Reports 2023 and Minutes of AGM 2022

Canadian Theological Society

 Annual General Meeting

May 31, 2023

 

Since our last Annual General Meeting, many of us have realized that the transition into a post-pandemic context was both freeing and exhilarating but also complicated and sometimes stressful.  In our academic homes and well as in our churches and community groups, we are navigating the ‘new normal.’  Since our last meeting Pope Francis has made a historic “penitential pilgrimage” to Canada and made an apology to indigenous people for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in residential schools.  The papal visit was emblematic of the opportunity and hope for what our past president, Jane Barter, called for “the church to repent from its colonial past and to move toward renewed and reconciled relations with Indigenous peoples.”  Theology in Canada must have an important role to play in this process.

Future of CTS Meetings:

This year CTS has opted to meet in person in the context of Congress.  The decision to meet in person was made for several reasons, amongst others: a desire to be physically present to one another in our social time and in our academic exchanges; to reflect our commitment to be in conversation with other disciplines present at Congress; to capitalize on the publishers’ exhibits.  We also considered reasons for the annual conference to be held virtually, particularly greater accessibility, lower costs, and technological requirements. In our investigations about whether to have to have the conference in-person or virtually, we noted that attendance at the conference is higher when it is held in a bigger city (likely because of accessibility to transportation and a greater local population).  We also noted that the CTS can join Congress in-person one year but not the next (with no penalty).  CTS can determine whether to hold the conference in-person or virtually on a yearly basis.  However, if we opt to join Congress we must adhere to all their deadlines.

Student Essay Contest:

This year we were able to resurrect the Student Essay Conference.  It was good to read the great quality of research and writing of our student members.  The quality of our student essay winner was recognized by a Congress award also.  Many thanks to our incoming President Sarah Johnson and Jean-Pierre Fortin for their work on this.

Jay Newman Lecture:

The Jay Newman Lecture in philosophical was not held this year.  The Executive had discussions about possible lecturers and dates but decided it was inopportune as we were unsure of the terms of reference and scope of lecture, which remain less formalized.  Further we had not constituted a Jay Newman Lecture advisory committee as had been past practise.  Moving forward, I recommend that a Jay Newman advisory committee be constituted at the AGM or at the first meeting of the Executive.  For this year, I recommend that the committee consider not only the possibility of who the lecturer could be, but also develop the terms of refence for the lectureship for formal approval.

Diversity, Equity and Justice Committee:

The DEJ is the newest standing committee of the CTS, and the chair of this committee is an ex officio member of the executive.  As you can see from the report, this has worked well over the past year.  Thanks to Nestor Medina the DEJ Committee received an award from the Federations’ (FHSS) Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization (EDID) Initiatives Fund.

Relations with other societies:

At the invitation of Francis Clooney, President of the Catholic Theological Society of America, I had the opportunity to participate in conversation(s) with several (American) academic societies on how our societies might build more productive and mutually enriching relationships.  These conversations will continue in the upcoming year.

Virtual Event:

The Executive discussed hosting a virtual event between annual meetings, especially after an in-person meeting.  A virtual event enables people who might be unable to patriciate in person to still participate in a CTS event.  The topic identified for the virtual event is “The Future of Theology in Canada”; the Executive has developed a list of possible panelists.

Changes to Executive:

The CTS has benefited from the dedicated service of two of our executive members who will be cycling out of their roles after this AGM.  Nick Olkovich has served as secretary of the CTS over the past several years.  His is the incarnation of the recent historical memory of the processes of the CTS.  He will be succeeded by Christina Conroy.  But we hope Nick will remain in leadership at the CTS for some years to come.  Jean-Pierre Fortin has done the heavy lifting for this conference as the Program Coordinator.  He has done an incredible amount of work with aplomb and patience over the last 5 years.  He will be succeeded by Carolyn Chau.  Jean-Pierre has recently been elected as secretary of the CSSR.  Many thanks to Nick and Jean-Pierre.

I wish to thank all members of the CTS for their support of our society.  I would like to especially thank the Executive Committee for their dedication and commitment.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Darren Dias

 

 

Report from Néstor Medina on behalf of the Dignity Equity and Justice committee (DEJ).

 

1. Our DEJ membership has changed; below is the list of those who have volunteered to be part of this committee:

Néstor Medina (Faculty at Emmanuel College): Chair

Reid Lockin (Faculty at St Michael’s College, University of Toronto)

Aruna Alexander (The United Church of Canada)

Fiona Li (PhD student at Regis College, TST)

Mary (Joy) Philip (Martin Luther University College)

Gustavo Santos (PhD candidate and research associate at the Vancouver School of Theology)

Patrick Nolin (PhD Student at Regis/St. Mikes)

 

2. On 2023, the DEJ committee organized two panels to highlight a diversity of racialized voices in response to the conference theme of “Reckoning and Reimagining”.

 

First panel was titled “Reckoning with Western Theology and Religious Studies: Decolonial Reflections from PhD Students”. This was a student led panel and was moderated by Fiona Li.

Second panel was titled “Reimagining Global Christianities: Decolonial Approaches to Vietnamese Catholic Histories.” And our presenter was professor Nhung Tuyet Tran

 

1. On behalf of DEJ an application was made to the Federations’ (FHSS) Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization (EDID) Initiatives Fund. I am pleased to announce that the CTS has been granted $500 dollars to offset the cost of DEJ activities during the annual CTS meeting.

 

This is my last year as the chair of this committee.

As part of the committee, I am glad to have seen that racialized and minoritized peoples and theological voices are beginning to play a key role in the activities of the society.

My hope is to see an increased presence of racialized and minoritized peoples and theologies in the near future.

 

Submitted on May 2023

 

Néstor Medina

 

 

Treasurer’s Report 2022-23

Submitted by Ryan Turnbull

 

Canadian Theological Society				Page 1
Statement of Financial Position
2023-04-30 – DRAFT
Assets	2020-2021	2021-2022	2022-2023
Chequing	17,110.69	23,607.91	19868.29	30-Apr-23
PAYPAL	5,759.62	1,218.17	5550.58	30-Apr-23
Term Deposit – Jay Newman	38,653.23	38,827.17	39,137.79
Term Deposit – Jay Newman	0.00	0.00	0
RSTIC	0.00	0.00	0.00
Total	61,523.54	63,653.25	64,556.66
Liabilities
Outstanding cheques	162.00	951.65	830.00
Studies Subscription	0.00	0.00	0.00
Equity
Restricted – Jay Newman	39,672.13	39,546.07	39,137.79
Unrestricted	21,689.41	23,155.53	24,588.87
Total	61,523.54	63,653.25	64,556.66

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canadian Theological Society		Page 3
Treasurer’s Annual Report
May 1, 2022 – April 30, 2023 – DRAFT
BMO Cash Reconciliation
Chequing Account
Opening Balance 23 April 2022		23,607.91
Closing Balance 30 April 2023		19,038.29
2022-2023 Change in Bank Balance		-4,569.62
2022-2023 Cheque Clearing		830.00
2022-2023 Net Cash Result		-3,739.62
2022-2023 Deposits		0.00
2022-2023 Disbursements		0.00
2022-2023 Disbursements		-4,569.62
2021-2022 Change in Book Balance		-4,569.62
2021-2022 Cheque Clearing		830.00
2021-2022 Net Cash Result		-3,739.62
Net Transfers to Investment		0.00
Reserve		0.00
Jay Newman Fund		0.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canadian Theological Society			Page 4
Treasurer’s Annual Report
May 1, 2021 – April 30, 2022- DRAFT
PAYPAL Account Reconciliation
Paypal Account Balance May 1, 2022	1,218.17
Paypal Account Balance April 30, 2022	5,550.58
Change in Balance	4,332.41
Income
CTS online/Paypal dues payments	4,974.00
[7@22.00, 1@70.00, 30@45.00, 30@100.00, 68 total]
Expenses
PAYPAL transaction fees	166.99
PAYPAL monthly fees	474.60
Total Expenses	641.59
Transfer from PAYPAL to Chequing	0.00
Total Expenses and Transfers			641.59
Surplus			4,332.41
Reconciled			0.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canadian Theological Society			Page 5
Treasurer’s Annual Report
May 1, 2022 – April 30, 2023- DRAFT
Jay Newman Fund
Opening Balance	39,546.07
Income
GIC Income	173.94
Interest Income	0.00
Total Income	173.94
Expenses
Dispursements	300.00
	0.00
Total Expenses	300.00
Change in Balance	-126.06
Closing Balance	39,420.01
Assets
GIC Investments	39,137.79
Current Account	418.90
Total	39,556.69

 

 

 

Canadian Theological Society – Student representative’s report 2022-3

 

Thank you to all the members of the CTS executive board for all their work this year!

 

Unfortunately, this year I have not received any news regarding any student-focused events from the Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion (CCSR). As the consortium was searching for a student representative earlier this year, I suspect there will be more student-centred activities in the near future. When that happens, I will update our student members.

 

As a member of the Dignity Equity and Justice committee (DEJ), I have contributed to the organizing of the DEJ Students’ panel and will be moderating this panel. Our panelists include: Xenia Ling-Yee chan (PhD student; Wycliffe College); Malik Faisal Aslam (PhD candidate; Wilfred Laurier University and University of Waterloo); Gustavo H.R. Santos (PhD candidate; Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam); and Neta (Goomatee) Deonarain-Gear (PhD student; Martin Luther University College). This is a wonderful opportunity for the student members of CTS to share how they are participating in decolonizing theology and religious studies and reimagining new possibilities for themselves and for their respective fields of study.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Fiona Li

Student Representative

 

 

Communications Report

We continue to have good traffic to our website and Facebook pages. It is exciting to see all the folks contacting me to share positions and events.

I welcome additional requests to post such information.

I remain honoured to serve on this impressive executive.

Respectfully submitted,

Chris Hrynkow

 

 

Annual Meeting

DRAFT MINUTES

Canadian Theological Society 

May 25, 2022

 

Present: Jane Barter, Chanelle Robinson, Darren Dias, Gordon Rixon, Néstor Medina, Will Sweet, Kayko Driedger Hesslein, Adele Brodeur, Allan Grundahl, Allen Jorgenson, Becca Whitla, Catherine MacLean, Chris Hrynkow, Christine Jameison, Christine Legal, Don Schweitzer, Doris Kieser, Nicholas Olkovich, Douglas Harink, Gail Allan, Jean-Pierre Fortin, Jeremy Bergen, Jon Coutts, Reid Locklin, Lionel Grant, Rob Fennell, Ryan Turnbull, Sarah Johnson, Stephen Martin, Sylvia Obrig

 

1. Welcome/land acknowledgment

Jane welcomed members to the Zoom call and thanked the Schmeiser Center for its work related to the conference. She began the meeting with a land acknowledgement. She reminded members to complete the survey circulated by the executive after the conference ends.

 

2. Agenda

Darren introduced a motion to accept the agenda. The motion was seconded by Will. The agenda was unanimously adopted.

 

3. Minutes of last AGM

Jean-Pierre introduced a motion to accept the minutes from last year’s AGM. The motion was seconded by Catherine. The minutes were unanimously approved.

 

4. Presentation from Dr. Kait Dugan (Karl Barth Center, Princeton Theological Seminary)

Jane welcomed Kait Dugan, Managing Director of the Karl Barth Center at Princeton Theological Seminary. Kait noted that the Center is celebrating its 25^th anniversary this coming September. More information on the Center’s work can be found here: https://barth.ptsem.edu/. She invited members to participate in the annual Karl Barth conference held each year in June and noted that students/independent scholars may be able to secure some funding for travel if they contact the Center.

 

Jane thanked Kait for her presentation.

 

5. Reports:

(a) Secretary

Nick provided an oral report and reminded members that SR is now only available online. Members who are having issues with their online subscription can email him directly. He noted that he has created a Sync account that will be used to host past minutes and other archival materials for the society. He hopes to populate the account at some point later this summer.

 

 

(b) Communications 

Chris noted that his report had been circulated in advance of the meeting. He reported that the webpage and Facebook traffic have been very good. He is happy to receive and post job ads and other info for members on both.

 

(c) Student Rep

Chanelle noted that her report had been circulated in advance of the meeting. She continues to collaborate with student representatives from member societies within the Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion to host writing sessions for graduate students. This programming will continue throughout the summer. They are hoping to host a cross-guild professional development seminar in the fall. She also reported that she continues to work with the Dignity, Equity, and Justice committee, helping to select keynote speakers and refine the committee’s mandate.

 

(d) Past-President

As Past-President, Will noted that he chairs the Nominating Committee (see #10 below) and is required to attend the meetings of the CCSR. He provided a brief report on the meeting he attended a few weeks ago with a special focus on the Treasurer’s Report. As a result of SR’s shift in format from print to digital, revenues to SAGE have decreased dramatically. At the same time, SAGE has lowered the cost of subscriptions to $20 ($10 for student members). Will also reported that he had agreed to serve as the CCSR treasurer for the coming year.

 

(e) Treasurer

Gordon called attention to the detailed report circulated in advance of the meeting. He reported that CTS remains solvent and noted that we had a modest increase in overall assets over the past year. He is grateful for the opportunity to have served in this role the past four years.

 

Jane thanked Gordon for his work as Treasurer.

 

Gordon introduced a motion to formally accept the Treasurer’s Report. Will seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved.

 

(f) Vice-President

Darren noted that the Student Essay Contest was suspended this year because of the pandemic but it will be reinstated next year.

 

(g) DEJ Chair 

Néstor had to step away for a moment and so Chanelle reported on his behalf. She called attention to the DEJ report circulated in advance of the meeting. Members of the DEJ Committee welcome the move to better integrate it’s work within the CTS and to officially recognize the role of the DEJ Chair on the Executive. She reported that the committee had worked to revise the DEJ mandate over the previous year and that members look forward to offering additional programming in the years to come.

 

(h) Program Chair

Jean-Pierre thanked everyone, especially the executive, for their assistance in making this conference possible and for members’ active participation and engagement. He reported that this year’s conference included 35 presenters spread across 8 panels with 4 additional special sessions, including two presentations organized by the DEJ Committee, one on the papal apology, and the Jay Newman Lecture. He noted that this year’s conference marked the first time the CTS annual meeting had been held online outside of Congress and was cohosted by the Irene and Doug Schmeiser Center for Faith, Reason, Peace and Justice at St. Thomas More. He reminded members to complete the post-conference survey so that the executive can reflect further on how best to proceed with next year’s conference.

 

Jane thanked Jean-Pierre for his work.

 

(i) President

Jane called attention to her report that had been circulated in advance. She noted that the executive has been working on policy revisions to institutionalize the DEJ Committee within the CTS. She thanked the members of the DEJ committee for their work in organizing two special sessions as well as members of the Jay Newman Lecture Committee for their work. She noted as well that the Executive is looking for ways to bring together and archive our records. If members have items that are worth retaining they can be sent directly to Nick. She noted that the executive is seeking feedback with respect to how CTS might proceed with its annual conference in future years.

 

She thanked members of the executive for all their hard work.

 

Darren introduced a motion that members accept the reports of all executive members. The motion was seconded by Jeremy. The motion was unanimously approved.

 

6. Honorary member nomination: Dr. Doug Harink

Jane noted that the CTS periodically grants honorary membership to exceptional candidates. She reported that the executive had agreed to nominate Douglas Harink, longstanding member of CTS and former President (2000-2001), at this year’s AGM. Douglas is Professor Emeritus at The King’s University in Edmonton. Jane read a brief biography of Douglas’s contributions to the academy and introduced a motion to confer honorary membership on him. The motion was seconded by Stephen Martin and was unanimously approved. Jane invited Douglas to address the AGM. He thanked the membership for this honour.

 

7. Review and voting on bylaw and policy change

Jane introduced the proposed bylaw amendments to institutionalize the DEJ as a standing committee within the CTS. These suggested amendments had already been endorsed by the Executive.

 

The two proposed bylaw changes appear in Article #5 in red below:

 

Article 5: Officers and Executive Committee

5.01 The officers of the Society shall be a President, President-Elect, Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, Program Chair, Communications Officer, a student representative, the Chair of the Dignity, Equity and Justice Committee, and other officers as may be determined by the Society. The Executive Committee should strive to reflect the diverse membership of the Society.

 

5.06  If officers are unable to fulfil their duties, the Executive Committee may appoint another member of the Society to fill the position.

 

Darren introduced a motion to approve these amendments to the bylaws. The motion was seconded by Doris. The motion was unanimously approved.

 

Néstor introduced proposed changes to the Position Responsibilities and Terms document related to the DEJ Committee. Néstor noted the need to outline the responsibilities of the Chair and Committee moving forward. The suggested additions appear below in red:

 

Dignity, Equity, Justice Committee

Canada is a multi-ethnic, multicultural and multilingual reality. Theological teaching and research in the Canadian context should ideally reflect the dignity of multiple different ways of living, experiencing and embodying faith, acknowledging different theological epistemologies and bringing to light practices of silencing and marginalization in the academy and society at large. The Dignity, Equity and Justice Committee of the Canadian Theological Society will assist and advise the Society membership and its executive to ensure and protect spaces for these diverse theological voices–especially but not limited to BIPoC (Black, Indigenous, Persons of Colour), LGBTQAI2S+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Asexual, Intersexual, Two Spirited, Plus), women, and persons with disabilities, and to identify critical tools and practical outcomes in the Society for strengthening our practices of scholarly enquiry, programming, publication, networking and professional formation.

 

Membership:

Members of the committee will be nominated annually by the committee itself from among the members of the CTS. There should at all times be at least three members of the committee and they should seek to represent the equity-seeking groups identified above. 

 

Chair:

The Chair of the committee will be nominated by the DEJ Committee and ratified by the members of the CTS at the AGM. The Chair shall be a voting member of the Executive of the CTS. Normally, the Chair will serve a two-year term and will be responsible for the convening of the meetings of the DEJ in addition to representing its interests in the Executive. They shall offer a written report at each AGM. 

 

Doris introduced a motion to approve these additions to the document. Don seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved.

 

Jane thanked the DEJ and the Executive for their work

 

8. Where do we go from here? Congress?

Jane noted that the Executive is interested in hearing members’ thoughts about upcoming conferences. Do we return to our membership within Congress or do we seek to run our own conference? What are the pros and cons? A discussion ensued. The following are some representative comments from the membership:

• Congress helps break down the boundaries between disciplines, allows us to meet with individuals from other societies, and can facilitate the creation of cross-society panels etc.
• Congress helps move our membership around the country from year to year
• Members were struck by what we were able to accomplish online this year but noted that it was difficult to find the information for registering online.
• The ‘Big Thinkers’ events at Congress are a draw.
• Congress facilitates social networking.
• It’s attractive to be able to attend other sessions but this is getting harder and harder to do because of the way in which Congress schedules annual meetings.
• The cost of Congress with registration fees, travel and accommodations is prohibitive for many and some noted that an online conference is much more accessible in terms of cost.
• If we decide to meet in-person, there is a practical benefit of participating in Congress since they provide infrastructure and accommodations support. There is a fear that the work of the local organizing committee will be too onerous. Others noted that we could use some of the conference revenues to pay for some support.
• Some of the other societies in CCSR have left Congress or are contemplating doing so in coming years (CSBS).
• A hybrid (online/in-person) option should be part of the conversation moving forward.
• It might be nice to establish a Canadian Academy of Religion with other societies in the CCSR but others clarified that we are only talking about leaving Congress and not the Corporation.
• One member suggested we may want to consider participating in Congress one year and then doing our own thing the next year and so on. Another suggested that we try two or three different configurations over the next five years.

Jane introduced a motion to empower the executive to make a recommendation for next year based upon the survey responses, this conversation, and conversations with cognate societies. This recommendation would then be brought to the membership for an electronic vote in the fall. Chanelle seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved.

 

Jean-Pierre noted that the decision will need to be made early in the fall before deadlines for registering as a society with Congress and before the circulation of the CFP in October.

 

9. Memorial for CTS members and friends who have passed

Jane noted that it has been a tradition at the AGM to acknowledge and hold a moment of silence for members who had passed away in the previous year. No recently deceased members were named. Jane noted that she would like to remember Rosemary Radforth Ruether. Members observed a moment of silence.

 

10. Nominations/Elections

Will called attention to the Nominations Committee report that had been circulated in advance. He noted that this year’s committee also included two other Past-Presidents, Tim Harvie and Catherine MacLean. He reported that a call for nominations had gone out via the Presidential Newsletter. He noted that many executive members’ terms were ending this year and that the committee was concerned about continuity and historical knowledge. To reduce the learning curve and to stagger the transitions a bit better, several members have agreed to stay on one additional year.

 

The nominations committee proposed the following slate:

Vice?President/President Elect: Sarah K. Johnson (2022?23)

Secretary: Nick Olkovich (2022?23) to be followed by Christina Conroy (2023?2026)

Treasurer: Ryan Turnbull (2022?25)

Communications Officer: Christopher Hrynkow (2022?25)

Program Chair: Jean?Pierre Fortin (2022?23) to be followed by Carolyn Chau (2023?26)

DEJ Committee Chair: Néstor Medina (2022?23)

Student Representative: Fiona Li (2022?25)

 

Will introduced a motion to adopt the list of nominated individuals. Catherine seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. Will thanked those who have agreed to stay on for one additional year and noted that Darren Dias will become the President next year.

 

Upon a motion duly made (by Gordon), seconded (by Jean-Pierre), and unanimously carried, resolutions in the form appropriate for the Bank of Montreal were also passed.  By this motion, any two signing officers may authorize cheques drawn on the accounts of the Canadian Theological Society and make investments on behalf of the corporation. The following are designated as signing officers: President (Darren Dias), Treasurer (Ryan Turnbull), and Past President (Jane Barter).

 

Members thanked Jane for her leadership this past year. Jane noted that it has been an honour to serve as President.

 

11. Permission to Record and Share Conference Presentations

Nick raised the question as to whether the videos from this year’s conference would be shared after the conference. Members agreed that we would need to ask presenters and all those who appear on camera for their permission. Will noted that we could contact presenters and ask for their permission to share the videos of the Speaker’s View in Zoom via YouTube. Members agreed to proceed in this fashion.

 

12. Adjournment

Will made a motion to adjourn the meeting.