[Dialogue] Ecumenical Institute at Bossley, Switzerland

Sun Jul 17 15:14:11 CDT 2011

As I remember our traditional pitch about our EI origins:(something like this)  
"There was a resolution at the Second Assembly of the World Council of Churches 
meeting in Evanston stating that there be an Ecumenical Institute in the Western 
Hemisphere similar to the one the WCC operated at Bossey, Switzerland.  There 
was no enabling legislation to go along with the resolution. After a while a 
group of Chicago North Shore Churchmen acted on the legislation and established 
The Ecumentical Institure at it's first location in Evanston with Walter 
Leibrecht as it's first Dean.  They used Theological faculty from various 
Chicago seminaries to do their various presentations or courses.  When Leibrecht 
was chosen by his State Church (Landeskirke) in Germany  to be it's observer at 
Vaitcan Council II, EI was left without leadership and with failing financial 
resources.  Then, the Church Federation of Greater Chicago (the Council of 
Churches type organization for greater Chicago) stepped in to help with the 
situation, and EI became a Division of The Church Federation.  The Church 
Federation began to search for a new Dean, and finally selected Joseph W. 
Mathews who was Director of Studies at the Christian Faith and Life Community in 
Austin, TX and formerly on the faculty at Perkins School of Theology, Southern 
Methodist University, Dallas, TX.  He agreed to come if he could bring a 
significant core of the faculty of The Faith and Life Community with him, and if 
they could be at liberty to live as community sustaining themselves.  The Church 
Federation agreed and 7 or  8 families moved to Evanston.  After a year or so 
people in the neighborhood became uncomfortable with the "community" living in 
this rather large house in "up-scale" Evanston, and so the staff and the Church 
Federation began to search for a more suitable location.  They found a recently 
vacated Church Of The Brethren seminary campus on the near west side of Chicago. 
The Church Federation assisted in finding funding for the purchase of the 
campus.  The Address was 3444 W. Congres Parkway.   The group moved there in 
latter part of 1963 or early 1964.

This is my input on this question.  Others may put refining touches or 
corrections to this story, but as I remember, it is essentially correct.
the Bossey Ecumenical Institute was still operating in the Autumn of 1966 
when Doris and I and Joe and Carol Pierce touched base there as a part of our 
research trip to NAME (North Africa and Middle East).
OK, everyone have a say!
Grace and Peace,
Charles Hahn  

________________________________
From: Marianna Bailey <wmbailey at charter.net>
To: Colleague Dialogue <dialogue at wedgeblade.net>
Sent: Sat, July 16, 2011 4:52:14 PM
Subject: Re: [Dialogue] Ecumenical Institute at Bossley, Switzerland

When the Ecumenical Institute was established in Evanston I was a student at 
Garrett and I attended several lectures by visiting theologians. It is my 
understanding the Church Federation of Greater Chicago later "recruited" Joe 
Mathews from the Faith and Life Community to come to Evanston as the Dean of the 
Ecumenical Institute.  

Bill Bailey

On Jul 16, 2011, at 2:32 PM, W. J. wrote:

As Lingo and some of the other old-timers know, the WCC, meeting in Evanston in 
1954, passed a resolution to establish the "Evanston Institute of Ecumenical 
Studies" to replicate the Bossey Institute in North America. Of course WCC 
didn't fund it, so a group of Chicago area churchmen made it a part of the 
Church Federation of Greater Chicago. Wonder what happened to that organization? 
I think it kind of disappeared due to funding drying up and a failure of 
leadership among the mainstream denominations that had supported it. I know 
their impressive headquarters on Lake Shore Drive was sold.
>Marshall
>
>
>
________________________________
From: Al Lingo <clingojr at aol.com>
>To: dialogue at wedgeblade.net
>Sent: Sat, July 16, 2011 10:27:58 AM
>Subject: Re: [Dialogue] Ecumenical Institute at Bossley, Switzerland
>
>Karen,
>The Ecumenical Institute at Chateau Bossey near Celigny Switzerland was the 
>first such institute established by the World Council of Churches and offered 
>trainings for church persons from across the world.  I first studied there as 
>theological student in August of 1959, and am very grateful for having had that 
>experience.
>I did look up their web 
>page, http://www.oikoumene.org/en/activities/bossey.html, and expect that they 
>may still be quite a resourceful center in the life of the church.  Enjoy your 
>reading and learning more about their current program.
>Charles
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: KarenBueno <KarenBueno at aol.com>
>To: dialogue <dialogue at wedgeblade.net>; oe <oe at wedgeblade.net>
>Sent: Sat, Jul 16, 2011 12:30 pm
>Subject: [Dialogue] Ecumenical Institute at Bossley, Switzerland
>
>
>http://www.oikoumene.org/en/news/news-management/eng/a/article/1634/students-of-diverse-faith.html?tr=y&auid=8663593
>
>
>
>Anyone know any more about this organization?  Their website says it was started 
>in 1946.  Were they in any way related to "us"?  I know "we" had some sort of 
>commission from the World Council of Churches in the '60s.
>
>Karen Bueno
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