This page is updated frequently with items of interest to representatives to Halton Presbytery, and to members of pastoral charges within the presbytery.
Please check back regularly to find the latest information.
If you have any information that would be of interest, please send them to .
The annual Halton Presbytery Report, which will be presented to Hamilton Conference at the Annual General Meeting, is available here.
Wendy Cranston, the Forms Secretary for the Pastoral Relations Committee, is now serving at Applewood United Church. Please send all such forms to her there. Wendy can also be contacted .
Halton Presbytery has adopted a policy regarding the use of this web site and e-mail to communicate with presbyters and pastoral charges. This policy is posted here.
Comments and suggestions regarding this policy are welcomed. Please send them to .
The final report from Halton Presbytery's Capital Appear Feasibility Study is available here. Two copies have also been sent to each pastoral charge in the Presbytery. Please ensure that this information is made available to everyone at your pastoral charge that should be aware of it.
As a major part of the Emerging Spirit campaign, the new website WonderCafe is now open. There are wonderful opportunities to participate in discussions related to spirituality, relationships, family life, and many other topics. This website is open to members of the United Church, and especially to seekers who are not part of the Church - help to invite these people to participate!
Every United Church is provided with a "micro web site" as part of this program. Anyone looking for a church in your area will be directed to your site, if you have activated it. Instructions for activating your site were provided in a binder sent to every congregation. Help people find your church, by activating your site.
The 5th Fosdick Convocation on Preaching, which took place at Riverside Church in New York, is now available as archived webcasts. Several very well-known preachers spoke during this event - for example, William Sloan Coffin, Sam Wells, Tony Campola, Barbara Harris, Barbara Brown Taylor and James A. Forbes, Jr.
To view the archives, click here, then click on the "Watch the Webcast" link, and follow the instructions. You will have to register your e-mail address to access the archives.
Riverside Church requests a voluntary donation to cover the costs of these webcasts. Hamilton Converence provided a donation to the church to cover our viewing. Feel free to send an additional donation if you wish, but it is not necessary.
The congregation of Crescent Fort Rouge United Church, in Winnipeg, is currently providing sanctuary a family of eight. They have asked for the support of the church in dealing with this situation. For information about the family, and how you can help, please click here.
In a press release dated September 13, 2006, the United Church has called on the Canadian government to implement strong, mandatory standards with rigorous monitoring and compliance mechanisms for Canadian companies operating abroad.
The full press release is available here.
This press release announces the decision of the United Church to sign the Residential Schools Agreement that was reached recently, and discusses the plans of the Church to work on further healing of this difficult piece of our Church's, and country's, history.
At the April 2006 meeting of Halton Presbytery, the Rev. Neil Young provided all pastoral charges with information about claiming Provincial Retail Sales Tax rebates. Churches are eligible to claim rebates on many of the purchases; this can result in a substantial return.
A summary of Neil's package, with links to the government forms and instructions is available here.
For the past two years, an Exploratory group has been considering the development of a resource centre in the Greater Toronto Area. The group has now issued a report, deciding to discontinue this effort. The report is available here.
An ad hoc committee,consisting of John Fargey, John Hurst and Jim Keenleyside, has prepared a report recommending the creation of a new Strategic Mission Development Committee of Presbytery. A motion based on this report has also been developed, for presentation at the March 28, 2006 meeting of Presbytery. The report is available here.
The Executive of General Council has issued directives regarding the police records checks required for ministry personnel, and the monitoring of those checks that are required. These changes affect all Pastoral Charges. The document describing the new policy is available here.
At the Halton Presbytery Netowrk Day on February 25, 2006, John Hurst and Wendy Cranston presented a workshop for member of Ministry and Personnel Committees.
Several participants asked to be able to review the slides from the presentation. They are available here.
Our Presbytery Chair, Pat Steer, has written this Memorandum to update us about the start of the Capital Campaign Feasibility Study.
The following two papers have been prepared as part of the Feasibility Study. They are both long, and available here in PDF format, so you can read them online or print them out if you wish. Copies can also be obtained from the Presbytery Office.
The General Council Office has several programs offering assistance to "small membership pastoral charges whose financial base is modest" so assist with capital improvements to their facilities.
Information about these programs was included in the January HamPack. Applications canb be submitted at any time, but the allocation is fixed, and may run out before the end of the year. Applications must be approved by the church Board or Council and the Presbytery Finance and Property Committee, and then forwarded to the Hamilton Conference Office.
Information about the programs, and application forms, are available on the United Church web site (links provided below). For further information, e-mail or phone .
Manse Energy Audit and Conservation Grants - Grants to assist pastoral charges to perform an energy audit, and then implement improvements to reduce energy consumption in their manses. The audit is required, and work must be completed for grants to be paid.
Capital Assistance Loans - The Capital Assistance Fund is used to assist congregations in the purchase, construction or renovations of church buildings, sanctuaries, halls or manses.
Technology Grants - Grants to assist with purchase of equipment such as computers, software, music keyboards and sound systems. (Copiers are eligible, but with a lower priority.) We have been told that applications for equipment to be used in programs (e.g. LCD projectors for displaying hymns in service, keyboards for music, etc.) are more likely to be approved than applications for office equipment.
A new 60-page4 brochure, Archives and Recordkeeping: A How-to Guide for Congregations and Conferences has been prepared by the General Council office. One copy for each congregation in Halton Presbytery has been purchased by the Pastoral Oversight Committee.
The document can be read on-line, as a PDF file, or additional copies purchased for $8 each, here on the United Church web site.
Emmanuel College offers a series of Continuing Education course and seminars that would be of interest to many members of Halton Presbytery. Check their web site regularly to learn about the latest offerings.
In the fall of 2006, following approval by General Council, the United Church hopes a new campaign. The goals of this campaign are building connections, nurturing relationships, and welcoming people in their 30s and early 40s to The United Church of Canada. The campaign will have two parts, a media campaign (mainly television and the Internet), and a program to encourage, train and provide resources to congregations for their welcoming ministries to this group of people.
Currently, the plans are in a research and development phase. At this web site you can read about plans, view videos and sign up for a monthly newsletter. In the near future, various forms of consultation with members of the church and others will be undertaken.
The planners encourage all congregations to start learning about this program, and get involved in making it successful.
In June, the Presbytery approved the release of a Request for Proposal regarding a Capital Appeal Feasibility Study. During the summer, this RFP was distributed to four firms, three of whom responded.
The committee, supplemented with several additional volunteers, interviewed the three companies. The proposal from one of the firms, Paul J. Mack and Associates of Burlington, stood out, and was investigated in more detail.
At the September meeting of Presbytery, the committee proposed that this response be accepted. The price for the Feasibility Study is $31,000. This recommendation was accepted by the court.
The report from the committee, as presented to Halton Presbytery, is available here.
A letter from the Capital Appeal Advisory group, explaining the plans for the campaign. is available here. This letter could be included in a Sunday bulletin, or otherwise distributed to members of congregations in Halton Presbytery.
At the January meeting of Presbytery, Rev. Donna Howlett, the Presbytery Development Officer, presented a report discussing the state of the presbytery - who we are, who we are called to be. The slides that Donna used with this presentation are available here as a PDF file.
The Rev. John Shearman has provided introductory notes for an Adult Bible Study of The Letter to the Colossians. They posted on the Glen Abbey United Church website - click on the "Adult Bible Study" link. John prepared these notes and has granted permission for them to be used for small group or individual study. If downloaded and reproduced in printed form, please acknowledge the copyright.