The Very Reverend (irreverent?) Dr. William Phipps
Back in January I mentioned that in the 1990's, while in ministry in Northern Ontario, I took United Church Moderator Bill Phipps and his wife, writer Carolyn Pogue, up Dreamer's Rock. He was in our area to visit with Sudbury Presbytery but he wanted to visit this spot which is a traditional place for Indigenous vision quests. I know photos were taken that day -- a reporter was waiting for us at the base of the hill! -- and I wish I had kept a newspaper clipping.
Last week Bill died at the moderately old age of 79 and a memorial service was held in Calgary on Tuesday. At the beginning of his term as Moderator Bill stepped into a theological cow patty -- more like stomped into it with both feet -- and it affected the way he was perceived for the following three years. While I didn't agree with what he did and said he brought a lot his role that was pastoral and prophetic. He engaged us in a really worthwhile exercise at that Presbytery meeting asking what our experience was of being "born again" -- a bit of a surprise. He was the Moderator who delivered the United Church Apology for our complicity in the Residential School system, which he did with dignified contrition.
Bill Phipps was also an articulate spokesperson and activist regarding different issues of social justice. He understood the connection between economic justice and ecological justice, and of course both those words have the same "eco" or "household" root. He made important connections between the faith community and other justice communities in Calgary and was widely respected. Now, more than ever, we are seeing that we can't separate the economy from the the environment and that we must get our house in order or perish.
Hey, you have to like a person who appreciates the spiritual value of a paddle.
So, thanks Bill Phipps for your witness and service, wherever you may be.
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