently, fourteen) in the state of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. Its ecumenical endeavour is about churches working together in mission. This mission has three foundations: maintaining “the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace” [Ephesians 4: 3], being committed to the Gospel and to proclaiming it together, and living out the implications of the Gospel for service in the world. The council is bound by the National Privacy Principles contained in the Commonwealth Privacy Act. This policy outlines how the council uses and manages personal information provided to or collected by it. The council may from time to time, review and update this Privacy Policy to take account of new laws and technology, changes to the council’s operations and practices and to make sure it remains appropriate to the changing school environment. The council does not disclose personal information except within the bounds of legislation. For security reasons personal information is not accessible from the Internet.
The mission of the NSW Ecumenical Council is spelt out in its STATEMENT OF OBJECTS
Basis
The Council is based on the acknowledgment of the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour according to the scriptures and the readiness of the churches to fulfil their common calling to the glory of the one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Objects
The Council exists: ◦to bear witness to the unity of the Church as both gift and calling and, in the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to promote a more profound communion-Koinonia; to be an instrument of the churches in New South Wales whereby they may grow in the understanding and fulfilment of their common calling to unity and to mission; to facilitate the quest for unity in the Church by enabling the churches ◦to address together causes of division in the faith and order of the Church, and ◦to pray together, acknowledging their common heritage in worship; to encourage understanding of, and participation in, the world-wide mission of God; to resource and support the churches in that mission, so that, by joint study, consultation, reflection and action, ◦they may confront men and women more authentically with the gospel of Jesus Christ, and ◦they may respond more effectively to human need and to the scriptural imperative to seek justice for people everywhere; to bear witness to the gospel by promoting dialogue with people of other faiths and ideologies in New South Wales.
Uniting church of Australia
The Uniting Church in Australia was formed on June 22, 1977, as a union of three churches: the Congregational Union of Australia, the Methodist Church of Australasia and the Presbyterian Church of Australia.

The Uniting Church's commitment to love of God and neighbour has sometimes drawn it into controversial situations. It has long taken a role in the political arena, encouraging moral, social and ethical integrity. The Uniting Church has been at the forefront of Aboriginal rights issues including the Native Title debate and reconciliation. It has taken a stand on environmental issues, and supports the equality and dignity of marginalised people such as ethnic minorities, disabled people and homosexual people. It is a multicultural church, striving to treat people on an equal basis and seeking to give a voice to the poor, outcast and needy. However, only some of the Uniting Church's discipling is viewed in public. Much of its role is to stand alongside the individual, inside and outside the church. Its congregations nurture spiritual, social and educational growth. Lay people are encouraged in leadership roles, including preaching the Word and leading congregational worship.

National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA)
Member Churches Anglican Church of Australia, Antiochian Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic Churchm, Assyrian Church of the East, Chinese Methodist Church in Australia, Churches of Christ in Australia, Congregational Federation of Australia, Coptic Orthodox Church, Diocese of Melbourne, Greek Orthodox Church, Indian Orthodox Church, Lutheran Church of Australia , Mar Thoma Church , Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Roman Catholic Church, Romanian Orthodox Church, Serbian Orthodox Church, Syrian Orthodox Church, Uniting Church in Australia
A brief history of the NCCA
The modern ecumenical movement began to take shape as the 19th century drew to a close. Initiatives among students and between Church mission agencies led the way. This country saw the formation of the Australian Student Christian Movement (1896) and the National Missionary Council (1926).
Out of the devastation of World War II sprang the Australian Committee for the World Council of Churches (1946). This developed into the Australian Council of Churches which, in 1994, gave way to the National Council of Churches in Australia.
The movement for Christian unity in this country was, initially, an Anglican and Protestant affair. Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches came in, in strength, during the 1960s and 70s. For Catholics, the 2nd Vatican Council opened up fresh possibilities for relationships with other Churches, and the transition to the National Council of Churches in Australia (1994) saw the Catholic Church become a full participant in Australia's national ecumenical body.
The NCCA is its nineteen member Churches in their commitment each to the others and all to the world for which Christ died. It works in collaboration with state ecumenical councils around Australia. It is an associate council of the World Council of Churches, a member of the Christian Conference of Asia and a partner of other national ecumenical bodies throughout the world.

THE NCCA LOGO
The cross and the boat, symbols of faith and unity, have long served as symbols of the ecumenical movement. The version currently used by the NCCA, incorporating waves and the Southern Cross was designed for the formation of the new NCCA in 1994.
This symbol portrays the Church as a ship afloat on the sea of the world with the mast in the form of a cross, itself the symbol par excellence of the Christian Faith. It is not clear when the symbol was first adopted for the ecumenical movement but it was in use before the inauguration of the World Council of Churches in 1948. It is likely the symbol of a boat has its origin in the Gospel stories of the calling by Jesus of Galilean fishermen and the stilling of the storm by Jesus on the lake of Galilee.
The version used by the NCCA, by including the Southern Cross, often shown against a night blue sky, indicates our position in the southern hemisphere, and identity as many races under the cross dwelling in the great south land, Terra Australis. The arrival of suffering peoples to Australia by boat have given renewed poignancy to this symbol in recent times.