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2020-Agenda-Reports Chinook Winds Regional Council Agenda & Reports Online General Meeting September 15th - 17th 2020 Reports & AgendaRevision - Page 1.4 1 2020 Reports & Agenda - Page 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF TERRITORY & TABLE OF CONTENTS The Chinook Winds Region is located on Treaty 4, Treaty 6 and Treaty 7 terri- tories, and Métis Nation of Alberta Region 3, which is the home of the Black- foot Confederacy, including Siksika, Piikani and Kainai, the Tsuut'tina Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda First Nation. Our region is also located on the tradi- tional meeting grounds and traveling route to the Cree, Saulteux, Dene and Nakota Sioux peoples. We acknowledge all the many First Nations, Metis and Inuit whose footsteps have marked these lands for centuries, and affirm our commitment to the principles and actions of reconciliation. 5 Presiding Officer’s Message 8 Executive Minister’s Message 10 Moderator / General Secretary’s Message 16 Pastoral Relations 18 Retirees 21 Memorials 25 Commissioners 26 Staff 27 Proposals 30 Nominations to the Executive 32 Pension & Benefits 34 Affirming Connections 38 Being in Good Relations Network 41 Hospital Ministry 43 Indigenous Ministry 45 Intercultural Ministry 2020 Reports & Agenda - Page 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS 48 Community of Faith Strategy Working Group 50 Mission Grant Charts 53 Camps 55 Finance Report 60 Property Resource Team 61 Centre for Christian Studies 63 Vancouver School of Theology 2020 Reports & Agenda - Page 4 PRESIDING OFFICER’S REPORT HELEN REED Respectfully Submitted: by Helen Reed, Presiding Officer Our first Chinook Winds Regional Council General Meeting was held at the beginning of June 2019. We were six months into the adventure of a new United Church structure, and the formation of a brand new Region. Our main purpose that weekend was to connect with our new partners in faith as the Presbyteries had finished their work and the new Chinook Winds Region would bring new friends together. We knew that there was still much work to be done to refine the work of the church and continuing and creating what was needed. We heard from voices that encouraged us to remember not only these newly forming relationships, but also our call to be aware of those among us asking for our awareness, care and support such as our Indigenous, LGBTQ++, and Intercultural communities. We left that gathering with a new Executive Council who would work to continue to guide and support our Executive Minister and the Regional Staff in the evolving creation of a Region that would serve its members to this best of it’s ability. Our staff team took on that challenge and I would like to commend them for their compassion and innovation and dedication to this task of helping us realize our new potentials and possibilities in the United Church throughout the Region. We were starting to get a handle on this thing, finding ways to be creative in acquiring time and talent to address needs that had been put on the back burner for a short time… and then life changed. COVID-19 halted the world around us and included us. It has been many years since society has been asked to give up normalcy for the sake of global and local neighbours. The Spanish Flu of 1918 has been the most easily recognizable as an example of this… but wars where rationing and changing roles were needed also needed the same dedication, as did the Recession of the 1930’s where looking after each other with the absolute bare necessities was the only way many would survive. As many of you know one of my favourite scriptures is the commandment to love our neighbours: Matthew 22:37-39 (NIV) 37Love the Lord your God with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ During this COVID time, our faith and our willingness to love our neighbours have been sorely tested. We have been shaken out of our comfortable patterns and buildings. We have been forced to take a hard and real look at how viable some churches are in their present configuration. We have been challenged to take church further out into our community than some of us ever have and in ways that we may not have imagined. 2020 Reports & Agenda - Page 5 PRESIDING OFFICER MESSAGE HELEN REED (CONT’D) For a while our whole attention became focussed on survival of our communities. Our churches were closed, we couldn’t hug or share coffee. Many felt stifled and scared. And then, as I heard in an online article, “Church broke out” across our Region. Isn’t that an amazing image? We began looking at what we could do. • Services began happening online—with varying degrees of technological quality. This allowed us to pray and sing together even while we were separated. In many cases, churches are identifying that they are interacting with more people this way. • The Elders of our society showed us their resilience and pioneer spirits as they took on the challenge of Zoom and Facebook and Youtube. • We started calling each other, connecting by phone to simply remind people that even in isolation they weren’t forgotten. We found ways to deliver bulletins to those who couldn’t do the online stuff. • Churches with active social justice programs such as food kitchens found ways to provide this vital service to the most vulnerable in our society. • Our staff team – have I told you how amazing they are? – turned on a dime. They looked for ways to encourage us to find and provide supports. They gave us opportunities to come together weekly on Zoom to share our experiences, to hear from experts guiding our overflowing hearts and foggy heads through this quagmire. They kept us up-to-date on daily developments from the Province and the Federal Government and from General Council. • The Executive Committee continued to meet – sometimes with very little notice -- to hear from our Executive Minister and to give authority and permissions when necessary. • We all remembered that church isn’t a building. It’s a lively verb – action outside our walls and in our communities. And now, as we move toward Fall, even though we still must be aware of caring for each other to restrict the spreading of COVID-19, we are allowing new focusses to come back into our lives. • Folk who set their own needs aside for the good of all, are now asking us again to remember them and work with them. • As we yearn to return to worship together, we need to recognize that there is no “return.” If and when we do go into our buildings we must do so with our guiding principles of loving our neighbour: how will we keep the high-risk and vulnerable safe? How will we ensure that no-one feels excluded when our capacity is not what it was? How will we create spirit moving worship without the singing of hymns – it can be done? How will we maintain the new connections we have created? How will we support our leadership who have the responsibility for all these things? 2020 Reports & Agenda - Page 6 PRESIDING OFFICER MESSAGE HELEN REED (CONT’D) • We have a weekly (or more if needed) newsletter that is filled with information about the life and opportunities of our Region. You are encouraged to share your Community of Faith’s stories – successes and challenges – as we move forward together. As your Executive Committee, Executive Minister and staff we must also return to our responsibility to be visibly accountable to you, our constituency. We have always been accountable – that has not stopped – but now we have time to tell you our stories. • The Executive Committee and Minister meet regularly to exchange knowledge and support with each other. • As Presiding Officer, I have endeavoured to give you a quick updated of our Committee meeting as soon as they are done. (Thank you to those who have reminded me when it slipped my mind) • Despite this crazy year, we have kept an eye on our finances and find ourselves to be in a reasonable position. There will be an opportunity for those who wish to engage in an in-depth financial discussion with us in a Zoom Forum on September 8th. • As Presiding Officer, I have been privileged to be in touch with our Executive Minister on a regular basis as we have both checked in with each other in regard to Regional concerns and needs for care. • When requested, we have had representation at various events in the Region. I recognize that this is mostly pertinent to the time between June 2019 and March 2020 when travel was allowed. Our 2020 General Meeting was cancelled to due COVID-19 restrictions, but this annual gathering is so important for us to connect with each other that we have created an online gathering in September. We are hoping that this will begin our goal of making these gatherings informative, fun and learning experiences even as we do the necessary business of our Region. At the end of September, I will no longer be eligible to be Presiding Officer for the Chinook Winds Region. I have accepted a call to another Community of Faith that moves me out of this Region. Your Executive Committee will choose another Presiding Officer. I have been truly honoured to be given this role and privilege at the birth of this Region. I was able to be on the Transition Committee and to be your first Presiding Officer for 17 months.
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