06 Jul GS 2019 art 68

GS 2019 Article 68 – CCCNA (Committee for Contact with Churches in North America) – General

1.   Material

• 1.1    Report of the Committee for Contact with Churches in North America (CCCNA) (8.2.3.1)
• 1.2    Letter from the following church: Dunnville (8.3.2.1)

2.   Observations

• 2.1 GS 2016 (Art. 49) decided concerning the CCCNA:
  • [4.1.1] To continue contact with all those churches in North America with which we have Ecclesiastical Fellowship (EF) according to the adopted rules, and in accordance with the mandates described in decisions taken by synod with respect to the churches with which we have ongoing relationships;
  • [4.1.2] To investigate diligently all the requests received for entering into EF in the Americas;
  • [4.1.3] To respond, if possible and feasible, to specific requests made to attend assemblies, synods, or meetings of other churches in the Americas;
  • [4.1.4] To report on its findings with suitable recommendations to the next general synod, and to present to the churches a report of its work six months prior to the convening of the next general synod.
• 2.2    The CCCNA maintained its Subcommittees East and West. Subcommittee West was responsible for contacts with the RCUS, RPCNA and NAPARC. Subcommittee East was responsible for contacts with the ARPC, ERQ, FRCNA, HRC, KPCA and OPC.
• 2.3    Minutes of the subcommittee meetings were exchanged via email to promote good communication and mutual scrutiny.
• 2.4    At least two members of each subcommittee attended NAPARC in 2016, 2017 and 2018. During NAPARC, these members met with their counter-parts.
• 2.5    The Rev. D.W. Vandeburgt and br. H. VanDelden have completed their terms in 2019, but due to the recommendations of the combined CRCA-CCCNA report to Synod, the CCCNA recommends that these brothers be reappointed to the CCCNA since their significant years of experience would be of great assistance to the committee should Synod adopt the recommendations of the combined report.
• 2.6    The CCCNA recommends that Synod continue the committee’s mandate until 2022 with one change, namely, to point 4 so that it reads:
  • To report on its findings with suitable recommendations to the next general synod, and to present to the churches a report of its work 5 months prior to the convening of the next general synod.
• 2.7    Dunnville recommends that Synod not accept the CCCNA’s recommended change since the churches need adequate time to respond to reports. Dunnville argues that providing an exception to one committee may result in the same request from other committees and contends that the CCCNA does not provide convincing reasons for the change.

3.   Considerations

• 3.1    The CCCNA carried out its mandate diligently, especially considering that four additional churches (ARPC, FRCNA, HRC, KPCA) have requested to interact with the CanRC via the committee.
• 3.2    The annual NAPARC meetings and meetings with delegates of the other churches at NAPARC occur in November. Changing the number of months that the CCCNA has to report on its work from 6 to 5 months would allow the committee to report on the most recent meetings at NAPARC.
• 3.3    A one-month delay for the CCCNA does not significantly impact the ability of the churches to respond to the CCCNA report and the delay is reasonable when measured against its benefit.
• 3.4    An exception to the CCCNA for the time allowed for reporting to the churches does not need to be given to other committees, considering they do not have to deal with the same time constraints.

4.   Recommendations

That Synod decide:

• 4.1    To thank the Rev. D.W. Vandeburgt and br. H. VanDelden for their work on the CCCNA;
• 4.2    To mandate the Committee for Contact with Churches in North America (CCCNA):
  • 4.2.1    To continue contact with all those churches in North America with which we have Ecclesiastical Fellowship (EF) according to the adopted rules, and in accordance with the mandates described in decisions taken by synod with respect to the churches with which we have ongoing relationships;
  • 4.2.2    To investigate diligently all the requests received for entering into EF in North America;
  • 4.2.3    To respond, if possible and feasible, to specific requests made to attend assemblies, synods, or meetings of other churches in North America;
  • 4.2.4    To report on its findings with suitable recommendations to the next general synod, and to present to the churches a report of its work 5 months prior to the convening of the next general synod.

ADOPTED