June 27, 2012

This year our church Board put a lot of energy into what we believe. An Awesome Faith: Inside Out and Outside In was our theme. What we think affects what we do, and what we do informs how we think.

As it is with individuals and congregations, so it is with denominations. These last few years our United Church has been examining what we believe – we have been so active in our communities, governments and family lives that surely what we believe has been well toned.

Indeed. Our founding denominations created a Statement of Faith just before the inauguration of the United Church in 1925. The writers were quite clear that it was a statement of and for that time. As the years have progressed, our articulations of faith have changed, both in vocabulary and in content. Some articles of faith remain constant too.

Our founders made sure that we would not be a church that requires subscription to a set of beliefs: we don’t shun or excommunicate people for their faith. We encourage conversation, questions, growth, experience, prayer, and the trust that comes from being honest about our doubts as well as our convictions.

From sea to sea to sea, congregational and presbytery leadership have voted clearly to add the 1940 Statement of Faith, We Are Not Alone, and A Song of Faith to our 1925 doctrine. We have the material at St. Paul’s and you are welcome to look at it. Or open united-church.ca and put Our Words of Faith or Remit 6 in the search box. Truly An Awesome Faith: Inside Out and Outside In.    

Blessings,

The Rev. Dr. Catherine Faith MacLean