Council of General Synod Meeting
Highlights of the November 5th to 7th Meeting Are Available
Archbishop Linda Nicholls, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, delivers opening remarks to the Council of General Synod (CoGS) at the Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre. Photo: Matt Gardner
This meeting of the Council of the General Synod was a new organizational experience because it was a hybrid meeting. Some members attended in person at the Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre in Mississauga, Ontario while others attended via Zoom.
The highlights of the three days can be viewed on the Anglican Church of Canada’s website or from downloaded pdfs.
This day included the Primate’s remarks, in which she commented on her work since the last Council meeting and how COVID-19 has affected the life and work of the Anglican Church. There were reports from the Pension Committee, Anglican Consultative Council, Governance Working Group, COVID-19 and the Church, Council of the North, Dismantling Racism, Anglican-Lutheran-Moravian Full Communion Proposal, and Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund.
The morning was spent listening and responding to the work of the Strategic Planning Working Group. In the afternoon, reports were heard from or about Assembly 2022 / General Synod 2022; Faith, Worship, and Ministry; and Indigenous Ministries and the the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples. National Indigenous Archbishop Mark MacDonald appeared via Zoom from Glasgow, Scotland, where he was attending the COP26 climate conference as an Anglican representative of the World Council of Churches. The evening was taken up with the financial statements and the 2022 budget.
The morning was again spent listening and responding to the work of the Strategic Planning Working Group. The afternoon included the General Secretary’s Report and a guided discussion in which members had the opportunity to respond and discuss their experiences to this point in the triennium. This was followed by reflections from four members of CoGS (two who had attended the meeting in person at the Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre and two who had attended online via Zoom) who described their experience of the council’s first hybrid meeting. Each boiled down the key messages they hoped to convey to “headlines” for the church. Reflections from the Anglican Church of Canada’s partners were given by representatives from The Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. Then, closing remarks were given by the Primate, Archbishop Linda Nicholls.
Throughout the meeting there was worship and a Bible study. With most reports, recommendations were made, and resolutions were passed. These can be found in the highlights. As well, five Surprised by the Spirit videos were viewed over the course of the three days.