 |
 |
 |
One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism
A Tri-Lateral Covenant Among
The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,
Southern California
West Synod
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
November 20, 1994, Feast of Christ the King
Introduction
In our time we are witnesses to two great movements of the Holy Spirit: the Ecumenical Movement and the Second Vatican Council. These graced events have challenged us towards a vision of unity for the third millennium.
Today the word 'church' has come to mean something larger than previously employed. While each denomination refers to themselves as "the Church", there is now an accepted understanding that it includes all the faithful who have been baptized in the name of the Triune God.
However, this is only the first step towards any form of unity. On the international and local levels, major efforts are being made to recognize and understand the reality of our common faith in Jesus Christ and address the differences that divide us. Cooperation in work and prayer already exists on the various levels of the ecumenical encounter.
A Covenant is a recognition of this reality. It is an endorsement of the local efforts of partnership, and a pledge to continue to work, no matter what the obstacles, towards the unity that Jesus himself prayed for on the night before he died.
Unity and a spirit of cooperation takes on a special significance here in the city of Los Angeles. The city is a microcosm of the world wide community of faith, religion, culture and language. In this diverse community, the common witness of a united format of evangelization and prayer puts us on the threshold of a new era.
It is in this spirit that we joyfully move forward, as brothers and sisters of one Lord, belonging to one Faith through our one Baptism.
