The 5th Assembly of the Territory of the People Anglican Church took place on May 27-29, 2022 at St. Paul's Cathedral, Kamloops BC.
41 Delegates, both Clergy and Lay, attended the Assembly under the leadership of Archbishop Lynne McNaughton, Metropolitan for the Ecclesiastical Province of BC and Yukon and Assisting Bishop for the Territory, Jane Alexander.
The Territory Assembly is held every two years and conducts the business of the Territory providing an overview of the work undertaken over the past two years and looking ahead to what the future may hold for us, as we continue our work of healing and reconciliation. Reports are received from the multitude of committees, both within and without the Territory, outlining their work; elections are held for the positions of Directors for the Territory, Coordinating Council, General Synod and Provincial Synod; Resolutions are made; and time spent visioning and planning for the coming years.
The past two years has seen a lot of change and disaster in the Territory, with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the resignation of our elected bishop, to the wild fire which destroyed the Village of Lytton in June 2021, the atmospheric river in November 2021 which caused widespread flooding in the Nicola Valley and beyond, and the discovery of numerous unmarked graves of Indigenous residential school children in Kamloops and Williams Lake.
The Theme for the Assembly "Come and See" based on scripture Isaiah 43:19 where God says: "I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not percieve it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."
Bishop Jane captialized on the theme. On Friday evening she gave her "Charge" to the Assembly which was used as the building block for the weekend, and to which Archbishop Lynne responded on Sunday morning, seeing the years ahead as a great opportunity to do a new thing...
The weekend provided an opportunity for delegates from 15 parises to gather in person, and apart from the business portion of Assembly, to join in small group discussions, share stories, listen, pray, worship, sing, and share bread together. The St. Paul's kitchen crew provided excellent meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner... we were well cared for! On Saturday evening the Indigenous delegates provided worship, drumming, singing and prayer in their own language which was a wonderfully rich experience.
On Sunday morning, the delegates joined the congregation of St. Paul's for worship, which was livestreamed (link here), as we celebrated the ordination to the priesthood of the Rev Linda LaGroix, and the installation of Pastoral Elders Ernie Michell, Pauline Michell, and Ursula Drynock. Sadly, Ursula was unable to attend.
Listed below are the Bishop's address, the Archbishop's response, the election results, and a summary of the evaluations. We look forward to hearing more from the delegates and their parishes as they continue to do new things!
We are truly thankful to the Local Arrangements Committee (parishioners from St. Paul's) who organized and hosted the Assembly; and to all those behind the scenes who took such great care to ensure the Assembly's success. You know who you are, and in case you don't, you can find out in the attached Motion of Thanks!