The United Church at 95

Yesterday was the 95th anniversary of the United Church of Canada, the commemoration of an impressive gathering at the Mutual Street Arena in Toronto which was one of the first events to be broadcast across the country using the new medium of radio. The amalgamation of most Presbyterians, Methodists and Congregationalists was a newsworthy event at the time and held out so much promise for a Christian force for good which would stretch from sea to sea to sea.

Through the decades the United Church has been an innovator, ordaining the first woman in the 1930's, offering a Sunday School curriculum which was innovative in the 60's , taking the challenging step to address issued of human sexuality in the 80's which included acceptance of what we now term LGBTQ2 persons, both as congregants and in ordained and commissioned leadership. The latter was hugely controversial and led to the exodus of thousands, yet we were at the vanguard of what I regard as an essential societal shift. The United Church has long been ecumenical in terms of our dialogue with other Christian denominations and we have been in respectful conversation with other religions for decades. 

We've been on the side of justice in so many areas for as long as I can remember yet our shame is that we were complicit in the Residential School system in Canada which so profoundly affected Indigenous peoples. We are still seeking ways to make amends. 

I was born into the United Church and was part of a church teeming with children in the post-war era. I had an evangelical phase in my teens which was deeply meaningful to my Christian formation but I returned to the fold because my mind mattered as well as my heart, and the UCC provided freedom to think and explore. 

Today the United Church has moved from being mainline to "old-line", as have other traditional denominations. I laughed out loud when I saw the directive from church authorities that in the initial phase of returning to worship in this COVID era it should be restricted to those under the age of 60. I quipped that this would mean that only four people in each province would qualify, which is not accurate but reflects our demographic reality. Few congregations have many, if any kids and young families. 

I got a letter the other day congratulating me on the 40th anniversary of my ordination as a United Church minister, which was a kind recognition. When I graduated, was ordained, then sent off to outport Newfoundland I was well aware that the United Church was in decline. But I was blessed to serve congregations which still had vitality, willing to deepen in Christian faith, and prepared to engage with community and the world. Except for my final congregation we had active Sunday Schools and families, and even there we had a sense of purpose and  mission which included strong food ministries.I have few regrets and plenty to celebrate about those 37 years of active pastoral ministry. 

Increasingly through the years I was concerned that the United Church was not only losing energy, it was losing its way. I would always ask in interviews with congregational search committees "do you see yourself as a Christ-centred congregation?" Some were befuddled by the question and one actually said no. I lamented that in our quest to be on the forefront of the next "cause of the day" we were becoming a "doughnut" church, all cake around the edges without an identifiable core. Having a celebrity minister who was openly a non-theist, let alone a Christian, was for me an indication of our spiritual confusion.We were just too earnest and confused about what inclusion means to part ways. 

Will there be a 100th anniversary for the United Church? Probably, although the radically changed way of doing and being church we adopted a couple of years ago will be heavily impacted by these months during which we haven't been able to physically gather. Yes, congregations have found other ways to be community, and that innovation is in the spirit of the UCC. We would be naive to think that this isn't a crisis moment, just the same.

Christ be with us all in the days ahead...why do I have a sudden craving for some Timbits?

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