In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

As many of you are aware, I spent last week in the beautiful city of Edmonton , Alberta serving as a commissioner to the 131st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Now before I give you the highlights I should first explain the nature and purpose of the General Assembly.

Our system of Presbyterian church government is organized around a series of courts. The lowest court is the Session which is found in each congregation. Above the session is the Presbytery-which is a geographical area that includes all congregations within that area. We are part of the Presbytery of London.

Above is the presbytery is the Synod-which is another larger geographical area that includes all congregations within that area. We are also part of the Synod of Southwestern Ontario. Finally there is the General Assembly which is the highest court of our denomination. It makes decisions which affect all Presbyterians in Canada from sea to shining sea.

The General Assembly consists of one-sixth of the total number of ministers and diaconal ministers and an equal number of ruling elders. So I would estimate that there were then probably around 300 commissioners from across Canada in attendance discussing, discerning and voting on the business before us. If we include Presbyterian church staff and visitors there was probably four hundred people.
So what business did we cover?
First of all we elected a new moderator- the Rev. Jean Morris from Calgary who served in Ailsa Craig for a brief time. 3rd woman moderator in our history
Now I can’t give the whole agenda for we would here until next Sunday so I will give you a few brief highlights organized around the themes of stewardship and relationships. These initiatives you will be hearing about in the coming year.

A great deal of attention was placed on the issues of global economic injustice and ecological sustainability. The church doctrine committee, Ecumenical and Interfaith relations committee and the International affairs committee have each  written documents on these issues or will be producing them in the future where they will be studied by presbyteries and congregations in order to raise our knowledge and action concerning these issues.

In the area of human relationships, the “leading with care” policy was brought before the court for final approval. In a time when there has been number of stories concerning abuse by church leaders, this policy seeks to provide a safe environment for our children and for our vulnerable adults. In the policy there is a dual focus of safety and prevention, and support of teacher/leaders. The policy was approved and is to be implemented within one year.

The “World without Aids” campaign continues its steady progress. Although we did not reach our goal of raising $500,000 dollars within one year, we are very close. The total now stands at around $433,000 and contributions are still being received. We also continue to support a number of international ministries through PWS&D and Presbyterians Sharing.

A number of ecumenical visitors from Hungary, Africa, Japan and India were welcomed. One of the most interesting visitors was Ms. Karuna Roy from the Church of North India.
She ministers as the Co-ordinator of the HIV/AIDS program of the Church of North India Health Services. The Stewardship committee is hoping to have her come to Elmwood this fall to speak to us.

One of the most intriguing recommendations that we considered dealt with the issue of a Sabbath year- a one year period of reflection where hopefully we come to realize that we do not run the world, discern the will of God in these changing times and act accordingly. This was approved and so from November 27 2005 to Dec. 6 2006 this will be a year of rest, renewal and discernment for the whole church. More information to follow in terms of what this means for us.

The General Assembly also affirmed the traditional understanding of marriage as a union of one man and one woman. A special committee was formed in order to write an appropriate response for congregations.

Finally I should mention that it wasn’t all business for the entire week. Their were a number of social events organized for us. And since it was a Presbyterian gathering there was an abundance of food and we all ate well. I toured Fort Edmonton historical park and the West Edmonton mall-just think Masonville with a water park, amusement park, ice rink, pirate ship and submarine fleet and you get the picture.

I also had the opportunity to catch up with former classmates and colleagues. Unfortunately many of them didn’t recognize me. I seem to have grown skinnier and grayer since the last time they saw me. Perhaps this is what ministry does to a person. Thank you for the privilege of representing you as a commissioner at this 131st General Assembly.