1 Portion of very greasy french fries

In their January mailing, GS members will be receiving information about booking travel plans to Montréal. Our central travel agent, UNIGLOBE Vector Travel, is ready and able to make this task a very easy one. Members can call UNIGLOBE Vector Travel toll free at: 1-800-461-9753. You can also e-mail UNIGLOBE at: [email protected] Any UNIGLOBE agent that answers the phone will be well aware of General Synod and will be able to serve you. Whether you are planning to travel by air or rail, we strongly urge you to use the central agent when booking your travel plans.

At each General Synod a number of committees are struck to help with the "processes" of GS. These committees include: Nominations, Resolutions, Expenditures and Organization. Committee members are drawn from the list of GS delegates. Recruiting will take place in early January. If you are asked to serve on a committee, you will be requested to arrive in Montréal a day before Synod begins.

Each morning at GS will begin in plenary with worship and Bible reflection. The process and themes being developed will truly help us to "lift every voice."The model of Bible study being proposed involves reading of the passage and opportunity for each person in the table group to identify the meaning it suggests to them. A leader offers some background, the passage is read once more, and members are again asked to suggest the response of faith which the passage evokes.

Brian K. Hammond is the Chair of the Local Arrangements Committee. Brian was born and raised an Anglican in Montréal’s Rosemount district. He is a member of St. Michael & All Angels parish, in Pierrefonds, where he has served as Choir Director and Rector’s Warden. Brian has an extensive and distinguished record of service in the Diocese of Montréal - member of Diocesan Council, logistics coordinator for the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1985, and travelling companion to Ugandan Bishop Festo Kivengere during a mission in the Diocese in 1978. When he isn’t working on GS planning, Brian works for the Business Development Bank of Canada as the Director, Risk Management & Insurance. Brian is married to Pat, an administrative assistant at the Diocesan Theological College in Montréal. They have two sons and one granddaughter. Rumour has it that Brian is interested in pursuing an acting career.

The Handbook of the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada contains our Declaration of Principles, Constitution, Rules of Order and Procedure, Canons and other important bits of information. Its 11th Edition (most current) was published in 1996. There will be many occasions when GS Members will need to refer to their Handbook at General Synod, so please make sure to bring your copy to Montréal with you. (Please contact your Diocesan Office if you are a GS Member and have not received your Handbook.)

News and information about General Synod will soon be available in exciting new formats. We will be creating an electronic mailing list. The list will be "open" to all subscribers. We are also developing a website where visitors will find a wealth of information about Synod, Montréal, etc. Downloadable files will include reports and other useful background information. The next issue of the General Synod Times will include instructions on how to subscribe.

Air Canada is doing away with tickets. Instead, they’re introducing the E-Ticket (otherwise known as Electronic Ticketing.) E-ticket is a service that creates an electronic ticket - with all the information that used to be printed on a paper ticket - and stores it in a computer database. On your day of travel, simply present yourself (with a piece of photo I.D.) at any Air Canada Ticket Counter, Check-in Counter or departure gate to receive your Boarding Pass. Please speak with a UNIGLOBE Vector Travel Agent if you have any questions about E-tickets.

Jim Boyles,

Did you realize that as of January 1, 1998 there were only 140 days until General Synod ‘98! (Yikes!)