Friends:

I have been drinking lots of coffee--but not blogging at all.

I will be blogging more in the future.

One big thing that kept me really busy was teaching
Introudction to Practical Ecumenism. This is the same course
I taught previously at Virginia Theological Seminary. This time it was at
Washington Theological Union in Takoma Park. The class was small but
of great interest to me. The discussion were excellent. Two of the students
were from Africa and they added a different point of view as they shared the
experience--good and not-so-good, of ecumenism in Africa.

I always learn a lot from these courses--for example, this time I not only got more of
a sense of ecumenism in Africa but also, from a student from the Orthodox tradition, I
got a better sense of Orthodoxy in the United States.

I have always hope to have an Orthodox presence in the Consortium--but now am convinced that it will not be a seminary but perhaps another mode of presence.

Peace,
John