Crossin Annual Report to Friends

Annual Report to the Friends of the Consortium
John W. Crossin, OSFS
Executive Director
April 29, 2010

This year my report will look to the future. In April of 1971 the Consortium was incorporated here in the District of Columbia. To mark our 40th Anniversary, we are in the planning a number of events to which you are invited.

· Dr. Michael Kinnamon, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches, will be the speaker for the Annual Tachmindji Event on Monday Afternoon, October 25that Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria. He will speak about the 100th Anniversary of the Ecumenical Movement.

· Bishop Thomas J. Hoyt of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church will receive the Consortium Ecumenism Award and give the Annual Figel Lecture at the Student Board’s Prayer Service for Christian Unity. This event will take place at Howard University Divinity School and is tentatively scheduled for February 2nd.

· The Annual Friends Reception will take place in April around the time of the actual founding. We are making plans for a Gala Reception.

During the Fortieth Anniversary Year we will be revising our Strategic Plan. We are hoping that all who are part of the Consortium will give input into our planning process. We welcome your questions.

The school year 2009-10 has been a busy one.

o Dr. Richard Jones began his time as the Al-Alwani Chair in Muslim-Christian Dialogue on July 1. His courses are supporting the Certificate Program. His inaugural lecture took place in March—and is available on the Consortium Website.

o The Tachmindji Event was a joint one with the Dadian Art Gallery and the Luce Center at Wesley. The Gallery sponsored an exhibit of icons and presentations by the artists. The Tachmindji speaker was Professor Richard Schneider of Toronto, a distinguished theologian and expert on icons.

o Metropolitan Kallistos—a leading Orthodox Theologian–came again this year from England and this time received the Ecumenism Award at the Student Prayer Service and gave the Second Figel Lecture. He updated us on the international Orthodox-Catholic dialogue and it progress.

o At the Prayer Service Marc Delmonico received the Consortium Ecumenism Certificate.

o The distinguished Professor of Anthropology Douglas Fry came from Finland and addressed the latest evidence on human conflict and our potential for peace. His public lecture was sponsored by the Consortium Science and Religion Faculty Group chaired by Father Wimmer.

These are just a few of the Consortium events and activities of the past year.

Peace,
John