GS 2025 Article 35 – Archives
1. Material
- 1.1 Report of the Burlington (Ebenezer) CanRC re Archives (8.2.2.2).
- 1.2 Report of the Burlington Waterdown (Rehoboth) CanRC re Inspection of the Archives (8.2.2.1).
- 1.3 Letter from the Burlington Waterdown (Rehoboth) CanRC re appointment (9.12.1).
2. Admissibility
- 2.1 The reports were declared admissible.
- Grounds: They were mandated by the previous synod and were received on time.
3. Observations
- 3.1 The Burlington (Ebenezer) CanRC submitted a report confirming that the archives of GS 2022 have been properly filed and catalogued, and that it has fulfilled its role as the Archive Church for general synods.
- 3.2 The Burlington Waterdown (Rehoboth) CanRC submitted a report confirming that it has inspected the archives and found the original documents to be in good order.
- 3.3 Burlington (Rehoboth) has also communicated that due to an impending merger with Burlington (Ebenezer), it will no longer be able to serve as the Inspecting Church. It recommends that another church in the vicinity—specifically the Burlington (Fellowship) CanRC—be appointed to take on this task going forward.
- 3.4 Burlington (Ebenezer) notes a discrepancy in GS 2022 art. 29 regarding the deadline for archive reporting. One part of the article stipulates submission “six weeks” prior to Synod, while the mandate section calls for submission “six months” prior. The Archive Church asks Synod to update the mandate to reflect the decision.
4. Considerations
- 4.1 The Archive Church and Inspecting Church have fulfilled their mandates with diligence and care.
- 4.2 The request to clarify the reporting deadline is appropriate but it is unclear if the error in GS 2022 art. 29 is found in the portion called “decision” (6 weeks prior to GS) or in “mandate” (6 months prior to GS). GS 2025 considers that since most other appointed committees (or churches) are mandated to report to GS six months prior, and since there is no apparent reason for the Archive Church or the Inspecting Church to wait till six weeks prior to synod, a deadline of six months prior to synod is most appropriate.
- 4.3 With the Burlington Waterdown (Rehoboth) CanRC no longer able to serve as Inspecting Church and in view of its recommendation, it is fitting to appoint the Burlington (Fellowship) CanRC to this role.
- 4.4 The Burlington (Ebenezer) CanRC has completed its responsibilities with respect to the archival care of the Acts and documents of GS 2022 and should be formally discharged of that task.
5. Recommendations
That Synod decide:
- 5.1 To receive with thankfulness the reports from the Burlington (Ebenezer) CanRC (Archive Church) and the Burlington Waterdown (Rehoboth) CanRC (Inspecting Church).
- 5.2 To thank the Burlington Waterdown (Rehoboth) CanRC for its many years of faithful service in inspecting the archives.
- 5.3 To acknowledge that the Burlington (Ebenezer) CanRC has completed its responsibilities as Archive Church with respect to GS 2022, and to discharge it of that task with gratitude.
- 5.4 To mandate the Archive Church and the inspecting church to submit their respective reports no later than six (6) months prior to GS 2028.
The mandate can be found in Appendix 20.