The United Church of Canada
L'Église Unie du Canada

GCE summary for Sept. 27-28, 2024

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by Lori-Ann Livingston

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. – Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

FRIDAY

The September meeting of the General Council Executive (GCE) was accompanied by the reading from Ecclesiastes above, with a prayer from St. Teresa of Ávila, Holy Manners and equity reminders woven into the day. Of special note was a moment of silence for two recent deaths that mark incalculable loss to the church: The Very Rev., The Hon. Dr. Lois Wilson, who died on Sept. 13, and Rev. Brenda Fawkes, the Office of Vocation Minister for Pacific Mountain and Chinook Winds regional councils, who died in a motor vehicle accident on Sept. 20. Both are deeply loved and missed.

The Executive continues to deepen their understanding of their role. Understanding that its role is to ask the big questions, it monitored its work throughout the meeting.

Economic adjustment

In 2024 the Executive decoupled the General Council staffing system from the Pastoral Relations system in the ongoing annual economic adjustment. The Executive, in making the decision, also notified all employees that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) would no longer be the only factor considered in determining the economic increase. To determine the 2025 Cost of Living Adjustment, the Executive requested that the Task Group on Total Compensation offer an interim report to assist it with determining the 2025 rate.

In response to the recommendation, the Executive approved the rate of 3%. The appropriate documents will be shared with ministers and congregations when ready.

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Group benefits renewal (GS 102)

David Dawrant, Director of Pension and Benefits Administration, presented an update on group benefits trends and framed recommendations for GCE. The current group benefits plan is reviewed regularly to respond to changes in claims experience, plan membership, salaries and other key assumptions and benefit provisions assessed against industry standards and member expectations.

Among the recommendations approved are increases to dental and surrogacy benefits for plan members; an increase of .63% in employer's costs for the life, health and dental benefit program, and an increase of .49% in employee costs for long term disability benefits.

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Time with the Moderator and General Secretary

The Moderator gave the GCE an update on the Flourishing Initiative, which has four parts: The Mod's Book Squad, (Re)Generate leadership academy, congregational workshops and keynote events.

The Moderator co-facilitates the congregational workshops with the Growth Animator in the region where the workshop is or with Rev. Cameron Fraser, Director of Growth and Ministry Development Management because the idea of flourishing is linked closely to growth. Feedback about the workshop indicates that it is helpful.

The next in-person session of (Re)Generate takes place the week of Oct. 6. Participants are exploring the Matrix Map of profitability vs impact, found in the book The Sustainability Mindset. There are ongoing discussions about how to embed the (Re)Generate program into the education and development offerings of the United Church. The next keynote speaker event features Afdhel Aziz, who will appear with the Moderator February 13, 2025, at the Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge St, Toronto, ON, 6:00 – 9:30 p.m. Tickets available now.

The General Secretary, Rev. Michael Blair, asked the GCE to have a conversation about the church's response to the war in Gaza and our justice commitments, including applying the justice principles in a way that allows the Church to be responsive to partners, ecumenical relationships and civil society partners.

"Given the framework of the principles-based approach to our justice work and the clear focused justice advocacy themes identified by the strategic plan, what are the big questions we need to be asking about our justice advocacy?" he asked.

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SATURDAY

Saturday morning's session was opened by the Moderator with a new American Sign Language (ASL) video of I Have Called you By Your Name, released on Sept. 23, International Sign Language Day.

The GCE covenanted with Rev. Mark Laird, regional council Executive Minister of Western Ontario Waterways, Antler River Watershed and Horseshoe Falls regional councils, and Harry Li, Executive Officer, Finance, who are new to their positions.

2025 budget

In 2023, a deficit budget of $4 million was approved, which was reduced to $2.3 million in 2024. The Finance Advisory Committee has repeatedly emphasized that long-term financial sustainability depends on ongoing cost containment. In the recommended 2025 budget, the operating deficit has been reduced to $2 million.

Harry Li presented the 2025 proposed budget to GCE, noting the budget principles were approved at the May GCE meeting. He also noted that the economic adjustment for the General Council staffing system, which was decoupled from the Pastoral Relations system during the 2024 budget process, would be approved within the budget; the number was approved at 2.5%.

Other highlights include:

The funding for Mission and Service revenue-funded grants will remain consistent with the 2024 levels.

In 2025, the contingent grant of $150,000, which was initially created to assist regional council with contingencies that may arise during the 2019 new funding model implementation, will be discontinued.

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Growth

Director of Growth and Ministry Development, Rev. Cameron Fraser, presented an exciting picture of implementation of the Growth Objective of the Strategic Plan. His team is largely new; it hasn't yet been a year since the first Growth Animators were hired, but there is plenty of goodness happening.

Using 2022 statistics that reflect a post-pandemic environment because the current statistics are not yet available, he noted:

  • 162 Communities of Faith (CoFs) increased in membership
  • 139 CoFs baptized adults.

Fraser talked about the three streams of strengthening invitation: Renew, Create, Invite:

Renew: The data analysts in the Organizational Development and Strategy Unit are preparing neighbourhood profiles for Communities of Faith to assist them in focusing their outreach. Growth Animators are engaging in a range of strategies to strengthen invitation including Invitation 101 workshops, and presentations on four attitudes of evangelism: open, curious, prayerful and bold.

Create: New CoFs are springing up on college campuses and related to existing communities, such as a Pan-African initiative in Thunder Bay.  Others new communities are connected to African denominations who are exploring relationships with the United Church, and unique Cantonese, Filipino, and Swahili-speaking emerging churches.

Invite: Based on the theme "A Place at the Table," an emerging public outreach campaign strives to connect, or reconnect, people to The United Church of Canada. One aspect of this initiative is installing 100 tables across the country, at churches and buildings used for worship. Through these outside tables a Community of Faith will be invited to creatively articulate the good news that they offer to the community and neighbourhood around it. The tables will represent a life-giving invitation to a beloved community, experienced in a personal and communal manner, and will help to tell the story about what the United Church has to offer (#100Tables).  Other aspects of the public outreach campaign will be rolled out over the next two years.

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Mission and Service update

Sarah Charters, president of The United Church of Canada Foundation, gave a short presentation noting that donations remain stable, and a new Thanksgiving campaign is underway, using a video that reaches beyond the church. She applauded the overwhelming support for the retreat for Indigenous ministers; the $45k goal was surpassed.

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Principles-based approach to Palestine-Israel

At its annual meeting on October 21, 2023, the General Council adopted the draft Principles for Justice Work in The United Church of Canada, instructing any revisions to be brought to General Council 45 for final adoption in 2025. Several proposals from General Council 44 and in the interim have been on hold until the justice principles have been tested and evaluated.

At the start of this conversation, Rev. Dr. Jennifer Janzen-Ball, Executive Minister, Theology and Ministry Leadership, and Rev. Ariel Saigan, a member of the Theology Inter-Church Inter-Faith committee and chair of the justice principles working group, framed the discussion by reminding GCE members of the framework and work behind the principles:

  • Anti-oppression
  • Truth-telling
  • Holistic scope
  • Respect for human dignity
  • Full participation and decolonization
  • Equity, mutuality, respect and reparations
  • Costly and prophetic solidarity;

After discussion, GCE members indicated that the recommendation initial intended for this meeting needed to be revisited, and instructed the General Secretary to revise the recommendation in consultation with the Sub-Executive.  Following the Sub-Executive meeting the proposal to come to the Oct. 19 meeting of the General Council will be available.

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General Council 45 budget

GC45 will be held at the Telus Convention Centre in downtown Calgary. The General Council Executive approved up to $2 million for the GC45 budget.

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Centennial

The Centennial service will be held in Gower United Church in St. John's, NL, on Sunday, June 8, 2025. Newfoundland chose to join The United Church of Canada (in 1925) before the province chose to join Canada (in 1949). The guest speaker is Rev. Dr. Jerry Pillay, General Secretary of The World Council of Churches.

Registration is open for the annual meeting of the General Council, which will be online on Oct. 19. And on Oct. 22 at 6 p.m., the General Secretary and members of the GCE will be live online to answer questions and dialogue in the inaugural Cross-Country Check-In.

To review the proposals and reports provided for the GCE for this meeting, go to commons.united-church.ca > Governance > General Council Executive > GC44 Executive (2022-2025) > Meeting Documents > current meeting date.