Pilgrim of Hope

How are we to assess the modern ecumenical movement? Is it 'an extraordinary gift to the Church' and 'an amazing movement of renewal: or is it a giant missed opportunity?

Pilgrims of Hope is an account of the ecumenical endeavour of the churches in Australia over three decades. Following Frank Engel's monumental Christians in Australia: Conflict and Unity and Christians in Australia: Times of Change that recorded the evolution of ecumenism and the ecumenical involvement of the churches in Australian society up until the late 1970s, Pilgrims of Hope picks up that story, and does so from a particular perspective.

It tells of the development of ecumenism in Australia as it has been expressed through the various national and state councils of churches during the subsequent thirty years. Furthermore, it reflects the perspective of an 'insider': it is written from the experience of one who was intimately involved with those councils for more than two of those three decades.

The book brings the ecumenical narrative up to 2010, the centenary year of the modern ecumenical movement, and so asks and responds to the question: how did Australian churches come through the last three decades of that ecumenical century? Many insights are offered into how that question can be answered, recognising the difficulties, acknowledging the disappointments and celebrating the progress on the journey.

Most importantly, Pilgrims of Hope relates the ecumenical story out of a strong conviction that ecumenism holds up to the churches an all-embracing vision for unity and renewal in the whole Church and in the whole human community. The book shows the extent to which the churches caught that vision and how they responded to it:
* by being together in fellowship to deepen their understanding of each other;
* to grow more fully into the truth of Christ;
* to create more extensive cooperation together and to signify their unity in Christ more visibly; and
*by working together in witness to the broader community and in striving for the building of a more compassionate, just and peaceful world.

This book offers a glimpse of the breadth of that ecumenical endeavour as it has been lived by Australian churches over thirty years.


The Reverend Dr Ray Williamson is an Anglican priest, a graduate of Sydney and Newcastle universities, and has been a theological teacher throughout his ordained ministry. He served as the General Secretary of the NSW Ecumenical Council for twenty-one years, during which time he also acted as the secretary to two national ecumenical commissions. In 1997, he was a co-founder of and continues to work with the Centre for Ecumenical Studies. He was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in 2008 for his ecumenical work. Ray is married to Erica Mathieson, and has two daughters and two grandsons.