February 9, 2011

NEW YORK – The National Council of Churches on Monday welcomed a delegation from the Three Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM), a Christian group from China.

The delegation included Elder Fu Xianwei, chair of the TSPM, who was among the church leaders who welcomed the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, NCC general secretary, and then NCC President Archbishop Vicken Aykazian on their trip to China in 2009.

Kinnamon welcomed the delegation warmly and hosted them for lunch February 7 in The Interchurch Center. Kinnamon presented Elder Fu with an inscribed copy of a calligraphed edition of the New Revised Standard Version of the bible, and Fu gave Kinnamon a framed painting of Chinese pandas. Kinnamon also presented Elder Fu with a silver ecumenical cross identical to the one worn by the general secretary and president of the NCC.

Last May, five representatives of the China Christian Council joined NCC and World Council of Churches staff to exchange greetings and to affirm memorandum of understanding between the Chinese and American church groups that was forged in February 2009 when the NCC General Secretary and President visited China.

The delegation of pastors and religious leaders who visited The Interchurch Center this week is on a 12-day visit to North America. An earlier stop in Washington included President Obama's national prayer breakfast on February 4.

In a brief meeting after lunch, Kinnamon and the delegation reaffirmed the memorandum of understanding that had been exchanged between the NCC and Chinese church leaders to assert their determination to work together on ministries and concerns they share in common. A copy of that memorandum can be found at http://www.ncccusa.org/pdfs/cccmemo.pdf

Kinnamon also accepted an invitation to join a summit of Chinese and U.S. leaders September 27 to discuss further cooperation between the two groups.

In February 2009, the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, NCC General Secretary, and Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, then NCC President, visited China and affirmed warm ties of fellowship that have continued since 1981 when an NCC delegation visited the People's Republic of China after a 30 year hiatus in communication.

In their discussions in 2009, Kinnamon and Aykazian joined with their Chinese hosts in celebrating "the strong bonds that have developed over the years between our organizations and between the churches in our countries. Signs of this relationship include praying for each other (as during the 2008 earthquake in China), periodic visits, and occasional support for one another's ministries."

The delegation from China visiting this week included: Elder Fu Xianwei, Chairman of the National Committee of the TSPM; the Rev. Zhang Keyun, President of Jiangsu Provincial Christian Council, and the Rev. Dr. Lin Manhong, Interim Dean of Nanjing Union Theological Seminary. Also, Xiao Hong, Deputy Director of Foreign Affairs Department, SARA, and Xu Wenzhen, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Department, SARA. The group was accompanied by the Rev. Peter Koon, General Secretary, Anglican Province of Hong Kong.

In addition to Kinnamon, NCC staff meeting with the delegation were: the Rev. Garland F. Pierce, NCC associate general secretary, Education and Leadership Ministries; and the Rev. Deborah DeWinter, NCC director of Donor Relations. Karen Wang, senior director, NCC Administration and Finance, provided translation support for the group.

The delegation also met Monday with the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries and Church World Service, both in The Interchurch Center, and with New York Theological Seminary (NYTS). They met with New York's Episcopal Bishop Mark S. Sisk at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine Cathedral on Amsterdam Avenue.

Since its founding in 1950, the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA has been the leading force for shared ecumenical witness among Christians in the United States. The NCC's 37 member communions – from a wide spectrum of Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, historic African American and Living Peace Churches – include 45 million persons in more than 100,000 local congregations in communities across the nation.

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA