[Dialogue] Ecumenical Institute at Bossley, Switzerland

Sun Jul 17 20:07:31 CDT 2011

To add a funny detail;
When the McCleskeys and the Busses left on the Africa etc. research trip in the summer of 1963 our address was 1742 (I think) Asbury, Evanston.  When we returned at the end of the summer of 1963, our address was 3444 W. Congress Parkway.
Guess Slicker would know the week/month.
Sarah

On Jul 17, 2011, at 3:14 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>
>> 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
>> _______________________________________________
>> 
>> 
>> Dialogue mailing list
>> 
>> 
>> Dialogue at wedgeblade.net
>> 
>> 
>> http://wedgeblade.net/mailman/listinfo/dialogue_wedgeblade.net
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Dialogue mailing list
>> Dialogue at wedgeblade.net
>> http://wedgeblade.net/mailman/listinfo/dialogue_wedgeblade.net
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Dialogue mailing list
> Dialogue at wedgeblade.net
> http://wedgeblade.net/mailman/listinfo/dialogue_wedgeblade.net

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://wedgeblade.net/pipermail/dialogue_wedgeblade.net/attachments/20110717/b2334715/attachment.html>