Greetings and anniversary wishes from the Theology and Inter-Church Inter-Faith Committee. As you celebrate the United Church's 85th Anniversary, we invite you to reflect on this phrase from 1 Corinthians 10:17:
"...we who are many are one body..."
and answer the following question:
How do you as an individual, congregation, or ministry of the United Church experience being one body? In other words, what bonds us together as The United Church of Canada?
Welcome to my blog—a place to reflect with me on God’s abundant healing of soul, community, and creation. I hope you will visit often and be part of this sacred conversation.
For four days the General Council Executive (GCE) has met carefully and faithfully, discerning God’s leading and direction as we considered the actions of General Council and their implementation.
There was joy in the struggle as we recognized both our gifts and our limitations as a church. In God’s world, there is abundance in community, and wherever our particular gifts end (and our limitations begin), others’ particular gifts begin and are called forth. I saw this process of trusting one another’s good gifts throughout the meeting, and am confident that when we have the sense to choose community, the truth of abundance is known in both personal and institutional ways. We are being called to explore and live into this truth in new ways as the United Church.
This has been bothering me for a while now and I want to ask the opinion of some others attending General Council 40 in Kelowna.
Over the past few years (having been accelerated in the past few months), the Vancouver Olympics have overtaken the city of Vancouver and the province of BC (and much of the rest of Canada, in the form of advertising campaigns, etc.). But while most Canadians are reveling in the attention the world will soon focus on our country, injustice and discrimination and racism bubble just beneath the surface.
Before anyone panics that I have fallen down a well somewhere I thought I would drop a note to say that I will be gone, except for quick peeks, until the 17th of August.
Later today, like after I go to bed this morning, the family and I will be off to the Muskoka area to hang with some friends in the Lake Rosseau area. Swimming, sleeping, eating, lathering, rinsing and repeating.
So, General Council is coming. And since it is longer than any other church meeting, I don't have enough shirts to last from the 9-15. Plus one day on each end for travel, but those two are optional.
So far I have:
1) "God is coming. Look busy."
2) My "Jesus Saves" goalie shirt that was my avatar
Ok. Continuing on to the next in the 20 Articles of Faith in the Basis of Union... how do you do on essential agreement with this one? What does it say to you?
(Note: If you're just coming into this thread, you may want to take a look at the previous connected thread titled, "What does this say to me? Article 1". Then again, you may not! *grin*)
Welcome to WonderCafe's new discussion forum for General Council 40! This forum is for discussion on issues related to The United Church of Canada's 40th General Council meeting which will be held this August in Kelowna, B.C.
We encourage you to join others here in conversation about the decisions to be made by General Council, the vote for a new Moderator, activities at the meeting location in Kelowna, and more!
Every three years the General COuncil of the United Church of Canada meets. This August they will be meeting in Kelowna.
FOr those who want to keep up with what will be happening there is a website with information here (http://gc40.united-church.ca/) It is expected that this site will be updated frequently over the next few months. It also has information about how we will be able to follow -in real time- what is happening at the meeting.
