The story of the International Ecumenical Fellowship (IEF) is the story of countless pilgrims, from many places, journeying together towards the same destination – the renewal and unity of the Christian Church. During forty years its story has been the story of a dispersed community of largely grassroots Christians, being inspired and encouraged to work, in their own localities, for Christian unity. And their inspiration has been the vision and experience of ‘Living Today the Church of Tomorrow’. Clearly some events and personalities stand out, but the experience has been everyone’s. It is significant that IEF’s name includes the world ‘fellowship’; it is not a movement or association; it is a fellowship, koinonia, a community bound together by God the Holy Spirit. We want this short paper to be a celebration of IEF, and what makes it distinctive and unique.

When we reflect on the early history of our fellowship, we are left awe-struck by the boldness of our founders –the quiet persistence in being bold in an understated, practical way, as in the Eucharist, and by just getting on with BEING ONE in Jesus Christ. This came from a prophetic conviction that the aims of the fellowship were God’s will for us, and out of this came a commitment by everyone to use all their talents, through gifts of the Holy Spirit, in furtherance of this aim. ‘Jesus prayed that the unity of His chosen may reflect His unity with His Father… that we may do the same - that the world may believe.’ (Rev’d Michael Bruce)