A New Creed

We are not alone, we live in God¡¯s world. We believe in God: who has created and is creating,

who has come in Jesus the Word made flesh, to reconcile and make new, who works in us and others by the Spirit.

We trust in God. We are called to be the Church: to celebrate God¡¯s presence, to live with respect in Creation,

to love and serve others, to seek justice and resist evil, to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen, our judge and our hope. In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us. We are not alone. Thanks be to God.

You Are So Beautiful!

Last message 2003 through the Insight July issue

Farewell greetings!

This is my last message as I leave the office of president of the Conference. The past year was a time when I was loved, cared for and transformed through being with many faithful people. I was blessed by working with committed disciples of Christ who faithfully reveal God's beauty in the church and in individuals by making others look good. It was an 'Aha!' moment as I  learned the will of Creation and experienced fresh new energy as we breathe together One Spirit with One Hope. And it was a time when I affirmed that "God is with us" through the people who walk as one body so that All May Be One. This is a journey towards the kingdom of heaven as we have a foretaste of joy and peace in hope.

I have spent a busy year visiting all nine presbyteries, many UCW gatherings where I was loved most, many committee meetings and special annual events such as AOTS and Ethnic Rallies.  I have participated in national consultations and witnessed how our church is striving to be aware of the changes in the world including technological developments and to find hope through unity in diversity. All these experiences focused on what it means to be one body walking together as people of justice, God's peace makers. I also was involved in interfaith and ecumenical events, representing The United Church of Canada. I found that society recognized our United Church as a leading institute in Canada, especially for justice, and anticipated our leadership in the crises we experienced. I was a guest at many celebrations in Christian communities and participated in many peace movements. At the Ecumenical Peace Vigil and Multi-faith Service for Peace I reflected on our new Creed: We live in God's world; we are not alone. We are called to live out justice and resist evil.

Our journey towards the kingdom of heaven is not always experiencing something good. We have the pain of isolation, separation, and frustration within every corner of our church. It is our reality that we still continue to live with pain. In this our difficult journey, I appreciate a faithful friend's reminder that "balance between justice and mercy" is one of the ways we reveal God's beauty in the Church.

We hear the awesome call of God to live out our trust in God in the world of many unpredictable changes, diversities and uncertainties. We have many difficult tasks in front of us. But we know that these are the places we find hope and that make us celebrate God's presence among us. In our faithful journey of trusting God and trusting each other, we will discover "who we are" as the carriers of God's image. As we breathe together and move as one body, we can activate our hope. I thank all friends who joined together in this journey towards the kingdom of heaven, and would like to say, "Truly, you are so beautiful!"

Thanks be to God.