REMIT – JANUARY 28, 2017  

9:30AM TO 11:30am AT KITCHISSIPPI UC

 You are invited to an information session on three of the five remits that the United Church is asking congregations to review, discuss and vote on. You will recall that the national Church is proposing substantive changes (remits) to the 1925 Basis of Union which formed the United Church of Canada.  The following Remits must be considered and voted on by all of the United Church Councils (not voting is considered a vote against the proposal).

1. Three Council Model—moving from four levels of governance to three
2. Elimination of Transfer and Settlement—eliminating this method of placing clergy since it has fallen in to disuse
3. Office of Vocation—replacing the current delegated systems for training, standards, accreditation and discipline with one body accountable to the General Council
4. Funding a New Model—replacing the current assessment processes with a single assessment
5. #6.One Order of Ministry—creating one order of Ministry encompassing ordained, diaconal and designated lay Ministers.

Note that remit # 5 concerns Ministry Partners and does not require a decision by Church Councils.  Vote deadline for Remits 1, 2, 3 and 4 is June 30, 2017 and for Remit 6 is February 18, 2018

Our meeting on January 28, 2017 will focus on remits 2, 3 and 6.  We will provide a brief explanation of the issue and provide opportunity for discussion and question and answers.

There will be a full meeting of the congregation sometime in late spring to discuss all of the remits and provide an opportunity for the congregation to provide direction to the council on their level of support for each of the remits.  However, this later meeting will not discuss the remits in the detail expected on the 28^th.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask Jenni, Mary Laidlaw, Jane Craig, Doug Patriquin, Julia Gordon, Liz Snelling or Peggy Clarke.