This Library contains documents from all recent United Church governance meetings, including General Council and its Executive. It will also soon include “Our Beliefs Explained” official policy documents dating back several decades. If you can't find something you think should be included, contact gcbusiness@united-church.ca.
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We believe God is calling The United Church of Canada to deepen its racial justice work by making a clear and unequivocal commitment to becoming an anti-racist denomination. God’s Spirit continues to move in this time, and calls people in the church to respond to ongoing manifestations of racial injustice in church and in society.
People in the United Church have developed anti-racism policies and education programs, worked towards reconciliation and Indigenous justice, adopted the Calls to the Church, and created intercultural policies and initiatives.
That the Executive of the General Council approve that: • Before being recognized as a candidate, an inquirer must complete all mandatory trainings required of ministry personnel; and • The following statement be added to the Entering Ministry Handbook in the section “Inquiry and Discernment” to reflect this addition policy
That The Executive of the General Council as part of its response to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action, and its commitment to reconciliation with Aboriginal Peoples, and in light of previous commitments to racial justice and anti-black racism, name work on identifying and understanding White privilege as important for the church and direct the General Secretary, General Council to appoint a task group to create an education program around White privilege for the church. Included in the terms of reference for the task group would be to develop or identify:
That the Executive of the General Council Receive "A Moment of Truth: A word of faith, hope and love from the heart of the Palestinian suffering"—the KAIROS Palestine document—as an authentic voice of Palestinian Christians and offer the document and responses to it to United Church Conferences, presbyteries, congregations, and community ministries to use in their ongoing consultation, dialogue, study, and prayer as adopted by the 40th General Council 2009 in part six (6) of its implementation of Measures Towards Peace in the Middle East.
Whereas we have affirmed our desire and commitment to strive for just, peaceful, and sustainable communities in keeping with God s vision for wholeness of life; Whereas we are all inextricably interconnected in the web of creation, and affected by actions that impact on the sustainability and well-being of all of creation; Whereas scripture calls us to be peacemakers; Whereas God would have the whole world turn swords into ploughshares, we know that in many places ploughshares are turned into swords; military, peace, United Nations, humanitarian crisis
That the Executive of the General Council make the following Statement on Anti-Semitism: In the face of the recent upsurge of attacks against Jewish people and property in Canada and around the world, The United Church of Canada reiterates its absolute condemnation of all acts of antisemitism.
Therefore be it resolved that British Columbia Conference petition the 33rd General Council of the United Church of Canada to urge the government of Canada to immediately cease ad cancel all further low level military flights over British Columbia.
Whereas the Persian Gulf Crisis threatens to erupt into full-scale war of disastrous proportions, potentially involving the use of chemical and nuclear weapons;
