Kelowna Daily Courier
2009-08-10

Church braces for debate

J.P. Squire

The pounding of aboriginal drums, the chanting of First Nation children, song, dance and prayers launched the United Church of Canada‘s 40th general council Sunday morning while a storm of controversy brewed.

More than 400 delegates from across Canada, plus hundreds of spectators, assembled in the gymnasium of UBC Okanagan for an official opening followed by a church service.

This wasn‘t the traditional worship rituals of your mom and dad‘s era: Bible readings, a choral performance and the congregation singing in unison from a hymn book.

At this service, the Vernon Immersion School Singers beat native drums and chanted; four young people did an interpretive dance; two potters worked with clay to the retelling of a parable and a musical group led mass singing with the words on overhead video screens.

The proceedings were watched with interest by Sid Shnaid, co-chairman of the Independent Jewish Voices, and Karin Brothers of the Holy Land awareness and action task group of the Southwest Presbytery Toronto Conference.

Their two displays on the mezzanine above the gym were located at the very end of a long line of tables filled with brochures, something they tried not to take personally as the debate raged over four conference resolutions – labelled anti-Semetic by the Canadian Jewish Congress.

The four proposals deal with matters related to bringing peace to Israel and Palestine.

“Our organization is adamantly opposed to the position that the Canadian Jewish Congress is taking,” said Shnaid. “We think it is very appropriate that the national conference of a church of this stature discuss the issue openly and freely without being browbeaten, threatened and castigated for doing what it should be doing.”

His said his organization thinks it is “outrageous” that Bernie Farber, CEO of the CJC, will attend the conference “to try to shut down this debate,” he said.

“Our organization has passed its own boycott-divestment sanctions resolution. We‘re here to say we have already supported this issue and we would like to see the church support it but it‘s not for us to tell the church. We are here to provide resources to people who are interested in discussion on the underlying issues and how it relates to the church‘s overall values.”

The CJC is playing the anti-Semetic card “because they don‘t have a lot else,” he said.

“They want to intimidate; they want to shut (the debate) down. They want people to avert their eyes when it comes to the ongoing crisis there to allow them to do what they have been doing. And we‘re trying to change that.”

The CJC is using the same tactics on university campuses which have anti-apartheid weeks targeting Israel, he added, “not come up with a counter argument, not to participate to say this is wrong but to shut it down. They are trying to ban the use of the term, apartheid, in relation to Israel.

“They are playing a losing game. They‘re placing themselves on the wrong side of the issue of free speech. It can‘t be won. You don‘t win people‘s hearts and minds by telling them to shut up and go away.”

Brothers added: “We‘re here to try and educate people to support the proposals that came from the Toronto conference.”

The CJC response “means we‘re relevant,” she said. “Our church is looking for relevance, and if they want to see how to be relevant, this is standing up. And standing up to end our complicity with what‘s going on in the Middle East. It‘s not politics; it‘s about human rights and it‘s about international law. Every other part of our society is afraid to deal with this. It‘s left to the faith community.”

Under international law, the Canadian government is criminally complicit in its support for seige of Gaza, she said.

A recent survey found one-half of the children in Gaza have lost the will to live, Brothers said.

“Things are really awful; it‘s as bad as that a recent UN report said the latest attack was hardest on the children; it was an attack on the children. About 1,855 children were injured; over 900 are permanently disabled. This is really horrendous, so I‘m hoping the faith community will respond.”

The seige is still underway with medical assistance barred from Gaza, and residents not getting enough food and rebuilding supplies, Brothers said.

“They are being kept on their knees,” she said.

A letter from The World Council of Churches to the UCC:

The WCC is a fellowship of churches, now 349 in more than 110 countries in all continents from virtually all Christian traditions

Letter to the United Church of Canada

Geneva, 10 August 2009

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

Grace to you and peace in the name of the Prince of Peace.   We pray for you and for the deliberations before you as the United Church of Canada commences its 2009 General Conference in Kelowna, Canada.  May God grant the participants wisdom and strength, and renew your spirits daily.

We are writing at this time to share and manifest ecumenical and international support for the UCC in its on-going work for peace with justice in Israel-Palestine.  This is a cause the UCC has faithfully supported.  It is one in which your efforts to speak truth to power and to discern just solutions with love have inspired other member churches of the World Council of Churches.

On behalf of churches in many lands we commend to you the words of the Amman Call adopted by the World Council of Churches International Peace Conference in 2007 in Jordan.  Its challenges to the whole international ecumenical communities include:

• Hearing the voices of the Christian churches of Palestine and Israel.
• Mobilizing more and more constituencies in each church to influence change toward peace with justice.
• Risking curses and abuse for standing in solidarity with Palestinian brothers and sisters of all faiths and rejecting the possibility that occupation will continue.
• Working to tear down walls and to build up bridges of reconciliation and peace between peoples in the region.
• Sharing the hope that evil and despair have been overcome through the death of our Lord on the Cross and through His Resurrection.

The Amman Call lifts up the Gospel imperative for costly solidarity in seeking peace.  It challenges us to stand together in common witness and service for a just peace.  With shared concern for Palestinians, Israelis and all peoples affected by this interminable conflict, we send you this sign of solidarity, of partnership and of hope.

Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia
General secretary
World Council of Churches

www.oikoumen e.org