The Rev’d Dr. Karen Hamilton, who has served as General Secretary of the Canadian Council of Churches, has announced her resignation. In her letter to the President of the Council, Dr. Hamilton wrote:
‘By this September 2017, I will have completed fifteen years, three five year terms, as General Secretary. While I remain vocationally called to ecumenism, it is time to exercise that calling to unity in diversity in some other contexts. I have deep faith that the Spirit will lead me on and I will always remain a dedicated witness to the Forum reality of our ecumenical life here together in Canada. It has been privilege and a joy beyond expectation to minister with the staff, volunteers and twenty-five member denominations of the CCC and I ceaselessly thank God for such a gift.’
In her response to Dr. Hamilton, President Canon Dr. Alyson Barnett-Cowan wrote that she was accepting the resignation with regret.
‘Regret, because you have served this Council with skill and dedication for coming up to 15 years. You have guided it through many changes, supervised a fine professional staff, and have represented the Council, and Canadian ecumenism, in a multitude of venues.
The exact date of the end of Dr. Hamilton’s tenure at the CCC is yet to be determined, but it will likely be sometime in September. In the meantime, the Council will find ways to celebrate Dr. Hamilton’s ministry and to take the steps necessary to name her successor.