Guests include Rev. Philip Vinod Peacock (WCRC), Rev. Michael Blair (UCCan) and Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson (UCC)
It’s been 10 years since the United Church of Christ (UCC) and The United Church of Canada (UCCan) entered into a formal full-communion agreement. In 2015, the decision was unanimous by both denominations, affirmed by the UCC General Synod in June and by the United Church General Council in August that year. A joint worship service was held on October 17, 2015.
A decade of full communion partnership.
“This full communion agreement is at its heart an expression of the spirit of the united and uniting church movement,” reads A Journey to Full Communion, the proposal presented to the 42nd General Council in August 2015. “With it, both churches seek to lift up and reaffirm the ‘fire in the belly’ for the ecumenical visions that brought them into existence. They also want the agreement truly to make a difference for them and for the world.”
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of this unique relationship this year, the UCC and The United Church of Canada will gather for an online worship service on Sat, Dec. 13, 2025, from 12–1 p.m. ET. Fill out this form to register. The service will be livestreamed, making it easy for churches and members across both denominations to participate together in this joyful celebration.
Guests include Rev. Philip Vinod Peacock of India, General Secretary-elect of The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC); Rev. Michael Blair, General Secretary of The United Church of Canada, and Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson, General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ.
The official definition of a full communion, in a Christian ecumenical context, signifies a relationship of mutual recognition and shared faith between two or more denominations. Recognizing each entity as part of the universal Christian church, while recognizing and honoring each other’s sacraments, this agreement is not a merger, but a commitment to deeper unity and cooperation in ministry.
Guests
Rev. Michael Blair serves the General Council of The United Church of Canada as the General Secretary, a role he began in November 2020. He is the first person of African descent to serve in this role in the United Church. Michael serves as moderator of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on World Mission and Evangelism.
Rev. Philip Vinod Peacock of India is general secretary-elect of The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), formerly serving as the WCRC’s executive secretary for justice and witness. An ordained minister of the Church of North India, he was an associate professor of social analysis at Bishop’s College in Kolkata, where he taught Dalit and feminist theology, among other subjects, since 2000.
Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson is the General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ. A Jamaican immigrant, Thompson is the third person of African descent to serve as leader of the denomination. Thompson serves as the convenor of the United and Uniting Churches network and as President of the World Communion of Reformed Churches.