Assembly '97 News Home page Documents next story		Canadian visitor: Its worth the risk Thursday, July 10 A Canadian church leader says the Uniting Church debate on sexuality is worth the risk. United Church of Canada, general secretary, Rev Virginia Coleman, is in Perth for the Assembly. She told the Assembly this morning that while the issues being discussed in Perth are also on her church's agenda, there is a considerable difference regarding the issue of sexual orientation. "In 1988, our general council struggled with this and decided to become an inclusive church. It was difficult. It was dangerous for some of the gay and lesbian folk among us. It was painful. "We hadn't at that time — and we're still working on this — learned how to seriously disagree with one another, give voice to those differences, and still continue to live together with integrity. "But now, almost 10 years later, it's clear to most people in the United Church that the struggle was necessary. "It was one of the first times the United Church began to take a long, hard look at what we're called to be as Christians … and what we're called to do. "Because of the decisions we made, some folks did leave. Others came, or came back. Five or six of our 3000 congregations left, although two or three of those have returned or begun to rebuild."