That the 42nd General Council (2015) direct the General Secretary, General Council to: Focus the current strategies and actions approved at the 41st General Council to address the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories by the state of Israel by also: 1. initiating and developing a program of education and advocacy, in cooperation with our partners, related to divestment from and economic sanctions against all corporations and institutions complicit in or benefitting from the illegal occupation. This would include education about tourism which bolsters the oppression of Palestinians;
That the 42nd General Council (2015): a) have the General Secretary, General Council: i) write to the Federal Government expressing The United Church of Canada’s concerns about The Trans Canada Pipeline Energy East project; and, ii) that we encourage each of our pastoral charges to consider launching a letter-writing campaign expressing their concerns about the Trans Canada Pipeline Energy East project to both their Provincial and the Federal Governments.
The 42nd General Council (2015) direct the General Secretary, General Council to: a) contact the Prime Minister, the party leaders and appropriate ministers calling on them to eliminate solitary confinement; b) contact the Prime Minister, the party leaders and appropriate ministers calling on them to: • Provide better training of staff regarding mental health issues of offenders; • Schedule mental health assessments and development of treatment strategies; • Ensure transfer of inmates prone to injuring themselves to treatment centres; • Ensure that there is adequate oversight of prison conditions. • Work more closely with the John Howard Society, the Elizabeth Fry Society, and the Canadian Mental Health Association in developing better strategies for treatment and training. • Work more closely with the interfaith chaplaincies.
That the 42nd General Council 2015, responding to the ethical imperative of our faith as expressed in the social policies of The United Church of Canada, and commitments to partnership and right relations including support for free, prior and informed consent, instructs the General Secretary to communicate to The United Church of Canada Pension Board (UCCPB) that the will of the church is to divest of its shares in Goldcorp and make public that divestment.
The current phase of the theological dialogue between the Anglican Church of Canada and the United Church of Canada resumed in January 2012 with a shared mandate to discern “whether God is calling us into a new stage in our common life.”The 2010 General Synod of the Anglican Church specifically asked the dialogue to focus its work on “an examination of the doctrinal identities of the two churches and the implications of this for the lives of the churches, including understandings of sacraments and orders of ministry.” Meeting once annually, the members of the dialogue have rediscovered the degree to which our two churches share a common faith, context, history, geography, and commitment to carrying out God’s mission in the world. We have spent considerable time examining the theological positions and practices related to orders of ministry, sacraments, and creeds.
The Permanent Committee, Programs for Mission and Ministry proposes: That the Executive of the General Council receive the report of the United Church’s consultation on disabilities (entitled Gathering Together: Toward a Culture of Mutuality and Full Participation for Persons with Disabilities and Their Allies), and approve the following recommendations
That the General Council Executive direct the General Secretary to activate the Palestine/Israel Education and Economic Action Campaign beginning spring 2013, in the following phases: · From June 2013: - engagement with select companies and retail stores, and selection of target items; · From September 2013 consumer economic action, highlighting spiritual reflection and action for Advent, Christmas, and Lenten seasons · July - December 2014: Evaluation, follow-up actions, and preparation of report for March 2015 Executive meeting.
The Executive of the General Council proposes that: The 41st General Council 2012: 1) adopt this statement: That The United Church of Canada:
That the 41st General Council 2012 direct the Executive of the General Council to develop strategies to enable all members and adherents of The United Church of Canada to take action in collaboration with all levels of government, the business community and the community of non-profit organizations and partners to address child poverty in Canada.
produce appropriate study material (such as for Lent or Advent or through Mandate magazine) that addresses the issue of poverty, homelessness and economic disparity in this country Keywords: poverty, homelessness, social security