Faith, Worship and Ministry Committee

To the Most Reverend David Crawley, Acting Primate, and Members of General Synod.

This report consists of three major sections. The first, entitled ‘Meeting Together’, is a narrative account of our life and work together during the last three years, and includes a summary of the major tasks we have undertaken organised under the Terms of Reference of the committee. The second section, entitled ‘Task List’, is a summary of actions and developments that took place with respect to each of the tasks the committee worked on. The third section consists of documents and further background information referred to in the first two sections.

Section I: Meeting Together

The first meeting of the triennium was held at St. Michael’s House, Oakville, ON, October 13-16, 2001. All but one member of the committee was able to attend.

The committee welcomed Bob Falby, Chancellor of the Diocese of Toronto, member of the Council of General Synod, and representative of the ‘non-affected’ dioceses on the church’s negotiation team with the government. Mr Falby reported on the process of advocacy with the federal government to resolve the residential schools litigation situation. Mr Falby’s reflections helped us to put our work in the broader context of healing and reconciliation with our aboriginal brothers and sisters.

The committee divided itself into three Working Groups:

The committee welcomed John Hill and Kevin Flynn, participants in the International Anglican Liturgical Consultation held in Berkeley California (Boyd Morgan was also a participant). John and Kevin described the history of the IALC and how this latest consultation addressed the theology of the ordered nature of the church, the essentials of liturgies of ordination, and various issues including formation and discernment. They said that there were several different operative ecclesiologies: the central one based on baptism, but others which seemed to see the church flowing from its ordained ministries. The ordination rites were the main focus, but other ritual expressions of orders were discussed, such as the renewal of ordination vows and anniversaries. It was observed that the primary function of an ordination rite would be to provide ritual opportunity for the people of God to recognise God’s calling to the individual, and to pray God for the grace of the Spirit to fulfil that calling. That is a different way of speaking than saying that ordination ‘makes’ someone a deacon, priest, etc. Similarly, the right to preside at the community arises from the role of caring for and leading the community, rather than the other way around. It was reported that the IALC suggested that Provinces should be free to consider direct ordination to the priesthood and episcopate. The committee’s discussion was wide ranging, and addressed such matters as the role of liturgy in Anglican identity (John said that attempts to achieve uniformity in content of liturgy have largely been abandoned), substitutions for bread and wine (in some places they can be inordinately expensive, or socially unacceptable - in Sudan, a fruit drink is used; in Burundi, Coca-Cola), lay presidency (not discussed at Berkeley), and authority.

The second meeting of the triennium was held at St. Michael’s House, Oakville, ON, March 8-11, 2002. Four members were unable to attend.

On our first evening the committee welcomed the then Primate, Michael Peers, who spoke about various issues in the Anglican Communion. On the matter of liturgy, the he spoke about differences in worship around the communion which make it challenging to identify a ‘common prayer tradition’. He suggested that we need to be careful not to confuse unity with uniformity. When asked how bishops can fulfil their roles as chief liturgical officers when there is such a proliferation of liturgies, the Primate commended those who seek to provide instruction in liturgy, saying that the best use of authority is in authorising.

With respect to sexuality, the Primate said that the Africans are asking that as much attention be given to the problem of AIDS as a social and economic issue in the Majority World as there is to the issue of homosexuality in the West.

The Primate noted that interfaith and inter-church conversations are fragile at the moment, but that one of the strengths the Canadian church brings to the Communion is our openness. Conversely, he said that we could learn from other churches when it comes to national church involvement in theological education.

The Primate joined us again on the following evening to reflect on matters of priority in the Canadian Church. Much of the discussion touched on the ways in which our Anglican community engages our Canadian culture. At a time of aggressive secularism (which he called ‘the establishment of no religious discourse’), the Primate challenged us to see ourselves as a mission church, and the fields ‘ripe unto harvest’. This does not mean adopting the culture, as growth in the liturgically counter-culture Orthodox church demonstrates, but he acknowledged the pervasive influence of technology and said that we need to use these tools effectively. We must be life-affirming, and take our place in ethical debate. He stated that we need to challenge starved secularism, which has a poverty of mind, and reminded us of the power of the religious imagination in the arts. Nevertheless, he said, our strength is in gathering the community. A significant ‘gathering’ was, of course, the last General Synod, and he pointed out that one of the things that characterised our negotiations with the government is that we are the only church that brings aboriginal people to the table.

The committee travelled to Odrohekta, Six Nations Reserve, and worshipped and ate lunch with the kind and generous people St. Peter’s, Ohsweken. They then visited the Woodlands Cultural Centre, which is situated on the grounds of the Indian Residential School, and Her Majesty’s Royal Chapel of the Mohawks. Our fellowship with Anglicans in Ohsweken and many of the exhibits at the Cultural Centre prodded our thinking about the positive and negative aspects of culture and enculturation. However, speaking personally, I shall never forget the sense of accusation and shame I felt when in the beautifully restored Chapel of Christ Church, I read the inscription on the stained-glass window depicting the meeting in 1710 of four Iroquois chiefs with Queen Anne at St James’s Palace. It was a quotation from Acts 16.9: ‘Come over and help us.’

In its devotional life, the committee used draft liturgical forms that were being considered for inclusion in the New Agape binder. On the occasion when a prayer to the four directions was incorporated into our eucharistic liturgy, however, one of our members felt compromised and left the service. Following the service, the morning agenda became a discussion of what had happened. Our conversation brought out deeply held convictions about the nature of worship, the limits of diversity, our role as elected leaders within the Church, our responsibility to test liturgical forms, our openness to the Spirit and the need to take risk. Much of our conversation conformed to the pattern of the aboriginal circle. I can say that it was a painful experience which was also necessary and useful. We learned valuable lessons about the importance of being sensitive to one another, and to the different cultures which make up our Church. The Steering committee debriefed and made some recommendations on how best to employ and evaluate liturgies in future meetings. We looked back on the experience as a gift, and prayed that God would use the courage, honesty and heartfelt conviction expressed in our meeting in our own growth and in our service to the Church. This experience contributed to our resolve to request that the Planning and Agenda Team of the Council of General Synod arrange for the worship of a future meeting of CoGS to be facilitated by members of the FWM/ACIP Joint Working Group, with the understanding that an educational component would be part of the worship experience for Council members. We also endorsed and forwarded the request of the Joint Task Force of FWM and ACIP to ask the Planning and Agenda Team to invite ACIP to meet in the same place and at the same time as a future Council meeting, with the understanding that there would be facilitated shared working time and worship opportunities during the meeting.

The third meeting of the triennium was held at Villa St. Martin, Pierrefonds, QC, October 4-7, 2002. One member was unable to attend, however we were pleased to welcome new members Maria Jane Highway, a representative of ACIP from The Pas, MB; and The Rev’d Michael Mills, a representative of the ELCIC from Toronto.

In the afternoon of the first day, the committee visited the Centre for Ecumenism, hosted by the Associate Director, Adele Brodeur; Montreal Diocesan College, hosted by the Principal, The Rev’d Dr. John Simons, and The Rev’d Paul Jennings; The Synod Office of the Diocese of Montreal, hosted by the Dean, The Very Rev’d Michael Pitts; The Cathedral, where we prayed Evening Prayer; and Bishopscourt, where we were generously hosted for dinner by Bishop Andrew and Lois Hutchison. At dinner, thanks were extended to the members of the Comité Liturgique Episcopale Francophone for their work on translation of portions of the Book of Alternative Services.

Nearly the whole of our second day was spent discussing the implications of New Westminster’s decision as it relates to the mandate of FWM. The Steering committee had felt it important to ask one of our members who belongs to one of the dissenting parishes in New Westminster to facilitate our discussion with another member of his choice.

However, in order to introduce conversation around a topic as emotive and politically sensitive as this, we determined to make use of a sharing circle and agreed that the substance of our sharing in this format should be confidential. Following the sharing circle, a report on the history of the debate in New Westminster was presented which gave a fairly detailed account of the ‘conservative’ theological and ecclesiological position, as well as a personal account of the ‘feelings’ in New Westminster, which were described as ‘desperate’. It was claimed that this is not just a local question, and that it involved doctrine, Scripture, unity and discipline. We were asked to consider the possibility that the rest of the Church in Canada had a responsibility for the pastoral care of the dissenting parishes. The next part of our discussion included some very helpful questions and an opportunity to meditate on John’s Passion narrative. At the end of our meditation, we tried to ask ourselves what was the most significant question facing us out of this situation. That evening, our three Working Groups carried the discussion further, and thought about ways in which the issue related to their Working Group tasks. The following day, after Eucharist, representatives of each Working Group met with the Chair, and an attempt was made to draft a report and make some recommendations. The attached ‘Report from FWM on its discussion of issues facing the ACC with some recommendations’ (Document 1) is the end result. As the attached report indicates, the discussion was at times painful and difficult. However, as the unanimous approval of the attached report also indicates, we believe that we came to a greater understanding of one another, of the issues at stake and of what we hold in common. We also identified resources (noted in our report) which we fervently hope will assist in the dialogue is taking place in our church around matters of human sexuality.

The fourth meeting of the triennium was held at St Michael’s House, Oakville, 6-9 February, 2003. Two members were unable to attend. One evening, the committee enjoyed and appreciated the hospitality of the Bishop of Niagara.

The committee devoted time once again to a discussion of the issue of same-sex blessings. Eric Beresford had circulated a proposed method for discerning what questions and processes would be most useful to General Synod 2004. Although some doubted the need for another ‘process’, the committee debated and refined the proposal in light of the feeling of others that the use of focus groups could give us a more comprehensive and relevant picture of how the church was thinking about this issue, would give us a clearer idea of what expectations people have for General Synod, and might even generate some creative ideas about how to treat the matter when it comes to the floor. One of the committee’s main concerns in electing to follow this course of action was that we honour our commitment to listen to the church, and that we not give grounds for thinking that the committee is attempting to steer the debate in one way or another.

A wide-ranging discussion was also held on the matter of clergy wellness. The Ministry Working Group initiated discussion by drawing our attention to a number of factors affecting the spiritual, intellectual, physical and emotional health of clergy. Many of these factors were illustrated by personal example, as people spoke of vicarious stress syndrome (taking on the suffering of others), of clergy shouldering blame for the lack of young people in the church or for decline in church attendance, of clergy not being able to reveal their stresses for fear they would be regarded as weak or failing. It was observed that pastoral ministry has become more of a profession than a vocation, that churches are becoming increasingly congregational, and that many aboriginal clergy are expected to represent an institution with which they are in conflict.

The fifth meeting of the triennium was held 2-5 October 2003 at the Villa Maria Retreat Centre in Winnipeg. Five of our number were not able to be with us.

Our visit to Winnipeg included time at the national offices of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada where we met with Bishop Raymond Schultz. We heard the story of their downsizing and how communications has become the most vital ministry of the national office. We also paid visits to a number of historic churches, including St John’s Cathedral, and heard many stories about William Cochran and Peguis and the growth of the frontier church. Cochran and Peguis are two figures the committee has been urged to consider adding to the calendar. The Indigenous Council of the Diocese of Rupert’s Land graciously gave us dinner one evening, and spoke with us about their vision of partnership. On our final evening, Bishop Phillips had the committee to dinner at St John’s College. There he described the work of the College, and we had the chance to ask him about how the diocese was implementing the ‘total ministry’ concept.

The committee had an opportunity to watch the new Scripture video, ‘Written on the Heart’, and were gratified with the way it turned out. We recommended that every member of CoGS receive a copy, and would like Council members to promote it. We hope that this resource will help us all to think about the way we read Scripture as Anglicans, and that this will in turn enable us to discuss contentious issues with a greater degree of understanding.

A considerable amount of time was given to a discussion of events which have occurred around the matter of same-sex unions and homosexuality. Among other things, the discussion touched on jurisdictional issues, the language being used to describe positions, and the possible implications for the integrity of the consultation process. The result of our discussion was a ‘Statement to the Council of General Synod’ (Document 2, attached). The committee read a paper on Anglican authority prepared by Chancellor Ron Stevenson, and believes the paper deserves wide circulation (it is accessible on the web site)

The sixth and final meeting of the triennium was held 5-8 February 2004 at Sisters of St. John the Divine, Willowdale, ON. Every member of the committee was in attendance.

Linda Graff and Jody Orr of Linda Graff and Associates, the consultants hired by Faith, Worship and Ministry, presented their report: ‘Anglican Church of Canada: Blessing of Same-Sex Unions: Final Report, January 2004.’ This report had been circulated among members of the committee in advance of the meeting. After giving the committee an overview of the methodology, Linda and Jody provided an ‘overview of findings and key themes’, and gave some background to eleven recommendations on how they believed the matter of the blessing of same-sex unions ought to be presented to this General Synod. The committee spent the rest of the morning questioning Linda and Jody and discussing the report. A task group was then established to bring a recommendation back to the committee in light of the report and our discussion. That afternoon, the committee debated and voted on a five-point resolution (Document 3). While this resolution was broadly endorsed, it was not endorsed unanimously. Perhaps this is as it should be, for our committee has been fairly representative of the diversity of perspective which exists in our church.

The committee would like the members of General Synod to know that it spent in excess of 38 hours in plenary discussion on this issue over the course of this triennium. While this amount of time has enabled us to grow closer together as a group (and we count it a privilege to have been engaged in this work), this matter has taken time which had been budgeted for other matters on the committee’s task list.

Motions to the Council of General Synod

In the course of the triennium, the motions forwarded to the Council of General Synod included the following. Background to the motions can be found in Section II: Task List.

• That the Council of General Synod send a message to the Prime Minister in support of the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol.

• That the Council of General Synod send a letter to the Prime Minister and the Federal Minister of Health to commend the work of the Ecumenical Network on Health and to express support for the ethical arguments and recommendations they present for protection and strengthening of the Canada Health Act. See Task List ET5 Health Care Reform.

• That the Council of General Synod send a letter to the Honourable Anne McLellan and to the chair of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research stating concerns regarding the content of the CIHR discussion paper, Human Stem Cell Research: Opportunities for Health and Ethical Perspectives (Document 4; copies of the paper are available from Eric Beresford).

• That the Council of General Synod commend the document on “Life: Patent Pending” for study in the Anglican Church of Canada (copies available from Eric Beresford). See Task List ET6 Biotechnologies.

• That the Council of General Synod endorse the ‘covenant’ written by the Ecumenical Task Force on Health Care and conceptually incorporated into the Romanow Report (copies available from Eric Beresford). See Task List ET5 Health Care Reform.

• That the Council of General Synod endorse the proposal that FWM engage facilitators/consultants to work with members of FWM and staff to gather the information sought in the proposal entitled “Consultation on Blessing of Same Sex Relations: Proposal for Contracting with Facilitators” (Document 5), and to design the processes by which the groups will be engaged, to run the consultations, to assist in interpreting the results of these consultations, and to prepare a report and make recommendations, and that CoGS provide budgetary assistance for this consultation. See ET4 Human Sexuality.

• That the Council of General Synod adopt the Ecumenical Vision Statement for the Anglican Church of Canada (Document 7). The origin of this statement was an ecumenical strategy task force. See Task List AR5 Ecumenical Strategy and Networking.

• That the Council of General Synod endorse and support a proposal for gatherings of young leadership of the Anglican Church of Canada as part of the orientation of the new Primate. The idea for this proposal came from ECUSA’s 2020 project. Its aim is to have a gathering of Anglican Christians aged 20-35 design their own conversation in order to share with the church their perspectives on its life and priorities for the future. See Task List AR1 Anglican Identity.

• That the Council of General Synod authorise increasing the membership of the Primate’s Theological Commission from 10 to 12 in order to make provision for substantially greater cultural diversity. The committee agrees that the criteria originally proposed for the Commission is still appropriate. See Task List AR1 Anglican Identity.

Terms of Reference

The committee’s work falls under categories outlined in the committee’s terms of reference (1995 Strategic Plan, modified).. What follows is a guide to these terms of reference and the related tasks the committee has undertaken in the past triennium. The guide refers to Section II: Task List.

• Articulate standards and develop resources for worship and liturgy. See Task List C3 Networking; MW1 Liturgical Development and Resource Collection (Worship Resources: Healing and Reconciliation; Revise Common Lectionary Propers; Liturgy after 2001; Anglican Liturgical Licensing; French Translation; Commemoration of Emergency Services Personnel; and Commissioning of Eucharistic Ministers – Reserve Sacrament); MW3 Liturgical Revision (Marriage Canon Review; Marriage: Other; Changes to Episcopal Services language (BAS); Calendar Revision; Lectionary); MW4 Networks for Ministry and Worship.

• Foster and facilitate collaboration between Canadian theological colleges, and with the national church. See Task List C3 Networking; MW2 Ministry Formation and Reflection (Ministry and Leadership – Theological Reflection); ET2 Theological Education.

• Develop policy for, monitor, and engage in inter-church dialogues. See Task List C1 New Agape; C3 Networking; A2 Bilateral Relationships (Anglican-Roman Catholic, United Church, Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Greek Melkite, and Moravians).

• Develop policy for, monitor, and engage in inter-faith dialogues. See Task List ET7 Interfaith Relations.

• Promote theological reflection, and provide resources and education on issues of doctrine, ethics, ministry, ecumenism, leadership, evangelism and mission. See Task List MW2 Ministry Formation and Reflection; MW4 Other, Networks (Networks for Ministry and Worship); ET3 Ethics: Theological Reflection; C3 Networking; AR4 Conciliar Ecumenism; AR5 Ecumenical Strategy and Networking; AR6 Mission and Evangelism: Theological Reflection.

• Monitor work of the Anglican Communion in the areas of liturgy, doctrine, authority and identity. See Task List AR1 Anglican Identity (Anglican Communion), MW 4 Networks.

• Monitor work of the World Council of Churches and the Canadian Council of Churches in areas of faith and order, ethics, theological education, and inter-faith relations. See Task List AR4 Conciliar Ecumenism.

• Convene gatherings and develop networks related to the work of the committee. See Task List C3 Networking; AR5 Ecumenical Strategy and Networking (Ecumenical Strategy); MW1 Liturgical Development and Resource Collection (Liturgy after 2001); MW4 Other, Networks (Interactive Communications Electronic).

• Work alongside the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples around aboriginal spirituality. See Task List C1 New Agape; MW2 Ministry Formation and Reflection (Discernment for Ministry – Indigenous People). The committee was also pleased to have among its members Maria Jane Highway, a representative of ACIP from The Pas, MB, and the Rev. Canon Murray Still, a member of the Indigenous Council of the Diocese of Rupert’s Land.

• Work with the House of Bishops to define doctrine where necessary. See Task List MW1 Liturgical Development and Resource Collection (Liturgy after 2001); MW2 Ministry Formation and Reflection (Post-Ordination Ministry Support and Formation/Ministry Wellness). Dr Walter Deller, one of our members, was also asked to address a meeting of the House of Bishops on the subject of theological education.

• Use the Lund principle to work ecumenically wherever possible. We were pleased to have The Rev. Michael Mills of the ELCIC as a Lutheran partner. A 1991 graduate of Waterloo Lutheran Seminary, Pastor Mills serves Advent Lutheran Church in Toronto, and received an award as Companion of the Worship Arts from the Lutheran Church.

• Report to the Council of General Synod. Reports were submitted by representatives of the Faith, Worship and Ministry committee at each meeting of the Council of General Synod.

• Encourage theological reflection on stewardship and on the committee’s mandate. The other priorities assigned to the committee precluded work in this area.

• Within the committee’s mandate, do functional strategic planning and visioning. See Task List C5 Structural Framework for General Synod and Proposed New Structures.

• Maintain liaison with the House of Bishops. The committee was well served by the presence of The Rt Rev. Fred Hiltz, but felt that consideration ought to be given to having at least two bishops on the committee in the next triennium.

• When deemed appropriate, invite partners (international, ecumenical, or internal) to join the committee. The committee was enhanced by the contributions of our Lutheran and aboriginal partners, as indicated in i) and k) above.

Section II: Task List

The following tasks are grouped and numbered according to the working group that is responsible for them. AR = Anglican Identity, Theology and Relationships; MW = Ministry and Worship; ET = Ethics, Theological Education and Inter-Faith

In addition to these specific tasks of the three working groups, there are five common tasks to which the full committee and each working group paid attention in undertaking their work.

C1 New Agape

In the sensitive work of considering how to put before the church the matters relating to the blessing of same sex unions, the committee spent a good deal of its time in the circle, using modified methodology learned from our indigenous members. Research on the question was undertaken by our ACIP partner in ways appropriate for her community.

The Joint Anglican Lutheran Commission, established by the Waterloo Declaration, and the new Anglican-United Church dialogue team both include indigenous Anglicans, chosen by ACIP.

There were several points of consultation and common work with the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples:

In response to a request from General Synod 2001, a joint FWM-ACIP task group was formed to collect worship resources and develop educational principles for Worship in the Vision of New Agape – a worship and educational resource addendum to the New Agape Binder. This work has been completed and will become part of ACIP’s resources for publication in the Binder and on the web.

Networks have grown to include Indigenous communities in trial use processes for new liturgical texts.

Under “Discernment for Ministry-Indigenous” a survey of diocesan practices related to discernment, formation and training for ministry with Indigenous communities was undertaken, and the collecting of stories of Indigenous people in ministry begun.

On an annual basis, FWM works with ACIP in the development of worship resources for the National Aboriginal Day of Prayer.

C2 Full Communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

The Waterloo Declaration agreed to in 2001 called for the establishment of a commission to oversee the implementation of the agreement and the fostering of the relationship of full communion. The Commission will report separately to General Synod, but the FWM committee paid attention in its deliberations to matters arising from the full communion relationship.

Thus the committee reviewed work done by the Commission on guidelines for clergy serving in each other’s churches and on worship, commended the establishment of a joint task force on confirmation, met with leadership of the ELCIC when it met in Winnipeg, and appointed Anglicans to work with Lutherans in planning the national youth gathering and the worship conference to be held in 2004. It especially welcomed the appointment and rejoiced in the presence and contribution of the Rev. Michael Mills as Lutheran partner to Faith, Worship and Ministry.

Connections have been made with ELCIC-ELCA’s Renewing Worship liturgical development project, consulting on matters of common concern in liturgical development. Various ELCIC bodies have been now included as a matter of course within consultations related to FWM tasks (Synodical committees and staff, seminary faculty). We hope that a Lutheran partner will be appointed to FWM in the future, and look forward to reciprocal arrangements with the ELCIC.

C3 Networking

The Canadian Association for Liturgy (ecumenical), which has been in abeyance since the mid 1990s, is in the process of reconstituting itself. The custom has developed of inviting diocesan ecumenical officers to meet in conjunction with ecumenical events that are held in regions. There have been two gatherings of the Summer Ecumenical Institute and a national conference on shared ministry at which Diocesan Ecumenical Officers were in attendance, as well as a forum on bilateral dialogues sponsored by the Canadian Council of Churches and the North American Academy of Ecumenists. The lack of funds to hold a national conference of ecumenical officers is a problem, but it is being addressed by these regional events.

In the area of liturgy, FWM continues to relate to groups such as the Consultation on Common Texts, the International Anglican Liturgical Consultation, the North American Academy of Liturgy, the English Language Liturgical Consultation, and consults regularly with Diocesan Liturgical Officers and Doctrine and Worship committees. FWM hopes to convene a meeting of DLOs at the ELCIC-ACC joint conference on worship in July 2004. In the area of ministry, consultation with Anglican and Lutheran theological colleges and diocesan personnel has been valuable, as well as connections with ‘Living Stones’, a gathering for ‘total ministry’, the North American Association of Deacons, the Association of Deacons in Canada, and the Conference of Diocesan Executives of Canada.

C4 Anti-Racism

The Rev. Canon Murray Still was named as FWM’s representative on the Anti-Racism Working Group. A draft charter and action plan have been prepared and were considered by FWM in February 2004. The Ethics working group considered the implications of this work for the priority that should be given to interfaith work.

C5 Structural Framework for General Synod and Proposed New Structures

All committees have been asked to comment on the work of the Planning and Agenda Team before it goes to General Synod. FWM expressed concern about the proposal to set up a group within the Council of General Synod to be responsible for local initiatives in ministry, as there would be serious problems of overlap with the mandate of FWM.

Anglican Identity Theology and Relationships Working Group (‘AR’)

This working group considers the parts of the mandate of the committee that deal with Anglican theological issues, both within Canada and within the Communion, with theological issues raised by the Canadian Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches, and with ecumenical relationships, particularly the bilateral and multilateral ecumenical dialogues. Convened by Helena-Rose Houldcroft and staffed by Alyson Barnett-Cowan, the group included Walter Deller, Kim Murray and Michelle Staples.

AR1 Anglican Identity

Use of Scripture Working with Anglican Video, the committee produced a video on the use of Scripture called ‘Written on the Heart’, which is now available for purchase through ABC. Bibliography and other resources will be gathered to supplement the video, that will be sent to resource centres and put on the website.

Primate’s Theological Commission FWM monitored developments in this Commission, which reports separately to General Synod. During this triennium the first group completed its work, which included the publication of three workbooks to engage Canadian Anglicans in theology. FWM considered the criteria for membership in the new Commission, which it recommended to the Primate as he considered his appointments. The first meeting of the newly reconstituted commission took place January 16-19 in Oakville. The first theme to be addressed is ‘mission’.

Foundational Documents The AR Working Group considered that a useful contribution to the nurturing of the Canadian Anglican community in Anglican identity would be the gathering into one volume ‘foundational documents’ of our church. As a generation has grown up knowing only, or primarily, the Book of Alternative Services, many do not know such material as the Solemn Declaration or the Thirty-Nine Articles. Alyson has begun to collect the documents electronically, and Kim will write up to 500 words of explanatory material written in a non-tendentious way, explaining historical context and their status now. ABC is happy to work with FWM to publish this volume, which would have a similar look to the BAS and Common Praise.

Jurisdiction Task Force FWM paid attention to the arguments of the Jurisdiction Task Force, and welcomed Ron Stevenson’s paper on Anglican authority which he had prepared for the Anglican Baptist International Conversations. These documents have been put on the web site, and sent to the Lambeth Commission.

Young Leaders’ Gathering Another plan for contributing to Anglican identity was to gather young leaders (Generations X-Y) in the east and in the west, as part of the orientation for the new Primate. Some planning was begun, but it was not possible to get this project in operation. It was decided to pass this good idea along to the next committee.

Anglican Communion FWM had worked with the Partners in Mission committee to produce a preliminary response to The Virginia Report in the previous triennium. Further work in this area became the responsibility of the Inter-Anglican Theological and Doctrinal Commission (IATDC), whose work has been affected by developments in the Communion relating to homosexuality. The IATDC invited responses from Anglicans to ‘Six Propositions’, and Kim Murray undertook this task on behalf of FWM (Document 6). FWM staff have made a large contribution to the life of the Communion by the participation of Eileen Scully on the IATDC, by Eric Beresford’s secondment to the Anglican Communion staff, 20% for work on ethics and the environment, and by Alyson Barnett-Cowan’s membership on the Anglican-Lutheran International Working Group, the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Ecumenical Relations, and now on the Lambeth Commission. Staff are able to engage members of the FWM committee in this work, and to use the committee as a place to report their activity.

AR2 Bilateral Relationships

Anglican Roman Catholic FWM through AR followed developments in both the Anglican Roman Catholic Dialogue of Canada (ARC) and the annual Anglican Roman Catholic Bishops’ Dialogue. FWM named Joe Mangina to replace John Hill on ARC. ARC Dialogue’s response to ‘Gift of Authority’ (Document 8) was welcomed and commended within a resolution proposed for General Synod that has expressed some concerns with ‘The Gift of Authority’. The ARC dialogue is completing work on resources for inter-church families and a statement on our different approaches to Eucharistic sharing (prepared at the request of the bishops’ dialogue). Some members of the dialogue participated in a colloquium at Laval University in 2003 at which Cardinal Walter Kasper was given an honorary degree.

United Church During this triennium a bilateral dialogue with the United Church of Canada has been re-established. The mandate of the dialogue is to identify and address issues affecting our relationships. Anglican members (nominated by FWM) are Bill Harrison( Saskatoon, co-chair), Bishop David Ashdown (Keewatin), Nancie Erhard ( Nova Scotia), Heather Labrie ( Athabasca), and Erwin Oliver (Huron/ACIP). The major task of the first meeting was to identify the most significant areas of mutual interest and concern. These were named as core theological affirmations, sacramental theology, missiology and witness, shared ministries, and indigenous issues and relationships. Central to the dialogue team’s work is the impetus toward deepening each community’s understanding of the other. To this end, perceptions, stereotypes and history are being explored. There have been three meetings to date. FWM is proposing a resolution for General Synod welcoming the reestablishment of this dialogue.

Orthodox John Gibaut of Ottawa is a member of the international Anglican Orthodox dialogue, which is hoping to complete a series of agreed statements on the Holy Spirit, ecclesiology, and ministry by 2005.

Oriental Orthodox FWM welcomed the agreed statement on Christology from the International Anglican Oriental Orthodox Commission and prepared a statement to send to the Anglican Communion Office.

Greek Melkite The Anglican Church was approached by the Greek Melkite Church about the possibility of exploring some form of a shared relationship. The impetus for this came from the Canadian bishop, who unfortunately died suddenly in 2002. We are remaining in conversation but await developments.

Moravians The Episcopal Church USA is engaged in a bilateral conversation aimed at bringing about a relationship of full communion with the Moravian Church. As the Moravian Northern Province includes congregations in Canada, the Anglican Church of Canada has been monitoring these developments, and has agreed to explore the development of full communion with the Moravians jointly with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, possibly bringing a resolution to the 2007 national meetings in Winnipeg.

AR3 Relationships of Full Communion

ELCIC See the report of the Joint Anglican Lutheran Commission and task C2 above.

ECUSA Helena-Rose Houldcroft has been the Canadian Anglican partner to the Executive Council meeting of ECUSA and reports regularly on their work.

AR4 Conciliar Ecumenism

CCC Faith and Witness Commission Thanks to the energetic work of CCC staff person Mary Marocco, the Commission has undertaken a number of projects of interest to the 20 member churches of the CCC: it hosted a gathering of Canadians involved in bilateral ecumenical dialogues in October, 2002 and will host another gathering October 3-5, 2004 in Ottawa; it published a brochure on ‘what it means to be human’ (theological anthropology); it organised an ecumenical service of ‘prayer, music and light in defiance of darkness’ at St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Cathedral in Toronto as war was begun in Iraq, and produced ‘Guidelines for Religious Ceremonies involving more than one Faith Tradition’. Currently it has begun to compare theologies of suffering in the various traditions. The Rev. Ian Ritchie and Alyson Barnett-Cowan represent the Anglican Church in this commission, which also oversees the development of the service for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

WCC Faith and Order The Plenary Commission will meet in July in Malaysia. At that time, reworked versions of the Commission’s work on ecclesiology, ‘The Nature and Purpose of the Church’, and on ecumenical hermeneutics, will be presented.

AR5 Ecumenical Strategy and Networking

Ecumenical Strategy FWM sponsored a gathering of Canadian Anglicans and Lutheran and Roman Catholic partners to consider the purpose and priorities of the Anglican Church of Canada’s work in ecumenism. It prepared an ‘Ecumenical Vision Statement’ which was then reworked by FWM. The Council of General Synod did not endorse the statement, and FWM brought another version forward to the Council in March (Document 7).

Christian Festivals The Coalition has disbanded and gave their resources to the Canadian Council of Churches so that youth gatherings could happen under their aegis.

Diocesan Ecumenical Officers See task C3.

AR6 Mission and Evangelism

FWM was delighted that the Primate’s Theological Commission will be giving its attention to mission. It was not possible for AR to undertake any specific projects in this area, although it looked forward to the final report of the Primate’s Commission on Evangelism.

Ethics and Theological Education Working Group (‘ET’)

This working group is charged with the task of promoting theological reflection on issues of doctrine, ethics and interfaith relationships. It was convened by Lela Zimmer and staffed by Eric Beresford. The group included Stephen Andrews, Ann Cruickshank, Maria Jane Highway, Boyd Morgan, Felix Orji and Paula Sampson.

ET1 Human Life Task Force

In the first part of the triennium the committee worked on questions of composition and refining the question of the tasks and approaches we hoped the task force would take. While the nature of the work required that we ensure a rather specific range of skills would be represented (medical, social scientific, ethical, genetic, etc), we were also concerned to ensure that the task force would reflect the diversities (region, gender, ethnicity, order, age etc.) that make up the Anglican Church of Canada and might be expressed in different perspectives on the issues to be considered. Unfortunately time demands associated with the new tasks around the blessing of same sex unions in the last half of the triennium meant that it proved impossible to organise a meeting before the end of the triennium. The committee recommended that this task be passed on to the next triennium with the same appointments and with the terms of reference formulated by the committee during this triennium.

ET2 Theological Education

The committee began its work from the report of the task force on Theological Education presented at the 2001 General Synod. Initially a survey was undertaken to assess if and how the recommendations of the task force are being or might be implemented. It was soon realised that diversities in regional needs and in the capacities of provincial structures meant that some of the recommendations have been implemented in some areas but look unlikely to be implemented in others. The question of funding was also examined. It appears that this matter needs significant attention if the General Synod is going to be able to exercise its constitutional responsibilities in this area. In order to carry this work into the next triennium three enabling resolutions have been passed on to the General Synod.

ET3 Ethics: Theological Reflection

The focus for this task has been primarily related to the need for the provision of resources to support the development of clergy codes of ethics by dioceses of the Anglican Church of Canada. Clergy are perhaps the only professional group without such a code, however the theological questions associated with the nature of ordered ministry mean that the simple adapting of codes from other professional groups is not entirely adequate. Members of the Ethics Working Group have developed an outline for a guide to developing or adapting clergy codes of ethics. A list of helpful resources and examples has also been compiled. It is recommended that this guide be completed, published and disseminated during the next triennium.

ET4 Human Sexuality

The final report of the consultants, Linda Graff and Associates, was received by the committee which then addressed the question of what sort of question / process should proceed to General Synod. It was our recommendation to the Council of General Synod that copies of the Executive Summary and Recommendations from the report be made freely available to the Church. The committee was asked to consider three questions in its deliberations.

• What sort of question should be posed at General Synod 2004, and what sort of process will enable the Synod to deal most effectively with this question?

• What materials should be sent to General Synod members in advance of the synod to help prepare them for participation in this debate?

• How might the desire for resources in the wider church might be met?

The committee drafted a proposed motion for General Synod which it then passed on to CoGS, along with suggestions about materials and process. The committee continued to resist the idea of producing new study materials for use in the wider church. Instead the committee identified resource lists and other materials produced by dioceses and agreed to publicise these through the web, Ministry Matters, and the Anglican Journal.

ET5 Health Care Reform

The committee forwarded a draft letter to the Council of General Synod to be sent to the Prime Minister and the Federal Minister of Health to commend the work of the Ecumenical Network on Health and to express support for the ethical arguments and recommendations they present for protection and strengthening of the Canada Health Act. We continue to monitor debates concerning Health Care Reform. To date the Federal Government has done little to respond to the recommendations of the Romonow Commission. Recently the Ecumenical Health Care Network sent a letter to the Prime Minister concerning the Health Care Covenant, and the Primate added his signature to that letter. This committee continues to monitor work in this area through its involvement with the Ecumenical Health Care Network. We are represented on the Network by Dr. John Dossetor ( Ottawa) and The Rev. Canon Eric Beresford (Staff).

ET6 Biotechnologies

The primary biotechnology issue addressed by the Faith Worship and Ministry committee during this triennium concerned the patenting of life. The committee supported a Canadian Council of Churches intervention before the Supreme Court of Canada in the case concerning the Harvard Mouse. The brief argued that the extension of patents to higher life forms represented a change in public policy that should not be undertaken without full public consultation and debate in Parliament. In the event, the court denied the patent on the mouse. Representatives of the biotechnology industry have approached the government about changing the patent act, although no new legislation has been tabled to date. This continues to be an important monitoring task.

Further, in preparation for the likely eventuality of new legislation being introduced, the committee has passed on to the next triennium the task of working more concretely on positions that the Anglican Church of Canada might take with regard to the patenting of life, including the theological and ethical bases of such positions with recommendations for future participation in this debate.

At the same time the Council of General Synod has taken a position on the expansion of patenting into biological and genetic materials in so far as it affects the rights of vulnerable populations. This position has clear implications for the future work of the committee.

ET7 Interfaith Relations

Although Interfaith Relations was ranked as a low priority task, the importance of work in this area has been growing. The events of November 11, 2001 have had significant impact on both of the major interfaith dialogues in which we participate. Further, in mid-triennium the Canadian Jewish Congress suspended its participation in the Canadian Christian Jewish Consultation, as a result of statements made by the United Church of Canada and the Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada on the situation in Israel. Those relationships have been resumed.

As a result of these events the committee reflected on the need to give increased attention to interfaith relations in the context of global increases in religiously based conflict and increases in the incidence of hate crimes in Canada. The committee requested that dioceses appoint interfaith officers separately from ecumenical officers to reflect the increased needs in this area. The task group also reflected on the opportunity presented by increased levels of interfaith dialogue to grow in our understanding not only of the other, but also of our own religious beliefs and commitments.

Ministry & Worship Working Group (MW)

The Ministry and Worship Working Group of Faith, Worship & Ministry focuses its work on those parts of the committee’s mandate dealing with matters liturgical, issues around ministry formation and reflection, liturgical revision, and other related tasks. It was convened by Peter Wall and staffed by Eileen Scully. The group included Fred Hiltz, Jane Humphreys, Dion Lewis, Michael Mills, and Murray Still.

In this triennium, MW worked together as a group on tasks which were given to FWM by General Synod 2001, on tasks which arose out of those directions, and on those tasks undertaken by FWM as a response to the ‘Priorities for 2001-2003’, as mandated by the 36 th General Synod.

In terms of specific direction, the 36 th General Synod asked FWM to:

• complete the word of the Marriage Canon Task Force, with particular reference to liturgical materials for the blessing of civil marriage and rubrics concerning services of renewal of marriage vows;

• continue the work of translating liturgical texts into French;

• establish means by which regular regional liturgical forums can take place to address the issues of revision and renewal of our rites;

• continue the work of The New Agape, with specific reference to the development of liturgical materials for use by indigenous communities; and

• deepen our relationship with ELCIC, particularly in terms of support for the Joint Commission and co-operative educational and conference events.

In addition, much work was done this triennium, particularly by Bishop Fred Hiltz, on the complex area of clergy wellness, as it became part of MW’s work on Ministry Formation and Reflection

MW1 Liturgical Development and Resource Collection

See “C1: New Agape”

General Synod 1998 called for the creation of a three-year cycle of Collects for the BAS to harmonise with the Revised Common Lectionary. Through 1998-2001 the Australian Prayer Book collects were circulated for trial and feedback. Early in the triennium MW reviewed this feedback and determined that an original writing project would be preferable for the Canadian Church. It was judged that not only the Collect of the Day, but the entire BAS Proper for Sundays needs to be reviewed (Sentence, Prayer Over the Gifts, Prayer After Communion) and evaluated toward revision. A Task Group of writers/reviewers was struck, including members from each ecclesiastical province. Job descriptions for writers/reviewers and editors were developed, a process for the project adopted, guidelines for prayer composition established and a process for trial use evaluation begun. Writing has begun on Year A Collects and Propers, with a trial use and feedback process to be developed into next triennium.

Significant and well-received consultations were held with the Provincial Houses of Bishops on the meaning of common prayer, authorisation and other issues. Diocesan Liturgical Officers (DLOs) were identified and asked to complete surveys of the worship life of their dioceses. Networks of DLOs, professors of liturgics and others with particular skills in the worship arts and liturgical theology were developed. These have been important responses to what General Synod heard in 2001 as a result of provincially based consultations and MW hopes that these initiatives and conversations can continue, particularly the episcopal consultations, working with DLOs and professors of liturgics, and regular communication with the church through Ministry Matters. MW urges the next FWM committee to convene regional gatherings for continued liturgical/theological conversations amongst clergy and laity.

In response to an initiative by the Anglican Book Centre to offer a copyright licensing programme for the use of electronic texts of authorised liturgical texts, Faith, Worship and Ministry initiated a conversation with the Anglican Book Centre and the Information Resources committee of General Synod to discuss common concerns, and recommends that these conversations continue into the next triennium.

The French Translations of the four main services in the Book of Alternative Services, approved by General Synod 2001, were published in distinct, parallel English-French, brochure-sized booklets in 2003. Terms of Reference for the continuation of this work were approved by FWM and a next phase of work has begun. Priority has been given to the Divine Office and pastoral services.

In response to requests from members of the church, work was done developing liturgical rites to honour emergency services personnel in our communities. In consultation with representatives from the Military Ordinariate, MW recommends that this work continue in the next triennium.

MW considered a request to create liturgical texts and rubrics for the commissioning of lay eucharistic ministers within the dismissal rite, and recommends that a survey of diocesan practices be taken in the next triennium.

MW2 Ministry Formation and Reflection

A comprehensive survey of dioceses on discernment processes for ordained ministry in Indigenous communities has been completed and analysed by The Rev’d Canon Murray Still of Rupert’s Land. This helpful report identified the processes and resources available for culturally appropriate discernment and formation and pointed to needs for further development in these areas. MW hopes that this work will continue into the proposed next stage, which involves the collection and analysis of stories of Indigenous clergy and Indigenous communities. The report, in its entirety, is available at the FWM table at General Synod and on request from Church House and on the General Synod website.

As a result of MW’s own interest in post-ordination ministry support and formation and in response to a specific request from the Council of General Synod relating to ministry wellness, an extensive report was carried out under the leadership of Bishop Fred Hiltz, surveying dioceses about studies and programmatic initiatives in these areas. A library of programmatic and other resources has been compiled to be shared with the church. MW hopes that work will continue, notably in the development of a close relationship with the Conference of Diocesan Executives - North and with others with expertise in this field. A full report and sample resource packages is available at the FWM table at General Synod and on request from Church House and on the General Synod website.

Monitoring of developments in the Association of Anglican Deacons in Canada, formed in 2003. MW recommends that research and evaluation of Diocesan standards and practices be undertaken in partnership with AADC.

Continued participation in various networks promoting theological reflection on ministry, such as ‘Living Stones’, and with formation personnel in dioceses and theological colleges. Theological reflection on ministry continues as a component of all other specific tasks in the area of ministry.

Participation in a Canadian Council of Churches initiative to work with Provincial Governments to include multi-faith pastoral care resources in emergency response measures. Developments are working with local committees in Nova Scotia and Alberta as test cases eventually grow toward national implementation.

MW3 Liturgical Revision

The second reading of canonical changes will be brought to this General Synod.

The Blessing and Celebration of a Marriage (for a Civil Marriage) and Renewal of Marriage Vows are being brought to this General Synod. The Blessing and Celebration of a Marriage Between a Christian and a Person of another Faith Tradition has been made available as electronic text on the FWM website.

A motion is coming to this General Synod to reflect gender inclusive language in episcopal services of the BAS.

Motions are coming to this General Synod to include Florence Li Tim Oi and Emily Ayckbowm in the BAS calendar of holy persons. Work has begun on Principles and Guidelines for Regular Calendar Review for report to General Synod in the future. Propers for Li Tim Oi and Emily Ayckbowm will be prepared in the next triennium.

MW has continued to monitor developments on the Daily Lectionary to follow the Revised Common Lectionary. MW is promoting, through the web, the trial use of a ‘single reading’ daily scripture guide as developed by the International Anglican Liturgical Consultation and to monitoring feedback, which will be sent to the IALC. MW has also monitored development of a weekday office lectionary by the Consultation on Common Texts, and proposals in the Anglican Communion for Easter Season alternative Hebrew Scripture readings.

MW4 Other, Networks

FWM created its own web pages within ‘anglican.ca’ midway through the triennium, and MW has sought to use these to full advantage for networking and sharing of resources and announcements, noting that more fulsome use of the web for sharing of FWM task-related resources could be made in the future.

Evaluation of the NIV Inclusive Language Version has begun.

Participation in, and monitoring of work of the following continues:

Association of Anglican Deacons in Canada
Canadian Ecumenical Liturgical Group
Conference of Diocesan Executives-North
Consultation on Common Texts (ecumenical, North American, liturgical consultation)
Diocesan Liturgical Officers, Doctrine and Worship committees,
Diocesan ministry formation, support and ‘wellness’ personnel and committees
English Language Liturgical Consultation (ecumenical, international)
International Anglican Liturgical Consultation
‘Living Stones’ (network of Anglican dioceses involved in Total Ministry)
North American Academy of Liturgy
North American Association of Deacons
Societas Liturgica (ecumenical, international, liturgical society)

Nominations

During the last triennium, the Faith, Worship and Ministry Committee made nominations to the following groups and networks:

Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue
Canadian Christian Jewish Consultation
Christian-Muslim dialogue
Church of England’s Consultation on the Presbyterate
Churches Council on Theological Education
ELCIC 2004 Worship Conference Chair
ELCIC 2004 Worship Conference Member
Faith and Witness Commission of the Canadian Council of Churches
FWM/ACIP Joint Task Group on Healing Resources
General Synod Worship committee
Human Life Task Force
Inter-Faith Committee on Corrections Chaplaincy
International Anglican Liturgical Consultation
Jewish-Christian dialogue
United Church Dialogue

Identified tasks for the next triennium:

The following tasks have been identified as items worthy of consideration by the Faith, Worship and Ministry Committee in the next triennium:

• There ought to be at least two bishops on the committee.
• Continue planning for the proposed Young Leaders’ Gathering. See Task List AR1 Anglican Identity.
• Convene the first meeting of the Human Life Task Force using names and terms of reference formulated. See Task List ET1 Human Life Task Force.
• Follow up the resolutions to General Synod on theological education. See Task List ET2 Theological Education.
• Continue developing resources for clergy codes of ethics. See Task List ET3 Ethics: Theological Reflection.
• Continue monitoring developments around the patenting of life. See Task List ET6 Biotechnologies.
• Develop trial use and feedback processes for the Year A Collects and Propers project. See Task List MW1 Liturgical Development and Resource Collection (RCL Propers)
• Convene regional gatherings of DLOs to discuss liturgy/theology. See Task List MW1 Liturgical Development and Resource Collection (Liturgy after 2001).
• Plan further discussions with ABC and Information Resources on the publication of liturgical materials. See Task List MW1 Liturgical Development and Resource Collection (Anglican Liturgical Licensing)
• In consultation with the Military Ordinariate, develop liturgical rites to honour emergency services personnel in our communities. See Task List MW1 Liturgical Development and Resource Collection (Commemoration of Emergency Services Personnel).
• Undertake a survey of diocesan practise around the commissioning of lay eucharistic ministers within the dismissal rite. See See Task List MW1 Liturgical Development and Resource Collection (Commissioning of Eucharistic Ministers – Reserved Sacrament).
• Collect and analyse stories of Indigenous clergy and Indigenous communities regarding discernment processes for ordained ministry. See MW2 Ministry Formation and Reflection (Discernment for Ministry – Indigenous People).
• Prepare propers for Li Tim Oi and Emily Ayckbowm. See MW3 Liturgical Revision (Calendar Revision).
• Develop something on the history of the development and translation of the Bible and provide resources on website to supplement video and provide study material. See AR1 Anglican Identity (Use of Scripture)
• Review lists of people serving on dialogues and replace as terms end. See Task List AR2 Bilateral Relationships.
• Continue to monitor Bilateral Relationships (Task List AR2) and Relationships of Full Communion (AR3)
• Continue to monitor joint work on confirmation being undertaken by the Joint Anglican Lutheran Commission. See Task List AR3 Relationships of Full Communion (ELCIC)
• Continue the project of collecting and making available resources for ecumenical life at the local level, and paying attention to other messages from the Ecumenical Strategy Consultation. See Task List AR5 Ecumenical Strategy and Networking.
• Take into account the messages from General Synod about support for local ministries and find ways to develop and support networks of leaders who are doing creative work in this area. See Task List AR6 Mission and Evangelism.

In compiling the foregoing list, the committee members confess to having certain pangs of conscience. Our own experience is that the number and weight of the tasks we have attempted to complete this past triennium has been unmanageable. In light of the limitations of personal and staff resources, the committee would like to accompany the above list with some suggestions for the next Faith, Worship and Ministry Committee:

• The next committee may want to structure itself differently, possibly around the highest priority projects.
• Evaluate working group tasks and membership partway through the triennium.
• Don’t take on too many tasks – be realistic about what is possible, given the many pressing issues in people’s lives, and the fact that changes in personal circumstances will inevitably take place over the triennium, and give yourself permission not to have to undertake all of the projects given to it by General Synod and by this committee.
• When new work is assigned, choices need to be made about work that will then not be done.
• Staff need to signal how much time is going to be required and encourage real choice of priorities.
• Having the chairs of committees serve on the Mission Co-ordination Group could improve communication between committees and enable committees to be more efficient.

Committee Membership 2001-2004 

Staff:

A word of gratitude

It has been a great privilege serving with such a gifted, passionate and caring group of individuals. Each member of the Faith, Worship and Ministry Committee has demonstrated an extraordinary degree of patience, charity and faith during a turbulent and stressful period of the church’s life, and I am profoundly appreciative of the contribution of each one.

Finally, on behalf of the committee, I wish to express our indebtedness to the staff for their servant ministry to the committee and to the church. We have been grateful for the insight and industry of Eric and Eileen, and for the willing support received from Jo and Kathy. In particular, we would like to thank Alyson for her unique blend of heart and mind. Her efficient service to the committee was both motivated and governed by a rich ecclesiology and a passion to be found a faithful servant of Christ. I think I speak for the whole committee when I say that the church has been well served by this dedicated staff, and that we ourselves have been enriched by our experiences together over the last three years.

Respectfully submitted,

The Rev. Dr Stephen G.W. Andrews, Chair