The 86th Annual Meeting of Hamilton Conference

June 4-5, 2010

Location

Woolwich Memorial Centre
24 Snyder Avenue South
Elmira, ON  N3B 2Z6 Hamilton Conference Report Book

Highlights:

  1. Worshipped under the leadership of the worship and theme team as well as music leader Keith Hagerman, focusing on President Jeff Crittenden’s theme: “Rekindling the Fire.”
  2. Covenanted with John Hurst of Mississauga, President of Hamilton Conference, 2010-2011.
  3. Elected Sybil Wilson as President-designate of Hamilton Conference, to serve in the year 2011-2012.
  4. Heard the Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III, Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago, Illinois, speak on the theme “Rekindling the Fire.”
  5. Ordained Andrea  Marguerite Allan, Jennifer Elizabeth Canning, Kathryn Dahmer, Lynn Stewart Hamilton, John Aaron Ridley Miller and Donalee Dorothy Williams to a ministry of Word, Sacrament and Pastoral Care; admitted the Rev. David Dyke from the Disciples of Christian Christian Church and the Rev. Willy van Arragon from the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec and recognized as Designated Lay Ministers Marianne E. Leach Hoffer and Wendy Ann Lowden.
  6. Received an offering of $5,515.05 for the Mission and Service Fund of the United Church of Canada.
  7. Set an assessment rate not to exceed $564,300 for 2011 ($13.20 x the estimated number of resident members = $42,750) with the final 2011 budget to be approved by Hamilton Conference Executive at its fall meeting.
  8. Celebrated the presence of 21 Youth Forum  and Children and Young Teens participants and their leaders.
  9. Approved the Settlement Committee report and the Human Resources report.
  10. Heard a theme presentation moderated by Barry Pridham and with representatives from the Muslim and Good News Seventh Day Adventists Church about the Brantford community’s experience of working together as a multicultural and interfaith community.
  11. Set a goal for Hamilton Conference of $3,750,000 for the Mission and Service Fund for 2011.
  12. Proposed to the General Council Executive that 1. It continue its efforts to seek restoration of the CIDA funding to KAIROS; 2. Increase the United Church of Canada’s grant to KAIROS to fully fund the proposal which KAIROS made to CIDA, proportionally to the financial commitment of the United Church of Canada as of November 30th, 2009, as compared to the commitment of the other members of KAIROS; 3. Call on all of KAIROS member churches and religious organizations to increase their funding to the same extent, but to increase our grant regardless of whether or not other members do the same; 4. Overall, make this as an increase to the proportion of funds granted by the Mission & Service Fund to Global Partners; 5. Initiate a broad fundraising campaign to seek out these new funds from donors outside of our present donor base who support our work in human rights, peace building in areas of conflict, gender justice and other areas of KAIROS work.
  13. Proposed that Hamilton Conference ask the Canadian government to: 1. Press for an end to the three-year blockade of Gaza by the state of Israel; 2. Support an UN-mandated independent inquiry on the attack on the Freedom Flotilla. Read Fred Monteith's letter to the Prime Minister.
  14. Supported the Book Room, organized and staffed by the five Presbytery Resource Centre staff, Pat Gilmore of UCRD and volunteers (approx. $13,000 in sales.)
  15. Visited 15 displays sponsored by Conference committees, networks and other groups.
  16. Marked the retirement of ministry personnel: Douglas James Aikman, Judy Karen Bowman, Sandra Colleen Cavanaugh, Donald Paul Crittenden, Richard Wayne Hawley, Peter T. Hoyle, Susan Agnes Jackson, Judith Keenan Harris, Joan E.P. Mackintosh, Jeff Maissan, Beverly Elaine Williams and Gordon James Williams.
  17. Celebrated the 25 years of ministry since commissioning or ordination of George Addison, Diane Blanchard, David Galston, James Haupt, Dale Massander, Rick Spies, Paul Stemp, Linda Stemp and Bruce Tombs; the  50 years of Cedric Arnold, Robert Giuliano, Ian Lynk, Robert Nicholls, William Sparling, Cecil Wittich and Stanley Wooton; and celebrated the 60 years of ordination of Hans Gruppe, Douglas Jay, John Shearman and Douglas Sloan and heard from Bob Giuliano and Doug Sloan on behalf of the Jubilands.
  18. Remembered those ministry personnel in Hamilton  Conference who passed away since the last Annual Meeting: James Warren, Rebecca Catherine McKeen, Victor  Alexander Wilkinson, Tony John Ouwehand, Evelyn McCulloch/Moore, Philip John Hommersen, Judith Vaclavik and Robert J. Duthie.
Sybil Wilson was elected President-Designate by the 86th meeting of Hamilton Conference on June 4, 2010 Sybil Wilson

 

President John Hurst has chosen as his theme, "Hope for our future - a hope that begets actions and fosters dreams."