DECEMBER 10, 1999
|
THE UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA DECEMBER 10, 1999 |
| When First Metropolitan United Church sold its landmark building to the Victoria Conservatory of Music and moved up to Quadra Street to join the congregation of First United last year, church members consulted extensively over how to disburse the funds from the sale.
In the end, they decided that a significant portion of the funds, $98,425, be donated to UVic’s centre for studies in religion and society. “It’s the United Church’s first significant gift to the centre,” said the Rev. John Hogman at a presentation ceremony last month. He explained that it’s difficult for the United Church to make donations locally since, unlike the centre’s other founding churches, it does not have a local diocese. The local sale of church property made the “quite remarkable” gift possible. “We will always be mindful of the values that motivated [this gift],” says the centre’s acting director Dr. Michael Hadley, commenting on the church’s motivation to give to the UVic centre because of its commitment to community partnerships. Current research projects at the centre include restorative justice, environmental ethics and sacred word and sacred texts. A busy schedule of lectures and presentations is open to members of both the on- and off-campus communities to enable them to share the knowledge generated by the centre’s research. |