News

Upper Room Chapel Observes Christian Unity Week

(January 10, 2008, GBOD) — The Upper Room Chapel will join United Methodists and others across the globe in observing the 100th anniversary of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in a special worship service at 8:30 a. m. Wednesday, Jan. 16 at 1908 Grand Ave.

The Rev. W. Douglas Mills

The Rev. W. Douglas Mills, an executive with the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, will be the speaker.

"We celebrate all that has been accomplished in the 100 years since the movement began in a chapel in New York state. Now a worldwide network of pastors and laity join in this prayer service, said the Rev. Tom Albin, dean of the Upper Room Chapel.

Also joining in this prayer will be hundreds of intercessory prayer groups related to the Upper Room Ministries' Living Prayer Center. The center handles over 30,000 calls per month.

Taken from 1 Thessalonians 5:17, "Pray Without Ceasing" is the theme of the 100th anniversary of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which will be observed Jan. 18-25. (See related article at www.umc.org.)

Mills gives ecumenical leadership to the areas of church dialogue and interfaith relations and manages and staffs all of the United Methodist dialogues with other church communions, including those with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, The Episcopal Church, and the Roman Catholic Church.

In addition to ecumenical dialogue, Mills provides leadership for the United Methodist work in interfaith relations, especially Muslim and Jewish encounters.

An ordained elder in The United Methodist Church, Mills has served a variety of appointments in New Mexico, Northwest Texas and North Carolina.

Mills taught nine years as a professor of Religion at Eastern New Mexico University, where he also served five years as chair of the Department of Religion.

He received his graduate degrees from Duke University Divinity School and Texas Tech University in systematic and liturgical theology and American religious history.

GBOD's mission is to support annual conference and local church leaders for their task of equipping world-changing disciples. An agency of The United Methodist Church, GBOD (www.gbod.org) is located at 1908 Grand Ave. in Nashville, Tenn. For more information, call the Media Relations Office toll free at 877-899-2780, ext. 7017.