Anglican gift catalogue to be launched in 2010

Niagara Falls, Ont. The Anglican Church of Canada will launch a gift catalogue next year as part of a fundraising program that will allow donors to select items for their own purchase or designate them as gifts for recipients. Archdeacon Michael Pollesel, general secretary of the Anglican Church of Canada, told the house of bishops that the catalogue would benefit the Anglican Appeal, the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund, the Anglican Journal Appeal, the Anglican Foundation, and Council of the North. “It’s something to look forward to,” said Archdeacon Pollesel, adding that staff responsible for catalogue are crafting creative ideas for it. The gift catalogue system has been an increasingly popular fundraising tool for not-for-profit corporations, which taps into a growing number of people’s desire for alternative gifts in lieu of the usual material things. Meanwhile, Archdeacon Pollesel said that staff at the national office in Toronto are looking at ways to make the upcoming General Synod in 2010 “different from the past” meetings. He said there is “a genuine intention that it (meeting) not be set out as an adversarial thing,” but instead one where conversations “feel safe and flow more smoothly so that we can hear one another and, as a church, move forward.” The 2010 General Synod is expected to discuss, among others, issues around sexuality, including whether the marriage canon (church law) should be revised to allow priests to marry all legally qualified persons.In another development, Archdeacon Pollesel said the review of operations at General Synod, which is being undertaken by a consultant, is now on its final stages. “There have been a lot of foundational questions that we’ve not gotten clarity on. The review is looking at leadership at Church House (national office), who does what and who makes decisions,” he said, adding that the consultant is also looking at “the specific areas of work that we do and how we can do it better.” He acknowledged that among staff there is “a lot of ambivalence and uncertainty about where it (review) is going.” A progress report will be presented to the Council of General Synod when it meets in early May.