Moderator to Hand-Deliver Climate Change Letter to Ottawa

    
    Media Photo Op
    Monday, January 18, 10:00 a.m.
    Centennial Flame, Parliament Hill
    

TORONTO , Jan. 15 /CNW/ - On Monday, January 18, 2010 , Mardi Tindal, the Moderator of The United Church of Canada , will travel to Ottawa to personally deliver to the Governor General, the Prime Minister, and other party leaders an open letter on climate change. The letter will also be mailed to all Parliamentarians.

This letter arises from the Moderator's recent travel to Denmark to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference, which took place in Copenhagen December 7-18, 2009. Tindal attended the conference as part of a World Council of Churches delegation, and was the only North American denominational church leader present.

Tindal will be accompanied in Ottawa by the Hon. David MacDonald. MacDonald is a United Church minister and a former Member of Parliament who chaired the House of Commons Committee on the Environment from 1989 to 1993. He also travelled to Copenhagen as part of the World Council of Churches delegation.

The Moderator says her motivation for writing the letter also arises from her long-standing involvement in addressing environmental issues from the perspective of faith. This initiative is in keeping with the commitment Tindal made when she was elected Moderator in August 2009 to focus much of her time and energy on matters related to the care of creation.

Ten former Moderators and other church leaders will read or distribute Tindal's Copenhagen letter at worship services in close to two hundred United Church congregations across the country on Sunday, January 17, 2010 . The letter will also be posted on The United Church of Canada's website (www.united-church.ca) on Sunday, January 17, 2010 .

For further information: or to arrange media interviews, please contact: Mary-Frances Denis, Program Coordinator, Media and Public Relations, The United Church of Canada, Tel: [phone] ext. 2016, Toll-free: 1-800-268-3781 ext. 2016, Cell: [phone], E-mail: [email protected]