Joint Assembly Daily, July 7, 2013
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These boots are made for walking …together See p. 4 July 7, 2013 JOINT ASSEMBLY Daily Water was both a symbol and the focus of a prayer service on Parliament Hill. PHOTO: THE REV. MONIKA WIESNER CAt’s GRACIOUS LUTHERAN EYES VOLUNTEERS GENEROSITY Whose cat watches his What would we do Help for master on a webcast? without them? flood victims 2 3 11 Quote Today’s of the Day Instagram “How wonderful it is to be able assignment to leave here together feeling like we’re coming back to Farewells wholeness.” #farewells —ELCIC National Bishop Susan Johnson in her closing remarks to the delegates at their 14th #jointassembly Biennial National Convention #anglicanjournal SIMON CHAMBERS Yesterday’s Friday’s caption winners Instagram On the last day, we have a three-way tie for assignment the caption contest. Onthehill 1. Father, Son and Holy Spiggot Yesterday’s poll results —Sarah Chandler. Do you wish this Joint 2. The only form of resource extraction we Assembly was longer? can agree on. —Bill Clarke 3. Now at Joint Assembly—nose piercing. 38% Yes 62% No —Christine Hills JOINT ASSEMBLY TRINA GALLOP Daily is a publication of the Anglican Journal supported by Canada Lutheran The Joint Assembly Daily is published daily on July 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, 2013, distributed at 8:00 am at the plenary hall door. AMY HAMILTON An alternate delivery schedule will be observed on July 6. ‘Fred’s good!’ Extra copies, if available, at the Anglican Journal booth, #112, The primatial cat, Mr. Tim, watches a in the display area. ASHLEY MOORE live stream of the Joint Assembly at the Editor: Hiltz family home in Scarborough. Archdeacon A. Paul Feheley The editor welcomes your comments: editor @national.anglican.ca Cell: (416) 451-8474 AJ or drop your comments off at the Anglican Journal booth On our WEBSITE On TWITTER On FACEBOOK On INSTAGRAM anglicanjournal.com @anglicanjournal /anglicanjournal @anglicanjournal 2 Joint Assembly— Comments from the floor The smiling faces that make it all run smoothly. Left to right: the Rev. Rick Durrett, Dominique Boucher, Cathy Kochendorfer, Maureen Gibson and Allan Liimatainen. PHOTOS: DIANA SWIFT Volunteers extraordinaire PHOTO: DIANA SWIFT Shane Bengry and Sean Beahan Unsung heroes of Joint Assembly The two strikingly garbed clergy, both with HEY’VE been training for weeks. making a historic convention work smooth- the department of communications in the Some are local, others from out of ly. Sister Anne Keffer, a retired Lutheran diocese of Brandon, mix and mingle during town. They are Lutherans and An- deacon from New Hamburg, Ont., recon- an evening break. “Joint Assembly is very glicans,T clergy and nected with her old friend Deaconess Aggie exciting,” says Bengry. “Even in the mundane laity, young and old. Casselman. “I hadn’t seen Aggie since dea- detail work of motions, which may seem They are the roughly coness training in the early 1960s,” she says. boring, you feel the love of the Holy Spirit 100 volunteers who Meet Dominique Boucher, an Anglican moving. There’s so much friendship and co- help run the complex from Toronto, and Allan Liimatainen, an operation. And it’s great to spend time with machine that is Joint Ottawa-based Lutheran. They sit together Lutherans.” —D.S. Assembly. at the registration desk, Dom handling Wi- And whatever Fi access, Allan handling registration. “It’s their background, “We all share been fantastic,” says Dom. “People are very Comments they work as one. the common understanding and never get angry, even “We all share the goal of having when they have struggles with Wi-Fi.” Adds from the Hill common goal of hav- every delegate Allan: “The registration has been so well ing every delegate and visitor leave planned that I’ve never had more than [a with a positive and visitor leave with few] people lining up at one time. People experience of a positive experience love the venue.” their time here.” of their time here,” For Lutheran Cathy Kochendorfer, vol- —Jamie Tomlinson, says Jamie Tomlin- co-chair of the Joint unteering as an usher was a way to add son, co-chair of the Local Arrangements another dimension to attending Joint As- Joint Local Arrange- Committee. sembly with her husband, Larry, a bishop in ments Committee. Edmonton. PHOTO: DIANA SWIFT He and his colleagues have been planning Adds usher Maureen Gibson, a retired logistics for a year and a half. Bell Canada employee who lives in Ottawa, Steve Martin Volunteers meet and greet at the airport “It’s a good way of extending the volunteer and drive delegates to their hotels. They are work I already do for my home parish.” Hailing from the town of Mayo, Yukon, Mar- ushers, directing attendees around the vast The Rev. Rick Durrett, rector of Ot- tin added Celtic sartorial flair to Saturday Ottawa Convention Centre, and help them tawa’s Church of the Resurrection and lead morning’s event on the Hill. A member of the navigate the details of registering and get- usher, greets people as they approach the Anglican parish of St. Mary’s With St. Mark ting access to Wi-Fi. Volunteer stewards escalator in the convention centre. “I felt Mayo in the diocese of Yukon, Martin came help in the Joint Assembly Office, assist at this was a historic meeting and I wanted to to the public witness gathering because wa- sessions and help prepare for the banquet. be part of welcoming people to Ottawa,” he ter is such a contentious issue in Yukon. “A They’re also part of the set-up and take- says. lot of communities don’t have a safe water down crews. And welcomed people did feel, thanks to supply, and it’s going to get worse with all the Sometimes volunteer work pays off in the volunteers. They can be justly proud of northern mining projects and damming for ways over and above the satisfactions of their hard work. —Diana Swift electric power,” he says. —D.S. 3 General Synod— Historic joyful moment ‘We are being called to go where no church has gone before’ ISHOP Lydia Mamakwa wiped away tears of joy, while Arch- bishop David Ashdown and Archbishop Fred Hiltz swayed as a hymn was sung, minutes after General Synod on July 6 gave itsB unanimous concurrence to the creation of an indigenous diocese in northern Ontario. “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad,” a beaming Hiltz said as members gave a standing ovation and extended applause when the resolution passed. Approval of Resolution B001 means that the diocese of Keewatin will cease to operate on Dec. 31, 2014, but will continue as a legal entity until Sept. 30, 2015, at which time Ashdown will end his term as diocesan bishop and metropolitan of the ecclesiastical province of Rupert’s Land. Other remaining parts of Keewatin will be “rede- ployed” to other dioceses. The diocese of Rupert’s Land has agreed to absorb Keewatin’s southern region churches. This means “there will be no increase in the number of dioceses,” states the resolution. Prior to the vote, several representatives of the diocese offered reflections about the resolution. Walking together PHOTO: ART BABYCH “This is a historic moment,” said the Rev. Amos Winter, from King- fisher Lake, Ont. “God is surely in control and he has guided this mo- as a gift. The primate promised to wear them as a sign of the church’s ment…We are being called to go where no church has gone before… commitment “to walk together” with indigenous Anglicans. He paid Let us unite as the people of God.” tribute to Mamakwa’s leadership, describing it as “so inspiring and ef- The new northern Ontario diocese—whose name will be deter- fective.” He noted her capacity to engage with both elders and youth. mined by aboriginal elders and other church and community mem- Hiltz also paid tribute to Ashdown, calling him “a courageous lead- bers in September—will cover 16 First Nations communities be- er…[who] worked so hard for this day to come.” longing to Treaty 9 around Kingfisher Lake, north of Sioux Lookout. In an interview, Ashdown noted that the resolution also passed Mamakwa, who was elected in 2010, is the current area bishop. unanimously at the diocesan and provincial levels. “That says it’s very There was a standing ovation and extended applause when the much the will of God. The spirit is moving, and the church recognizes resolution was passed. Mamakwa embraced Hiltz, primate of the An- the work of the Spirit,” he said. glican Church of Canada, and presented him with a pair of moccasins —Marites N. Sison, Anglican Journal Five recommended resolutions passed Improvements to continuing education and long-term disability plans ISHOP Phillip Poole, chairman of the and some are housekeeping details,” said ment to address the large unfunded liabil- Anglican Church of Canada’s pension Poole, of the diocese of Toronto. The plans ity in the church’s pre-2005 long-term dis- committee,B introduced resolutions on the are domiciled in Ontario. All the resolu- ability plan. It allows for the purchase of an church’s pension and continuing education tions, A180 through A184, were carried. insurance product to cover the liability, and plans. The five resolutions, recommended Resolution A180 concerns an applica- for a church administrator to work with the by the trustees, were previously presented tion to register the church’s continuing insurance carrier to manage claimants. to the pension committee and the Council education plan as a charitable organization Bishop Poole expressed gratitude to the of General Synod.