The National Coordinating Group was established upon the request of the 1984 General Council that the Division of Mission in Canada and the Division of Ministry, Personnel and Education establish a process for a national study on sexual orientation, lifestyles and ministry, involving all levels of the Church. The Group was formed in 1985 to undertake this study, which carried on until 1988.
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Fonds consists of seven series: Correspondence, 1985-1988; Minutes, Reports and Supporting Documents, 1980-1988; Publications, 1985-1987; Feedback on the Vote on Ordination of Homosexuals, 1988-1989; Resources, 1981-1988; Task Force on the Ordination and Commissioning of Self-Declared Homosexual Persons, 1982-1984; Advisory Group on the Sexual Orientation and Eligibility for the Order of Ministry Report, 1984.
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Series consists of correspondence of the National Coordinating Committee.
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Series consists of minutes and reports and supporting documents of the National Coordinating Group, 1980-1988.
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Series consists of drafts, working papers and final copies of publications by the National Coordinating Group; Dialogue – Sexual Orientations, Lifestyles and Ministry (kits 1 and 2), Final Report on the Ordination of Homosexuals Issue, and feedback.
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Series consists of feedback re the vote on the ordination of homosexuals; listed by group, reports, late affirmation reports, non-documented individual responses, late group responses, problem affirmations, statement lists compiled by different categories, feedback indices.
[Materials of this group were also located in a 1994 accession of records from the General Council Office (Accession 94.161C). Most of the 1994 were exact copies of minutes and mass mailings, already described here. The few additional pages of mass mailings found in this accession have simply been added without notation to relevant files in Box 1. Affirmation reports 1-241 (incomplete) included in the above accession in numerical order have been added to this finding aid. In the 88.073C accession, these affirmation reports had been divided into Conferences and filed as Feedback. Thus, they now exist twice--by Conference and in numerical order.]
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Series consists of resources; study guides, statements, articles, papers, plays, surveys, guidelines, manuals, journals, 1981-1988.
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Series consists of correspondence, study guides, drafts on the Statement on Human Sexuality, and background documents, 1982-1984.
In the spring of 1982, the Division of Ministry, Personnel and Education created the Task Group on the Ordination/Commissioning of Self-Declared Homosexuals. The Task Group was to assess the polity of the UCC with regard to the ordination/commissioning of self-declared homosexuals. The assessment of the issue and the suggested implementation options for the new guidelines of ordination/commissioning of self-declared homosexuals were presented in the "Sexual Orientation and Eligibility for the Order Ministry" Report. The Task Group's report was then assessed at the 30th General Council meeting in 1984 after which it disbanded.
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Series consists of correspondence, media clippings, background documents and feedback (individual responses across Canada to the ordination of homosexuals issue), 1984.
The Advisory Group on "Sexual Orientation and Eligibility for the Order of Ministry" was appointed in February 1984 to oversee the evolution of the Task Group's report and its recommendations both before and after the 30th General Council. Upon the request of the 30th General Council, the Division of Mission and the D.M.P.E. agreed upon a process for a national programme/study on the sexual orientation, lifestyles, and ministry, involving all levels of the church, which would then lead to a comprehensive statement: This programme/study was developed and implemented by the national Coordinating Group. Upon the formation of the NCG, the Advisory Group was finally dissolved in February 1985, having fulfilled the function of setting the guidelines for the selection of the members of the NCG.