Drawing to a Close

Next year I may be blogging the conference from an internet tablet in Phoenix, AZ. I'll have to see on that. In the meantime, things are drawing to a close here. I've met lots of fascinating folks and am excited to take some of what I've learned here home with me. Like the wedding at Cana, the organizers saved the best for last. The final panel discussion featuring one Orthodox, one Reformed and one Catholic presenter offered amazing insights into their conception of both the local and the global/universal church. The room for dialogue was excellent and I feel better informed about each. Tonight we have a final Eucharist at the Lutheran Center Chapel and then tomorrow I'll be headed home after a plenary with some national church staff. I've made a number of good contacts both for returning to New England and for future ecumenical work around the U.S. Once I get the CD's of some of the talks, I'll be posting selections from the conference here.