Council considered the four resolutions (originally on the No Debate List) proposed in the report of the 2019 Vision and Planning Task Group.
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That the Council of General Synod approve a National Symposium: "Does Faith Matter? A Dialogue about religious relevance in tomorrow’s Canada" subject to external funding being available. APPROVED BY CONSENSUS #07-11-08
That this Council of General Synod join with the Aboriginal Rights Coalition and the Canadian Ecumenical Jubilee Initiative in calling on the federal government "to act immediately to establish a truly independent commission with the mandate to implement Aboriginal land, treaty and inherent rights." CARRIED #05-11-00
The results of email ballots conducted since the Spring meeting were noted for the minutes.
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May 11, 2011 – Search Committee Membership
ADOPTED #02-11-11
Notes
The text of the resolutions is attached as Appendix A.
Email Ballot -- Membership of the Search Committee for a General Secretary
May 11, 2011
It was proposed:
That the Council of General Synod approve the membership of the Search Committee for a General Secretary.
Membership:
The Rt. Rev. Jane Alexander -- Diocese of Edmonton
The Ven. Sidney Black -- Co-chair, ACIP
The Very Rev. Peter Elliott -- Planning & Agenda Team Chair
Canon Robert Falby (Chair) -- Prolocutor of General Synod
Ms. Katie-Scarlett MacGillivray -- COGS Member
The Very Rev. Josiah (Jotie) Noel -- COGS Member
Ms. Monica Patten Chair -- Resources for Mission Committee
ADOPTED #02-11-11
Email Ballot -- Appointment of the General Secretary
September 2, 2011
Section 16 (a) of the Constitution states that “The General Secretary shall be appointed by the Council of the General Synod on nomination by the Primate, supported by a Search Committee of clergy and laity appointed by the Council of the General Synod.”
That the Council of General Synod appoint The Venerable Dr. Michael Thompson to the position of General Secretary.
The results of email ballots conducted since the Spring meeting were noted for the minutes.
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September 2, 2011 – Confirmation of Michael Thompson as General Secretary
ADOPTED #03-11-11
Notes
The text of the resolutions is attached as Appendix A.
Email Ballot -- Membership of the Search Committee for a General Secretary
May 11, 2011
It was proposed:
That the Council of General Synod approve the membership of the Search Committee for a General Secretary.
Membership:
The Rt. Rev. Jane Alexander -- Diocese of Edmonton
The Ven. Sidney Black -- Co-chair, ACIP
The Very Rev. Peter Elliott -- Planning & Agenda Team Chair
Canon Robert Falby (Chair) -- Prolocutor of General Synod
Ms. Katie-Scarlett MacGillivray -- COGS Member
The Very Rev. Josiah (Jotie) Noel -- COGS Member
Ms. Monica Patten Chair -- Resources for Mission Committee
ADOPTED #02-11-11
Email Ballot -- Appointment of the General Secretary
September 2, 2011
Section 16 (a) of the Constitution states that “The General Secretary shall be appointed by the Council of the General Synod on nomination by the Primate, supported by a Search Committee of clergy and laity appointed by the Council of the General Synod.”
That the Council of General Synod appoint The Venerable Dr. Michael Thompson to the position of General Secretary.
That the meeting of the Council of the General Synod be adjourned. CARRIED #22-11-00
Notes
The meeting of the Council of General Synod reconvened after a brief meeting of the Board of Management of the Missionary Society of the Anglican Church of Canada.
(Note: Minutes of the MSCC Board of Management meeting are attached as Appendix D).
Appendix D
Meeting of the Board of Management of the Missionary Society of the Anglican Church of Canada
November 19, 2000
Present: Members of the Council of the General Synod, and Officers of the Society, as listed in the minutes of the November 17-19, 2000 meeting of the Council of General Synod (attached).
Moved by: Mrs. Diane Brookes
Seconded by: Archbishop Terence Finlay
That the meeting of the Board of Management of the Missionary Society of the Anglican Church of Canada be convened. CARRIED
Delegation of Decision-Making Authority to Officers (046-01-11-00)
It was reported that it may be necessary for the MSCC to make decisions that parallel or follow those made by the General Synod as discussions with the government unfold in the months ahead. To enable appropriate actions to be taken, it was
Moved by: Archdeacon Jim Boyles
Seconded by: Mr. Jim Cullen
a) That the Board of Management of MSCC authorize the Officers of the Society to make any necessary decisions that are time driven relating to the residential schools litigation issues that arise prior to the March 2001 meeting of the Board, and
That between its November and Marc meetings, the Board of Management delegate decision-making authority with respect to financial viability of the Society to the Officers of the Society, and
b) That actions be communicated to members of the Board. CARRIED
Appointment of President
Moved by: Mr. Jim Sweeny
Seconded by: Chancellor Ron Stevenson
That the Primate, Archbishop Michael Peers, be appointed as the President of the Board of Management of the Missionary Society of the Anglican Church of Canada. CARRIED
The Officers of the Board of Management of the Missionary Society of the Anglican Church of Canada are:
President Archbishop Michael Peers, Primate
Secretary Archdeacon Jim Boyles, General Secretary of the General Synod
Executive Secretary Dr. Eleanor Johnson, Director of Partnerships
Treasurer Mr. Jim Cullen, Treasurer of the General Synod
That this Council of General Synod affirm and support the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples as it works towards the implementation of the Pinawa Declaration of August 2005, and prepares to nominate a bishop for appointment by the Primate as the first National Indigenous Bishop.
Motion to table
Moved by: Canon Marilyn Dean
Seconded by: Canon Robert Falby
That the motion be tabled until the May 2006 meeting of the Council of General Synod. DEFEATED
Vote on the motion which reads.
Discussion:
Council discussed the resolution. The Primate commented that he envisions a process for the first bishop whereby the ACIP would nominate to the Primate their selection of a person already a bishop.
That the Council approve for submission to the General Synod, for second reading, a motion to amend Canon XXI with respect to Impediments of Relationship in the form attached to this report. CARRIED #28-03-04
Notes
Note: Amendment to Canon XXI - Impediments of Relationship was distributed as Document #045-03-04-03 and is attached as Appendix H.
APPENDIX H
Moved By: Ronald Stevenson (Chancellor)
Seconded By: Bishop Barry Hollowell from the Diocese of Calgary
Note: The mover and the seconder must be members of the General Synod and be present in the House when the resolution is before the synod for debate.
BE IT RESOLVED:
That second reading be given to the resolution
That Canon XXI be amended:
(1) by striking out section 3 of Part I and substituting therefor the following:
3. Impediments of Relationship
a) Notwithstanding the Table of Kindred and Affinity contained in the book of Common Prayer (1962), when making the inquiries directed in section 2 the minister shall, with respect to impediments of relationship, be guided by the "Marriage (Prohibited Degrees) Act", as it was in force on June 1, 2004, which prohibits marriages between persons who are related
i) lineally by consanguinity or adoption,
ii) as brother and sister by consanguinity, whether by the whole blood or the half-blood, or
iii) as brother and sister by adoption.
b) In addition to marriages prohibited by law, no person may marry another person if they both live, or have previously lived, in the same household and one of them is or has been treated by the other as a child or parent.
(2) by striking out clause 17 a) ii) of Part III and substituting therefor the following:
ii) they are related to each other
iii) as brother and sister by adoption;
(3) by renumbering clause 17 a) iii) of Part III to be clause 17 a) iv) and by inserting a new clause 17 a) iii) as follows:
iii) they both live, or have previously lived, in the same household and one of them is or has been treated by the other as a child or parent; or
EXPLANATORY NOTE/BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The background for this resolution is found in the report of the Marriage Canon Task Force, particularly at pages 17 to 21. Clause 3 b) is based on an amendment made to the resolution when it was given first reading by the General Synod in 2001. The proposed clause 17 a) iii) makes Part III consistent with that amendment.
The Rev. Norman Casey, ACIP Co-Chair, welcomed members to a session in which they experienced meeting in a Sacred Circle. The session began a prayer and scripture reading by Mr. Peter Kitchekesik.
Bishop Mark McDonald presented the ACIP report. He spoke of the deepening crises and urgent needs in Indigenous communities both on and off reserve; the pressing issues of governance, sovereign identity and pastoral care. These crises and growing frustration led ACIP to write "The Mississauga Declaration", an urgent cry for self-determination and a call to the church. Bishop McDonald emphasized that a practical accommodation to the culture and boundaries of Indigenous life within the structures of the church is sought. He outlined an aggressive timeline that would see a comprehensive plan presented to COGS and the House of Bishops in the Spring and to the Sacred Circle in August 2012. Members then offered their reflections on what they had heard. The session closed with prayer.
Following the lunch break, the Prolocutor Canon Robert Falby assumed the chair.
The Primate acknowledged ACIP's moving presentation and suggested that COGS respond with a formal resolution. It was
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That the Council of General Synod in a spirit of great respect and hope receives The Mississauga Declaration as a gracious invitation and urgent call to the whole church to renewed commitment in walking and working with Indigenous Peoples in addressing the many crises in their communities, in strengthening pastoral ministries, in supporting their desires for self determination, and in re-affirming their sovereignty as People of the Land.
ADOPTED #09-11-11
Notes
The text of the Mississauga Declaration is attached as Appendix D.
APPENDIX D
THE MISSISSAUGA DECLARATION
Gathered in a sacred circle of love, prayer, and hope, we placed the Gospel in the centre and listened to hear God’s voice. Seventeen years after The Covenant, our communities are still in crisis and we are convinced that we must act in defense of the people and the Land. Though gathered as a consultation on governance, we have realized that our task is more urgent and more extensive. We affirm that God has a plan for us in the Gospel and that we must claim the freedom to become what God has called us to be. We believe that we must act now to reaffirm our sovereign identity as the people of the Land and to revive, renew and reclaim the ministries in our communities. Empowered in faith, we will live and work to overcome the crisis that brings overwhelming death to the peoples of this land.
We need to explore the possibilities and potential as spelled out in the Indigenous Covenant Implementation Commission’s work that would develop structures of authority, ministries and jurisdiction up to and including the development of a fifth province.
Our collective experience over decades of struggle of reconciling the historical wrongs and now the impact of assimilation upon our Elders, our children and grandchildren tells us that realistic answers come from our ways of living upon the Land and from our relationship we have always had with God, through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit. We are called by our Elders to take responsibility to practice and express our way of life so our children and their children can live as the people of the Land, your neighbors, friends and partners of our Church.
We know God is calling our peoples through our Elders’ Vision to renewal and restoration. With respect for our various traditional ways of living we hear God’s call to our peoples to unite as the renewed and restored peoples upon the Land. We will begin, today, to live towards a vision of ministry to Indigenous peoples throughout our native lands, many of us know as Turtle Island. We commit to plan and pray towards a full expression of God’s truth and love among the People of the Land. We call upon our partners in the Anglican Church and beyond to join us in the fulfillment of this calling.