NCC Newsletter – October 11, 2025

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Subject: NCC Newsletter – October 11, 2025

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NCC Newsletter
NCC 75th/CUG Edition

OCTOBER 11, 2025

CUG/75^th Anniversary Sponsors

Myrrh

Gold

Silver

Greater Boston, Join Us!

CUG 2025/NCC 75^th Anniversary Celebration

October 13–16

Residents, church members, family members, neighbors, and friends in Greater Boston are invited to attend the public worship services to be held in conjunction with NCC's 75^th Anniversary Celebration and annual Christian Unity Gathering. Note: Registration is not required to attend the worship services.

CUG/NCC 75th Anniversary Celebration Schedule of Events Download

Partial List of Speakers/Presenters

His Grace Bishop Anthony

Director, Holy Cross Press

Rev. Dr. Elijah Brown

General Secretary, Baptist World Alliance

Rev. Jeffrey Brown

Associate Pastor, Twelfth Baptist Church, Boston

Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis

Archdeacon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Executive Director of the Huffington Ecumenical Institute, Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of Religion & Black Studies

Rev. Peter Cook

Executive Director, New York State Council of Churches

Bishop Elizabeth Eaton

Former Presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros

Archbishop of America, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

Rev. Laura Everett

Executive Director, Massachusetts Council of Churches

Bishop Samuel Green

Presiding Prelate, First Episcopal District, AME Church

Rev. Dr. Jean Hawxhurst

Ecumenical Staff Officer, United Methodist Church

Dr. Aaron Hollander

Executive Director, Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute

Fr. Nicolas Kazarian

Ecumenical Officer and Director, Inter-Orthodox Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

Kathryn Lohre

Executive for Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Dr. Monica Schaap Pierce

Executive Director, Christian Churches Together

Rev. Dr. Jack Sullivan, Jr.

Executive Director, Ohio Council of Churches

Dr. Don Thorsen

Professor, Department of Biblical and Theological Studies
Azusa Pacific University

Rev. Liz Walker

Senior Pastor, Roxbury Presbyterian Church

Dr. Gina Zurlo

Senior Researcher and Lecturer, World Christianity
Harvard Divinity School

Schedule Overview

MONDAY, October 13 (Marriott Hotel – Newton)

8:00 AM – 6:00 PM Registration Open

10:00 AM Governing Board Meeting — Business Session I

1:00 PM Convening Table Meetings

1:30 PM Governing Board Session II

5:30 PM 75th Anniversary Celebration and Dinner

7:00 PM Opening Plenary: MOSAIC Launch

8:00 PM Concert

8:30 PM Candlelight Vigil on the Riverbank

TUESDAY, October 14 (Huffington Ecumenical Center)

8:45 AM Welcome / Morning Prayer / Study

10:00 AM Plenary 1: “Christ Is Risen, from Generation
to Generation”

11:15 AM Plenary 2: “Challenges and Opportunities of Ecumenism in a Polarized Society”

12:00 PM Ecumenical Leaders Plenary Discussion

1:15 PM Lunch

2:30 PM Nicaea: The Council and Creed that Defined Christianity Book Launch

4:00 PM Break and (Optional) Museum Tour

5:15 PM Evening Vespers Service and
Installation of HE Archbishop Elpidophoros

7:00 PM Reception

WEDNESDAY, October 15 (Cathedral of St. Paul)

8:45 AM Presentation by Embrace Boston Memorial
and Prayers Service

9:15 AM Walk to Cathedral of St. Paul (one block)

9:30 AM Welcome / Morning Prayer

10:30 AM Presentation and Panel: “Our Global Christian Family: Trends in World Christianity for 21st Century Ecumenism”

11:15 AM NCC Past Presidents & Board Chairs Panel

12:30 PM Lunch

1:30 PM Walk to Museum of African American History — African Meeting House (Limited Van Seats)

2:00 PM MAAH Service

3:30 PM Coffee Reception/Museum Tour

4:30 PM Ecumenical Walking Tour (Optional): Quaker Meeting House, Paulist Center, Park Street (NAACP/MCC founded here); King’s Chapel
(statue for enslaved persons)

5:30 PM Dinner (Cathedral of St. Paul)

6:45 PM Robing and Processional Line-up

7:00 PM Anniversary Celebratory Public Worship Service

9:15 PM Bus departs for hotel

THURSDAY, October 16 (Holy Trinity Armenian Church)

9:00 AM Welcome / Morning Prayer Service

10:00 AM Plenary 1: Intergenerational Panel: “Writing the Next Chapter”

11:15 AM Plenary 2: “Theology & Technology: Theological Imagination in a Digital Age”

12:00 PM Closing

Boston: Know Before You Go

NCC 75th Anniversary / CUG Attendees

Bring comfortable shoes — There will be opportunities to visit the Embrace Statue, visit museums, and go on the Ecumenical Walking Tour.

Bring an umbrella/jacket — rain is forecast for Sunday – Tuesday.

Ground Transportation — Take Uber, Lyft, or a taxi from the airport or train station to your hotel destination

Breakfast — If you are staying at the Marriott Newton, breakfast is included in your room charge. The Governing Board Business Sessions #1 and #2 will be held at the Marriott Newton beginning at 10 a.m. on Monday, the Convening Tables at 1:00 p.m., and the Opening Night dinner and Mosaic Launch.

Daily Transportation — NCC chartered buses will leave from the Marriott Newton at 8:00 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and return at the end of the day's programming on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday morning, check out of the hotel and bring your luggage on the bus, which will transport attendees to the airport from Trinity Armenian Church.

Pray — Let’s cover our travel and Boston sojourn in prayer!

Friendship Press Book Launch!

Tuesday, October 14, 2:30 PM
Huffington Ecumenical Institute

Coming from the Faith and Order Table of the National Council of Churches, Nicaea invites readers to rediscover the depth and vitality of the creed that continues to shape the heart of Christian belief. Whether you’re a pastor, theologian, or layperson seeking to deepen your understanding, this book will inspire a renewed appreciation for the legacy of this foundational moment in Christian history.

Regular price: $24.99

Visit www.friendshippress.org

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Subject: NCC Newsletter – October 11, 2025