In other news, the Council of General Synod (CoGS), also:
- Approved, in its capacity as the Board of Directors of the Missionary Society, an increase to the amount of money Council of the North clergy can apply for as a loan toward a vehicle-from $9,000 to $13,000. CoGS prolocutor Harry Huskins pointed out that the original intention of the program was to provide reasonably sufficient funding for clergy to buy a new vehicle and that even the new increased amount was far from adequate, particularly for the distances and difficult driving conditions with which clergy in the North must contend. “I think that this is a real opportunity…to do something important for people literally on the ground where ministry is lived out,” Huskins said, adding that parishioners are often really concerned about the safety of their clergy. A motion was approved requesting a prompt review of the policies regarding the financing of vehicles in Council of the North dioceses.
- Heard a report from the liturgy task force and approved a motion from the faith, worship and ministry committee to authorize the publication-for study, trial use and evaluation, where permitted by the Ordinary-of the following provisional texts:
- inclusive language psalter
- Morning and Evening Prayer, seasonally, beginning with Ordinary time
- Revised Common Lectionary-based collects, beginning with Pentecost Year A and following through the seasons as these become available
- Approved a resolution to hold a joint meeting with the National Church Council, its counterpart body in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC), on November 13 to 15, 2015. It also approved, in principle, that the Anglican Church of Canada will hold a joint assembly with the ELCIC in 2019. The two churches, which are in full communion, held a joint assembly for the first time in 2013. The joint meeting in 2015 will allow both churches “time and flexibility” to plan the joint assembly, said Dean Peter Wall, Anglican co-chair of the Joint Anglican-Lutheran Commission.
- Approved a motion expanding the types of initiatives that can be considered for Ministry Investment Fund (MIF) grants. Established by the financial management and development committee in 2008 to limit the funding of operational deficits with unrestricted bequests to the national church, MIF grants were intended to provide seed funding for new program initiatives, single-purpose, time-limited projects and for specific initiatives that are in keeping with the strategic plan Vision 2019. The approved motion added two other criteria for consideration:
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- funding for up to $100,000 per year and $250,000 in aggregate to support “new ways of working, for collaborative ministries between General Synod and ELCIC [Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada], diocese and/or other partners”
- funding of up to $75,000 annually for emerging and unbudgeted initiatives of General Synod.
The requirement that the balance of the fund may not fall below $2 million remains.
- Received an interim report from the Anglican Church of Canada-United Church of Canada Dialogue, which said that the discussions have been fruitful. The report proposed a further exploration of “what steps can be taken to make a mutual exchange of ministries between [the] two churches normative,” beginning with studying the possible interchangeability between Anglican priests and ordained United Church ministers. CoGS approved a motion from the faith, worship and ministry committee extending the Anglican participation in the current group’s mandate, which was ending this year; adding one more representative from each church to the dialogue; and requesting a report to General Synod 2016.