Cree Presbyterian Leader Elected to New WCRC Executive
Rev. Mary Fontaine (left), Director of Hummingbird Ministries, was elected to the Executive Committee of the WCRC
GRAND RAPIDS, MI — The Rev. Mary Fontaine was elected to a seven-year term on the Executive Committee of the new World Council of Reformed Churches (WCRC) at its Uniting Meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan, held June 18-28, 2010.
Mary is the Founder and Director of Hummingbird Ministries, a ministry of the Presbytery of Westminster in British Columbia. She grew up at the Mistawasis First Nation community in Saskatchewan.
Mary was one of five delegates from The Presbyterian Church of Canada at the WCRC Uniting Meeting, and was first asked to consider standing for the Executive after arriving in Grand Rapids. She says, “I want to tell you how unexpected this was for me. The knowledge that God thinks I can do this is so powerful yet scary; it is not to be taken lightly. My Mom must be dancing with her friend Jesus to know that the church she loved is finally listening to our First Nations people and what we have been given to offer to the Church and others. My Dad was keenly aware of the injustice towards our people and hoped I could help in some way.”
Stephen Kendall, Principal Clerk of The General Assembly, was also a delegate and just concluded a six-year term on the Executive. Stephen notes,“Mary Fontaine's election to the Executive is a signal that issues of Indigenous Peoples both in North America and around the world are on the agenda of the Communion.”
Indeed, the Policy Committee report, adopted at the Uniting meeting, which informs the WCRC’s work, included the following recommendation:
Regarding Indigenous Peoples issues, the WCRC initiate a process leading toward confession and repentance of past wrongs to live into the truth that we are equal in God’s sight; seek humbly to initiate relationships with Indigenous Peoples in order to listen and understand; to honour and respect cultural differences of all types of worship expression; include the voices of Indigenous People in the governance of WCRC; promote the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a resource to member churches.
The Executive of the WCRC is responsible for carrying out the current seven year mandate of the World Communion of Reformed Churches as articulated by the Uniting General Council. It oversees the work of the staff in Geneva and the various programs that are facilitated around the world. The executive is made up of 28 members representing the regions of the world.
