Brothers and Sisters in Christ

An open letter of gratitude, hope and encouragement from Dr Ian Watson to Christians Across Norfolk and Waveney, marking nearly three years as County Ecumenical Officer

Grace and peace to you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Later this year, I approach the completion of my third anniversary as County Ecumenical Officer for Norfolk and Waveney.  Recently, I have found myself reflecting on all that I have experienced, learned, and received during this remarkable period of service.

When I first accepted the role, I expected to attend meetings, represent Churches Together in Norfolk and Waveney, encourage cooperation between churches, and support the ongoing work of Christian unity.  Those things have certainly been part of the journey.  What I did not fully anticipate, however, was how much I myself would be changed by the experience.

Over these past three years, I have worshipped with Christians from many traditions.  I have prayed in Anglican churches, Methodist chapels, United Reformed congregations, Baptist fellowships, Quaker meeting houses, Salvation Army halls, Orthodox communities, and many other settings besides.  I have shared conversations over coffee tables and conference tables.  I have attended services, local Churches Together meetings, prayer gatherings, and celebrations.  I’ve even been on an ecumenical pilgrimage to Rome and shook the hand of Pope Francis.  Most importantly of all, however, I have had the joy of encountering countless faithful Christians whose lives are shaped by a sincere love of Jesus Christ.

Looking back, one of the greatest gifts of this role has been the opportunity to see the Church through a much wider lens.  We often become accustomed to viewing Christianity primarily through the traditions we know best.  That is natural enough.  However, there is something deeply enriching about witnessing the faithfulness of Christians whose worship, language, customs, and emphases differ from our own.  Again and again, I have found myself challenged, encouraged, and inspired by the depth of discipleship I have encountered across our churches.  I have learned so much during this time.

I have met Christians whose commitment to prayer has humbled me - whose knowledge of Scripture and love of Jesus has blown me away. I have met Christians whose generosity, service, compassion, and faithfulness have strengthened my own resolve to follow Christ more closely.  

Far from weakening my own Roman Catholic identity, however, these encounters have genuinely deepened it.  That may surprise some people.  There remains a lingering assumption in some quarters that ecumenical engagement inevitably leads to compromise, dilution, or uncertainty.  Honestly, my experience has been precisely the opposite.  

The more I have encountered authentic Christian faith in others, the more grateful I have become for the treasures of my own tradition.  The sacraments, the liturgy, the richness of Catholic Social Teaching, the witness of the Church throughout history, and above all the presence of Christ in the Eucharist have become, if anything, even more precious to me.  

Ecumenism has not encouraged me to become less Catholic.  It has urged me to explore my tradition in a deeper way and become, if anything, more deeply Catholic – a most surprising gift that I deeply appreciate. I hope my experience acts as an encouragement, especially for those from other traditions who have doubts about what may happen, to them and the relationship with their own tradition, if they were to take the fruitful step to engage with the effort for Christian unity.
 
At the same time, my experience has taught me to recognise the work of the Holy Spirit beyond the visible boundaries of my own communion.  It has reminded me that grace is often encountered in places where we least expect it.  It has helped me see fellow Christians not first through the lens of difference but through our shared baptism and common belonging to Christ.

That, perhaps, has been the most important lesson of all.  Christian unity begins with learning to see one another properly.  It becomes difficult to caricature Christians from other churches once you have prayed alongside them.  It also becomes difficult to maintain inherited suspicions once you have witnessed genuine holiness in others.  And it becomes difficult to speak of “them” when you have discovered brothers and sisters in Christ.

Of course, I know from my experiences that significant differences remain.  I know that theology, doctrine and truth matter, and that ecumenism is not achieved by pretending otherwise.  Even so, I have become increasingly convinced that friendship, trust, and mutual understanding are not distractions from the pursuit of unity.  They are among the means through which God prepares the ground for it.  I have witnessed this repeatedly throughout Norfolk and Waveney.

I have seen churches supporting one another in times of difficulty.  I have seen Christians serving local communities together, prayer offered across denominational boundaries, and I have seen friendships emerge where previously there had been little contact.  Most of all, I have seen people choosing cooperation and generosity over competition and suspicion.  This has been so impactful and impressive to me.

What once seemed like small things no longer feel that way to me, because every shared prayer, every friendship, each act of cooperation, and all the gestures of reconciliation I have witnessed truly do matter.   They all bear witness to the wonderful High Prestly Prayer of Jesus in St John’s Gospel “that they may all be one”.

The world around us today all too often seems increasingly fractured.  Many people struggle with loneliness, distrust, uncertainty, and division.  In such circumstances, Christians have an opportunity to offer something desperately needed; namely, a visible demonstration that differences need not result in hostility and that conviction can coexist with charity, friendship and love.

That witness becomes stronger when we offer it together.  For this reason, I remain deeply hopeful about the future of Christian unity.  I say this not because every theological question will soon be resolved, or that denominational distinctions will disappear any time soon, or even that unity is an easy path.  No, I say it because I have experienced the Holy Spirit (the Go-between God) at work among you.

I have seen Christians choosing friendship where there could have been distance.  Churches choosing cooperation where there could well have been indifference.  Most of all, I have seen believers recognising Christ in one another with growing generosity and trust.  The more time we spend with each other, whether it be in fellowship, service, worship or prayer, the more open, receptive, trusting and supportive we are to one another.

What is clear to me is that Jesus has not abandoned the Church in our beautiful but remote part of His Kingdom.  Through the Holy Spirit our Lord (sometimes with a loud voice but mostly quietly) draws us towards one another even now.  

As I look towards the future, my prayer as County Ecumenical Officer for Norfolk and Waveney is simple.  May we continue to pray together.  Continue to learn from one another.  Continue to serve our communities together.  Continue to recognise the gifts God has placed within traditions other than our own.   And, most important of all, may we never lose confidence in the possibility of deeper communion among all who confess Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour.

Thank you to everyone across Norfolk and Waveney who has been and is part of the ecumenical journey.  From my heart, I would like to thank you all for your friendship, support, encouragement, faithfulness, prayers, and witness.

The story of Christian unity across our great county is still being written.  I am so very grateful to God to be a very small part of this witness.  And, through the Spirit of Truth, I remain convinced that some of its most hopeful chapters are yet to come!

Yours in Christ,

Dr Ian Watson
County Ecumenical Officer for Norfolk and Waveney

May 2026

Photo courtesy of Dr Ian Watson