YOUNG STEWARDS LEARN ECUMENISM FIRST HAND
2007/11/792.html
November 6, 2007
Participants in the Young Stewards Program
Iselin, NJ — For the first time since the inception of the program,
the National Council of Churches USA’s (NCC) Young Stewards Program
welcomed two stewards from two of its Orthodox member communions. They
are volunteering at the 2007 General Assembly of the NCC and Church
World Service (CWS) in suburban New Jersey.
Maria Derderian of the Diocese of the Armenian Orthodox Church of
America and Phoebe Farag of the Coptic Orthodox Church of North
America are currently serving as one of 10 young stewards during the
General Assembly.
This year is significant for the Oriental Orthodox member communions
as Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, diocesan legate and ecumenical officer,
Armenian Orthodox Church of America, will begin his two year term as
the president of the NCC.
Derderian currently works at the Diocese of the Armenian Orthodox
Church.
She graduated with a Master of Arts from a joint program of St. Nersess
Armenian Theological Seminary and St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological
Seminary in Crestwood, N.Y. She grew up in Philadelphia and lives in
New York City.
Phoebe Farag represents the Coptic Orthodox Church in the NCC’s
Justice for Women Working Group. She is originally from New York and
now lives and works in the Washington, D.C. area where she serves
youth and young adults at St.
Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Church. She is also an advisor to the church’s
Mission Life Center. Farag is the training and evaluation coordinator
for Amnesty International USA.
Also serving as stewards are Jared Carson and Laura Strietelmeier
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America; DeMay Grunden, Gena
Anderson, and Kevin Nelson of the United Methodist Church; Omar
Dykes of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, John Frame of the
Church of God (Anderson), and Jonathan Hall of the Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ). Carson and Grunden are Senior Stewards having
served at last year’s General Assembly in Orlando, Florida.
For five consecutive years, the Young Stewards Program has brought
10-12 young adults to the NCC/CWS General Assembly to participate by
carrying out assignments at the General Assembly while observing the
ecumenical work of the delegates attending the conference.
The program is an opportunity for young adults interested in the
ecumenical movement to network, learn about different communions,
worship in an ecumenical setting, interact with national church
leaders, and become more involved in ecumenism. The Rev. Garland
Pierce, the NCC’s Associate General Secretary for Education and
Leadership Ministries, leads the program every year.
Stewards participate in a young adult pre-assembly and then carry
out various support roles throughout the General Assembly, the
governing body of the NCC and CWS. Stewards are able to observe
ecumenicalproceedings, interact with delegates from the member
communions, and participate in some General Assembly activities. In
the mornings and evenings they meet for devotion and debriefings.
The National Council of Churches USA is the ecumenical voice of 35 of
America’s Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican, historic African American
and traditional peace churches. These NCC member communions have 45
millionfaithful members in 100,000 congregations in all 50 states.
Church World Service is the relief, development, and refugee assistance
agency of these same communions, working in 80 countries around the
world to eradicate hunger and poverty and promote peace and justice.
For more info, see General Assembly convenes in NJ and NY
On site media contacts: Ann Walle, Church World Service; Mr. Pat
Pattillo, NCC.
NCC News contact: Philip Jenks, 212.870.2228,
pjenks@councilofchurches.org or Dan Webster, 212.870.2252,
NCCnews@ncccusa.org
Media Contact: Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676;
lcrosson@churchworldservice.org Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526;
jdragin@gis.net