RESOLUTION

TITLE: Participation in the Mission Study: “Children: Is Anybody Listening?”

ORIGINAL SOURCE:World Affairs Committee

CONFERENCE ACTION:            

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:    None

SOURCE OF FUNDS:

STAFFING IMPLICATIONS:       Pastoral charges, Presbyteries, Mission Units and other groups to support the missiology of The United Church of Canada and to encourage participation in global partnership.                                  
                  
VOLUNTEER IMPLICATIONS:  Conference, Presbytery and Congregational participation.

MOTION by Shelley Roberts/Marion Pope that this 78th annual meeting of Toronto Conference

•encourage all Toronto Conference pastoral charges, presbyteries, Women of the United Church, mission units and all other groups to participate in the annual United Church Mission Study, specifically,
•the UCC Mission Study resource “Children: Is Anybody Listening?”, Year 1 found in the Special Edition of Mandate, May 2001 and Year 2 in the Special Edition of Mandate, May 2002, and the children’s Story Cards (“Children: Is Anybody Listening? We are!”) prepared by the Division of World Outreach (now the Justice, Global and Ecumenical Relations Unit) to supplement the Mission Study, and
•To give through the Mission and Service Fund of the UCC which enables global partners to act for justice and peace with children, families and communities.

RATIONALE AND FAITH BASE

The aim of the World Affairs Committee is to connect the missiology (theology of mission), life and work of the The United Church of Canada and its global partners with Toronto Conference, its Presbyteries, Women of the United Church, Mission Units and Pastoral Charges. The World Affairs Committee works with the Justice, Global and Ecumenical Relations Unit (formerly Division of World Outreach) in the integration into its life and work of an analysis of economic justice, care for the integrity of God’s creation, gender justice and partnership, systemic justice, people to people exchanges and a partnership model for mission.

The World Affairs Committee participates in the Toronto Conference theme of “Nurturing Spiritual Life” by storytelling about global partnerships, mission education and partnership building and in the theme of “Develop Healthy Ministries” by enabling communication on World Affairs issues to and from: pastoral charges, presbyteries, Women of the United Church, mission units, the General Council Justice, Global and Ecumenical Relations Unit and ecumenical and interfaith networks, coalitions and partners.

The following resources provide opportunities for understanding the way the UCC works with global partners and suggestions for participation in partners’ mission action for justice and peace:
•The Mission Study resource, “Children:  Is Anybody Listening?” found in the Special Editions of Mandate, May 2001 and May 2002 and the related children’s Story Cards;
•the Special M & S Edition of Mandate in the summer of 2001 which listed global partners’ work with children, families and communities;
•and articles such as John Asling’s  “Moving From Charity Towards Justice in Outreach Ministries” found in Team Works, A Resource for Congregations from Hamilton Conference, January 2002.
 
We hear churches and agencies around the world express their appreciation for the way the UCC works with them as partners, respecting their discernment of God’s mission for them in their place and for the way the UCC responds to their requests about how to work with them in God’s mission.