PRESS RELEASE
Haigazian University
Mira Yardemian
Public Relations Director
Mexique Street, Kantari, Beirut
Email: mira@haigazian.edu.lb

Representatives of Lebanese and Syrian Armenian and Arab Evangelical
Churches met with members of the International Congregational
Theological Commission (ICFTC) on Saturday 15th May 2010, with the theme
of ‘Living the Congregational Way – Global Perspectives’.

Speakers from Great Britain, the USA and Argentina spoke of the way
Congregational Christianity had developed in their cultures, and
Lebanese speakers set the context in the Middle East. The conference was
chaired by Rev Dr Manfred Kohl (Canada).

Rev Dr Janet Wootton (UK) said that the vision had originated in the
ferment of the European Reformation, as British Christians longed for a
true return to simple, New Testament Christianity, while Rev Dr William
Fillebrown (USA) spoke of the Pilgrim Fathers’ escape from persecution
in England, to form a new life in the then ‘New World’.

Congregationalism had come to Brazil and Argentina with a group of
immigrants from a German speaking part of Russia. Rev Dr Harding
Stricker (Argentina) described the struggle of the Argentine and
Brazilian churches to raise the level of training for ministers and
churches.

>From Lebanon, Rev Dr Habib Badr outlined congregationalism in the Near
East. Historically the evangelical (congregational) churches had had a
great influence. The President of the host, Haigazian University, Rev Dr
Paul Haidostian, guided the symposium to look into the future, ending
with a series of questions about congregationalism. The movement had
been formed as a form of church organisation, but was now discovering an
underlying theology.

An excellent discussion followed. "We were seeking to discern the way
that congregational churches were being led by the Spirit of God.
Certainly, we wished to proceed in fellowship with other denominations
locally and internationally. We had a great deal to offer to the
ecumenical community" concluded one organizer.

The International Congregational Fellowship, with its major regular
publication, International Congregational Journal, offers a broad
fellowship of churches, under whose auspices the symposium had been
organized.