The rest of the magazine will no doubt give greater detail of the Assembly in Ottawa, so I have picked just a few highlights to share with you.
The first was the opening worship and the election of the new moderator, Rev. Cheol Soon Park. As usual the full church and raised voices set the glorious mood for hearing the word of the Lord and Rev. Hans Kouwenberg did not disappoint. He preached a challenging sermon based on the parable of the prodigal son. He pointed out that the elder brother had characteristics that were most like the typical Presbyterian. In the Greek language the word for elder is presbyter and so the second son is clearly the Presbyterian brother. Following the service Park was elected Moderator. This is the first time a Korean pastor had been offered this highest office in our church. The fact that the official nominee is chosen by all the ministers and elders in presbyteries across the country by secret ballot, declares to all that this is not merely a top down politically correct agenda but a wide spread heartfelt commitment. It is hoped that as the Moderator travels across the church this year he will carry like a health giving virus the deep evangelical zeal and passionate prayer that the Korean congregations are known for.
The second was the Wednesday evening event put on by the Renewal Fellowship Eastern Ontario Team. It was a fine dinner hosted at St Paul's and prepared by Irene Nesbitt in memory of her late husband, Rev. Bill Nesbitt. This was followed by a tour of Parliament Hill in which we first met with several members of Parliament in the Wellington building (across from Parliament). They represented several of the parties and shared what faith meant to them as parliamentarians. One cabinet minister shared how in all that she does she sees herself first of all as an ambassador of Christ and by implication urged us in all that we do to see ourselves in the same light. Several talked about the high hopes they had in coming to Parliament to change the ethos of conflict to a spirit of co-operation but that was something they had not yet achieved. I got the distinct impression they had almost given up on that one. Another MP said how important the work of the church was and that we needed to especially focus on passing the faith and values on to the youth of this nation if we hoped to have stability in our future.
A third veteran MP shared his life story. He told of how as a young man he had got caught up in alcohol and a destructive life style but one Easter Sunday as he sat in a hotel room contemplating suicide the voice of God came to him and called him to turn his life over to God. He did this and God led him to parliament. He encouraged us to realise that Government can't do it all and that only the power of Christ can transform people from the inside out.
Another MP spoke of the important contribution that faith communities make and that they indeed had a place in the public square.
The third thing that was moving and impressive was our interaction with First Nations people on a couple of occasions. Tuesday was a presentation of reconciliation with elders from the native community. It involved drumming and some traditional and contemporary native dances from across North America. Perhaps the thing that moved Assembly the most was when there was a spontaneous call for the Moderator to verbalize our confession to the First Nations people present for our involvement with the residential school. This he did with grace and humility. It was obvious that many present were deeply moved at the sincerity. It was equally clear as one native elder put it as she wiped tears away saying: "I have never heard an apology before. Thank you."
What impressed me the most however was the vision for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission articulated by Bob Watts, the Executive Director of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. While not ignoring the deep hurt that needed healing there was also a need to remember the positive experiences of some who attended the schools and move ahead together for a better Canada. He used the image of spring ice. If handled roughly it breaks in our hands but if many hands lift it carefully it can be used to see a rainbow of colours we otherwise could not see. These moments were full of hope and expectation and served as an important model for the Government's confession made the following week.
The last event relates to an earnest debate in the Assembly related to the Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations Committee and a response to an overture that urged the Assembly to affirm the exclusiveness and uniqueness of the saving work of Christ … and to instruct the Committee to do all its work within this reality. The committee recommended the prayer be not granted since they felt they already did all their work in this context. After an intense debate that centered as much in trying to defend the Committee as dealing with the issue the motion was defeated although so narrowly it required a standing vote. Another amendment was put forward that did affirm the uniqueness of Jesus and it was passed with only a few voting in the negative. What did this strange procedure mean? Upon refection I don't think it was necessarily that we were double minded but in true Presbyterian fashion we wanted to affirm our commitment and confidence and support for Interfaith Dialogue but at the same time we wanted to affirm that in any work we do we must always remember that we are the Church of Jesus Christ, who is uniquely the saviour of the world, and our dialogue cannot compromise that truth which is at the heart of all we do.
It ended being a solution most could affirm as we go forward together into the next year.
