E-News

Easter 2012

From the Desk of the General Secretary...
It can happen, it does happen, it happened to me. A member of my congregation collapsed in the middle of my Easter Sunday sermon one year.
The sunshine was pouring in the stained glass windows of the sanctuary, the scent of Easter lilies drenched the air and the church was full – row upon row, pew upon pew of believers and searchers come to hear about and experience the life-changing power of the Resurrection. Suddenly, right in the middle of the story chosen to accompany the proclamation of the Resurrection in the sermon, a congregant collapsed, turned a frightening shade of grey and we had to immediately call an ambulance. Minutes of waiting felt like hours as I asked the congregation to pray. The ambulance attendants strode down the aisle, the woman was cared for and loaded onto a stretcher and the ambulance pulled away to take her to the hospital.
I was left with a shocked and worried congregation, the reality that we did not know if our sister in Christ would live or not and the responsibility and imperative to preach the Resurrection in that situation.
But I was not alone. It was not just the sunshine and the perfume of the lilies that filled the Church that day, it was the power of the Holy Spirit. All of us gathered that Easter Sunday morning, in the sanctuary and in the hospital, were surrounded by the Truth that in life, in death, in life beyond death we are not alone. Jesus Christ, who knows so well the pain, suffering, rejection and death which we know, was Risen that Easter Sunday, is Risen this Easter Sunday, is Risen forever.
Thanks be to God. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.  

New Executive Committee for the CCC!
May 16th, 2012, in Ottawa, the Governing Board of The Canadian Council of Churches will elect a new Executive!  The new President, three new Vice Presidents and the new Treasurer will serve the CCC and ecumenism in Canada from May 2012 to May 2015. Such Officers of The Canadian Council of Churches are chosen to represent the unity of the Christian tradition in Canada and the diversity of the 23 member denominations of the CCC - denominations from the Anglican, Catholic, Historic Reformed, Evangelical, Free Church and Eastern and Oriental Orthodox traditions.
Unity in Diversity.

WCC General Secretary in Canada
“Unity, understood as growing together, gives us hope for a life together, a life in solidarity, a life where we can be included and strengthened, becoming able to be more than we can be alone.” These words are representative of a vision shared by Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) during recent conversations with Christians in Canada.
  In a series of visits to the Toronto offices of WCC member churches in Canada, and in a lecture and panel discussion on the evening of Wednesday 14 March, the general secretary explored contemporary hopes and challenges in the pursuit of Christian unity.
  The evening consultation revisited that enduring ecumenical question, “The nature of the unity we seek.” In his presentation, the general secretary offered “10 theses” on the dynamics of Christian fellowship, dialogue, cooperation and common action.
The general secretaries of both the WCC and the CCC were able to meet throughout the visit to discuss the ecumenical situation in Canada. 
Toronto Star Interview: http://www.thestar.com/living/article/1146030--is-christianity-dead-in-the-water-are-churches-merely-nostalgia-filled-relics-ken-gallinger 
WCC Press Release: http://www.oikoumene.org/en/news/news-management/eng/a/browse/1/article/1634/canadian-churches-engage.html 
WCC Relations Committee in Canada Communiqué: http://www.councilofchurches.ca/communications/wccrcommunique.pdf
Event Information: http://www.councilofchurches.ca/communications/wcceventposter.pdf 

New Declaration Calls for Precautionary Oversight for the Emerging Field of Synthetic Biology
Tuesday March 13, 2012 the Biotechnology Reference Group of The Canadian Council of Churches is one group within a broad coalition of 111 organizations from around the world who have endorsed The Principles for the Oversight of Synthetic Biology. This is the first global civil society declaration to outline principles to be established to safeguard public health and the environment from the novel risks of synthetic biology, to ensure open, meaningful and full public participation in decisions regarding its uses and to address the field’s economic, social and ethical challenges.  “These principles should be adopted to protect public health and the environment from the risks posed by synthetic biology,” said Anne Mitchell, chair of the Biotechnology Reference Group…. Continue reading the media release on the CCC website: http://www.councilofchurches.ca/communications/principlesforoversightofsyntheticbiologymediarelease.pdf The full report is available online at: www.foe.org/principles-for-synthetic-biology Une nouvelle déclaration réclame une surveillance préventive dans le domaine émergent de la biologie synthétique Mardi 13 mars 2012 —  Le groupe consultatif sur la biotechnologie du Conseil canadien des Églises est aujourd’hui l’un des groupes d’une vaste coalition de 111 organismes du monde entier qui appuient Les principes guidant la surveillance de la biologie technique. Il s’agit de la première déclaration de la société mondiale à énoncer les principes à établir pour protéger la santé publique et l’environnent contre les nouveaux risques de la biologie synthétique, pour assurer une participation publique significative et entière aux décisions touchant à ses utilisations et pour relever les défis économiques, sociaux et éthiques que pose ce domaine.  « Il faut adopter ces principes, afin de protéger la santé publique et l’environnement contre les risques posés par la biologie synthétique », déclare Anne Mitchell, présidente du Groupe consultatif sur la biotechnologie… Lisez le communiqué presse en intégralité sur le site du CCE: http://www.councilofchurches.ca/communications/principlesforoversightofsyntheticbiologymediarelease-fr.pdf   
Le rapport intégral est disponible en ligne à www.foe.org/principles-for-synthetic-biology.  
Media Coverage:  
"Public Interest" Groups Call for Synthetic Biology Regulation 13 March 2012, by Kevin E. Noonan (Patent Docs) http://www.patentdocs.org/2012/03/public-interest-groups-call-for-synthetic-biology-regulation.html
Environmental groups call for tighter regulation of ‘extreme genetic engineering’ 13 March 2012, by Brian Vastag (The Washington Post) http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/environmental-groups-call-for-tighter-regulation-of-extreme-genetic-engineering/2012/03/13/gIQAzKPZAS_story.html   What to do about synthetic life? 13 March 2012, by Alan Boyle (Cosmic Log, MSNBC) http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/13/10672301-what-to-do-about-synthetic-life
111 Organizations Call for Synthetic Biology Moratorium 13 March 2012, by Elizabeth Pennisi (Science) http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2012/03/111-organizations-call-for-synth.html?ref=hp   New Declaration Calls for Precautionary Oversight For the Emerging Field of Synthetic Biology 13 March 2012 (ENews Park Forest) http://www.enewspf.com/latest-news/science-a-environmental/31617-new-declaration-calls-for-precautionary-oversight-for-the-emerging-field-of-synthetic-biology.html  

New CCC Staff Members: Thomas Hentrich & Emma Burns
We would like to extend a warm welcome to our two new members of staff! Thomas Hentrich is our new Assistant Coordinator for the Commission on Faith and Witness. Thomas will be handling Week of Prayer for Christian Unity materials, so please feel free to contact him via email at hentrich@councilofchurches.ca or by phone at 416.882.4064. Emma Burns holds the position of Development Assistant and is helping with our recent fundraising campaign. She can be reached at burns@councilofchurches.ca or by phone at 416.972.9494, extension 25.