The Canadian Council of Churches
Governing Board Meeting
May 22-24, 2024, Video Conference
At this semi-annual Governing Board meeting of the Council, we:
- Welcomed the International Justice Mission and Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries as Affiliates of The Canadian Council of Churches.
- Received the governance and program reports from all bodies of the Council.
- Accepted the 2023 Audited Financial Statements and Reappointed Graham Mathew Chartered Professional Accountants as the auditor for 2024.
- Elected a new Executive Committee to lead the Council into the 2024-27 Triennium. Incoming officers include: the Rev. Amanda Currie as President (The Presbyterian Church in Canada); Dr. Patrick Fletcher (Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops), the Rev. Fr. Anthony Mourad (Coptic Orthodox Church in Canada), and Emily Savage (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada) as Vice-Presidents.
- Elected four new Governing Board Youth Members: Adama Chinyeluba (Orthodox Church in America), Hana Gessess (Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church), Louisa Gietz (Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops), and Sophia Kim (Presbyterian Church in Canada). Boston Laferté (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada) continues in his role as a Youth Member.
- Reappointed Lori Ransom as Executive Committee Member-at-Large.
- Learned from the Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada (WICC) in a learning and education session about their history, work, priorities, and challenges; and welcomed the invitation from WICC to explore a merger with the Council.
- Reflected on 1 Corinthians 12 and 13, and their connection to the mission of the Council and the life of the church in a Bible study led by the Rev. Amanda Currie.
- Discerned, discussed, and adopted the New Triennium Plan for 2024-27 to direct the work of the Council for the next three years.
- Adopted the Terms of Reference for the Church Leaders Retreat and the World Council of Churches Relations Committee, the renewed Terms of Reference for the Faith and Life Sciences Reference Group, the Christian Interfaith Reference Group, the Forum for Intercultural Leadership and Learning, and received the Book of Terms of Reference.
- Heard from Rev. Dr. Alyson Barnett-Cowan and Kate Andison about their work and experiences with the Global Christian Forum in Ghana in April 2024.
- Questioned, offered feedback, and suggested ideas for the 80th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign.
- Planned to welcome the Rev. Prof. Dr. Jerry Pillay, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, to Canada December 4-9, 2024.
- Shared current news and challenges, Supported one another in prayer, and sang together in one voice.
The next meeting of the Governing Board is scheduled to take place at Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre in Mississauga, Ontario on November 20-22, 2024.