Christians who had never prayed together began to do s o regularly. There was an almost visible increase in mutual respect. Formal dialogues among representatives of different denominations began. Much has been accomplished in the past 30 years. The implications of common baptism are recognized.
Christians pray together - study each others documents very carefully and respectfully.
Formal dialogues among religious groups make slow but real prog ress. Some extraordinarily helpful documents have appeared, the 1982 Lima Document of the Commission of Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches, Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry being an outstanding example, as is the joint statement of Roman Catholic and Evangelical Christians which appeared in 1994. Another important document, Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism , issued by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity in June of 1993 deserv es note. Locally, through the sensitive work of Dr. Diane Kessler of the Massachusetts Council of Churches, this document became the starting point of much valuable discussion. Much has been accomplished but much remains to be done.