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#013 GS2010: Partners in Mission and EcoJustice Committee

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Appendix A Anti-Racism Report

PARTNERS IN MISSION AND ECOJUSTICE COMMITTEE
REPORT TO GENERAL SYNOD • 2007-2010

I.  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

MANDATE AND BACKGROUND

In 2007, General Synod approved the amalgamation of the Ecojustice Committee and the Partners in Mission Committee into a single standing committee and program unit of General Synod with a mandate to help engage the Anglican Church of Canada in God’s mission.  The amalgamation came about partly in response to diminishing resources, partly out of a growing awareness of how relationships with partners around the world can enrich our own mission and justice work.

COMMITTEE AND STAFF

The Ven. Peter Fenty and Ms. Sue Winn co-chaired the Partners in Mission and Ecojustice Committee.  Ms. Henriette Thompson was appointed director of Partnerships in March 2008 following the retirement of Dr. Ellie Johnson.  The committee’s membership included an international partner, a Lutheran partner, an ecumenical partner, and three Indigenous members.  See page 4 for a complete list of members.

CHALLENGES

The work of becoming one committee and making the conceptual shift toward an integrated idea of “mission” and “ecojustice” posed an important challenge for the triennium, as did the large size of the committee (21 members), a change of director part way through the triennium, and a 25% reduction in the program budget for Partners in Mission and Ecojustice.

WAYS OF WORKING

At the same time, the Committee built on successful working features from each preceding committee: meeting in different parts of Canada, making full use of resource people within and beyond the committee, dividing into working groups relating to each of the program desks and to the functions of the one committee.

GLOBAL RELATIONS

The Global Relations program, staffed by Dr. Andrea Mann and Claudia Alvarez, continued to nurture “mutually responsible and interdependent” relationships with Anglican provinces and ecumenical organizations around the world through grants, visits, and exchanges.  Within the Anglican Communion, the Anglican Church of Canada strengthened its partnership with provinces in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Caribbean, the Middle East and the South Pacific.

Highlights:

• Amid joyful celebration and colourful ceremony, the Most Revd Daniel Deng Bul was enthroned on April 20, 2008 at All Saints Cathedral in Juba as the fourth primate of the Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS).  Global Relations support to the Episcopal Church of Sudan this triennium went toward the work of regional peace councils and helped restore Bishop Gwynne Theological College, Juba.
• In Sri Lanka, the Rt. Rev. Duleep de Chickera and the Rt. Rev. Kumara Illangesinghe have been giving leadership to reconciliation and peace efforts within national and ecumenical networks and in the Anglican Communion.  During this triennium, Global Relations supported Anglican and interfaith programs in Sri Lanka that strengthen relationships for peace between ethnic communities.
• In response to a commitment in 2007 by Anglican Provinces of the Americas to stronger companionship in mission and ecojustice, the Global Relations program renewed partnership with churches in Brazil, the Caribbean, Cuba, Haiti and Uruguay.  The Global Relations coordinator recently visited Haiti with PWRDF staff in support of the diocese of Haiti’s efforts to restore health and education ministries following the January 2010 earthquake.
• Scholarships and research bursaries provided assistance this triennium to 18 young faculty members from the seminaries of twelve global Provinces.    Additional grants to church scholarship programs helped many others in their undergraduate theological education and training for ministry.

MISSION PERSONNEL AND MISSION EDUCATION

The Volunteers in Mission Program and the Theological Students International Internship Program, staffed by Ms. Jill Cruse and Ms. Clementina Thomas, were two key mechanisms by which the Anglican Church of Canada interacted with other Anglican provinces.
These programs were supported ecumenically by orientation and re-entry programs and cross-cultural formation offered by the Canadian Churches’ Forum on Global Mission.

Educational resources for mission and justice were prepared and posted on-line, including Praying with our partners, Liturgies for the Marks of Mission, and a study guide for the DVD Niiganibatowaad: FrontRunners, a drama about abuse and survival at an Indian Residential School. Improvements to the website and its ongoing maintenance helped to communicate PMEJ activities to the wider church.

Modest grants for exchanges and visits assisted dioceses to participate in the Companion Diocese program of the Anglican Communion and supported a visitor from Brazil to attend the 2009 Justice Camp in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

ECOJUSTICE

The Committee and staff worked together to address issues of peace, justice, ecology and right relationship with Indigenous peoples in Canada.  They did this through collaboration with ecumenical justice partners, task groups of the Ecojustice Working Group, and local networking events and conferences.

Emerging issues in the 2007-2010 triennium included:

• The environment – climate change, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the Alberta oil sands
• Right relations with Indigenous people – the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, mining and resource extraction, anti-racism training
• Social and economic justice – poverty reduction, affordable housing

Two initiatives were made possible by bequests and project grants:

• Greening Anglican Spaces – An Anglican Foundation grant supported this project to equip dioceses and parishes with on-line tools for setting targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• Giving Voice to Grassroots Communities in Struggle – A grant from the World Council of Churches helped to send a delegation and produce a DVD of stories and hope among grassroots communities in Canada for distribution at the Edinburgh 2010 Conference on World Mission.

Some event highlights in the triennium:

• Remembering the Children – a Church and Aboriginal Leaders’ Tour of Ottawa, Vancouver, Saskatoon and Winnipeg in March 2008 and an interdisciplinary conference in Edmonton in January 2009 to highlight the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC)
• Millennium Development Goals Walk of Witness –  a walk through downtown Ottawa in September 2008, led by the Primate and the National Lutheran Bishop, to bring attention to the UN General Assembly debate at the mid point for the Millennium Development Goals
• Poverty Justice Camp hosted by the diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in August 2009 and Community Justice Camp hosted by the diocese of Niagara in May 2010.
• Equipping Ambassadors of Reconciliation – a train the trainers’ conference held in November 2009 for local ecumenical leaders in Ontario and Quebec to help engage communities in the TRC process.

• 2010 Interfaith Partnership and Interfaith Leaders’ Summit – initiatives that offered faith communities the opportunity to call for peace and justice ahead of the G8/G20 meetings in Canada in June 2010.

A list of ecumenical justice partners, and Anglican and ecumenical networks and councils and of Anglican representatives is found on page 15.

ACTION ON 2007 GENERAL SYNOD RESOLUTIONS – See table on page 17.

II.  REPORT TO GENERAL SYNOD

PARTNERS IN MISSION AND ECOJUSTICE – We’re part of something bigger

As Anglicans, when we put money on the collection plate, we not only help to fix the roof, pay the parish priest and support the diocese, we also become part of something bigger.  We demonstrate our involvement in a worldwide Anglican Communion, the global Christian family, and our commitment to God’s mission.  Putting flesh to that involvement and commitment is the work of the Partners in Mission and Ecojustice Committee.

OUR MANDATE — to help engage the Anglican Church of Canada in God’s mission through:

• Reflecting theologically on events and issues and discerning God’s mission for the church and the world
• Strengthening relationships with Anglican and ecumenical partners around the world
• Sending and receiving visitors and volunteers
• Supporting and fostering networks for mission and justice across Canada
• Advocating for the rights of Indigenous peoples

COMMITTEE AND STAFF

The Partners in Mission and Ecojustice Committee was co-chaired by

• Ms. Susan Winn, diocese of Montreal
• The Ven. Peter Fenty, diocese of Toronto

Additional committee members were:

• The Rev. Florence Ayban, Episcopal Diocese of Central Philippines – International Partner
• Ms. Elizabeth Beardy, Split Lake, MB – diocese of Keewatin
• Mr. John Brewin, Toronto, ON – diocese of Toronto
• Ms. Caroline Chum, Moose Factory, ON – diocese of Moosonee
• The Rev. Margaret Cornish, New Westminster, BC – diocese of New Westminster
• The Rev. Jesse Dymond, New Hamburg, ON – diocese of Huron
• The Ven. Peter John Hobbs, Bells Corners, ON – diocese of Ottawa
• The Ven. Dr. Richard LeSueur, Calgary, AB – diocese of Calgary
• Captain Robert Marsh, Quispamsis, NB – diocese of Fredericton
• The Rev. Iola Metuq, Inukjuak, QC – diocese of Arctic
• The Rev. Bill Mous, Dundas, ON – diocese of Niagara
• The Rev. Nigel Packwood, Brandon, MB – diocese of Brandon
• The Rev. Jonathan Schmidt, Toronto, ON – Ecumenical Partner
• Ms. Colleen Sym, Georgetown, ON – diocese of Niagara
• The Rev. Susan Titterington, Dawson City, YU – diocese of Yukon
• The Rt. Rev. David Torraville, Gander, NL – diocese of Central Newfoundland
• Ms. Jennifer Weiss, Maple Creek, SK – diocese of Qu’Appelle
• Ms. Peggy Wilmot, Victoria, BC – diocese of BC
• The Rev. Paul Gehrs, Winnipeg, MB – Lutheran Partner

The staff team working with the Partners in Mission and Ecojustice Committee were:

• Director of Partnerships – Ms. Henriette Thompson, appointed in March 2008 following the retirement of Dr. Ellie Johnson
• Global Relations – Dr. Andrea Mann, coordinator, Ms. Claudia Alvarez, program associate
• Ecojustice – The Rev. Canon Maylanne Maybee, coordinator, Ms. Lydia Kiden Laku, program associate
• Mission Education and Mission Personnel – Ms. Jill Cruse, coordinator, Ms. Clementina Thomas, program associate.

The PMEJ team was supported in its work by staff to the Anglican Healing Fund, Ms. Esther Wesley, who provided anti-racism training, and Ms. Meagan Blais, who offered administrative support to the Director.

BACKGROUND

In 2007, General Synod approved the amalgamation of the formerly separate Ecojustice and Partners in Mission committees into a single standing committee, the “Partners in Mission and Ecojustice (PMEJ) Committee”.

Practically, we were looking for a creative way forward as General Synod faced a decline in financial resources.  Through Principles of Partnership, we recognized the many contexts around the world in which the church in mission is responding to unjust and inhumane systems, and that this would help Canadian Anglicans become clearer about mission and justice in our own context:

• As we heard stories from global partners in Guatemala and the Amazon region of Brazil, and their struggle to be in solidarity with Indigenous peoples forced from their lands by multinational corporations, — the injustices experienced by Indigenous peoples in Canada came into focus;
• As we heard stories from global partners in the Solomon Islands, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo and their efforts to build peace, provide pastoral care to people traumatized by war, and advocate for peace and human rights, — our advocacy role regarding Canadian foreign policy became clearer;
• As we heard stories from global partners in Sri Lanka, India, and the Middle East facing the challenge of building relationships and living peaceably with believers of other faith communities, — we became more aware of the unique challenges of functioning in an interfaith context in our own country.

CHALLENGES TO PARTNERS IN MISSION AND ECOJUSTICE SINCE 2007

Making a conceptual shift. The committee’s biggest challenge was to deepen its understanding and conceptualize the work of becoming an integrated Partners-in-Mission-and-Ecojustice unit.  A second challenge was to translate this integration into program priorities, and into staff and committee structures.

Combining different styles. The new committee needed to integrate two very different styles of working.   The former Partners in Mission Committee worked with a global focus and interpreted that perspective to the Canadian church.  The role of committee members was to develop policy and be a reference and support for staff who delivered programs and offered expertise.

The former Ecojustice Committee focused on justice issues in Canada or from a Canadian perspective.   The committee members took a ‘hands-on’ approach of contributing their experience and expertise with staff assuming a facilitative and coordinating role.

Finding a balance between these two styles, and between relationship building and advocacy, was a challenging and important task this triennium.

Committee Size. The committee was also tested by its large size (21 members plus seven staff), the change of director in 2008, and the limitation of meeting face to face only four times in the triennium instead of the usual six.

Reduced budget and staffing. The decision by COGS to eliminate the operating deficit of General Synod by 2012 greatly affected the program budget for Partners in Mission and Ecojustice, which was reduced by almost 25% over the triennium.  As a consequence, two Program Associate positions were reduced to part-time effective February 2010: Claudia Alvarez relating to the Global Relations desk and Lydia Laku relating to the Ecojustice and Director’s desks.  Additional reductions in staff hours and salaries equaled the decrease of one full-time equivalent position in Partnerships.

WAYS OF WORKING

Visiting each other’s communities. As part of its program of learning from and interacting with dioceses and communities, the committee met in these locations across Canada, all but the first hosted by Committee members:

• Orillia, ON — October 2007
• Brandon, MB — March 2008
• Montreal, QC — September 2008
• Vancouver, BC — October 2009

The Rev. Iola Metuq of Arctic diocese invited the committee to meet in his community of Inukjuak. When timing and costs made a group visit prohibitive, our co-chair Sue Winn visited Inukjuak on behalf of the Committee in the spring of 2009, and reported back with word and picture at the October 2009 meeting.

Meeting by Conference Call. Two meetings were held by conference call – with the discovery that information can be shared and decisions made effectively by meeting twice over two days for two to two and half hours each.  However, meeting by conference call posed challenges for those whose first language is not English.  It was interesting to note that the pattern of attendance was higher for the four-day face-to-face meetings than for the much shorter conference call meetings.

Resource people. Inviting returned Volunteers in Mission, theological students returning from International Internships, Anglican representatives on boards and councils to meet with the committee helped orient committee members to the different Partnership programs while providing an opportunity for people to give an account of their experience.

The contributions of Indigenous members (Elizabeth Beardy, Iola Metuq, and Caroline Chum), ecumenical and Lutheran partners (Jonathan Schmidt and Paul Gehrs), and international partner (Florence Ayban), were invaluable.  We are grateful to them for their wisdom, courage and clarity in speaking.  We appreciated the additional guidance received at different meetings from Esther Wesley (anti-racism), Christopher Lind (ecojustice), and Sylvia Schmidt (visioning).

Priorities and Working Groups. Initial efforts to divide committee members into smaller working groups were unsuccessful, until we identified these five priorities at our meeting in the fall of 2008:

1. Indigenous justice
2. Dynamic communication
3. Partnerships
4. Roles and responsibilities of staff and committee members
5. Vision, first principles, theological and spiritual values.

Resulting in these two sets of working groups:

1. Relating to program desks

• Global Relations
• Ecojustice
• Mission Personnel and Education, and

2.  Relating to the work of the committee

• Oversight
• Dynamic Communications
• Vision, Theological Reflection, and Worship

Theological Reflection and Worship. To help us through the integration, we set aside a portion of each face-to-face meeting for worship and substantial theological reflection – on the notion of “mission”, the meaning of “ecojustice”, and the idea of “partnership”.  Committee members took turns leading creative forms of worship, prayer, and song.

GLOBAL RELATIONS

The purpose of the Global Relations program is to foster relationships between the Anglican Church of Canada and Anglican provinces and ecumenical organizations around the world according to the principle of mutual responsibility and interdependence.

Over the past triennium, more than 30 Anglican and ecumenical partners in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Caribbean, Middle East and South Pacific continued year by year to commit to work together as partners in mission with us, as we committed to work with them.

The themes that informed our work together were:  Relationship, Theological education, Reconciliation and peace, and Provincial capacity.

Priorities of our work together included:

• Strengthening and deepening relationship through prayer, visits and hospitality, and solidarity for justice;
• Information sharing and financial support for:
  • Continuing education and training for church leadership and administration
  • Reconciliation and peace programs
  • Special Provincial events such as national youth gatherings and primatial enthronements
  • The publication of Provincial periodicals
  • Support for national church and institutional infrastructure.

Ways of Working

Over the triennium, the Global Relations program administered more than 250 grants and scholarships to global partners The Global Relations coordinator visited Provinces, seminaries and colleges and ecumenical groups and represented the Anglican Church of Canada at meetings with partners held in the UK, USA, and Canada.  The Primate and several bishops accompanied the Coordinator on a number of these visits. The Director visited partners in Sudan and Uganda.

Highlights

• Amid joyful celebration and colourful ceremony, the Most Revd Daniel Deng Bul was enthroned on April 20, 2008 at All Saints Cathedral in Juba as the fourth primate of the Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS).   Bishops, clergy and lay leaders from the twenty-four dioceses of ECS attended the four-hour liturgy, punctuated by cheers, applause, Dinka calls, and hymns of praise in English and Arabic.   The Rt. Rev. Peter Coffin, Bishop Ordinary, and Dr. Andrea Mann, Global Relations Coordinator, were among the global partners who attended.   Global Relations support to the this triennium Episcopal Diocese of Sudan went toward the work of regional peace councils and helped restore Bishop Gwynne Theological College, Juba.
• In 2008, the Church of Ceylon welcomed the Rev.  Samuel  Kobia, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, and other global partners into conversation on ending the lengthy civil war in Sri Lanka.  The Rt. Rev. Duleep de Chickera and the Rt. Rev. Kumara Illangesinghe have been giving leadership to reconciliation and peace efforts within ecumenical and interfaith networks in Sri Lanka and in the Anglican Communion.  They continue to seek our solidarity for peace with justice for all Sri Lankans.  Over this triennium, Global Relations supported Anglican and interfaith programs in Sri Lanka that helped to strengthen relationships for peace between ethnic communities.
• In response to a commitment in 2007 by Anglican Provinces of the Americas to stronger companionship in mission and ecojustice, the Global Relations program renewed partnership with churches in Brazil, the Caribbean, Cuba, Haiti and Uruguay.  The Global Relations coordinator recently visited Haiti with PWRDF staff in support of the diocese of Haiti’s efforts to restore health and education ministries following the January 2010 earthquake.
• Scholarships and research bursaries provided assistance this triennium to 18 young faculty members from the seminaries of twelve global Provinces.  Additional grants to church scholarship programs helped many others in their undergraduate theological education and training for ministry.  Students completing doctoral degrees in theology have returned to positions of church leadership in theological education, Christian Education, and lay ministry training.

Other news of global partners was shared broadly with Canadian Anglicans through text and photos on the General Synod website and in the Journal, with the House of Bishops, at diocesan synods and in diocesan newspapers.  Information about emerging priorities was also disseminated in detail within issue-based networks such as KAIROS.

Global partners shared with us their stories, resources for prayer and worship, news, information, and analysis about ecojustice concerns and generously provided supervision and hospitality to student interns and volunteers in mission.  On occasion, representatives from Provinces or ecumenical partner organizations visited Canada for opportunities of learning, solidarity, and advocacy.

Nurturing these global partnerships has been a joint effort to which the staff team of Partnerships, Canadian dioceses, parishes and individuals have all contributed.   PMEJ members helped especially to guide the work of constructively re-thinking partnership in a context of diminishing resources.

Funding

Budget measures taken to reduce the General Synod deficit over the past three years have led to a 44% reduction in the Global Relations program budget between 2007 and 2010.  This has translated into fewer and smaller grants to support the mission priorities of the Anglican Church worldwide, and the ecumenical organizations in which they work.

In early 2010, at the time of writing this report, Partnerships has began a process of consultation with global, ecumenical, and justice partners about our relationship, the impact of reduced or no funding support, and new ways of working together as companions in God’s mission in the church and in the world.

The 2010 budget for Global Relations grants to 16 church partners and 12 graduate theological students is $320,000.

MISSION PERSONNEL, MISSION AND JUSTICE EDUCATION, RESOURCES

Volunteers In Mission
Between 2007 and 2010, five volunteers were commissioned and sent from the dioceses of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador, Ottawa, British Columbia and New Westminster to placements in Tanzania, Uganda and Guatemala.  Four volunteers returned to Canada in that time.  Two people are currently in the selection process, considering placements in Tanzania and the Solomon Islands.  Critical to the success of volunteers overseas is their local support group who pray, communicate and fundraise with and for the volunteer.  Our thanks go to these groups.

Canadian Churches’ Forum for Global Ministries
Anglican volunteers and theological student interns are trained and prepared in a well designed ecumenical program delivered by the Canadian Churches’ Forum for Global Ministries.  A cross-cultural Orientation Conference provides volunteers with a solid grounding to draw on during their placement overseas.  Returned volunteers participate in a Re-Entry to Canada Conference designed to help them integrate and use their experience in their ministry at home.

In 2009 the Forum co-sponsored the Canadian Theological Students Conference on the theme of “Mission and Power” featuring Bishop Mark MacDonald among its keynote presenters.  The link between the Canadian Forum and the PMEJ Committee was strengthened by having the co-director of the Forum, the Rev. Jonathan Schmidt, as an ecumenical partner.  Co-director Alice Schuda gave excellent support to the intercultural and anti-racism work of General Synod. 

The Anglican Church of Canada participates in the Forum through an annual grant and by membership on the Board and the curriculum committee.

The Theological Students’ International Internship Program
arranges for theological students to participate in three month summer placement with a global partner.

In 2007, four students served in Belize, Central America, Grenada, West Indies , the Seychelles, Indian Ocean, and  Sri Lanka.   In 2008, four students were placed in Belize, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and St. Vincent, West Indies.  In 2009, two students served in the Philippines and Uganda.  In 2010, three students will be placed in Brazil, Jerusalem and Sri Lanka.

Continuing Education for Global Ministry
is a new program, launched in 2009, offering clergy in parish ministry the opportunity for a three-month placement with an international partner.   The self-funded placement can serve as a sabbatical or a continuing education project.  In 2010, the Rev. Andrew Twiddy from the Diocese of British Columbia was placed in the Diocese of Belize, accompanied by his wife and two of their children.

Network Supplies and Resources
are made available to diocesan and parish leaders to interpret the work of Partners in Mission and Ecojustice.  Praying with our partners (PWOP) gives profile to mission and justice partnerships with members of the Anglican Communion and other Christians in Canada and throughout the world.   This year we are conducting a survey to evaluate the reach and value of this resource now available primarily online.

Additional online resources produced by Partnerships this triennium are:

• A Walk of Witness on the MDGs,
• liturgies for Earth Day and the Marks of Mission,
• a study guide for Niiganibatowaad: FrontRunners. 

Mission and Ecojustice Resources
Providing timely and interesting material for the website is a growing area of resource production.  Information and materials from partners, updates from other parts of the Communion, letters from volunteers and student interns are now available at http://www.anglican.ca/mission/index.htm .

Collaboration with the Department of Philanthropy resulted in two Advent and two Lenten calendars, focusing on prayer for partners in Canada and around the world and the recently launched Gift Guide.

Companion Diocese Program
Partnerships encourages dioceses to enter into companionships, enables the flow of information and resources, acts as a “matchmaker” for the companion diocese program, and offers the expertise of mission staff. The Companion Diocese Program has proven to be one of the best vehicles to facilitate contact among Anglicans at the parish level.

Twenty out of 30 Canadian dioceses are in one or more companionships with another diocese of the Communion.  Four of these are in Latin America, three in the Caribbean, two in Asia, eight in Africa, three in Canada, and one in the United Kingdom.

These diocesan companionships were formed or renewed in the 2004-2007 triennium:

• Central Newfoundland and Belize;
• Fredericton and Ho (Ghana) in the Church of the Province of West Africa;
• Montreal and Masasi (Tanzania), as well as the Anglican Parishes of the Central Interior (Canada);
• Ottawa and Jerusalem;
• Qu’Appelle and Lichfield (UK), in the Church of England;
• A three way companionship linking Quebec with Bujumbura in Burundi, and with Moray, Ross and Caithness in Scotland.

People Exchange and Partnership Visits
The People Exchange fund assists international visitors to come to Canada for companionship visits, conferences, or other special events.  During this past triennium, visitors came from Barbados, Brazil, Indonesia, Guyana, the Philippines, St. Vincent, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and the United Kingdom.

The Partnership Visits fund provides small grants to dioceses and parishes in Canada to support individuals or groups making companion diocese visits, attending conferences or other special events.  In the last triennium, grants were disbursed to individuals, delegations, youth groups and students to visit companion dioceses and partners in Belize, Brazil, Guatemala, Guyana, India, Kenya, Middle East, Myanmar, South Africa and Tanzania.

Funding
In 2010 Partners in Mission and Ecojustice budgeted $47,000 for mission personnel programs and grants, and $31,700 for Mission and Justice Education Resources. 

ECOJUSTICE

Issues of Concern
Discerning what issues to address, how, and with whom was a major challenge to the new PMEJ Committee.  Some issues were referred by General Synod or the Council of General Synod.  Others were determined by global or ecumenical justice partners, by networks, conference or provinces of the Anglican Communion, and still others by world events.  Here are some examples of issues of concern addressed by PMEJ:

• Climate Change is one of the key ethical and religious challenges for our time.  Emissions from the burning of fossil fuels are pushing carbon dioxide concentrations levels in the atmosphere higher than at any time in recorded history.   Much of the work of churches is done ecumenically through KAIROS and the World Council of Churches —including advocacy on implementation of the Kyoto Protocol, energy conservation and retrofits for church buildings, and linking to global efforts of solidarity with those already being affected by climate change.
• The Alberta Oil Sands are a controversial symbol of economic growth to some, environmental threat to others, with mixed benefits to Indigenous communities.  In May 2009, KAIROS sent a delegation of church leaders to consult with corporations, environmentalists, Indigenous leaders, workers and church members, to listen, learn, and engage in discussion.  The Right Rev. Thomas O. Morgan, retired Archbishop of Saskatoon, represented the Primate on the delegation.  In November 2009, the KAIROS board adopted a three-point position on the tar sands for further work.   http://www.uccedm.org/EventsDocs/KAIROS%20Church%20Leaders%20Delegation.pdf
• Truth and Reconciliation. On June 1, 2008 the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada was established by the Government of Canada, with a mandate to create an historical account of the Indian Residential Schools in Canada, to help people heal from that dark chapter of our history, and to encourage reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples in Canada. The work of the TRC was stalled for over a year and was re-launched in June 2009. The first national consultation of the commission takes place in Winnipeg in June 2010. http://www.trc-cvr.ca/index_e.html
• On June 11, 2008 Prime Minister Stephen Harper and leaders of the opposition made a formal apology to survivors of Indian Residential Schools and their families.  The Anglican Church of Canada with our ecumenical partners holds the Government of Canada accountable for acting on this apology, in particular by reversing its decision not to endorse the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples which sets out the individual and collective rights of Indigenous peoples.  When the Declaration was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 13 December 2007, Canada was one of four countries who voted against it.
  • The impact of a funding cut by Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) on KAIROS raised the issue of Canada’s policies on overseas development assistance, human rights and Palestine/Israel.  As of March 15, 2010 the KAIROS Board is awaiting a response from government to a letter from leaders of member churches and agencies requesting a meeting with the Prime Minster “to chart a positive way forward in the relationship between the government, KAIROS, and its member churches and organizations.” http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/287787

Cause for Celebration
In response to these and other emerging priorities, Partners in Mission and Ecojustice collaborated with ecumenical organizations, dioceses, and other denominations on initiatives such as these:

• Remembering the Children. From March 1-5, 2008 the Most Rev. Fred Hiltz, Primate, and the Rt. Rev. Mark MacDonald, National Indigenous Anglican Bishop, along with other church leaders, representatives of the Indian Residential School survivors’ societies, and regional chiefs, participated in a Church and Aboriginal Leaders’ tour, stopping in Ottawa, Vancouver, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg, to herald the launch of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

http://www.rememberingthechildren.ca

• Other actions on Indigenous issues:
  • Equipping Ambassadors of Reconciliation – Ecumenical regional conference for Ontario and Quebec held in Orillia, Ontario, November 19-21, 2009 to prepare church and Aboriginal leaders to engage in the Truth and Reconciliation process.
  • Participating at the 6^th Indigenous Sacred Circle, with a focus on spiritual renewal and self- determination.  Non-Indigenous guests from General Synod represented the Church’s commitment to live out the Primate’s 1993 apology on behalf of the Anglican Church, the New Agape of 2001, and the 2007 revised Settlement Agreement.
  • Writing to Premier Dalton McGuinty in March 2008 out of concern for six leaders from the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation who were incarcerated when acting in defence of their traditional lands in protest against the activities of the Platinex Inc. exploration company.
  • Through the Indigenous Rights Committee of KAIROS, advocating for land rights of Indigenous people and the rights of children to child welfare services and education.
  • “Responding to the Legacy of Residential Schools as a Community”: workshops for community frontline workers in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, jointly delivered with the United Church of Canada.
  • Justice Camps are week long intergenerational events that aim to train, transform, inspire, equip, and challenge participants, from age 18 to 81 years of age, to learn about and act on locally identified issues of concern.  The camps are entirely organized by local dioceses and communities, using a “50/50” principle – at least half the participants are under 30, half over, half are local, half “from away”, half are Anglican, half “other”.In August 2009, the diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island hosted a “Poverty and Abundance” justice camp, and in May 2010, the diocese of Niagara organized a “Community Justice Camp:  Live the Change You Want to See.”
  • Millennium Development Goals Walk of Witness.  On September 25, 2008 the Anglican Primate and the Lutheran National Bishop, accompanied by bishops from Toronto, Ottawa, and Kingston, Ontario led a walk through the streets of downtown Ottawa to highlight the Millennium Development Goals and bring attention to the UN gathering of world leaders to renew commitment to meeting the “MDGs”.  More than 60 people participated in the ceremonial walk, joining together in prayer and song at symbolic stations.
  • Anglican Lutheran Action on Housing and Homelessness. The Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada joined together with others in 2008 in a successful advocacy initiative calling on the Government of Canada to designate stimulus dollars for affordable housing for Canada’s people of low income.  More recently, their advocacy focus in 2009 was on the need for a national strategy to ensure affordable housing in all parts of Canada.  http://www.toronto.anglican.ca/index.asp?navid=78&fid3=1064&layid=18&fid
  • Interfaith Leaders’ Summit. The Anglican Church of Canada is actively involved alongside eight interfaith partners in engaging members in the “Faith Challenge” campaign ahead of the G8/G20 meetings.  Archbishop Fred Hiltz will lead the Canadian delegation at the 2010 Interfaith Leaders’ Summit in Winnipeg, June 21-23.  http://www.faithchallengeg8.com/

Special Projects
As resources diminished, program dollars were stretched by leveraging project grants and partnering with other initiatives.  Here are two examples of this approach.

• Greening Anglican Spaces. With funds from the Partnerships budget, a designated bequest from a New Westminster parishioner, and a grant from the Anglican Foundation, a project team was formed in partnership with Faith and the Common Good and with the Greeningspirit website team of New Westminster.  Together, they developed on-line tools for Anglicans to determine their carbon footprint, for parishes to set benchmarks for reducing their greenhouse gas emissions, and began to develop an Anglican network of diocesan green teams.  Go to:  http://www.anglican.ca/mission/action/greening/ Members of the Greening Anglican Spaces project team, convened by the Rev. Bill Mous for the PMEJ Committee, were the Rev. Ted Reeve (Faith and the Common Good), the Rev. Ken Gray, Mr. Bob Worcester, Dr. Rosie Hyde, and Dr. Christopher Lind.

• Urban Rural Mission Canada was a global grassroots network of the World Council of Churches which lost its core funding in 2006.  A closing conference was held in Orillia in September 2008, resulting in a small group of people committed to tell the story of their work at the Edinburgh 2010 Conference on World Mission.  The Ecumenical Solidarity Fund of the World Council of Churches approved a grant for Giving Voice to Grassroots Communities in Struggle – a project to create a DVD and send someone to the Edinburgh 2010 conference who will give voice to the theme of Mission and Power from a grassroots perspective.

Extending Our Work
Partnerships with peace and justice organizations are sustained in different ways – by grants from the Partnerships budget, Anglican representation on governance structures, and collaboration on campaigns and projects.   The Anglican Church has been able to extend its ministry of peace and justice thanks to:

a.  Ecumenical justice partners:

• Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund
• KAIROS – Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
• Project Ploughshares
• Citizens for Public Justice – Dignity for All Campaign
• Church  Council on Justice and Corrections
• Faith and the Common Good
• 2010 Interfaith Partnership

b.  Anglican and ecumenical networks and councils:

• Anglican Communion Environmental Network
• International Anglican Women’s Network
• Anglican Peace and Justice Network
• Anglican Indigenous Network
• Anglican Consultative Council
• Canadian Council of Churches
• World Council of Churches

In particular, thanks and recognition are owed to the leadership of people who represent the Anglican Church of Canada on these bodies:

• The Rev. Ken Gray, diocese of BC – Anglican Environmental Network
• Ms. Cynthia Patterson, diocese of Quebec  – Anglican Peace and Justice Network (2001-2007)
• The Rev. Christina Guest , diocese of Ottawa– Church Council on Justice and Corrections (2008 to present)
• Ms. Debbie Grisdale – Peacemaking Group, Church of the Ascension, diocese of Ottawa
• Ms. Elizabeth Hutchinson, diocese of Montreal – National Council of Women of Canada
• The Rev. Canon Alice Medcof, diocese of Toronto – International Anglican Women’s Network (IAWN)
• Ms. Elizabeth Loweth, diocese of Toronto – IAWN Canada
• Ms. AJ Finlay, diocese of Toronto  – Board of KAIROS (2004-2008)
• Dr. Christopher Lind, diocese of Toronto  – Ecology Program Committee of KAIROS
• Mr. Murray MacAdam, diocese of Toronto – Canadian Social Development Program Committee of KAIROS
• The Rev. Robert Assaly, diocese of Montreal  – Middle East Working Group of KAIROS
• Ms. Sharon Lee, diocese of Ottawa – board of Project Ploughshares (200?-2009)
• Ms. Lisa Chisholm-Smith, diocese of Ottawa – board of Citizens for Public Justice (200?-2008)

In 2010, General Synod budgeted $237,000 for membership in Anglican and ecumenical councils plus $31,000 for travel costs for Anglican representatives.  Budgeted grants to ecojustice partners amounted to $105,000, with an additional $12,000 to support Anglican representatives to serve on these bodies.

ACTIONS ON RESOLUTIONS OF GENERAL SYNOD 2007

Convening Circular » Reports

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