What is a United Church Moderator & Who is our New One?

 

 The United Church of Canada doesn't have a Pope or a Primate as spiritual leader, as most of you will know. We do have a leadership role known as the Moderator and we've had lots of good ones through the decades. Some have been clergy and some laypersons, Indigenous, People of Colour, male and female. 

We've had lots of dynamic, faith-filled moderators who enlivened the UCC. One of my favourites was Lois Wilson who died last year at the age of 97. She was a peppery soul whose influence extended far beyond the two years of her term in various spheres of social justice. She even served in the Canadian Senate. 

Our Moderators don't make doctrinal pronouncements or issue encyclicals  but they are leaders. These are challenging times to be in this role because the United Church is shrinking and in a secular society, who cares? Certainly political leaders don't give much attention to the opinions of religious leaders outside of a modicum of politeness. 

A month ago the United Church General Council elected a new moderator in the person of he Right Rev. Dr. Kimberly Heath as Moderator Rev. Carmen Lansdowne completed her term. According to the UCC press release: 

Moderator Heath’s poignant reflection included a profound message of thanks for the work of those around her in the church, those who speak out for justice and peace, and those who do the humble work of the day-to-day church. She spoke of the importance of deep faith in this historical moment as a church and society, and the need to surrender to and trust God on the path ahead, remaining open and ready for what is to come.

“Your hopes for me, your hopes for this church, they lie in you. The spirit has given you these gifts to shine into the church. So my hope is that you will bring out all of the flavours, all of the goodness, all of the diversity of the church,” the Right Rev. Heath spoke. “Faithfulness is often not very sexy or exciting. It’s humble. It’s committed. And I’m grateful for all of you who do so much to keep the lamp of God burning. To keep that oil in the lamp.”

The Right Rev. Heath has served Wall Street United Church in Brockville, Ontario, since 2007. She was born in Lusaka, Zambia, and raised in small Canadian towns. She studied history at McGill University,  earned her Master of Divinity at Emmanuel College, and was ordained in 1999. Previously, Rev. Heath wrote that as Moderator she aspired to “help build up the church by deepening faith in Jesus, strengthening what is small, and encouraging life-giving connections.”

Elected to a three-year term, the Moderator is the spiritual leader and public representative for the United Church of Canada, and plays a significant role in its overall governance. The Moderator presides at meetings of the General Council and its Executive, and visits regions and congregations throughout the United Church, connecting communities of faith to one another.

I do wish Kimberly well and I'm grateful that it is her desire to help us deepen our faith in Jesus. May the oil in her lamp keep burning in these next three years. Here is a Broadview article about her: https://broadview.org/kimberly-heath-moderator-nominee/