European Free-Church Family: Intrafaith Organizations

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European Free-Church Family: Intrafaith Organizations

★911 ★

Friends World Committee for Consultation

℅ Office of the Executive Secretary
Section of the Americas
1506 Race St.
Philadelphia, PA 19102

Alternate Address: World Office: 4 Byng Pl., London WC1E 7SH, England.

Following World War I, members of the Society of Friends gathered in international conferences in 1920 in London and first recommended the formation of an organization to give expression to the sense of fellowship among Friends around the world. In 1937, at the Friends World Conference, the Friends World Committee for Consultation was formed. It was to have a consultative capacity but also to promote cooperation and interaction between Friends in various groups around the world. As war soon broke out, it met irregularly through the 1940s and only gained some stability in the early 1950s. It has become the major instrument through which Friends relate to the larger Christian world and the international ecumenical movement.

Since 1952, the committee has met triennially. It has international offices in London and regional offices on every continent. Periodically it sponsors world conferences of Friends. It also publishes a directory of the different Friends Meetings in each country.

The work of the committee in North America is carried out through its office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The American Section was formed soon after the founding of the committee. The section publishes a directory of all of the Friends congregations (termed monthly meetings, churches, and worship groups) in the Western Hemisphere.

Membership: Most Friends denominations in the United States and Canada support the committee.

Sources:

Finding Friends Around the World. London: Friends World Committee for Consultation, 1982.

FWCC Friends Directory. Philadelphia: Friends World Committee for Consultation, 1987.

★912 ★

Mennonite World Conference

2529 Willow Ave.
Clovis, CA 93612

Alternate Address: International Headquarters: ℅ Exec. Sec. Larry Miller, 7 ave. al Foret-Noire, 67000 Strassbourg, France.

The Mennonite World Conference was founded in 1925 but grew out of a proposal first published and circulated prior to World War I. The first gathering of Mennonites internationally, held at Basel, Switzerland, occurred on the anniversary of the first Mennonite baptism in 1625 and was attended primarily by German, Swiss, French, and Dutch representatives. One person attended from the United States, but the two Russian delegates were unable to obtain a visa to enter Switzerland. The conference became more active after World War II and has grown steadily in its representation of Mennonites in both North America and the Third World.

The conference seeks to further the Christian witness of Mennonites with a particular emphasis on loving interaction between various Mennonite churches, ethical concerns, and the peace witness. It seeks to maintain a network of communication and information for member organizations, establish task forces, and facilitate education, theological studies, and publications. It publishes the Mennonite World Handbook following each meeting of theconference.

Membership: Members of the Conference in North America include the following: Beach Amish Mennonite Fellowship; Bergthaler Churches of Alberta and Saskatchewan; Brethren in Christ General Conference; Chortitzer Mennonite Conference; Church of God in Christ, Mennonite; Conference of Mennonites in Canada; Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church; Evangelical Mennonite Church; Evangelical Mennonite Conference (Canada); Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference; General Conference Mennonite Church; General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches; Hutterian Brethren; Hutterian Brethren of New York, Inc.; Markham-Waterloo Conference (Mennonite); Mennonite Church; New Reinland Mennonite Church of Ontario; Old Colony Mennonite Church Alberta; Old Colony Mennonite Church British Columbia; Old Colony Mennonite Church-Manitoba; Old Colony Mennonite Church-Ontario; Old Colony Mennonite Church-Saskatchewan; Old Order Amish; Old Order Mennonites; Old Order River Brethren; Reinland Mennonite Church; and Sommer felder Mennonite Church.