Page 10 - Presbyterian Connection Fall 2025

10 FALL 2025
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GENERAL ASSEMBLY
150 Years of Faith
Participants of the 2025 General Assembly of The Presbyterian Church in Canada.
By Callie Long and Heather
Chappell, Communications Office
The Presbyterian Church in Can-
ada’s 150th anniversary naturally
encourages us to reflect on the
past. Yet, it also serves as a time
to consider future directions as
the denomination faces change,
societal shifts, and renewed calls
for justice and reconciliation in a
world marked by geopolitical in-
stability and tensions. Within this
context, the General Assembly
of The Presbyterian Church in
Canada, held in Hamilton, Ont.,
this year, marked notable mile-
stones for the denomination,
which evoked both gratitude and
a need for discernment. Instead
of merely commemorating its his-
tory, the PCC opted to reimagine
its witness in an era of evolving
spiritual landscapes and to con-
template what it means to be a
faithful, missional church today
and into the future.
The Assembly Council’s Work-
ing Group on Narratives of Hope
and Possibility provided a frame-
work for reflection, offering a way
to envision changes to structures
and programs. It follows two
years of work that had begun with
Yvonne Bearbull and the Rev. Mary Fontaine.
commissioners sharing stories
of hope in table group discus-
sions during the 2023 and 2024
Assemblies. The report focused
on leadership, resources and
structure, grounded in the hope
that a focus on these areas would
lead to transformation for the
church. Key to the discussions
was a decision to appoint a spe-
cial commission for a two-year
term to facilitate the proposals
outlined in the report. Known as
the Change Leadership Team, it
will collaborate with other courts
of the church to help bring about
desired and suitable changes.
Another significant moment
was the International Affairs
Committee report, which includ-
ed updates on decisions made
by previous Assemblies regard-
ing Palestine. In addressing this
year’s Assembly, Corey Balsam,
National Coordinator of Inde-
pendent Jewish Voices Canada,
outlined the atrocities committed
by the Israeli government against
Palestinians, particularly in Gaza,
driven by “voices” that no longer
represent fringe ideology and a
“genocidal mindset that has in-
fected Israeli society.” Following
The Young Adult Representatives with the Moderator.
the presentation, commission-
ers adopted various recommen-
dations, including that the PCC
use “practical tools for peace to
take concrete actions related to
boycotting goods and services
(including financial investments)
that support the Israeli military
occupation of Palestinian territory
and resultant economic oppres-
sion of the Palestinian people.”
A future and a hope
General Assembly opened on
June 1, with commissioners and
guests gathered at Central Pres-
byterian Church in Hamilton,
Ont. In her sermon, the Rev. Dr.
Patricia Dutcher-Walls, Modera-
tor of the 2024 General Assem-
bly, preached on Jeremiah 29:1,
4–14. She compared the church
in Jeremiah’s time with today’s
church, stating that God contin-
ues to reach out with words of
challenge, instruction and the
good news of Jesus Christ. She
concluded by asking, “Will we
trust that God will give us a future
and a hope?”
During the first sederunt, the
Rev. Jeffrey Murray was elected
and installed as Moderator of
the 2025 General Assembly of
the PCC. Pat’s report to the As-
sembly highlighted her work with
the Assembly Council’s Working
Group on Narratives of Hope and
Possibility as a significant high-
light of her year as Moderator. The
project took her across Canada,
where she conducted 11 work-
shops, both in person and online,
engaging with 273 people from
123 congregations throughout
the year. The workshops aimed to
The Moderator, the Rev. Jeff Murray.
The Rev. Dr. Patricia Dutcher-Walls.
“create conversations to inspire,
imagine and innovate the future.”
Pat also spoke about meaningful
visits to Malawi and with Indig-
enous communities.
Acting together in
mission and ministry
Following last year’s adoption of
the Apology to Indigenous Peo-
ple, the Apology Special Com-
mittee acknowledged both the
complexity of the work and the
sensitivity required to accom-
plish such work. The committee
recognized the Dakota Language
Keepers and Translators (Marilyn
Hall and Evelyn Pratt), who trans-
lated the church’s Apology into