On December 2-4, 2010, I had a privilege to attend the fifth gathering of the AMCU held in the premises of the FABC' Office in Bangkok, Thailand. The occasion has offered a big deal of learning and good impact. For a first time participant, the first challenge to address dealt with the meaning of the many acronyms appearing in the invitation letter and running throughout the program of those three days activities. Exception made of the few ones, such as FABC and CCA, all other terms were unfamiliar. To what could AMCU, APS, AEA, CATS, ACTS…refer?

To compensate for that preoccupation, I pondered on the theme proposed and inferred on the identities and expectations of the participants. The theme read: "One in the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer." I hence thought that only individuals and groups concerned with and animated by an ecumenical quest would be participating in this kind of gatherings.

The experience has opened my eyes to the determined ecumenical journey of several Christian groups and denominations in Asia. I have learned that AMCU stands for Asia Movement for Christian Unity. It was created in 1995 to foster the FABC- CCA's desire for ecumenical dialogue and unity. AMCU's gatherings offer venues for consultation and collaboration for its Joint Task Forces, among which CATS (Congress of Asian Theologians) and ACTS (Asia Conference of Theological Students). Moreover, AMCU gatherings have also facilitated the expansion of the Asian wave of ecumenism. The AEA (Asia Evangelical Alliance) participated in AMCU IV held in Malaysia in 2007 and in AMCU V held in 2010, the APS (Asian Pentecostal Society) has been welcomed.

The whole atmosphere of AMCU V confirmed a certain achievements of the initial intentions. I have been particularly impressed not only by the wisdom and competence of the members but also by their realism, their deep and sincere trust which enabled a sharing in trust and possibility to learn from each other in humility. The ecumenical journey starts by recognizing that despite existing differences, Christians do share a common root. With AMCU the thread becomes clearer and stronger as we learn to emphasize what unites us as Christians while appropriately cherishing each other's specific history. As Christians, we are heirs of a legacy that unites us and sets us in a chain flowing from the teachings of the apostles, prayer, fellowship, breaking of bread. We are at different layer responsible for the management of that legacy. While history reminds us of failures in the management of that legacy, the present AMCU gathering has reminded each to make the needed contrition. Though a mere determination to amend cannot restore the communion shattered, the felt pain and remorse can now be part of the shared ecumenical legacy. May the Lord sustain our yearning for unity with creativity and humility!