Church Leaders Sign Historic Agreement

Church leaders from the Methodist, United Reformed and Anglican churches in Cumbria made history on Sunday 27th November 2011 by signing a historic ecumenical declaration of intent, or agreement to work together.

Supported by the other five main Christian denominations in Cumbria (Roman Catholic, Salvation Army, Baptist, Quaker and Church of Scotland) this declaration means that Cumbria becomes the first ecumenical county in England with churches agreeing on a county level to work more closely together for the sake of unity.

Building on a shared faith, the declaration affirms the common goals of the three churches and commits them to:
• Seek out every possibly opportunity for join initiatives at local and county level in mission to all the people of Cumbria.
• Work together to equip both lay and ordained ministers whenever possible, and to share that ministry wherever appropriate.
• Continue the work of developing strategies whereby the use of church buildings is optimised for the benefit of communities throughout the county.

The service in Ambleside at which the Declaration was signed was attended by members and church leaders of all the churches represented in Cumbria, and by representatives from the national churches involved. A message of support from the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, Dr. Fykse Tveit, was relayed during the service, along with messages of support from Churches Together in England and Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. Over 230 people took part in the service, which was led by a team representing the three participating denominations and Churches Together in Cumbria.

The Revd Richard Church, Moderator of the North West Synod of the United Reformed Church said: “The United Reformed Church has always been passionate about the visible unity of the Church. We are so encouraged that in Cumbria this dream is being brought closer to accomplished reality.”

The Revd Richard Teal, Chairman of Cumbria Methodist District, said the Declaration of Intent was the result of vision, hard work, prayer, trust and openness. “It is now important that we do not just sign it but ensure its far-reaching implications become a reality.”

The Right Revd James Newcome, Anglican Bishop of Carlisle, added: “I am personally thrilled that we are taking a significant step towards an ecumenical county and highly delighted that our declaration of intent was unanimously welcomed by Carlisle Diocesan Synod.”