The Final Report of Rainbow Communion
Thanks to 139 courageous and gracious storytellers, the Final Report of Rainbow Communion has now been written. The content of this report and all of its recommendations are driven by the voices and experiences of the storytellers. Please lift them up in your prayers of gratitude.
Video Summary – Not All Are Welcome
The Special Listening Committee re: LGBTQI also known as Rainbow Communion is led by:
- The Holy Spirit
- The Terms of Reference (see menu at bottom of page) as determined by General Assembly.
Rainbow Communion is not a group that is mandated to discern the question of LGBTQI inclusion in the Church;
Rainbow Communion is not a counselling team;
Rainbow Communion is not a place to access resources beyond those outlined in the mandate or provided in its reports;
Rainbow Communion is not a lobby group.
Rainbow Communion* is a special committee formed by the 2017 General Assembly that has been empowered to invite LGBTQI people and others to tell stories of harm done to them within and by the church, and to share their stories of God’s grace experienced by them in Christian ministry.
In addition to the original Terms of Reference (and in the downloadable Welcome Package ), revised terms were adopted by 2018 General Assembly of The Presbyterian Church in Canada.
For those who either serve with Rainbow Communion or those who share their stories, who might otherwise be subject to discipline with respect to the PCC’s stance on same-sex relationships, censure has been suspended indefinitely in order to allow them to participate freely and honestly in the work of the special committee.
Safe and Respectful
Rainbow Communion has worked very hard to ensure that confidential, safe, affirming and respectful spaces were created for people to share their experiences. The Committee will present its final report to the 2020 General Assembly which will include recommendations for for the Church to address and respond to homophobia, hypocrisy, heterosexism and transphobia by and within the Church. The name “Rainbow Communion” was selected by the committee to intentionally reflect its mandate and purpose.
*Rainbow: as a symbol of God’s promise, has its origin in the biblical covenant with Noah and his family. It is also a term or symbol often used to represent the inclusion of the full diversity of people and emphasizing the inclusion of persons who identify as sexual and/or gender minorities.
Communion: is central to our life as Christians and in a broader sense reflects the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level.
LGBTQI is an acronym used to refer to people whose sexual orientation is not heterosexual and/or whose gender identity does not conform either to binary male/female categories or the “assigned” gender at birth. LGBTQI is an acronym for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex.
Committee
The Committee wishes to thank all those who have graciously and generously shared their stories and have put their trust in the process established by Rainbow Communion so that the Church may better identify and understand its homophobia, transphobia, heterosexism and hypocrisy and continue to work towards healing and reconciliation in the future. Many storytellers have referenced the Moderator’s Letter of Repentance written in February 2018 to have been an encouragement to tell their stories and have found great hope in it as a starting point to build toward an honest, just and welcoming relationship with LGBTQI people in The Presbyterian Church in Canada.
These stories are at the heart of the mandate of Rainbow Communion and the call of The Presbyterian Church in Canada to repent of its homophobia, transphobia, heterosexism and hypocrisy. We have heard stories from coast to coast, from people ranging in age from youth to seniors, from different ethnicities and theologies, and representing a spectrum of gender and sexual identities.
The Special Committee is made up of members drawn from across the church reflecting the diversity of the denomination and includes two members who identify as LGBTQI.
Co-Conveners: The Rev. Dr. Bob Faris (Toronto, ON), Ms. Sue Senior (Waterloo, ON)
Members: The Rev. Michael Veenema (Canning, NS), Mr. Robert Hayashi (Aurora), the Rev. Dr. Jean Morris (Calgary, AB), Ms. Sydney O’Brien (Oakville, ON)
Additional Information
Read about the Rainbow Communion in the Presbyterian Connection newspaper, Issue 10
Read about the Rainbow Communion in the Presbyterian Connection newspaper, Issue 5





Video Clip: Understanding Terminology related to Gender
Full video “Belonging in the Body: Transgender Journeys in Faith” available at – https://gumroad.com/l/belonging_in_the_body