Friday, August 4, 2006
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA'S GENERAL COUNCIL MEETS IN AUGUST
Toronto: Canada's largest Protestant denomination, The United Church of Canada, is holding its 39th General Council in Thunder Bay, Ontario, August 13-19, 2006. The meetings will take place on the campus of Lakehead University, in a building known as the Student Union Hangar.
The opening day of the 39th General Council will include a public worship service that begins at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, August 13, 2006. An additional 300 visitors from local United Churches are expected to attend this worship service.
The General Council, a national gathering of close to 400 delegates called commissioners, meets every three years. Commissioners are selected by the church's 13 regional Conferences and represent an equal number of lay and ordered men and women. In addition, more than 300 guests, observers, youth, children, staff, and volunteers will be present for the week-long gathering.
The General Council meets to elect a new Moderator and to approve new church policies. The last meeting of the General Council took place in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, in August 2003. This meeting, however, will be significantly different in that one-third of the agenda time will be dedicated to a discernment process that is designed to allow the 39th General Council to deliver a "message of purpose to the church." In other words, commissioners will be asked to answer the questions: What is the work of the church? Why does The United Church of Canada exist? and What are our congregations for? In a letter to commissioners, the current Moderator, the Right Rev. Dr. Peter Short, describes the task this way:
"I think the Spirit is taking The United Church of Canada to a still point. I'm not talking about an inert place or to a hopeless place but a still point. There will be lots of work to do at the Council-important work and necessary-but spiritually the church is approaching a still point. It will be perhaps a turning point or a threshold place where choices must be made about who we are, not just about what policies and procedures we will adopt."
Other business to be dealt with by the 39th General Council includes the following:
* Election of the Moderator: The election of the church's next Moderator will take place on Tuesday, August 15, 2006. At approximately 3:00 p.m., each of the nominees will have an opportunity to address the Council for five minutes. The first ballot is scheduled to begin shortly after 4:00 p.m.
* Appointment of the new General Secretary: On Sunday, August 13, the 39th General Council will be asked to appoint The United Church of Canada's senior administrative officer, the General Secretary of the General Council.
* "A Snapshot of Canada": On Sunday evening, August 13 at 7:30 p.m., there will be a keynote address on social values research presented by Michael Adams, a noted commentator, author, and president of the Environics group of research and communications consulting companies.
* Emerging Spirit: This is a proposal to move into the implementation phase of an initiative that focuses on establishing and nurturing the relationship of the United Church with Canadians between the ages of 30 and 45 who are not part of any organized faith group.
* A Song of Faith: A proposed new statement of faith provides a verbal picture of what The United Church of Canada understands its faith to be in its current historical, political, social, and theological context at the beginning of the 21st century.
* Isolation in Ministry report and Ministry Compensation report: Two reports deal with issues related to the well-being of ministry personnel serving The United Church of Canada.
* Middle East: The 39th General Council will discuss a proposal entitled "Ethical Investment for Peace in Palestine and Israel."
* United Church-Muslim relations: A final report on the response to the study document "That We May Know Each Other" will be presented, along with a proposed policy statement on United Church relations with Islam.
* 1986 Apology: The 39th General Council will mark the 20th anniversary of the United Church's 1986 Apology to First Nations Peoples.
* Water-Life before Profit: This proposal suggests that water is a sacred gift and that its value to the common good must take priority over commercial interests.
* The Exercise of Discipline of Ministry Personnel: The 39th General Council will be asked to adopt the draft standards of practice and ethical standards as outlined in this report.
* Aboriginal/Francophone/Ethnic Ministries: The report "A Transformative Vision for The United Church of Canada" includes a proposal that The United Church of Canada commit itself to becoming an intercultural church.
A complete news and information service will be available to reporters both on-site and off. The General Council Newsroom will be located in the cardio room in Sanders Fieldhouse on the campus of Lakehead University. Daily news reports will be posted on The United Church of Canada's website and are also available to reporters via e-mail. To register for this service, simply follow the instructions on the United Church's website at http://www.united-church.ca/gc39/.
To obtain media accreditation for the 39th General Council, reporters should visit the General Council Newsroom in Sanders Fieldhouse. Reporters with media accreditation will also have access to a designated press area located in the Student Union Hangar.
An opening news conference to introduce the agenda for the 39th General Council is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 13, 2006. The United Church of Canada's current Moderator, the Right Rev. Dr. Peter Short, and the Rev. Dr. Jim Sinclair, the General Secretary of the General Council, will be available at this news conference to meet with reporters.
A copy of the draft agenda and other documentation related to the 39th General Council are posted on The United Church of Canada's website at http://www.united-church.ca/gc39/.
For further information please contact:
Mary-Frances Denis Communications Officer The United Church of Canada 416-231-7680 ext. 2016 (office: until August 8, 2006) * 416-885-7478 (cell: from August 9, 2006)
* Please note: As of Friday, August 11, 2006, a recorded message on the office phone number listed above will direct you to the on-site phone number for the General Council Newsroom.
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