President's Message

Where do you find community today?

Many people I speak with today say they find community in their own congregation.  We often speak about being part of a "church family" in which we find support, encouragement and social life.  I think that has pointed to a change that has come over the United Church.  I think that in the past, the church was more of a beacon in the community, and our expression of faith in God was found in worship and social justice.  The focus now feels like it has shifted to ourselves and off the "big" picture. 

When we used to identify ourselves to others as members of the United Church, we represented the whole spectrum of the church, the local congregation, the Presbytery, the Conference and even General Council.  All of these parts of the church were in relationship and as members we were proud of that relationship.  It seemed to me we had a greater sense of ownership and pride in the church in the past. 

This summer, General Council is meeting in Kelowna, British Columbia.  General Council is one of the four courts of the church.  As we have become more congregationally focused, our sense of distance from General Council has increased.  However, General Council is made up of individuals just like you from across Canada.  Toronto Conference sends forty commissioners selected by their Presbyteries and some from the Conference itself, like me. General Council deliberates on the big issue items that affect the life of the whole church.  This year we will look at a number of reports  including  a report on the candidacy process for those entering into ministry as well as an important report called "The Meaning of Ministry."  The budget will be another important issue because it directly affects the programs and mission of the church.  But there are other things to hear and learn such as about our relationships with our Jewish brothers and sisters and the Palestinian people.  This Council will confront us with changes that face the church and questions on how we will respond to those changes.

These issues are not unlike the ones that Toronto Conference has been dealing with for at least four years.  In 2007, the Annual Meeting of Conference voted overwhelmingly to change the administrative structure of the Conference in order to bring resources closer to the congregations, which are the basic mission units of the church.  That meant giving us the opportunity of moving many Conference committees to the Presbyteries and congregations as well as moving the resources of staff time and money closer to that basic mission unit.  Now we are doing it.  On July 1 of this year, four new Presbyteries came into existence:  Living Waters, Northern Waters, Toronto Southeast and South West. Four main areas of work were identified: Public Witness, which includes work such as the presence of the church at Dump Site 41; Property, which includes manse improvements, sales and possibly new development; Personnel, which includes work related to Ministry Personnel issues such as disability leaves and changes in pastoral relations; and Program such as youth programming.

The role of the Conference is to have oversight of the Presbyteries.  Of course, there have been changes in the way assessments are collected and distributed, but all to the end of making the best use of time and money.  For those of you who may feel a bit lost in this shuffle, I recommend looking at the web site of Toronto Conference and also speaking to your Presbytery representatives to find out how your Presbytery is handling its work.

In this column in Insight, I have referred in the past to a journal called Weavings from time to time.  Recently, I was looking through old issues and realizing how pertinent the topics are that are covered by the articles.  I saw one called "Many Gifts," which reminds me that we all have gifts to share with the church at every level.  There is one called "Households of Faith," which talks about different places in the church we act as a household of family members - in the congregation, in small groups, at Presbytery and at Conference.  In all these places we find nurturing and learning for ourselves to become better stewards of faithful living.  In one article called "Neighbours" we are called to serve others as ourselves, while in "Circles of Belonging" we understand ourselves as belonging to one another in the baptized household.

I am reminded that though we are all different with our own joys and sorrows and strengths and challenges, we are all part of this church which holds and nurtures us as the Body of Christ and as Christ's expression of love to the world.  Look at the church this year with fresh eyes to see where your gifts may be shared for the enrichment of the whole.

Blessings,
Carol Gierak, President of Toronto Conference