Spirituality and action go hand in hand. Either one is empty without the other. Nobody shepherded the United Church in its drive toward just action like Lois Wilson. Lois was the 28th and first woman moderator of the United Church of Canada, the first Canadian to serve as a president of the World Council of Churches, and later appointed to Canada’s Senate. Lois died last Friday, September 13, 2024, having accomplished 97 years.
Amidst all of these accolades, and authoring ten books, Lois Wilson’s greatest contributions, in my opinion, came in the fact that she always saw herself as an ordinary participant of her local congregation that sought to work hand-in-hand, shoulder-to-shoulder with other ordinary folks to make a difference. Lois was a justice seeker and a human rights advocate. She believed that if you wanted to say you were on a spiritual faith journey, then that had to impact your decisions and the work that you committed yourself to.
Nothing encapsulates this better than the stories within the book “For the Sake of the Common Good: Essays in Honour of Lois Wilson”. Why? Because it is written by those who worked with her over the years. She could never have written this book because it’s focus is too much on her. It’s evident from any who worked with her that they were ever-inspired by her commitment, her energy, her focus on others. It’s an inspiration to read and I recommend it. I also recommend listening to the CBC Ideas episode/podcast that’s referenced on the United Church of Canada’s obituary page for Lois.
A memorial service is planned for Oct. 15 at 11 a.m. EDT at Metropolitan United Church, livestreamed here.
We have learned and still stand to learn from the legacy that Lois Wilson leaves us. May it be so,
Chris
