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January 13, 2010
Welcome
presbyters!
I
hope you had a meaningful Advent season and a joyful Christmas celebration.
Gratitude is the most common emotion expressed in the messages I have heard
from our friends, colleagues and partners in mission this season. I, too,
was so grateful for you in 2009 and am hopeful of a great new year 2010 through
your continued work as a team. I am also grateful that we have a chance to
start anew with thankfulness for the many blessings and renewed relationships
in our lives.
As
chairperson of the Presbytery, I have been focusing on how the new Presbytery
can function more efficiently. As we begin the New Year, I have some
resolutions for the presbytery. First I will try to be with the teams and
presbyters more closely if possible to help the whole Presbytery live as one
body and share in the big picture of the Presbytery as part of the whole of The
United Church of Canada. Next, I hope we will continue to search for ways of
affirming caring and trusting relationship with Presbytery and congregations.
My
lunch meeting with the moderator, Mardi Tindal, was a time to share how our TSP
is launching its new journey with hope-filled dreams and to hear her vision for
the world through the Church. Another luncheon with the Conference President,
Carol Gierak, Executive Secretary, David Allen, and chairs and secretaries
challenged me to walk with other presbyteries recognizing the unique gifts of
each one. I realized that my encountering with the people of the wider church
will benefit the Presbytery as we try to walk together with the whole people of
the United Church.
This January meeting will focus on the theme of the
just sharing of land and related issues. There will be a brief presentation to set the
context for table group discussion. This will challenge us to see how we can
have in-depth discussion with mutual respect on the themes which include areas
sensitive to people of different thoughts and understandings. The
Agenda Planning Team has worked hard to make our gathering more fruitful by listening to
people, evaluating
and reflecting on the past few meetings as well as listening to the voice of
wider Church and sensing the signs of times.
What
I can affirm at last year’s end and the new beginning of the year 2010 is that
we are called to act continuously to understand and prevent global warming and
climate change. Let us, as part of the one body of God, affirm that we are all
connected and that this necessitates intercultural ministry as the new paradigm
for our future ministry. I look forward to each one of us affirming God`s
abundant gifts that the year 2010 will bring to us.
Blessings,
John Lee
Chair, Toronto Southeast Presbytery, Toronto
Conference, The United Church of Canada
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