Moderator

Dr. Pardy has served the church in both urban and rural settings in the Conferences of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario, Hamilton, Toronto and Newfoundland and Labrador. She was Conference Minister in Program and Leadership Development in the Conference of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario Conference and in the Newfoundland and Labrador Conference. As well, she was Program Consultant, Ministry with Children, in the General Council Division of Mission in Canada. Dr. Pardy served as minister to Gower Street United Church in St. John's, Newfoundland from 1990 until her election as Moderator in August, 2000.

Profile

When Marion Pardy was asked to write about the major issues facing The United of Canada, she began by paraphrasing a favorite scripture passage in the Old Testament.

"God has told us what is good; and what does God require of us but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God."

Micah 6.8

For Dr. Pardy, Micah's challenge conveys wisdom, strength, courage and hope. She also believes that the words carry a very powerful message for the contemporary church.

"Although historically the church has always been faced with a number of issues, we are sometimes inclined to see issues as problems," says the Right Reverend Dr. Marion Pardy, The United Church of Canada's 37th Moderator. Dr. Pardy would prefer that we heed Micah's challenge and view issues as opportunities to be more responsive to our calling as a church.

"We live in a changing church and in a changing world," says Dr. Pardy, "Our challenge is to seek God in the midst of change, to be daring enough to implement and critique change, knowing that we will make mistakes but also recognizing that 'stagnation unto death' is worse."

Dr. Pardy says that while change may be inevitable and often necessary, we must exercise a sense of humility, recognizing that we are able to grasp, at best, only glimpses of the truth. This she says helps us " to relate compassionately to those most affected by change and to those who resist change."

Dr. Pardy explains that she chose to let her name stand for nomination for Moderator because she "wanted to return thanks to this wonderful, complex and diverse church to which I owe so much".

Dr. Pardy says to 'return thanks' in the midst of change and diversity is not simple. It involves struggle, learning and growth, all of which must be balanced with a healthy dose of "holy manners".

It's a phrase, first coined by Gilbert Rendle of the Alban Institute, that delights Marion Pardy. "The idea of 'holy manners' captures for me a vision I have for the whole church, local, regional, national and global, as we struggle with change, conflict and diversity and as we continue to explore matters of faith," explains Dr. Pardy.

She says that 'holy manners' is far more than politeness or gritting the teeth and smiling. It has to do with assertively being in community with one another in the name of the church, in the name of Jesus, the Christ and in the name of all that is holy.

And adds Dr. Pardy, referring again to Micah, "For me 'holy manners' requires of us that we show by example what it means to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with our God and one another."

Born May 9, 1942, Marion Pardy grew up in Gander, Newfoundland, the daughter of the late Rosa (Dean) and James Pardy. She was a member of Fraser Road United Church where Mission Band, Explorers, CGIT, Young People's and Loon Bay Camp were important programs in her spiritual and church journey.

In 1961 she left Gander to work at Albert College, in Belleville, Ontario and to complete entrance requirements at night school for Covenant College (now the Centre for Christian Studies). On May 23, 1968 she was designated as a deaconess by Newfoundland and Labrador Conference at Gower Street United Church. On June 2, 1982, Marion Pardy was ordained by Hamilton Conference.

Dr. Pardy holds a BA, BA (Honours) and MA degrees from York University in Toronto and a Doctor of Ministry degree (1997) from Boston University School of Theology.

Her MA thesis, Models of Biblical Authority, explored the authority of scripture in The United Church of Canada and the use of the Bible in Christian Education, particularly with children. The thesis was published in 1988 by Harper and Row Publishers, under the title, Teaching Children the Bible.

Her DMin thesis, Biblical Understanding in the Local Congregation, focused on narrowing the gap between theological education and biblical education in the congregation.

Dr. Pardy has served the church in both urban and rural settings in the Conferences of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario, Hamilton, Toronto and Newfoundland and Labrador. She was Conference Minister in Program and Leadership Development in the Conference of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario Conference and in the Newfoundland and Labrador Conference. As well, she was Program Consultant, Ministry with Children, in the General Council Division of Mission in Canada.

Dr. Pardy most recently served as minister to Gower Street United Church in St. John's, Newfoundland from 1990 until her election as Moderator in August, 2000.

Further Reading

Moderator's Messages by Marion Pardy

Full list of Marion's Moderator Messages »