HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1989-04-26, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, 1989.
Rev. Snihur member of Community of Concern
A local chapter of the Commun
ity of Concern within the United
Church of Canada was established
on Wednesday, April 19, at a
meeting in Mitchell.
This is part of a national organiz
ation that was formed in 1988 by a
group of concerned United Church
ministers. It was following the
United Church
appeal over
the top
Earlier this spring, an appeal
was launched by London Confer
ence of the United Church of
Canada for $10,000 to provide
vaccinations against meningitis in
Ethiopia. Those attending the
“April Special Event’’ at St. John’s
Church, Stratford, on Tuesday
evening, were told that to date,
$34,000 has been contributed, and
that more funds are still coming in.
All money raised will be used in
that country for health services.
Under theme, “Come Cele
brate,’’ about 250 women from
Huron-Perth Presbyterial heard an
address by Rev. Cheryl Anne
Stadelabuer-Sampa of Egmond-
ville. She spoke about the Ecunem-
ical Decade - Churches in Solidarity
with Women, sponsored by the
World Council of Churches and
pointed out the many problems
faced by women, particularly those
in Third World Countries. First it is
necessary to identify ways in which
women are being limited - through
poverty, oppressive systems, and
famine. Then we need as church
women to become aware of the
place of women in our fellowships
and communities, and in the world;
and finally to discover ways in
which people of faith can help.
As an example of a faithful
response to a particular problem,
she told of young women in the
Philippines forced into prostitution
to accommodate visiting business
men. The local church contacted
partner churches in Japan and
Germany who publicized the situa
tion. Thereafter, more wives ac
companied their husbands on busi
ness trips. We, too, she said, must
find constructive solutions to pro
blems affecting women.
Special music for the evening
was provided by the Mitchell
Gospel Singers, and an opening
sing-song was conducted by Anne
Hiemstra and Phyllis Barkley, both
of Stratford. After a refreshment
break, with time for purchase of
books, the Presbyterial officers for
1989 were introduced by Alma
Langford, Resolutions Chairman
for London Conference U.C.W.
Communion, conducted by Rev.
Stadelbauer-Sample concluded the
evening which had been planned
by the Christian Development
Committee, under the leadership of
Margaret Engeland of Stratford,
assisted by Marion Werford of
Stratford and Nancy Corrigan of
Bluevale. President Helen Ander
son, also of St. John’s Church,
chaired the meeting.
release in the spring of that year of
a report called Toward a Christian
Understanding of Sexual Orienta
tion, Lifestyles and Ministry, that
these ministers began meeting and
formed the Community of Concern.
It started fairly small but has grown
in number since that time.
Approximately 2,000 petitions
were sent to the General Council of
the United Church during the
summer of ‘88 expressing their
concern with the direction that the
report seemed to be taking. Council
shelved that particular report and
made a new statement titled,
“Membership, Ministry and Hu
man Sexuality.’’ They believed that
they had done what the Community
of Concern wanted but a spokes
person for the group said the
direction of this statement is simi
lar in intent to the original docu
ment.
The proposed ordaining of homo
sexual ministers is moving the
United Church in a disturbing
direction, the committee feels.
They want to see tradition, a
biblical and historical values up
held in the Church. According to
Reverend David Snihur of the
Londesborough and Auburn Pas
toral Charges, who is a member of
the new chapter, “We feel that
these documents are causing a
shift. It opens the possibility that a
self-proclaimed homo-sexual could
be ordained. There is a definite
need for a national policy on what is
accepted morality amongst the
members and clergy in the United
Church of Canada.’’
The committee also feels there is
an imbalance within the spectrum
of theology that has occurred in the
last few years. Liberals say that it
doesn’t matter what you believe in
as long as you believe in some
thing, said Rev. Snihur, while the
evangelical belief is that there is a
Christ and you must believe in him
to be saved. It is the Liberal
theology that is being taught now
that is causing the imbalance and
Rev. Snihur says that a balance of
both must be reached.
Though the issue concerning
homo-sexuality is primary it is most
certainly not the only issue being
looked at. The Community of
Concern is studying all the issues,
seeing where they come from,
whether or not they are a good
direction to go in, and what to do
about them.
Rev. Snihur compares it to a
sudden eruption of sores on your
body stating that you would not fix
the sore without fixing what is
happening in your life to cause the
condition. That is what he says the
Community of Concern hopes to
do. “We need to find out why our
Church is moving in this direction
and how to fix inbalance,’’ he said.
Members of the Huron-Perth
Community of Concern are Chair
person Rev. Sam Parker of the
Varna-Goshen Pastoral charge,
Sam Young of Mitchell, Rev. Paul
Field of the Tavistock-Linglebach
Pastoral Church, Mrs. Sharon Wit
tich of Listowel, Mrs. Ann-Louise
McAllister of Bayfield, Rev. Rudy
Plug of Monkton and Rev. Snihur.
Any inquiries should be directed
to Rev. Sam Parker at Varna,
Ontario, N0M 2R0, or by telephon
ing 233-3110. Rev. Parker is also a
member of the National Committee
of the Community of Concern.
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