What is a General Council?

The United Church of Canada’s General Council is a denomination-wide gathering which meets every three years to elect a new Moderator and to approve new church policies.
In addition to 358 delegates called commissioners, approximately 250 guests, observers, youth, children, staff, and volunteers will be present for the week-long gathering. Commissioners are selected by the church’s 13 regional Conferences and represent an equal number of lay people and ministry personnel.
The 41st General Council of The United Church of Canada will take place at Carleton University, in Ottawa, Ontario from August 11 to 18, 2012.

Spiritual Preparation for GC41

Moderator Mardi Tindal invites prayers for General Council, commissioners, and Youth Forum delegates.

The 41st General Council convenes August 11, an opportunity for our whole church to gather.

Some will be physically present in Ottawa, some will follow the proceedings by webcast, and some will be present as that “great cloud of witnesses” through prayer.

Today, I invite each of you to begin your prayers for General Council. Pray as you make your final preparations to bless and send commissioners. Pray as you support Youth Forum delegates and as you read the materials. I find it helpful to light a candle as I work through each section of the workbook, reminding me that Spirit is in this process and that God is asking us to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly in the presence of the Holy.

Last spring I introduced you to the theme of the 41st General Council. That video invitation is still available on the GC41 website.

The Holy Spirit has guided meeting preparations strongly and clearly since then. For one thing, a record number of leaders have said “yes” to a nomination for Moderator! The church is grateful to all who have entered this particular form of prayerful discernment.

All of us are called equally to prayer and discernment. Whether or not you are attending General Council, there are resources available to support personal prayer and congregational worship.

These contribute to what I think of as a three-legged stool: praying as individuals, praying in congregations or small groups, and praying with the assembled commissioners when they gather.

Some of you, I know, have already begun.

And although we follow a great variety of prayer practices in The United Church of Canada, our shared commitment to prepare for this important meeting and its discernment at this poignant time in our history is one of the important ways in which we stand United.