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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WHEREAS the statement of the Minister of Multiculturalism which expresses “regret” over Japanese Canadian injury due to internment and confiscation is inadequate and does not acknowledge wrongdoing; and WHEREAS the recent act of the Minister of Multiculturalism to establish a fund for victims of racism in Canada does not address the specific need for compensation to Japanese Canadians; and
WHEREAS the threat of nuclear war is global and the prevention of nuclear war calls for global collaboration by people of all faiths and commitments; and WHEREAS the Christian gospel is denied in the false apocalypticism of some religious figures and by the despair and passivity of others; and WHEREAS the world is witnessing a renewal of movements that use religion to buttress militarism and war-making:
Our website proclaims: “United Church faith communities welcome people from all backgrounds and orientations—wherever you are in your faith journey.” But as we scan across the country, as we listen to stories of people, of ministers, of communities of faith, it becomes clear that these words are not universally lived out across the vastness of the denomination. There is a disconnect with who we say we are.
WHEREAS the 1983 Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Vancouver called upon all member churches to “intensify their efforts to develop a common witness in a divided world, confronting with renewed vigour the threats to peace and survival and engaging in struggles for justice and human dignity,” and
WHEREAS General Council in 1982, acting on petitions from several conferences, including Hamilton, identified acid rain as a major issue for attention by the church; and The United Church of Canada sponsored a major international consultation on acid rain in January 1984, bringing together representatives of 25 religious bodies from Canada and the United States, and issuing a statement which included specific recommendations for action
The fighting in Afghanistan has continued for more than four years; and the citizens of Afghanistan and its refugees, as well as the citizens of countries receiving refugees, continue to suffer from the war in Afghanistan; and Soviet troops remain in Afghanistan, despite the condemnation of the United Nations, various governments of the world, and non-governmental organizations, including the United Church of Canada;
Biblical calls to address injustice, inhumanity and racism compel us to reach out to oppressed sisters and brothers in South Africa, and call us to confront systems of repression and evil. Keywords: South Africa, Racism, Discrimination, Racial Justice, Globalization, Ethical, Investment, Economic, Community Development
At its meeting in Ottawa in August 1982 the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC), of which The United Church of Canada is a member, declared apartheid to be a heresy, and suspended from the privileges of membership in WARC the two Dutch Reformed churches, declaring them to be “oppressive and in error,” an action which has since been confirmed by many of its members, including the Black Reformed Methodist and Anglican churches in South Africa;
Faith Base Jesus called persons into freedom from coercion and enslavement, and through the cross and resurrection delivers us from evil powers. The Bible tells us to be discerning of false prophets and doctrines. Preying on the human spirit, mind control is based on fear and guilt.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: THAT the 30th General Council of The United Church of Canada: 1 REQUEST the government of Canada to recognize the right of self-determination; 2 BRING influence to bear on the government of the United States of America to withdraw from interventions in Nicaraguan affairs.
