The Kentucky Council of Churches is excited to bring to the Commonwealth the Rev. Bertrice Y. Wood of Cleveland, who was appointed the first director of Churches Uniting in Christ (CUIC) in April 2002. She will be the preacher for the Ecumenical service on Thursday evening, October 17, 2002.
Wood is a seasoned church executive and was the first female pastor of the 137-year-old, historic and predominantly African-American Mt. Zion Congregational United Church of Christ in Cleveland. She also was associate to the executive vice president, United Church Board for World Ministries, in New York and Cleveland. She has taught at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, Calif., and Lancaster (Pa.) Theological Seminary. She is the author of "Learning a Religious Tradition: Identity by Contrast," Theological Education, volume 34, 1997, on ecumenical formation. She is also currently vice president at large of the National Council of the Churches, serves on the UCC Council for Ecumenism, the Ohio Conference (UCC) Board of Trustees, the Western Reserve Association (Ohio) Department on Church and Ministry (UCC), the Board of Trustees for Interreligious Partners in Action of Greater Cleveland. She is also a member of United Black Christians, an organization of lay and ordained African-American persons within the UCC.
"Churches Uniting in Christ is an exciting expression of the fullness of ecumenism, ecumenism that has a vision of the unity of the church and the unity of the human community," says Wood. "I am excited that the communions of CUIC have made bold commitments to work toward not only cooperative programs, but toward mutual recognition and reconciliation of their ministries, and to overcoming racism, which divides the churches and our communities."
CUIC grew out of more than 40 years of discussion by nine communions who, despite differing theological views, share a common vision of worshiping and working together as one in the Body of Jesus Christ. These nine churches, or member communions," collectively represent more than 22 million Protestant and Anglican Christians in the United States. The nine member communions include the African Methodist Episcopal Church, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Episcopal Church, International Council of Community Churches, Presbyterian Church (USA), United Church of Christ and United Methodist Church. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America also works with CUIC as a Partner in Mission and Dialogue.
