General Synod 2010 members in plenary. Photo: Art Babych
- passed a resolution committing the Anglican Church of Canada to join other faith communities and secular groups in pressing the Canadian government to “adopt a comprehensive climate action plan with firm targets for greenhouse gas emissions reductions of 25 to 40 per cent by 2020…”
The resolution also encourages the Council of General Synod (CoGS) to “model how to estimate the annual rate of greenhouse gas emissions (and other behaviours such as travel and operations) by gathering existing data from utility bills. It encourages dioceses to work with the “Greening Anglican Spaces” project group of the Partners in Mission and Eco-justice Committee. - heard a short presentation by Marian Saunders, president of the Anglican Church Women (ACW) of Canada, talked about the wide range of work and advocacy of her group. The ACW advocates for the poor and homeless and organizes prayer chains, among many other activities. ACW is asking the House of Bishops to set aside an ACW Sunday so that the work of these volunteers can be recognized, said Saunders. With the help of the Anglican Foundation of Canada, it is in the process of setting up an ACW Trust, she added.
- heard how partner organizations of the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF) talked about how the organization’s ethos of “accompaniment” has been changing lives in Canada and overseas. Among them was Sooriyakumary Sinnathamby, a staff member of the Organization for Eelam Refugees Resettlement (OfERR), a PWRDF partner agency working with Tamil refugees in India. Sarah Stratton, represented Kairos, the Canadian Ecumenical Justice group.
- defeated a motion that asked that the Council of General Synod be given “a full range of options” before making budget cuts at Church House this fall. Treasurer Michele George said this process would delay creation of the budget, and perhaps result in staff layoffs happening just before Christmas.
Several other resolutions were adopted after little or no debate:
- The faith, worship, and ministry committee was asked to bring to General Synod 2013 a proposal to add to the Baptismal Covenant the duty to “sustain, respect, and renew the life systems of the earth as stewards of creation.”
- A motion passed to encourage celebration in 2012 of the 50th anniversary of the 1962 Canadian Book of Common Prayer, and the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book.
- A review of the General Synod apportionment system, which determines how much money is sent to the national church from dioceses, was requested from the Council of General Synod (CoGS) for consideration at the 2013 Synod.
- General Synod commended the ministry of the Missions to Seafarers in ports throughout Canada, noting that 2010 has been declared the Year of the Seafarer by the United Nations.
