This Library contains documents from all recent United Church governance meetings, including General Council and its Executive. It also includes “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.
1) Enter your search words.
2) Use the filters to refine your search by GC, Document Type, Originating body, or more. You can stack the filters to further refine your search to help find exactly what you’re looking for. Results will update in real-time as you select filters.
3) To find Belief/Policy documents, use the “Topic” filter option.
Helpful topics
WHEREAS we, as Christians, recognize all peoples of the earth as our brothers and sisters; and WHEREAS the escalating world arms race is now costing hundreds of billions of dollars a year perverting and squandering precious national resources, robbing the human family of food, water, health, education, housing, roads, transportation and peaceful industry
THEREFORE we call on the church to renounce its alliances with security and power; to name with courage the forces that militate for death and against life; to repent and to call for repentance all in the church who have allowed the longing for security to replace the love of freedom; optimism to replace hope, and fear to overcome faith. We call on the governments of the nations for an immediate end to the arms race, and to the production and deployment of nuclear weapons. We call instead for a serious commitment to a just social order with freedom and wholeness for all.
The Sessional Committee, noting that the report had been provided for information, presented the following resolution: The 28th General Council, in the Preamble to the Petition on Inclusive Language, states that “Children, youth, women and men, are all called to be members of the Body of Christ and the household and family of God.” We therefore affirm the work reported by the [Changing roles of Women and Men in Church and Society] Task Force to continue the educational process towards fulfilling its mandate.
WHEREAS it has been thoroughly documented by the Inter-Church Committee for Human Rights in Latin America and the Christian Reformed Church, among others, that there is no protection for refugees in the neighbouring Latin American countries to which they flee; and WHEREAS people living as refugees are often at risk in regard to their personal safety, and may have barely adequate and extremely crowded shelter, with one meal a day and water to drink; and
WHEREAS we have been informed of investigations by church groups from the United States of America which indicate that people who had been returned to El Salvador were killed and that for people to be returned to El Salvador means almost certain death, so that it is therefore important that an alternative place of safety be provided; and Refugees, Asylum, El Salvador, Foreign Policy
This policy statement on the issue of peace and disarmament has been prepared in response to the specific call of the 28th General Council to “recognize the escalation of the arms race, to study the complex issues involved, including the assumptions, values and life-styles giving rise to this escalation, to consider these issues in the light of scripture, doctrine and personal favour…to speak and act clearly, prophetically and courageously on this subject in a way which is faithful to our understanding of Shalom in which Peace, and Justice are linked…” (1980 ROP, p. 923)
The 1979 Annual General Meeting of the DWO (Division of World Outreach) moved that a statement on human rights be prepared for presentation to the 28th General Council. The statement is presented for endorsement by the General Council.
As Amended by the Executive Council of the General Council, November 1989. Preamble As Christians we wish to affirm: The sanctity of human life, born or unborn. That life is much more that physical existence.
WHEREAS we are concerned about the effect of alcohol on unborn babies, specifically: -a complex of growth deficiencies, -physical malformation, -mental retardation known as the fetal alcohol syndrome;
The gospel calls us to risk and adventure in the name of Jesus Christ; and the example of those who have followed him in obedience even to the cross as they upheld justice and promoted shalom, challenges us to high commitment and trust Keywords: Gambling, Moral Values, Taxation
