Local leaders of several downtown Christian churches participated in an ecumenical prayer service during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity on Jan. 22.
Clergy and ministers from each church led some part of the service. They were Rev. Dr. Chip Blackshear from First Presbyterian Church; Rev. Dr. Brian Hill from First Baptist Church; Rev. Philip W. May from Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd; Most Rev. Wm. Michael Mulvey, Bishop of Corpus Christi; Very Rev. James Stembler, Vicar General for the Diocese of Corpus Christi; and Rev. Jason Surdy from First United Methodist Church.
In his homily, Rev. Blackshear encouraged Christians to appreciate the variety in their set of beliefs and set aside their differences and get to know one another. “We become convinced that our way is not only the right way, but it’s the only right way,” he said. “We come together today to push back against that kind of thinking.”
“We come here today to demonstrate that Christian unity is possible. Now we can ask ourselves, what do we mean by unity? Because we’re not talking about uniformity. We don’t all agree on everything. My colleagues and I, have different theological beliefs, and we have different understandings of the sacraments and what’s going on in the sacraments. And we have different understandings of how to govern the church. We can’t even agree on the wording of the Nicene creed, which is the thing that is meant to unite us all together.”
“In the High Priest Prayer (John 17:1-21), Jesus prays to the Father that we, the followers of Jesus, would be one. So much so that it’s in the same way that God, the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are one. When we come together to worship, Jesus says we are showing the world He is who He says He is. Jesus says that we need to be this community so that what unites us is faith in our savior, Jesus Christ.”
“It is far greater than what divides us,” Rev. Blackshear said.
Members of the choir included a mix of musicians from the different churches led by: Brad Kisner from First Presbyterian Church; Paul Erickson, Director of Worship from First United Methodist Church; and Alex Oldroyd, Director of Music from Corpus Christi Cathedral.
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity this year is Jan 18-25, 2023.