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Orono Weekly Times, Wednesday, October 5, 1988-9 The United Church of Canada statement on membership, Ministry and human sexuality The discussion over the issue of gay/lesbian ordination and commissioning has drawn a great deal of attention to the recent recent meeting of the 32nd General Council of Thè United Church of Canada. The decisions made by the 32nd General Council have left a number of questions unanswered. The new statement of the Council entitled Membership, Membership, Ministry and Human Sexuality, Sexuality, is quite purposely silent on some matters. The General Council, in its wisdom, did not consider the direct question of ordination/commissioning of homosexual persons - one where a yes or no answer would be required. The statement of the United Church on this matter matter may prove frustrating to some or be interpreted by various groups of people in different different ways. The statement adopted by the 32nd General Council reaffirms the Church's traditional support support of the value of Christian marriage and family. It also affirms affirms the Church's support and appreciation for the 'charism of celibacy and the way of chaste singleness'. Still numbers of members feel that Christian marriage and family life have been undermined. Finally, the document states simply: , That all persons regardless of thçir sexual orientation, who profess faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to Him, are welcome to be or become full members of the United Church. vy, e a) All members of the United Church are eligible to be considered considered for Ordered Ministry,. b) All Christian people are called called to a lifestyle patterned on obedience to Jesus Christ. These statements cause the most difficulty for those who expected expected a clear and definite "No". The question remains, what has changed? How does this new statement differ from past practice? In many ways very" little little has changed. This new state- Babes In Bookland (Continued from page 3) 4icol. Although not known irimarily as a children's writer, he lid create a gentle and charming title title book called "Once: A Lullaby." Using a simple pattern, he in- :roduces almost 20 creatures and the sounds they might make as they fall asleep..The illustrations compliment compliment the calming, sleepy quality of the repetitive refrain making the book a bed-time favourite tor children. ,, Both "Poems and Prayers and • ), KV ., I ilhihv" arc at tht Apple • : si' i his week. ' ment simply states publicly what generally has always been the practice of the United Church. Some gays and lesbians, have in the past been ordained/commissioned ordained/commissioned United Church ministers, presumably because they were deemed fit for ministry and the question of their sexual orientation was never asked. In fact, the question question of a person's sexual orientation orientation has always been and continues continues to be considered inappropriate inappropriate during the interview process. Who then will be 'eligible to be considered' for ordered ministry? The United Church has always considered the call to ministry a gift and a privilege, not a right. This hew statement by the Church does not signify a guarantee of approval to gays or lesbians who wish to be or- ' dained. Rather it is an invitation to them to be welcomed into the community of the United Church as full members, and in turn to be eligible to be considered considered for ordination, as are all members of the United Church who profess this call to ministry. The decision making about who is eligible for ordination ordination lies where it always has been, initially with the congregation, congregation, and then with the presbytery and conference in turn. But what about the approximately approximately 1800 petitions, many of which rejected the notion of welcoming gays and lesbians into into the Ministry of The United Church of Canada? The General Council and the Sessional Sessional Committee did seriously consider the variety of sen- A House Dust Mite A house dust mite is one of the common causes of allergies. This mite lives in your heating system and "takes a ride" whenever the Furnace Fan turns on. Is the dust in your heating system a hazard to your health? Remove It and breathe < more easily ' I ( Call sAn-A-vAC •4SÜV *®> : Clean and Sanitize your Heating System Force Air Duct Cleaning Call (416)983-5515 or 983-5520 Orono l timents and convictions expressed expressed in all these petitions. Those expressions significantly influenced influenced the draft statement which the Commissioners then (Continued page 1*0) Woods, water and wildlife (Continued from page 3) ing shrubs, and then offer wild columbine columbine and bee balm, iris and gladioli and find a place for a trumpet vine. Its orange red cones will lure any hummingbird in the area. A friend reports that nasturtiums nasturtiums are irresistible to them. Last year she had not one perfect bloom in her bed. A male hummingbird slashed the spurs of all the blossoms to get at the neetar. Her delight in the bird outweighed her annoyance at the destruction. Right now there is plenty of natural food about for them. In mid-September 1 have come on as many as 20 hummingbirds worrying the orange blossoms on a patch of jewelweed. Whirring motionless in space as though suspended by a silken thread, they paused to sip, then darted off to divebomb others in the flock. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are extremely aggressive with one another and with intruders. Like small dogs they are ready to take on anything even if it is several times their own size. I once observed a hummingbird pursuing a Chimney Swift and diving at it so that it took evasive action. About human presence the hummingbird hummingbird seems tolerant almost to the point of tameness. It is with real regret, then, that we watch them beginning to move south. But it is time to be resolute, take the feeder down and send them on their way. The Corporation of the TOWN OF NEWCASTLE NOMINATIONS 1988 MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, pursuant to Section 35 of the Municipal Elections Act, 1980, as amended, nominations nominations may be filed in the office of the Clerk between the hours of 8:30 a'.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 13, 1988, Friday, October 14, 1988 and Saturday, October 15, 1988 and between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Monday, October 17, 1988 for the following offices: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) MAYOR Elected by a general vote of all electors in the Town of Newcastle; THREE MEMBERS JOINTLY OF THE LOCAL AND REGIONAL COUNCILS representing and elected by the electors of each of the Wards 1, 2 and 3; THREE MEMBERS OF THE LOCAL COUNCIL ONLY, representing and elected by the electors of each of the Wards 1, 2 and 3; "31 )ÇMT M BERS' üFTFf E fTORTHUMBERLAND AND" NEWCASTLE BOARD OF EDUCATION, representing and elected by the public school supporters of Wards 1, 2 and'3 (two members for each ward); TWO MEMBERS OF THE PETERBOROUGH VICTORIA VICTORIA NORTHUMBERLAND AND NEWCASTLE ROMAN CATHOLIC SEPARATE SCHOOL BOARD, representing and elected by general vote of the separate school supporters of the Town of Newcastle; Newcastle; FOUR MEMBERS OF THE NEWCASTLE HYDRO ELECTRIC COMMISSION elected by a general vote of all the electors of the Town of Newcastle. rejected. Date of Publication: October 5, 1988 Patti L. Barrie, A.M.C.T.(A) Acting Clerk ' Town of Newcastle 40 Temperance Street Bowmanville, Ontario L1C 3A6 P.O. A2256 The Clerk's office is located at 152 Churtîb Street, Bowmanville, A person may be norfiinated as a candidate for an office by filing Nomination Papers, either personally or through his agent, in the off ice of the Clerk, on the days and during the hours specified. Nomination papers may be obtained at the office-of the Town Clerk. The nomination paper for* a person who is a candidate for office shall be signed by at least ten (10), electors whose names are entered on the preliminary list of electors or who have made application to have their namfes included on the list and who are entitled entitled to vote for such office. Each nomination papgr must be completed in full and shall state the name and address of the person nominated, in such manner as will identify him and the office for which he is nominated; ànd Shall state the name and address of each elector signing the nomination paper and, where the office for which a person person is nominated is a member of a school board, that such nominator is a public school elector or separate school , elector as the fact is. No nomination is valid unless there ià filed with the nomination paper a consent in writing to the nomination and a declaration of qualification in the prescribed form by the person nominated. , A nomination paper nominating a person for an office, the holder of which is required to be elected by public school electors, shall be signed by public school electors only. A nomination paper nominating a person for an office, the holder of which is required to be elected by separate school electors, shall be signed by separate school electors electors only. - .. A person nominated as a candidate in an election may withdraw his nomination by instrument in writing, verified by his affidavit and delivered to the ôlerk before 5:00 p.m. on the day following Nomination Day (Nomination Day is _ Monday, Qctobfer 17, 1988). Where a person has been nominated for more than one office, office, he may withdraw in respect of one or more offices for which he is nominated by filing his withdrawal in writing with the Clerk in her office -before 5:00 p.m. of the day following Nomination Day and in default, he shall be deemed deemed to be nominated ton the office,far which he was first nominated and to have withdrawn his nomination for any other offifce. NOTE: Section 36(7) of the Municipal Elections Act, 1980, as amended, states .that: "The onus is ,on the person nominated for election to ah office to file a BONA FI®E nomination paper." Improperly Improperly filed nomination papers will have to be