Church In Society Committee

MANDATE

PURPOSE OF THE COMMITTEE:

To be in partnership with and to provide support for social issue and social justice groups in Toronto Conference.

To monitor the involvement of Toronto Conference in areas of social justice.

To ensure faithful response to issues as they emerge.

To help the Conference determine priorities among emerging social justice issues, and to provide accurate information and research data on those issues.

THEOLOGICAL BASE:

We are a covenant people who are claimed, empowered, and sustained by the eternal promises of God.

In response, as biblical history reminds us, God’s covenant people are called to be just, compassionate, and merciful to one another and to “the stranger within the gates”.

In his life, teachings, death and resurrection, Jesus challenged all forms of sin and injustice and stood with the poor, the oppressed, and the powerless.

As Christians, we are called to witness to God’s activity and purpose in the world and to identify with victims of injustice by challenging attitudes and structures that contribute to human suffering, and by standing in solidarity with the poor and oppressed in the struggle to transform society.

Throughout the scriptures, we are reminded that we live in God’s world - that God created the heavens and the earth and they were good.  We are called to be good stewards of the earth - to use its resources wisely so that all people, now and in the future, may share fully in its bounty.

STRATEGY:

We believe that the most important and effective action for social justice should begin in congregations.  It is the responsibility of this committee to work with the nine Presbyteries and Presbyterials to inform, support, and resource congregations in order that they may respond to the justice demands of the gospel.

We are confronted by a multitude of current issues that call for our attention and action. To help ourselves and other groups in the Conference determine some kind of priority, we have developed and tested the following criteria questions:

i)    In what ways is this issue the business/responsibility of the church?

ii)   What is our present understanding of the issue?
       Who are involved/affected?  (Individuals and/or groups)
       Where can we get reliable information?

iii)  What group should be carrying the major responsibility within our society?       within the church structures?

iv)   How urgent is the need for action?

v)    Who is already responding to this issue?

vi)   What course of action will empower the oppressed?

vii)   Are we willing/able to follow through adequately?

viii) What faith statement are we making by our response/non-response?

Membership:    Chair or co-chairs
Five Conference-appointed members with three having specific skill sets in the areas of rural justice, refugee justice, and anti-racism ministry
One UCW representative
One representative from each Presbytery

Quorum will constitute one-third of the voting membership.

November, 1992
Reviewed by Toronto Conference Executive, February 11, 1998
Revised Executive minutes, November 14, page 01/02 - 126
Revised Executive minutes, March 9/05 – page 04/05 – 99-100