2025 Apology to 2S and LGBTQIA+ People and Communities
To all 2S and LGBTQIA+ individuals who currently are, or have previously been connected with The United Church of Canada, We, The United Church of Canada, express our deepest apologies to all those who have experienced homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia within The United Church of Canada. This has at times looked like overt actions such
GCE44 Living Apology Into Action: Iridesce Working Group Report and Recommendations
We, the Iridesce Working Group, offer the following recommendations to the General Secretary for action in response to the Final Report of Iridesce: The Living Apology Project.
Iridesce: The Living Apology Project Final Report - July 2020
The United Church of Canada has had a long history of challenging itself to examine issues that have allowed it to explore how it might respect, support, encourage, and engage the gifts of all of its members in the life and work of the whole Church.
GCE Adoption Report 2018
At its November, 2013, meeting, the General Council Executive directed the Theology and Inter-Church Inter-Faith Committee “to research and devise a position paper regarding adoption and create a United Church of Canada statement on adoption.”
Global LGBTQTwoSpirit Dialogue: Report to Global and Ecumenical Partners
The Global LGBTQTwoSpirit1 Dialogue, recommended in 2016 by the United Church Partner Council, was held in November 2017 on the shores of Lake Couchiching, on the territory of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation near Orillia, Ont., north of Toronto. About 40 LGBTQ people, Two Spirit people, and straight and cisgender allies from across the church and around the world met for four days. For some, the event was a chance to share personal and institutional stories of overcoming marginalization and promoting inclusion; for others, it was an opportunity to advance efforts to protect the rights of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities in all parts of the world; for everyone, it was a profound spiritual encounter.
GC42 Living Apology to Members of LGBTTQ Communities (GC42 2015-060)
That the 42ndGeneral Council (2015): 1. Adopt the Process of a Living Apology as a vehicle for dialogue, story-telling, education and reconciliation with persons who identify as sexual or gender diverse including but not limited to Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transsexual, Transgender, Two-Spirited, Queer (LGBTT2Q) persons;
GC42 Solidarity and Support for Progressive Evangelicals Within the Emerging Church Movement (GC42 2015 - 062)
That the 42nd General Council (2015) direct the General Secretary, General Council to: 1. send letters of support and solidarity to the Progressive Evangelical congregations in Canada and the United States who have made supportive statements of inclusion and welcome to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people;
GC42 Support for a Proportionally Representative Parliament (GC42 2015 - 064)
That the 42nd General Council (2015): Direct the Executive of the General Council to promote existing resources for congregations and other ministries to understand alternatives to the “first past the post” electoral system in Canada.
GC42 Treatment of Prison Inmates (GC42 2015 - 069)
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.
GCE Vision for Becoming an Intercultural Church (2012)
Individually and in community, we do everything through the lenses of our cultures: there is no such thing as a culture-free perspective. Our experiences and understandings are shaped by our cultures. Since we cannot capture the complexity of God through our limited cultural understandings, our understanding of God is limited when we see this God through only one dominant cultural perspective. Instead, our understandings of God and our scriptures can be deepened when we come together, as disciples of Jesus Christ, in all of our differences and diversities to acknowledge intercultural reality and richness.