Our church is in the midst of an important journey that requires a vote from your pastoral charge governing body between now and early 2024. The Remit is a voting process which involves pastoral charge governing bodies and Regional Council delegates. It asks the church to give pre-emptive remit approval for whatever the Indigenous Church determines in the future as the place it will have in the United Church, guided by the Calls to the Church—and without the need for further remit approvals.

Your work towards a Council or Board vote

At their May and June in-person meetings, Regional Council delegates also voted on the Remit, which passed unanimously or vey nearly so in all cases. However, the real work lies in pastoral charges. Every pastoral charge governing body has the responsibility to vote on this Remit before March 2024. And if your pastoral charge does not vote, that counts as a No vote.

Engagement here is very important- and it’s an opportunity. Through this Remit we can take the time to learn about this important step in the relationship between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous United Church. There is no rush (until we reach February 2024!), so let’s take the time for courageous conversations.

Finding resources for the Remit

The homepage for this process is on the 44th General Council site, because this is part of GC44’s decision making. The study guide, video on frequently asked questions to date, and the materials for voting are all posted on this page (scroll to the bottom). The documents needed for voting have already been sent to pastoral charges, using ChurchHub contact information, but you can easily access them at the above link too.

Important additional context for your learning includes the Caretakers’ Calls to the Church; and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

More courageous conversations resources and spaces in the future

Once we have finished follow up from three in-person Regional Council meetings through May and June, the Region can turn to working on additional learning resources and spaces for your pastoral charge governance. We hope to share videos from the resource people and knowledge keepers who spoke to the Regional meetings. And we will try to create online spaces where we can gather to listen, learn, and discuss.

If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact Julie Graham, Regional Minister: communications and justice (including right relations and Indigenous justice commitments), jgraham@united-church.ca