Opening worship
In his sermon during opening worship, outgoing Moderator Rev. Dr. Stephen Farris spoke on Hebrews 2:5-13. He urged the gathered commissioners and guests to allow Jesus to be visible in the discussions and debates to come.
Farris’s final act as Moderator of the 140th General Assembly was to install Rev. Karen Horst as Moderator of the 141st General Assembly.
Assembly Council
Assembly Council, the group which carries on the work of the General Assembly throughout the year, presented a plan to revise its membership and terms of reference to shrink the number of members on the council and change how members are appointed.
Sessions, presbyteries and synods will be asked to consider and comment back to the Assembly Council on its proposal by Jan. 31, 2016.
Other recommendations included translating Leading With Care, the church’s policy on preventing and responding to allegations of sexual abuse and harassment, into French and reducing the number of Women’s Missionary Society representatives on the Life and Mission Agency Committee from two people to one person. All the recommendations were approved.
Rev. Peter Bush of the Presbytery of Winnipeg asked “that the Assembly Council develop a plan to implement the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission related to church apologies and reconciliation throughout the committees, agencies and departments of The Presbyterian Church in Canada and the synods, presbyteries and congregations, and to report to the 142nd General Assembly on the plan and the progress made.” The TRC released its recommendations on June 3 as part of a final event in Ottawa.
Clerks of Assembly
The report of the clerks began with a poignant video of Rev. Dr. Tony Plomp, one of the church’s deputy clerks. In it he shared a diagnosis of stage four cancer, which is incurable, he said. He quoted the Heidelberg Catechism which he said he still remembers from childhood and which gives him hope:
“Question: What is your only comfort in life and death? Answer: That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and death—to my faithful Saviour, Jesus Christ.”
Following the video, the Moderator paused to pray for Plomp in his living and his dying, and for the clerks.
Their report included six recommendations, all of which passed without debate.
Commissioner’s Overture
Jonathan Dent and Peter Bush asked the assembly to look into the effects of the Supreme Court’s decision to ban public prayer at the beginning of meetings of the city council of Saguenay, Que., and how the ruling “impacts our city councils, our governments at all levels and our own public prayers, and to enter into conversation with religious leaders of other religious traditions who share our belief that public prayer adds to civil society and the well being of communities.” It was referred to the Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations Committee in consultation with Justice Ministries.
Committee on Church Doctrine
The assembly affirmed “that ordained ministers of churches which are members of the World Communion of Reformed Churches are permitted to preside at the Lord’s Table at the discretion of the moderator or interim moderator of the relevant session.”
Committee to Nominate Standing Committees
Intense debate erupted on Sunday afternoon when the Committee to Nominate Standing Committees brought forward the first of four recommendations.
The controversy surrounded a portion of the recommendation that would have replaced the name Rev. Mark Chiang with the name Rev. Jinsook Khang on the Committee on Church Doctrine. It passed with a vote of 113 in favour and 63 opposed. Twenty-seven commissioners asked to have their dissent to the decision formally recorded in the minutes of assembly. A motion was made to reconsider the matter.
The sederunt was adjourned and another started to adhere to the rules regarding reconsideration. After some heated debate, a motion to leave Chiang’s name on the slate passed by a margin of nine votes. Twenty-one commissioners registered their dissent.
Committee on History
Congregations are encouraged to celebrate Heritage Sunday on Feb. 21, and to contribute a $50 assessment to support the National Presbyterian Museum.
The 2015 history prize went to:
A Journey to the Western Sea: 100 years of the British Columbia Synodical of the Women’s Missionary Society 1914–2014.
The committee also extended its thanks to Rev. Peter Bush for his many years of service as editor of Presbyterian History.
Communications
Communications asked that “all congregations send feedback to the Communications Office on how positive changes can be made to PCPak by using the online feedback form available at presbyterian.ca” and asked church staff and individuals to subscribe to the PCConnect electronic newsletter.
Dealing with Overtures on Human Sexuality
The various courts of the church as well as denominational committees are “encouraged to engage in a year of prayerful conversation and discernment and Bible study on the topics of human sexuality, sexual orientation and other related matters raised in the overtures.”
The church doctrine committee and Justice Ministries department are tasked with preparing a joint study guide to be posted on the church’s website by the end of October, and congregations, sessions, presbyteries and synods are invited to share the results of their conversations with them by March 31, 2016.
The assembly spent two sederunts in table group discussions during which commissioners shared their own thoughts and feelings in a spirit of openness and grace. Moderator Rev. Karen Horst asked commissioners to “listen generously” and requested that the live stream of the assembly floor be turned off to ensure commissioners felt safe in expressing their opinions, concerns and struggles.
Dr. Rick Allen
Dr. Rick Allen will be retiring after 35 years of service with the PCC, working in community health and preventative care in Kenya. Allen has been instrumental in helping the church develop a new and progressive policy on HIV/AIDS; a policy that is recognized as one of the best on the continent. In Kenya, 1.5 million people are infected with HIV/AIDS, and Allen’s care, work and contribution has resulted in better care for these individuals, improved access to services, and education and advocacy in churches and communities that has helped change opinions and dispel myths about the disease.
Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations Committee
The committee expressed thanks to the churches, presbyteries and committees that studied and responded to The Church: Towards a Common Vision and Together Towards Life: Mission and Evangelism in Changing Landscapes, and commended the documents for ongoing study and use. The two documents were prepared by international ecumenical groups, and the World Council of Churches—of which the Presbyterian Church in Canada is a member—asked its member churches to consider them and provide feedback.
The second recommendation sought “to encourage Presbyterians to acknowledge, understand and appreciate the strengths of other faith traditions, and to help Presbyterians to live in good relationship with persons who belong to other religions.”
International Affairs
The committee’s report focused on numerous international issues, including religious persecution in India; the global situation of refugees, including the millions of people displaced by the conflict in Syria; the Millennium Development Goals (a 15-year global initiative to reduce poverty by the end of 2015); the global Arms Trade Treaty, including the 2014 $15-billion sale of light armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia by London, Ontario-based General Dynamics Land Systems Canada; and an update on the shareholder dialogue between the PCC and Goldcorp regarding the Marlin mine in Guatemala. The report included 11 recommendations asking the Moderator of the 141st General Assembly to write to the pertinent governments and global bodies about these issues, as well as asking the church to pray for all people being persecuted.
Justice Ministries
The report of the Justice Ministries department addressed a number of social justice issues including the effect of Canadian mining operations on indigenous groups, government action on climate change, and a report on payday loans. The moderator will write a number of letters to the Government of Canada on behalf of the PCC pertaining to these issues.
Korean Translation of Living Faith
In the final step required to create church law, the Korean translation of Living Faith was adopted as a subordinate standard of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Rev. Alfred Lee, a commissioner from the Presbytery of Western Han Ca and convener of the committee on remits, offered a special thanks for the denomination’s support of the Korean version.
New General Secretary
The assembly endorsed the appointment of Rev. Ian McDonald, currently associate secretary of Canadian Ministries, to succeed Rev. Dr. Rick Fee as general secretary of the LMA.
McDonald said in his work he sees many good things being done across the church “and I don’t know if we speak often enough about the good that’s there in front of our eyes.” He called for courage. “Renewal doesn’t happen easily,” he said. “Pilgrimage is not painless.”
Pension and Benefits Board
A recommendation asking “that in support of equalizing pensions earned under the new 1.5 per cent career
average earnings formula, section 8.4 of the Pension Plan be rescinded effective January 1, 2016,” generated some debate.
It aimed to address a discrepancy between the pension professional church workers accrue under formula that came into effect Jan. 1, 2013, and the pension accrued by those workers who began their church careers in the 1980s and are grandfathered under a pre-1990 formula. The recommendation was carried in a close vote.
According to Tom Fisher, the board’s convener, about 117 people will be affected by the change, and although the amount varies by each individual’s earnings and the year they began accruing a pension, it would average about $800 to $1,000 a year. Ministers ordained before the 1990 cut-off will accrue future pensions at the same rate as those ordained afterward, he said.
Planned Giving
Associate secretary Herb Gale led a time of memorial to those who died in 2014 and left planned gifts to churches and ministries.
Presbyterian Church Building Corporation
Chair Siegfried Quickert said PCBC is “here to help congregations. If you need help, ask us!” Recent applications for financial assistance have been for making churches accessible; an often expensive endeavour.
He noted they currently have two applications for new churches. “That’s wonderful! It’s good news.”
Presbyterian World Service and Development
The assembly agreed that “individuals, congregations and presbyteries be encouraged to take active note of PWS&D’s Strategic Plan including Our Vision, Our Values, Our Mission, Our Theological Statement, and Our Priorities.”
The assembly also adopted a moment of appreciation for Ken Kim, who served as director of PWS&D for nine years.
Rev. Dr. Rick Fee
Rev. Dr. Rick Fee has served the Presbyterian Church for 39 years in a multitude of ways, and will be retiring as General Secretary of the LMA this fall.
“The world needs the church. The world is yearning for the church,” he said. “Our task is to share life, hope, peace, joy, and above all, love. For through that, Jesus will be known.”
Special Committee on the Optional Elimination of Synods
The special committee recommended that synods be permitted to dissolve subject to approval of appropriate changes to the Book of Forms, and offered some proposed legislation to be remitted to presbyteries under the Barrier Act.
Theological Colleges
St. Andrew’s Hall, Vancouver
The college named Rev. Dr. Robert Paul, a minister with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), as new dean of St. Andrew’s Hall effective July 1. Paul takes the place of Rev. Dr. Stephen Farris, who is retiring from the position after serving since 2003. The College also announced the establishment of the Centre for Missional Leadership, with Rev. Dr. Ross Lockhart as director and Dr. Darrell Guder as the first Senior Fellow and Scholar in Residence. With the creation of the new centre, the Elder’s Institute will be closed and its director, Rev. Dr. Roberta Clare, parting ways with the College.
Presbyterian College, Montreal
The College has been celebrating its 150th anniversary, and in 2014, established The Presbyterian College Leadership Centre. The Centre “intentionally walks alongside our church leaders, from young adulthood, through theological education, to the first years of congregational work, and onwards.” Rev. Dr. Roland De Vries has been appointed as Director of Pastoral Studies for a three-year term effective July 15, at the rank of associate professor.
Minutes of appreciation for the life and ministry of Dr. Shuling Chen (who passed away in July 2014) and Rev. Dr. Ian Victor (December 2014) were adopted. Chen served the College for six years as Director of Educational Programs and as chaplain, and Victor as Acting Director of Pastoral Studies, respectively.
Knox College, Toronto
Knox College celebrated its 170th anniversary in 2014. Distinguished leadership awards were presented to persons whose ministry gave witness to the values espoused throughout Knox’s 170 years as a theological school: teaching, learning, ministry preparation, hospitality, ecumenical engagement, and building cultural diversity. Also, a video conferencing classroom was installed in February. The new classroom is equipped with capabilities to bring experts to a classroom virtually, and, conduct distance education classes with sophistication and ease.
Women’s Missionary Society
The National Presbyterian Women’s Gathering will be a permanent fixture on the church’s calendar, occurring every three years.
The WMS will continue to strengthen its focus on outreach initiatives, particularly through the newly created Presbyterian Church Women, which will be based on social networking.
