DATE: July 21, 1998
MEMO TO: Partners in Mission Committee
FROM: Jim Boyles
RE: Comments from Forums at General Synod
____________________________________________________
The following comments were recorded on newsprint and relate to the work of your committee:
VOLUNTEERS IN MISSION
What benefits do you see to receiving missionaries to Canada? How might this work in your diocese/parish?
* Mutual responsibility regarding support to people in the mission field
* Maintain personal contact with those who we have sent or gone overseas, so that they feel connected to their home churches
* Invite a missionary to come and spend a year in various parishes
* Active sharing of our stories, akin to salesmanship. Enthusiastically sharing the ministry
* Sharing stories of prayerful support
* Personally or on a parish basis, reaching out to actively support refugees, so that mission takes on a personal face
* Have inter-diocesan Companion Parishes
* Christ, make me transparent so that you may be apparent
* Tap into resources that are already in existence: military missionary experience in regard to chaplaincy
UPROOTED PEOPLES
In what ways do you think we can be a part of the solution so that people are not forced to leave their homes, be it to look for jobs or to search for refuge?
* By recognizing the difference between civic and Christian responsibility (politician) vs. (Christian political understanding)
* By assisting, supporting fair trade, understanding the injustice of the Nike runners example and may others and that we prolong, as consumers, the problem
* By educating congregations to the problems at home and overseas, making the connections, the parallels, recognizing food banks as good short-term efforts but needing analysis as to why in Canada are people hungry
* By walking with, as pilgrims people on our doorstep, recognizing the health and financial risks and fear felt mutually e.g.: working with street people
* By working ecumenically and lifting our prophetic voice
YOUTH
In what ways do you think that youth could be enabled to experience international partnerships of the Anglican Church of Canada?
* 2001 Youth Event
* Info on the world wide web
* Need more advertising/information about national partnership/exchanges/ programs (i.e. Canada World Youth)
* National Youth Resource Network to share 'how to" info needs to be fast, accurate and more. Does it fall to Information Resources to do this?
* We need to learn from other countries/ denominations about how to fund this work
* Where are the funds going to come from?
* PWRDF is looking at the future of youth involvement in the international working being done
* Still need more National support
* We need to make this happen
FAIR TRADE
What can the Anglican Church do to promote fair trade? What can you do in your community to purchase fairly traded products? (i.e. the Ten Days for Global Justice campaign for coffee).In our communities, we can promote fair trade, and get information from:
* Ten Days for Global Justice
* Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
* Ecumenical Coalition for Economic Justices
* Task Force on Churches and Corporate Responsibility
* Promote the book "Coalitions for Justice", by Christopher Lind available from ABC
* Join a Ten Days group
* Talk to your PWRDF Parish representative
* Get in touch with national Eco-Justice Committee
* The Church "what can we do"?
* Encourage education on issues such as 'fair trade'
* Provide opportunities to take on leadership
* Promote awareness of issues and resources
* Watch 'Common Grounds ' video, available from Anglican Resource Centre
MULTICULTURALISM
What steps do you think could be pursued to engage multicultural communities in the life of the church and in the international partnerships
* Old multicultural images and stereotypes are not the same todayPeople of a same culture may reflect a wide range of cultures1st generation immigrants are very culturally different from succeeding onesLanguage is not the only criteria of culture
* Where are the walls of partition coming down?
* Identifying them is a big first step
FOREIGN AID
What do you think about Canada's current level of foreign assistance.
What role might international partnerships play in informing people about levels of international partnerships play in informing people about levels of international development assistance.
* Ashamed and outraged at current level of foreign aid agreed amount .7% of GNP. Actual is less than .25%
* Need more videos like "Garbage kids" and those more widely distributed to raise awareness
* Unmask the myth of poverty at home and our complacency for foreign aid.
* Need success stories that are viable to market to raise awareness and also refute current perceptions of mismanagement of foreign aid.
* Churches should raise people's vision - then motivate to reach the vision
* Next year is critical to motivate government to increase commitment to foreign aid
* Need an ecumenical collective strategy to reach .7%
PARTNERSHIP: SHARING GIFTS
What does this mean in practical terms in our parish or diocese?
What gifts might we give to overseas partners?
What gifts might we receive from them?
What does our biblical understanding of stewardship teach us about the sharing of resources?
* The meeting and connections made between 1st Nations people and partners from the Philippines discovering similarities over land use and lack of accountability.
* Parishes have difficulty understanding sharing gifts if parishioners do not understand they are a part of a diocese , a national church a world.
* Volunteers In Mission, who return are `money in the bank'
* The first need in going to a new country - family, support, people to stand with you as a partner. We cannot stand alone. We know this in Myanamar. You in Canada, you think you can go it alone. You give the impression you don't need others
* Do we need help from our partners to learn how to support each other in the face of despair and `bad news' `powerlessness'
COMPANION DIOCESE
How effective has this been in your diocese, and what could be done to deepen the connections?
* Companionship - go, listen, share.
* Need to buy into the process
* What if our parish writes and they don't reply
* Communication problems - language, literacy, infrastructure
* Need people exchanges at all levels, not just bishops
* Strong diocesan committee is helpful
* Cultural differences need to be worked on
* Regular prayer is valuable
* Need personal exchange
* Both partners need an awareness that each has something to give and receive
JUBILEE
To what extent and in what ways do you think the priorities for the work of the Partners in Mission Committee and the PWRDF Committee do or should reflect the themes of Jubilee?
* Need a good theological reflection on the meaning of Jubilee - bible study material
* Practical ways to practice Jubilee - 1st question, `what do we let go of?'
* Importance of Sabbath renewed
* Maintain arm lengths with government agencies
* How would debt forgiveness work at all levels?
* Balance of debt forgiveness and human rights
* Means of accountability with debt forgiveness
* Tie debt forgiveness to restorative justice
* Willing to find ways to take a prophetic voice locally in specific ways
* Dioceses finding ways of `letting go'
* Jubilee service to heal brokenness, starting with ourselves and process
* Recognition of forgiveness
* Being in partnership with those in debt / in prison
Jubilee (from Streams of Living Justice Forum)
. The church needs to announce Jubilee as Jesus did as a celebration. We need to present HOPE to parishioners.
. We are the church - what can we do?
. When Jesus proclaimed Jubilee he was more concerned about our salvation out of which Justice will come. Is the church in danger of standing outside and being the ombudsman?
. The church could/should make expectations and be prophetic in our relationships and demands of national and international financial organizations.
. The members of the church need to understand the full implication of Jubilee for themselves and need to help each other to achieve the Jubilee by changing lifestyles and assisting others internationally, nationally and corporately to change their ways. (Resources, education, goals and objectives, prayer).
Jubilee (from Ecumenical Relations Forum)
- Sabbath begins with hearing what each of means by Sabbath
- Let us not confuse commercial celebration of millennium with Jubilee
- set aside time of Sabbath each day for the next 3 years (2001)
- do the givers understand the concept of - land, freedom, slavery, celebrating Sabbath
- We need to work with other ecumenical/inter-faith groups around the categories in 4
Canadian Council of Churches (from Ecumenical Relations Forum)
- yes we do need CCC
- the council should be more shelf-promoting - let people know what it does
- be more vocal in expressing the social conscious of members
- be more pro-active of current events
- use church papers (i.e. Journal) to put its ideas and policies to the congregations and individuals
- should build stronger ties with the EFC
Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (from Ecumenical Relations Forum)
- opening a dialogue with EFC would help us understand our own internal struggles
- encourage the CCC to enter into dialogue with the EFC
- consider inviting the EFC to send a partner to our next GS
World Council of Churches (from Ecumenical Relations Forum)
- speak from Christian witness more specifically on new global issues of microcosm technologies - e.g., genetic engineering, new reproductive technologies, biotechnologies
- speak with a common voice on the issues of religious persecution of Christian
- continue the work of dialogue over fundamental doctrinal matters, esp. concerning Christian understandings of the creeds, scripture and the church.
Ecumenical Decade of the Churches in Solidarity with Women (from Ecumenical Relations Forum)
- Decade activities:
Ontario Anglican Conference
Parish in diocese of Niagara
Vancouver pre-decade activities
various - urban/rural/northern - different priorities and cultural expectations
- Future of ACW? - discussions, surveys
- importance differs in different parts of country
- leadership = challenge
- no longer just want to be those who raise $$ - want more spiritual mandate
- Decade - had limited impact in most areas
- a few went to Brazil
- much greater acceptance of women for ordination - celebration of 20th - Anniversary - and lay women in liturgical roles
- more awareness of inclusive language
- 2 female bishops
- rev. common lectionary - more stories of women
- No one could remember aims of the decade
- Connections not made with ACW - MU (very powerful MU in many countries)
- Anglicans in many 3rd World Countries not asking theses questions - - - yet.
- Decade has allowed more choices - both women/men
- Who was responsible for the decade anyway?
- How was information disseminated? Often get stuck
- Happened at same time both CCC & ACC cutting staff
- Great things have happened anyway
- Nowhere to go but up - ACC take responsibility for some of these issues - need emphasis on societal issues re women: violence, abuse, child care, elder care, health care
Ecumenical Justice Coalitions (from Ecumenical Relations Forum)
- when a coalition becomes involved in an issue that is "hot", the Church should be informed
- accountability: how is coalition accountable to its member churches - who decides when a coalition engages in an issue, when does it withdraw?
- accessibility: good web site on work coalitions cross-referenced by topic not by name of coalition only
- good information avoids duplication of effort at other levels
Inculturation (from Anglican Identity Forum)
1. Sharing our Story
* Different pieces of the story of who we are
* stop addressing, start listening
* "pushed into shoes that don't really fit"
* Anglicanism - grass roots religion
2. Practicing as a Community
* liturgy is cultural
* welcome uniqueness
* build liturgy around the community
* more patterns of worship than text
* tradition continues to speak to people
3. How do we love?
* flexibility in recognizing needs
* be user friendly
* recognize the marginalized
* welcoming people
* redefine mission
* self determination
* not everything works for everyone
Scripture and Culture (from Anglican Identity Forum)
1. The Gospel of Christ speaks to us through the cultures of the Bible.
2. How do we engage the particularity of the Biblical witness as we seek to address to the cultural realities of our day? How does our culture provide lenses through which we read the bible? And how might the bible provide lenses through which we might see our culture anew?
3. We are all shaped by traditions whether we accept it or not.
Towards Sustainable Community (from Streams of Living Justice Forum)
. We must understand exactly what sustainable community is on a local level.
. Our local communities are out of balance in many ways:
- depletion of
natural resources
- unemployment (and consequently migration)
- lack of
togetherness on a community level e.g. helping each other.
. The church needs to promote its vision on community and the care of the earth - what is the "good life"
. Partnership with local churches and other national churches.
. Biblical/spiritual foundation for community action.
. Developing partnerships with governments. Example: working guaranteed annual income.
. Pairing North/South churches.
. Compassion for refugees and economic migrants.