Rev. Dr. Prof Jerry Pillay and WCC representatives engage in conversation about strategic direction of the United Church
On Friday, December 6, the Moderator, The Right Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne, and General Council Office staff hosted Rev. Dr. Prof. Jerry Pillay, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC); Nathan Wilson, Church and Ecumenical Relations for the WCC, and Angelique Walker Smith, North American President for the WCC, for breakfast at the national office in Toronto.
During the two hour visit, Rev. Dr. Prof. Pillay and his colleagues heard a short presentation by Rev. Jennifer Henry, Executive Minister for Organizational Development and Strategy, on the United Church’s growth strategy, focusing on Renew, Create, and Invite. Emo Yango, Growth Coordinator of Diaspora and Intercultural Ministries, and Ean Chan, a church plant leader for an emerging Cantonese-speaking community of faith in Scarborough, offered insight into the Create stream of the strategy.
“The bigger picture of church growth is that we want to mirror our society,” Yango told the group.
Peter Hartmans, Regional Executive Minister for Canadian Shield and Shining Waters regional councils, spoke of the “enthusiastic” lay-led communities of faith in Sturgeon Falls, Chapleau, and Marathon in Northern Ontario, which successfully and regularly meet together online and in person, despite several hours’ driving between the towns.
The WCC leadership asked questions of staff and the Moderator, and Rev. Dr. Pillay offered remarks and gratitude for the partnership between the WCC and the United Church.
“This is a courageous church. You’re making decisions that other church denominations shy away from,” he told those gathered, citing the United Church’s work on climate justice, migration, and sexuality. “You are a people who genuinely listen to God’s voice.”
Rev. Dr. Pillay shared an address in Toronto on December 5 commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Canadian Council of Churches. After a visit to Conrad Grebel College at the University of Waterloo, the WCC delegation arrived in Winnipeg, MB, to meet with ecumenical church leaders, youth, and the Manitoba Multifaith Council; visit the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and the Canadian Museum of Human Rights; and also meet with Manitoba premier, Wab Kinew, before adjourning on December 9.