October 03, 2006
News Flash!!
A NEW OPPORTUNITY TO STAND UP FOR THE UNITED CHURCH’S TRADITIONAL FAITH
Until very recently, only those United Church congregations supporting the faith expressed in the Basis of Union could belong to the National Alliance of Covenanting Congregations, a Canada-wide association firmly committed to the need for the United Church to return to its faith roots and to the moral standards flowing from them.
But now NACC membership has been broadened! Small congregational groups (of 6 or more persons), and individuals who want to play their part in upholding the Church’s historic understanding of its Christian faith are welcome to join. Find out more about us today and learn how to join!
For more information, please contact the NACC Office: PO Box 1022, Barrie ON, L4M 3G1, phone 1-800-678-2607, fax (705) 737-1086, or email nacc@csolve.net.
The following may be of interest
1.. . . the National Alliance of Covenanting Congregations was founded in 1991 and is still actively engaged in defending the United Church’s historic Christian faith and position on morality.
2.. . . it has about 100 member congregations, reaching from Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula to BC’s Vancouver Island.
3.. . . the NACC stands ready to help member congregations (and others like them) to find ministers with similar views on the faith.
4.. . . it offers advice and help to congregations and ministers who are at odds with their Presbyteries, particularly when their conservative theology is the root issue.
5.. . . that the NACC’s Legal Defence Fund has so far assisted one such minister by raising over $145,000 for legal fees.
6.. . . the Alliance puts out a quarterly electronic newsletter, News Briefs, which is emailed to a contact each congregation for copying and distribution. (It also goes to a number of interested individuals, some as far away as Australia.)
7.. . . the Alliance has developed legally sound language for churches wishing to prohibit same-sex marriages/services of blessing on their premises and by their ministers.
8.. . . news and reference materials of many kinds are posted at the NACC website, www.unitedrenewal.org/.
9.. . . through its membership in the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, the NACC has been able to advise the Supreme Court of Canada and Parliament on the need to maintain the traditional one-man-one-woman definition of marriage.
10.. . . as the UCC has advanced some disturbing positions on core theology, the NACC has developed a series of pamphlets making clear its own more traditional beliefs – e.g. “Who Is Jesus?”, “Authority and Interpretation of Scripture”, “Morality and the Family”.
11.. . . yet another series speaks of congregational life – e.g. “You Asked? (on congregational rights and responsibilities), “So, Your Minister is Leaving . . .” (on handling the pastoral relations process), and “Your Next Minister” (advice on what to ask when interviewing a prospective minister).
12.. . . working through just three of its congregations, the Alliance was able to block the UCC from authorizing three new baptismal formulae, including one that read, “We baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Mother of us all.”
13.. . . it maintains a considerable library of materials in a variety of media, available free to congregations and individuals.
14.. . . the Alliance stays in close, active touch with a number of other North American renewal groups in mainline denominations, meeting twice yearly with them to share experiences and advice.
15.. . . the NACC Chairman visited twice with the UCC’s last Moderator. On the first occasion Peter Short said, with some emphasis, that he sees the NACC as providing an important theologically conservative voice in our denomination. A meeting with David Giuliano, the new Moderator, was planned for October, 2006, but had to be postponed.
16.. . . the NACC rotates its AGMs across the country (e.g. 2004 – Ferintosh, AB; 2005 – Lewisporte, NL; 2006 - Toronto, ON; 2007 – Lillooet, BC). In recent years the Chairman has taken this opportunity to visit a number of local congregations (e.g. 15 last year in Newfoundland). The initial arrangements for 2006 fell through, but in the Fall he was able to visit interested congregations around London, Ontario.
17. . . the NACC made available “study helps” for churches and individuals drafting feedback on “Faith Talk II”, the UCC’s proposed new statement of faith, now approved by the recent General Council as “Song of Faith”.
18. . . . now the NACC is now considering whether it has grounds to insist that this new statement requires a Remit, i.e. a vote by the whole church. (The Basis of Union says any “change of doctrine” should go to such a vote. “Song” arguably contains doctrinal changes, but no Remit was ordered.)
19. . . . the NACC’s 2006 AGM broadened the bounds of membership to include groups (of six or more) in non-NACC congregations as well as individuals in the wider United Church. (Previously, only congregations could belong.)
Posted at October 3, 2006 01:56 PM