Establishing an autonomous indigenous organization within the United Church of Canada
About the decision to support the establishment of an autonomous indigenous organization within the United Church of Canada
The photo above depicts the Two Row Wampum Belt, known as Teioháte Kaswenta in the Mohawk language. It marked the first treaty between Europeans (Dutch) and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy in 1613.
Reconciliation journey at Glebe-St. James (June 2023)
One of the exciting outcomes from the Glebe-St. James Annual Congregational Meeting in March 2023 was the creation of an adhoc working group to examine our reconciliation journey at Glebe-St. James and report back at the 2024 Annual Congregational Meeting.
At its inaugural meeting in April 2023, the “ReconciliAction Working Group” established its priority areas for action. The first was to examine ways to support the establishment of an indigenous organization within the United Church of Canada – this is the subject of the “remit” process underway in pastoral charges across the country.
What is a “remit”?
A remit is a vote by regional councils and communities of faith that is required for any proposed changes to the Basis of Union, the agreement between the denominations that came together to found the United Church in 1925. The current remit asks if the church will agree to remove structural barriers that would inhibit the development of an autonomous National Indigenous Organization within the United Church.
On June 21st, National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada, the GSJ Church Council accepted the ReconciliAction Working Group recommendation and voted YES to the remit for the establishment of an indigenous organization within the United Church of Canada.
What are the next steps?
The Eastern Ontario and Outaouais Region of the United Church (EOORC) leadership, with the support of the EOORC Righting Relations Network, is developing a process to ensure that the remit documentation and background resources have been received by all the communities of faith within the region. The ReconciliAction Working Group is considering how we at GSJ can demonstrate leadership within the broader region by offering our
support and assistance to this process.
How can you learn more about this important topic?
The remit process provides us all with the opportunity to better educate ourselves on the history of UCC and its relationship with its indigenous members. If you would like to learn more, either about the history of the indigenous church within the United Church of Canada, or about the remit process currently underway, please have a look at the following publications and videos:
- A video of an Information Session from October 4, 2023 in which Rev. Éric Hébert-Daly, Executive Minister for EOORC, ECORC and CrNRC and The Rev. Dr. Teresa Burnett-Cole, lead a discussion on Remit 1: Establishing an autonomous national indigenous organization. The discussion includes the history behind the Remit, the implications for voting, and what is being asked of your community of faith. October 4, 2023 Information Session on the Remit
- articles in the June 2023 Good News in the Glebe Newsletter.
- a video presentation given by Rev Dr Teresa Burnett-Cole at a May 2023 meeting of the ReconciliAction Working Group.
- a video produced by the UCC on common Questions and Answers on the remit.
If you would like to obtain more information, please contact our church administrator, Jennifer Reid at admin@glebestjames.ca or by phone at 613-236-0617 ext. 21 and Jennifer will redirect you to the appropriate contact at Glebe-St. James.
~Your ReconciliAction Working Group
