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You just never know said:
One of our ministers from Hillhurst is at GC, you are in for a treat if you are present when Rev Dr Danielle Ayana James preaches a sermon.
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She is quite an amazing speaker & preacher! She did the sermon at this morning's worship; I personally like her style a LOT. I've seen a book by John Pentland from Hillhurst a the EDGE table - looks interesting. Must be a dynamic church you're involved with!
 
We heard from the sessional committee today; since last Wed they have been pouring over the 100+ proposals related to the CRTG report. They have come to the council with condensed revisions & recommendations - which we will begin to consider tomorrow. CRTG has done an extraordinary amount of work; as has the SC to condense the responses. I am hopeful about where Spirit will take us tomorrow. At dinner I had interesting discussions with Cathy, who headed up the CRTG about her experiences, and how she feels, now handing over three years of work. It's challenging. I also had the opportunity today to chat with two of our special ecumenical guests/partners - one from the Mennonite church, and another who is the head of the Canadian Council of Churches.

Today we also heard from all 12 of the moderator nominees - 5 minute speech. They were interesting, diverse; some predictable, some inspiring, some not so much. some surprises. I like Gary Patterson's comment that "the Spirit will choose, through us, who will be the next moderator of our church." Voting is on Thursday I think.

The youth did the worship this evening (saw Busydaughter :)) - WOW great service!!! Some inspired moments there. Some spoke of the pilgrimage - and their hopes for the future of the church. One young guy got a standing ovation - he's definitely a preacher in the making!! I'm grateful to the church for this inspired opportunity - worth every single penny. I wish we could do more of this. Also interesting to see how many of our youth are bilingual.

Did I mention that last night's dinner was moose meat? SO DELICIOUS!! Weather today was ... rain! And colder.

I think that's all for tonight ... Early to bed - I plan to get to an info session at 7:30 tomorrow morning on the Israel Palestine issue - something that my commission will also start to tackle tomorrow. Night All!
 
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Ah yes - and crazyheart - at lunch I sat with a woman from your area - she knows you!
 
Thanks Carolla for your updates. Busydaughter texted me last night to tell me she was eating moose. I texted back "chocolate mousse"? Apparently not! Ha ha! Such a great experience you are all having.

I echo your thoughts on the youth. Busydaughter has met a lot of incredible friends through Youth Forum and Youth Forum Canada. It is inspiring to see what great leaders and people they are becoming. I am grateful to the youth ministers, youth leaders and also to Gary Patterson, for encouraging the youth to become involved and to find their voices. Busydaughter and middleson have had some tremendous opportunities presented to them through the church. It is really wonderful.
 
Carolla said:
She is quite an amazing speaker & preacher! She did the sermon at this morning's worship; I personally like her style a LOT. I've seen a book by John Pentland from Hillhurst a the EDGE table - looks interesting. Must be a dynamic church you're involved with!
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Yes it is quite the place, we have three ministers and they all preach fine sermons. John is having a book launch in early September so looking forward to picking up a copy.
 
sadly the SC report (from waht I was able to hear/see)seems to be "lets tweak how we do what we are already doing and combine Presb & Conf into one court" [which actually takes us back to the proposal at the turn of the century] rather than embracing radical (hopefully transformative) change. If we are going to spend less time and money we have to stop doing things.
 
Mrs. Anteater, you can watch the nominee speeches from links at GC42.ca, and also from a link someone posted under the thread "youtube watching of GC"
 
One of the interesting things has been the involvement of the First Nations people, and the guests from other churches, other countries. They bring their messages and traditions - giving us additional lenses through which to consider items. This morning, the whole court formed a circle, holding hands around the arena, we sang, chanted & prayed with leadership from All Native Circle Council members and then they presented every single one of us with a gift of sacred tobacco. Sacred moments. There is one elder native woman who particularly touches me with her wisdom - her name is (I think) Lorna Standing Ready.

We have slogged our way through a very long day of intense business yesterday and another half day today. This afternoon is a well needed Sabbath break. Many people went on tours & adventures, but I just needed some time off. Birthstone & I went for a long walk on a woodland trail near here, met & chatted with former moderator Bill Phipps along the way. Then we went to the campus art gallery - Grenfell has a significant fine arts programme - and we both agreed there is some art that is beyond our understanding!

Last night was great too ... there is an observatory here & so we went on a tour, heard a talk & looked through the telescope - so cool! I think most of the youth forum showed up for it too - and it was great to see the scientists and the kids sharing their enthusiasm. And naturally, the campus pub has also been VERY busy in the evening!!
 
General Council uses a interesting decision making process. When the proposals come forward, there is a show of voting cards for whether the assembly feels warm or cool toward the proposal. Then some revisions may be proposed to alter the wording before the actual motion is put forward. "Temperature" may be tested again and then a motion is heard & seconded and we are into parliamentary procedure where any formal amendments etc. occur if needed - hopefully they are few due to the warm/cool process which contributes to the development of the motion.

Yesterday we started working our way through the Sessional Committee's proposal re the CRTG - item by item; we are first doing the full warm/cool & wording revisions process for the entire document - which hopefully will then make the actual voting a simpler event. Please pray for this if you are so inclined.

We also had several long commission sessions yesterday. For these, the commissioners are split into three groups & each group has leadership & assigned proposals on which to debate & vote. There are also GCO staff available for input as requested. The commission decsion is considered the decison of GC on the matter. Items were prioritized for the agenda. Any not addressed by the commission go to General Council Executive to be dealt with.

Its been interesting to see how people grasp (or not) the process & principles; what raises anxieties and rancour; how the moderator & general secretary are managing the group etc.
 
Thanks for sharing your experiences with us here Carolla. And thank you for being there. I offer this thanks from the perspective of a UCCan member, but also my personal thanks as I know that you, Birthstone and Rev John have helped Busydaughter's experience by being familiar faces, supportive friends and fun diversions from time to time. Beam me up Scotty! I'd love to be there with you, but this helps as it gives me a glimpse of what your experience has been. :love:
 
was going to post some photos - but haven't quite figured out this new computer sufficiently yet!! Will do so later, or when I get home.
 
We love seeing her smiling face Busymom! Many of the youth actually got involved in the business sessions - which was good to see their voices being raised. Many times they said to the court - "can't you people just get on with it!!!" Out of the mouths of babes ...
 
Somebody asked up thread about the 'goodie bags' - they are great - so totally NL!!

Start with the bag - each one hand sewn! Plain fabric in a rainbow of colours, with the GC42 logo screened onto it; a pocket on the back of NL tartan; print lining. They are amazing! Could you imagine YOUR conference making hundreds of such bags??

They contain a big assortment - many of the items also hand-made from across the province - little needlepoint crosses, a crocheted coaster, a prayer patch, a knitted souvenir dishcloth. Various print materials (bookmarks, pamphlets, maps, magnets) from local outreach type organizations; pens & pad; little tube of toothpaste, an issue of Downhome magazine; an issue Gathering prepared for GC42; a luggage tag, a flourescent armband for safety when walking at night, a cleaning cloth for computer screens/phones, a NL pin, handwritten recipe on a card... you get the idea :-)

Touching to think how many hours of loving care went into preparation of these welcome gifts.

They had a surplus of dishcloths :-) So today they offered the extras for sale - the local organizer laughingly told us "they're $1.00 each or on special 3 for $5.00 ... Proceeds to the Mission & Service fund!" She also pointed out they're a good alternative to the flimsy facecloths in the residence; or good for wiping the rain off your face when you come inside! Yes ... more rain today.
 
My turn! Hi everyone. It is great fun rooming with Carolla, and seeing Busydaughter and Rev John. GordW Where are you? How can we meet up? I love making the circle wider if you're so inclined. I think I've seen MotherofFive's husband around but not sure. I'll be extroverted and go ask him - how about that?

The Opening ceremonies and really, all worship times, were worthy of Olympic comparison - the textures and colours and participation and music and language is woven carefully to be rich and engaging, with layers upon layers of meaningful effort. The Moderator is a delight to listen to, and others bring rich things to the table. We laugh a lot, often at ourselves, like in the play. The diversity and inclusivity is stunning - I'd say the LGBT parts are at this point just part of our landscape that is showcasing ethnic backgrounds, many languages, Aboriginal spirituality, ability diversity, and more. It feels great.

Busydaughter and the Youth forum are all very engaged - quick to ask good questions, articulate, enthusiastic and brave. And Busydaughter has basically adopted us - she knows if WC people are friends here, we're friends everywhere. Busymom - you ought to be awarded a medal for raising such a brilliant girl.

The work though is tough and serious. Today we stopped and took a music break - not planned but needed. The balance between wordsmithing and nuances of integral meaning - well, lets just say it is unclear, and so there are tedious times. I'm imagining for another time using commissions as final consultations rather than decision making, so that the groups who have worked so long and hard can be challenged by commissions, then by GCE with GCE making the decisions with trusted awareness. I wish more people could look to each other and say "I don't quite get your opinion - can you explain it to me?" That is a struggle with some heated conversations. As Carolla mentioned, please offer prayers and good wishes and - importantly - become aware and stay open to the issues.

Moderator Bingo - we were up to 8 that night Carolla. Lois Wilson, Stan McKay, Mardi Tindal, Peter Short, Bill Phipps, Gary Paterson, Marion Pardy, and, David Guiliano. Bill is seated at a table next to me, so I've enjoyed connecting with him. At the campus pub the other night, we should have played Nominee Bingo- there were 8 of the 12 that I saw making the rounds. All are engaging people and it will be a difficult decision.

Thanks Carolla for the great walk today, and reminder about the Observatory last night. Definitely both are highlights.
 
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