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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Life is a gift from God and elicits our respect, awe and reverence. We are one Earth community, one human family and we share one destiny. We cherish and respect the rich diversity of life and celebrate the beauty of the Earth. For us, as members of one family, love and caring are the basis of our relationships with one another and with nature. The Earth community is a sacred trust. We recognize God's call to live in harmony with this total community, to draw on the Earth's sustenance responsibly, and to care for it that all may benefit equitably now and in the future.
Implementation of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Follow-up to the UN Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, June 1992. WHERAS the 33rd General Council (1990) adopted a policy resolution on the problem of climate change (global warming) recognizing it as one of the most serious threats to the well-being of God’s Creation and urging international negotiations to limit the emission of greenhouse gases, and WHEREAS the United Church has provided leadership in educating people about what they can do to reduce the threat of climate change, in pressing governments to limit their emissions of greenhouse gases, in encouraging churches in other countries to become involved, and in participating in World Council of Churches’ Monitoring Teams during the negotiations for a treaty on climate change, and
The 34th General Council resolves to: 1. endorse the current Division of Mission in Canada work in the study and possible creation of community-based “land trusts” to support family farming; 2. urge conferences to support the study and possible creation of land trusts, as appropriate.
WHEREAS in the Report of the Committee on Agriculture and Food Resources to the 29th General Council in 1982, a family farm was defined as “a farm in which the family members accept the responsibility for labour, management and risk-taking, and the stewardship of land and capital.
The 34th General Council agrees to 1 reaffirm the Refugee Policy of the 32nd General council, providing guidelines for work with refugees, and commend the Division of Mission in Canada for the work presently being done to implement it; and 2 ask the Government of Canada to change proposed amendments to the Immigration Act, introduced in Bill C-86 currently before the House of Commons to reflect the following principles: Refugees, Asylum, Justice
The 34th General Council agrees to adopt the following statement on environment and development. Keywords: Ecology, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Consumerism, environmentalism, greenhouse gases, greenhouse effect, global warming
The 34th General Council of The United Church of Canada a) recognizes the world-wide significance of the United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development (UNCED), which met in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1-12 June 1992; and b) urges presbyteries and congregations of The United Church of Canada to raise and maintain awareness of UNCED agreements (The Rio Declaration, The Climate Change Convention, The Biodiversity Convention) for environmental protection and development;
The 33rd General Council, through the appropriate division or body, encourages dialogue with other denominations in Canada, the United States and other world communities about the mutual concerns of primary food producers.
Whereas our God creator call is the responsibility and privilege of stewardship of the land, and Whereas it is the right of those most directly affected to have free participation in decisions that affect their lives and Whereas there has been a steady and intentional erosion of numbers of small family farms THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the 33rd General Council of The United Church of Canada adopt the following statement:
The United Church of Canada believes that there must be a just, sustainable and participatory economy for all people Keywords: Fishing, Conservation, Newfoundland, Aboriginal Fishing Rights, East Coast Fishery, Fishery, Cod Moratorium, Moratorium, Fish quotas, Seals, Sealing, Fishery Policy, Foreign Fishery, Offshore Fishery, Oceans, Seas
