A177: Revised Mandate of the Partners in Mission and Ecojustice Committee (carried)
Download resolution A177
Subject: Revised Mandate of the Partners in Mission and Ecojustice Committee
Moved by Ms. Susan Winn, Diocese of Montreal
Seconded by The Ven. Peter Fenty, Diocese of Toronto
Be it resolved that this General Synod:
Approve the following preamble and revised mandate for the Partners in Mission and Ecojustice Committee, effective at the beginning of the 2010-2013 triennium:
Preamble
We as the Church are mandated to be signs and instruments of God’s reconciling love in the world. We have a responsibility to incarnate our response to Jesus’ summary of the law, ‘to love God and our neighbour as self,’ to Jesus’ example of being in right relationships, and to the question posed by the prophet Micah (6.8): ‘And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and love kindness, and walk humbly with your God?’
The work of the Partners in Mission and Ecojustice Committee is to help the Anglican Church of Canada understand and participate in God’s mission in the world by:
- challenging attitudes and structures in church and society that cause injustice;
- building relationships among people and provinces within and beyond the Anglican Communion;
- modelling respectful inclusion and hospitality;
- fostering commitment to the integrity of God’s creation;
- ensuring that mission is handed on from generation to generation.
Mandate
The Partners in Mission and Ecojustice Committee shall:
a) Engage itself and the wider church in biblical, theological and ethical reflection, listening for the Spirit and discerning God’s mission for the church and the world.
b) Equip Canadian Anglicans to live out their baptismal promise to “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.”
c) Equip Canadian Anglicans to build and strengthen relationships with Anglican and ecumenical partners.
d) Oversee policies governing mission personnel programs and financial grants to partner organizations.
e) Support the formation of networks for mission and justice throughout the church and encourage Canadian Anglicans to participate.
f) Engage in teaching and learning about Indigenous peoples in Canada and globally, identify ways that Canadian Anglicans can move toward healing and reconciliation from the legacy of colonialism, and participate in advocacy and solidarity initiatives in the struggle of Indigenous peoples in Canada to protect their land and rights, including the right to self-determination.
g) Monitor events, become familiar with established church policy, and recommend priorities for responding as the Anglican Church of Canada to social, ecological and ethical issues in Canada and globally.
h) Report to the Council of General Synod and recommend new policies and actions.
i) Monitor and support the involvement of the Anglican Church of Canada in the World Council of Churches, the Anglican Consultative Council, the Canadian Council of Churches, in relevant networks of the Anglican Communion, and in partner organizations such as KAIROS, Project Ploughshares, the Churches’ Forum for Global Ministries, the Church Council on Justice and Corrections.
j) Raise awareness among Canadian Anglicans at regional, diocesan, and parish levels of how the Anglican Church of Canada is involved in mission and justice.
Source: PARTNERS IN MISSION AND ECOJUSTICE COMMITTEE
Submitted by: Ms. Henriette Thompson, Director, Partnerships
Does this motion contain within it any financial implications? Yes __ No x
If yes, has the General Synod Expenditures Committee considered the implications? Yes __ No __
EXPLANATORY NOTE/BACKGROUND INFORMATION
General Synod approved a mandate for the new Partners in Mission and Ecojustice Committee in 2007. After its first triennium of work, the Partners in Mission and Ecojustice Committee had the opportunity to re-visit its mandate and recommend changes. The revisions set out in this resolution reflect a growing understanding of the distinctive roles of staff and committee members, and an emerging clarity about committee functions.