November-December 1998

• In Memory of Ed Bell
  Anne-Marie Zilliacus
• The World Council of Churches: The Hope of the World?
  Barbara Bazett
• Opportunities for Ecumenical Service
  Ed Bell
• Inter-Church Coalitions
  Fred Franklin

Canadian Friend home page

This issue of The Canadian Friend was to have been guest-edited by Ed Bell - and of course, Ed died in September, not long after Yearly Meeting. It made me realize the close bonds of our community. I had been to Ed’s house the weekend before he died. He was well, his usual warm self. All that was wrong with him was his broken leg, broken just after the end of Yearly Meeting. He and I were part of a visiting committee to welcome Lucie Lemieux into membership with Ottawa Meeting. He died before the committee had written its report to Monthly Meeting, and then I realized that he had taken all the plans for this ecumenical issue of The Canadian Friend with him as well. Thankfully, the plans were already well underway. Ed had made sure that everyone knew they were to write. As I rang each member of the Ecumenical Committee, it was an opportunity to talk about him, and share some stories. At Ed’s memorial service, one of his sons read from an article that Ed had been working on before his death. I asked for a copy and have printed it in this issue. It gives a good picture of Ed’s ecumenical work over the last few years.

One of the reasons Ed was on that visiting committee was because he spoke French, and most of that afternoon meeting had been in French. In this issue of The Canadian Friend we have Lucie Lemieux’s interview with Jan Hoffman, in French. I think it may be the first French article to be published in The Canadian Friend, which I find exciting — especially as the Yearly Meeting turns its attention toward writing its first Faith and Practice. Jan was the Sunderland P. Gardner lecturer this year, and in her lecture suggested that our Faith and Practice should contain some contributions in French.

I would also like to draw your attention to the insert from the Faith and Practice Review Committee. As a first step, the committee is asking Friends for thoughts on two questions, and help in building a mailing list. Please take a few moments to respond to these requests.

As I look at the broad spectrum of ecumenical activities which Canadian Friends are involved in, it seems fitting to dedicate this issue to Ed’s memory and give thanks for all the work and joy he has brought to our Yearly Meeting.