ADRIAN, Mich (May 11, 2015) – Adrian College’s founding president Asa Mahan’s commitment to the “Intrinsic Worth” of people became a key theme during the 2015 “Christian Unity Gathering” of the National Council of Churches. The event, held in Washington, DC May 7-9, included planning for cooperative action regarding justice and peace.
The Rev. Dr. Chris Momany, Adrian College Chaplain, is a United Methodist delegate to the National Council of Churches. He just returned from their 2nd annual Christian Unity gathering in Washington, D.C.
Friday, May 8, Momany presented to the convening table on “Joint Action and Advocacy.” His theme revolved around the Adrian abolitionist philosophy of “Intrinsic Worth.”
“It was amazing,” Momany said. “After offering those remarks, the whole conversation among our leadership group began to embrace the language of ‘intrinsic worth.’ The terminology became a kind of lens through which we considered issues of justice and peace.”
Leymah Gbowee, the Liberian Nobel Peace Prize winner, keynoted the Gathering and shared the powerful story of a mass movement of Christian and Muslims known as Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace that helped end the Liberian civil war that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.
Ms. Gbowee stood at the Gathering as a remarkably clear voice for women across the globe. “Do one good thing every day that everyone else is scared to do,” Gbowee proclaimed. “It is time for the Church to be crazy… like Jesus was in the Temple.”
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The National Council of Churches has 37 member communions – from a wide spectrum of Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, historic African American and Peace churches. The organization represents over 45 million people in more than 100,000 local congregations across the nation.
Adrian’s chaplain, Rev. Dr. Chris Momany, is a delegate from The United Methodist Church and serves on one of the NCC’s four convening tables –- working groups that lead initiatives for the organization.
The Unity Gathering featured times for plenary addresses, panels and the nitty-gritty work of “convening tables.”
The keynote speaker was Leymah Gbowee, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Liberian peace advocate. She shared the powerful story of a mass movement of Christian and Muslims known as Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace that helped end the Liberian civil war that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.
Ms. Gbowee stood at the Gathering as a remarkably clear voice for women across the globe. “Do one good thing every day that everyone else is scared to do,” Gbowee proclaimed. “It is time for the Church to be crazy… like Jesus was in the Temple.”
On Thursday, May 7, participants in the gathering traveled to the Washington National Cathedral for a worship service that remembered the Armenian Genocide of 1915.
“This was a rare and strategic opportunity to contribute, all drawn from the Adrian College theological and philosophical tradition. And we are just getting started,” added Momany.
Last Updated on February 2, 2024