AT A recent meeting of our church’s official board, a committee that I chair proposed a program to heip AIDS patients and their families, in conjunction with St. Paul’s

Hospital.

When the motion to approve the program came to a vote, only one individual out of approxi- mately 40 present voted against it.

Given that I’m a member of The United Church of Canada — seen by many as the most liberal -of the major Protestant .

‘ denominations — the results of this vote might not seem too star- . fling.

However, as the church’s 1988 decision to ordain homosexuals as - clergy showed, issues related to

. human sexuality stitl have the potential to be divisive and pain- ful.

My church’s decision to do something about a disease that, at

" Jeast in this part of the world, af-

‘| fects mostly homosexuals said to

me that we've come a long way. ‘Despite The United Church's reputation for taking up causes that a certain columnist in this newspaper loves to hate, there’s no way my church would have been ready to lend a hand to the

‘s homosexual community 26 years

ago. . Neither would church members have extended cautious support to

“ same gender covenanting services,

o¢ approved the extension of church benefit packages to same ‘gender partners, both of which

Catherine

a ei RE Ts JUST ADD WATER they did at the 1992 General Council (the church’s highest court).

These moves were significant. not just because The United Church is Canada’s largest Pro- -testant denomination.

Like many people, I believe The United Church (formed in 1925 in this country) reflects to a great ex- tent what is happening in Cana- dian society,

The church operates democrat-

Deep Cove expects Same amenities as other communities

Dear Editor: :

a have read swith increasing in- ~ ferest’ the: various Setters in the ; North Shore News addressing the .

:icissue of a recreational needs

_- assessment for the Deep Cove/ Doliarton area.

"LT wani to‘add my voice to those

“who. seek. .effective short- and

. long-term planning for the area.

.. Deep . Cove/Dollarton — tradi- tionally has prided itself as being

somewhat maverick and

sutenomous. from the rest of the North Shore. When it was a «small, underdeveloped area domi- nated by remodelled cottages, the _ community clearly could not af- ford many amenities, nor did it necessarily want or need them. As a focal resident for 13 years,

however, I have seen Deep Cove -

evolve into a- densely-populated, upwardly-mobile comnaunity dominated by upscale housing and middle-class expectations. _ _. With so significant an increase in the local-.tax base, residents ‘rightly. expect the kinds of ameni- “ties provided in other, siinilar communities.

Yet we lack even the most basic - Services. . .~ For. instance, Panorama Park has no swings, Myrtle Park only three, with minimal structured

- play -areas- and equipment | for:

~ smali children. Nor can they play on the Catés Park beach because sso much broken glass is strewn about.

Nor can I send my two pre- / teens by. public transportation to -recCentre Ron Andrews, as no “bus service is provided on that “section of Mt. Seymour Parkway. How, therefore, are non-driving, non-chauffeured adolescents ex-

pected to get ta the new teen drop-in centre located at the Ron Andrews site, and home'again?

Nor can my family readily go cycling when no off-road paths are provided in the area and we are disinclined to take . young children on the busy Parkway and Dollarton Highway. Nor can my family even take a walk together along our waterfront as .no

-seawalk is provided for local resi-

dents. If the status quo continues Deep Cove clearly wil! be in danger of becoming a suburban desert. 7

Counci! obviously has actively encouraged housing development

in the area but seems unwilling to ~

return any of the resulting tax

monies by way of local services. Imagine a seawalk linking

Panorama Park and Cates Park.

‘Contemplate a well-planned net-

work of off-road bicycle paths, ultimately linking up with the SeaBus terminal to provide a commuting and recreational alter- native.

Consider an integrated network of safe and inviting recreational facilities and areas linked by ef- fective public transportation and appealing to all age groups.

Why is council so unwilling to acknowledge that the Deep Cove/Dollarton community now requires careful recreational plan- ning?

What will it take for council to reactivate Mr. Crist’s earlier- defeated motion that a full-scale needs analysis be undertaken? Where are our tax monies being spent?

Renie Sadlier-Brown North Vancouver

Friday, September 25, 1992 - North Shore News - 7

Mastering the Canadian art of compromise

icaily and has mastered the quintessentially Canadian art of compromise.

The United Church is somewhat cautious (still pulled by its conser- vative roots) but is constantly try- ing to do the just, compassionate thing.

The church’s decision to offer some support to gays and lesbians who want a covenanting service to celebrate their commitment proo- ably reflects the views of many Canadians.

After hearing petitions for and against, and after much impas- sioned debate, the General Coun- cil voted by secret ballot to urge its churches across the country “to give serious consideration to the implications for the ministry and mission of the Church of same gender covenants."’

Further, the motion asks that the church’s Division of Mission make resources available for same gender covenants and asks the division to consult with gays and lesbians in this task.

As North Vancouver resident and United Church minister Jim Elliot points out, the church did not strongly affirm same gender

. covenants.

What's more significant for Elliot is that people from opposite sides of the church heard each other.

“The church decided to move at a pace that’s not going to be disruptive to the life and work of

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the church, and to care for people who aren’t able to accept this change,”’ Elliot explains.

What's noteworthy, but not surprising, is that much of the media coverage of the church’s decision gave the public the im- pression that The United Church was endorsing same gender mar- riages (the difference in meaning between the terms covenant and marriage is too subtle for most of the media, 1 suppose).

Of course, The United Church can’t marry homosexuals since marriage is still a legal contract under the state’s jurisdiction.

There won't be a sudden surge in same gender covenanting ser- vices simply because, as in the case of ordination of homosex- uals, the local congregation has the power to say yea or nay to such services.

Rev. Bob Burrows, minister at St. David’s United Church in West Vancouver, says that many ministers feel uncomfortable about performing covenanting services because of a lack of abili- ty to work with publicly declared Bays and lesbians.

For ministers and congregations to be more accepting wil) require “an education process, the experi- ence of meeting and dialoguing with gays and lesbians,’ says Burrows.

It’s also clear that gays and les-

bians will only ask for a cowenan- ;

ting service if they feel ‘‘safe’’

a church (significantly, General Council acknowledged that the church is often not a safe place for gays and iesoians to engage -" openly in dialogue with others).

Rosemary Carnahan, the aa- tional spokesman for Affirm, the gay and lesbian movement within The United Church, is one of a very few gays and lesbians who had a covenanting service in her church (a smail number of United Church ministers have been per- forming same gender covenanting services inside and outside church buildings).

To Carnahan, it wasn’t surpris- ing that the church’s decision on same gender covenants didn’t stir up the controversy in the media that the gay ordination issue did in 1988.

““It's not newsy anymore. It’ 's much more part of a process.”*

Just as orpanizations like The United Church, the City of Van- couver, B.C. Hydro, Simon Fraser University are extending certain employee benefits to same gender partners, increasingly all of us will have to face issucs regarding the treatment of homosexuals.

For the past few years, gays and lesbians have been telling members of The United Church, ‘“We're not going to go away. You have - - to talk to us.”” :

. That applies to ail of us —. whether we're inside or outside a * church.

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West should make ‘united stand

Dear Editor:

It would appear that we have erred in our choice of repre- sentatives in the government — can’t anyone think and speak for themselves? Instead of a fair deal for the West — we are being sold down the river along with some of the other provinces.

Mulroney has the premiers jumping through hoops at his bidding. He is pulling off the big- gest swindle and double-cross of any century: Quebec and Ontario having a greater strangle-hold on this country than ever! Ad_ in- finitum.

if the other provinces had ail stuck together they would have had some clout. How could they

even consider let alone agree to these terms? It is so stupid it is criminal.

We are disappointed in Mike’

Harcourt and Mary Collins’ weak acceptance of it. Chuck Cook stood out as having some in- telligence and thinking for himself.

We will remember this at the next election.

It means if it (the constitutional agreement) goes through (and can’t you hear~ Mulroney laughing?) — that Quebec and Ontario get more than they were demanding or ever dreamed pessible -— especially Ontario, there is the danger. Canada but not at that expense.

A united —

B.C. and Alberta should have made a united stand. We-get a . fairer deal — or else. It seems to work.

When Canada is in such a fi-.. nancial state — why increase the — burden on the taxpayers? A greater number of MPs means more expense —- more bureaucra- cy. : . Vancouver and B.C. will prob- ably grow at a greater rate than any other province and then it will be too late. :

If there is a referendum and | there should be — remember we are voting for our lives.

Gwen McDowall North Vancouver