[For the individual presentations and reports, please see the General Assembly Minutes section. Minutes of the proceedings are posted to the page as soon as they are approved and adopted. View photos of the events at https://www.flickr.com/photos/pcconnect/albums/72177720317539661/ ]

Morning Worship: The morning liturgy and worship service were led by the Rev. Frank Szatmari (Calvin Presbyterian Church, Kitchener) and the Rev. Paul Kang (the PCC’s New Beginnings program coordinator). Paul preached about how working in the church can be exhilarating and joyful but is also hard work—within the context of the story of Mary and Martha. The danger is that when church work is reduced to a task or a series of tasks that must be done, we risk overlooking the one thing essential to our faith: listening to and giving our full attention to the words of Jesus.

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Assembly Council: The Rev. Dr. Pablo Kim Sun was introduced as the new Intercultural Liaison. Pablo will serve a five-year term, working to bring all cultures within the PCC to work more closely together, become more intercultural, integrate more into our society, and become more relevant within our communities. He urged commissioners to maintain hope and trust in our collective journey.

Stated Hour: The Rev. Mary Fontaine, Moderator of the 2023 General Assembly
Mary thanked all the churches that welcomed her over the past year and reported feeling very loved and well cared for. She spoke of her time as Moderator as a growing and learning experience that included much prayer and spiritual growth. She asked that we pray for those who are working to stop generational trauma caused by residential schools from continuing and for healing to happen in Indigenous communities. She also asked that we reach out to Indigenous people in our neighbourhoods – to be as welcoming to them as we have been to her. Mary called on the PCC to continue our work of healing and reconciliation. The Moderator thanked Mary for sharing her gifts over the past year.

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Stated Hour: Cutting Edge of Mission Award
The Cutting Edge of Mission Award recognizes individuals and organizations involved in mission work that is innovative and fresh. Recipients are given $10,000 to honour their work and assist them in advancing it.

This year’s Cutting Edge of Mission Award recognizes the work of Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries, which aims to equip the church at the local level to support mental health and well-being through community, connection and resources. Sanctuary’s resources are developed in collaboration with theologians, mental health professionals, and people with lived experience of mental health challenges. These resources are free to access and prepare communities of faith worldwide to raise awareness, reduce stigma, support mental health, and promote mental well-being.

Sanctuary’s CEO, Daniel Whitehead, accepted the award on behalf of the organization and expressed gratitude to the board, staff, supporters, and people who have served through their work. Daniel spoke of the remarkable growth and change he has witnessed in the eight years since he began serving as CEO of Sanctuary. He has watched it grow from a struggling non-profit in Vancouver, BC, into an internationally renowned organization, helping hundreds of thousands of people around the world.

People living with mental health issues often struggle with stigma and rejection from society, branded with labels rather than seeing a beloved brother or sister in Christ, he noted, saying that we must make more space in our congregations and help people struggling with mental health to find a place in the body of Christ. Daniel said that we all need friends to support us in this life and that this award will motivate Sanctuary to continue to fight for those who need a friend in their time of struggle.

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Stated Hour: The Rev. Dr. Eui Sig Kim, Presbyterian Church of Korea
The Rev. Dr. Eui Sig Kim brought greetings from the PCK, noting that the denomination, with its 2.5 million members and 1,500 missionaries, is forever grateful to The Presbyterian Church in Canada for its constant and ongoing support. The Rev. Dr. Kim presented a plaque of friendship to the Moderator.