COUNCIL FORMED BY FOUR CHURCHES

By ALAN JACKSON
FOUR Christian denominations
Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists and the Church of Scotland—this week joined in a new venture to promote unity and dialogue.
The move was disclosed officially on Wednesday night by a Church of England announcement which said that clergy and laity of all four denominations had formed a Christian Council of Westminster.
"Their business," said the statement, "is to practise and promote prayer for Christian unity, dialogue and discussion, and common service to the community."
Westminster is an ideal location for such a venture for its boundaries embrace the headquarters of the Church of England and Westminster Abbey, which begins celebrating its 900th anniversary this December, the Catholic Cathedral of Westminster, and Central Hall, the headquarters of the Methodist Church in this country.
While the Church of Scotland's headquarters are in Scotland, it has two churches in London of which one, Crown Court, is in Westminster.
Basis laid down
Wednesday's announcement disclosed that the new Christian Council had already held its first meeting at which it adopted a draft constitution which laid down that its basis "shall he the confession of the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour according to the Scriptures, and the desire to seek to fulfil together the common calling to glorify the One God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit."
The meeting was held in the Jerusalem Chamber of Westminster Abbey. Catholics present included Mgr. George Tomlinson, Administrator of Westminster Cathedral; Fr, Thomas Corbishley, s.J., Superior of Farm Street Church, and Canon Francis J. Bartlett, of Our Lady of the Assumption, Warwick Square.
Anglican clergy included Canon Michael Stanclifte, Canon of Westminster; the Rev. Austen Williams, Vicar of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar. -Square, and the Rev. Mielsael Brace, vicar of St. Mark's, North Audley Street, The Church of Scotland was represented by the Rev. Miller Scott, minister of Crown Court, and Mr. J. W. Baxter, the Crown Court session clerk. The Rev. Maurice Barnett, minister of Central Hall, represented the Methodists. Lay representatives included one woman, Miss Margaret Edwards.
The announcement also said the new Christian Council had decided to seek association with the British Council of Churches, the British affiliate of the World Council of Churches.
It had also appointed a group representing all four Churches to plan the annual Trafalgar Square Rally during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity scheduled for next January.