[Dialogue] Ecumenical Institute at Bossley, Switzerland

Sun Jul 17 18:53:38 CDT 2011

Did the Church Federation purchase the site?  I thought we had some sort 
of lease arrangement

Len

On 7/17/2011 1:14 PM, Charles or Doris Hahn wrote:
> 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 <mailto:clingojr at aol.com>>
>> *To:* dialogue at wedgeblade.net <mailto: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 <mailto:KarenBueno at aol.com>>
>> To: dialogue <dialogue at wedgeblade.net 
>> <mailto:dialogue at wedgeblade.net>>; oe <oe at wedgeblade.net 
>> <mailto: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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