On May 9th, Harry Oussoren (MDiv 6T8) finally caught up with his spouse Glenys Huws (MRE 6T8), in receiving the Emmanuel College Distinguished Alumni/ae Award at the annual Alumni/ae Association gathering.   

In 2010, Glenys received the award at an elegant luncheon held in Alumni Hall of Old Vic    Nancy Hardy  a former classmate in the Master of Religious Education programme, introduced Glenys to the assembled guests   Glenys spoke to the alumns and dignitaries about some of the challenges women faced (and stared down) at Emm in the late 60s.  (She was given the award anyway!)

This year's gathering was by Zoom and limited to one hour and 45 minutes.   There was just enough time for presentations on Land Acknowledgement (Jonathan Hamilton-Diabo) and mental health ministry (Anne Simonds); greetings by Vic President Will Robbins completing his term of office, and by John Young, completing his interim Principalship at the end of June.   The Executive of the AAEC was introduced to the Alumns and the award winners (5 for the Service Awards and one for Distinguished Alumn Award) were briefly acknowledged.    Bios for those honoured had been published in the on-line  Emm College Connects publication (April 2022).

With thanks to the Vic Alumni/ae office, the bio for Harry is reproduced slightly edited here:

This year’s winner of the prestigious Emmanuel College Distinguished Alumni/ae Award is A H Harry Oussoren Emm 6T8. The Emmanuel College Alumni/ae Association selects the recipient annually to honour and bring attention to graduates of the College whose vision and leadership have distinguished them through extraordinary and exemplary ministry to the church, academy or society at large.

Harry Oussoren was born in 1944 in Middelburg, the Netherlands, to the sound of bombs dropping in and around the city. Despite the turbulence of early years, he went on to serve as an influential and impactful leader in the United Church of Canada (UCC) and mentor and teacher at Emmanuel College.

Since his ordination in 1968, Oussoren has served several five pastoral charges in both solo and team ministries (always with students in field ed or internships) and also given leadership at the General Council level, first as secretary for theological education and later as executive minister for congregational development and support to local and educational ministries. He also served on the Council of Emmanuel College and the Senate of Victoria University. He was adjunct professor at Emmanuel College for Canadian contextual theology teaching in partnership with professor Harold Wells (Emm 6T6).

At the General Council, Oussoren led in a number of crucial areas. He and his job-sharing spouse co-staffed a report, in 1984, the first UCC report recommending the eligibility of gay and lesbian members for the order of ministry. He authored the 1986 Learning on the Way report advocating theological education for lay members; was a key support for ministries in French; stabilized theological college funding; and kick-started the process which led to Rendezvous, the national UCC gathering of youth and young adults.

In his work as a pastoral minster, he nurtured congregational growth as well as encouraged outreach to the community, resulting in community service awards in both Scarborough and Mississauga. In an innovative approach at one congregation, Oussoren insisted that teenage skateboarders using the church parking lot were to be welcomed rather than banned, which led to the development of a thriving community youth program which has since been separately incorporated as a community ministry of the UCC. 

Oussoren has been committed to interchurch/interfaith activities in every setting where he has worked. He was an active participant for many years in the UCC exchange with the EKU Protestant Church of the Union in the German Democratic Republic (DDR) .  In retirement, Oussoren was the chief organizer for an annual interfaith festival in Etobicoke South leading to an award from the National Muslim Christian Liaison committee.

Writing has been another activity woven throughout Oussoren’s ministry. In 1972, he became the first editor of Insight, the Toronto Conference newsletter. In the early 80s, he helped to found the Practice of Ministry in Canada journal, chairing the board and writing the regular Upfront columns for 15 years. Over the years, he has written for Touchstone, the Observer and Mandate magazines. Post-retirement, he writes on his Pilgrim Praxis blog at www.minister.ca. 

Arguably, the major writing project of his ministry was his thesis on the place of baptism in church and society for his ThD degree from the University of Geneva. Oussoren began learning French in 1978 only a few months before beginning his studies in Geneva. He persevered linguistically through the two-year, French-only doctoral program, then returned to Canada to write the thesis in English, which he successfully defended in French in 1983.   [Francophiles will never forgive him for the way he butchered their language!!, ed.]

Though he retired at the end of 2009, Oussoren has been active in re-purposing and renewing church properties, including Wesley Mimico Church, the UCC's Albright Gardens Retirement Community in Beamsville; he is actively involved in supporting growth of the new Ministere Protestant Francophone de Toronto; and is advocating for a 1% tax on real estate sales to fund an Indigenous Peoples Human Development  Fund stewarded by and for Indigenous leaders.

Oussoren’s career emerged from a deep commitment to education. His family emigrated to Hoboken, NJ, when he was six and later moved to Vancouver, BC. Harry did his undergraduate work at UBC, including a year studying theology on a WUSC exchange scholarship at the University of Hamburg, then theological studies at Emmanuel College where, in his graduating year, he was the recipient of the Sanford Gold Medal. He pursued further liturgical studies at St. Michael’s College (MA) while simultaneously earning an MEd degree in adult education at OISE. 

Oussoren is married to Glenys Huws and they currently live in Ottawa. They have two sons and four grandchildren [and two grand-dogs], all of whom give them joy.

“We need to keep doing theology humbly, partly because theology has to change as the context changes. Theology is always a moving enterprise. We have to connect that story of Jesus as friends and companions of Jesus, in that changing context. We can never fully comprehend the Divine story. We can only apprehend the story, which is why humility is important,” says Oussoren.

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Because of the shortage of time at the Alumni/ae gathering there was  no time to respond upon reception of the award.  Here are the words that Harry would have spoken then:

Friends:

It is a humbling pleasure to receive this Distinguished Alumni/ae Award.  My sincere thanks to the Association and the College for this blessing.

I’m happy to accept it as an opportunity to recognize that along the way, there have been many persons encouraging, challenging, appreciating me, and,  in relationship with them, awakening within me gifts of the Spirit strengthening me to become more of the human being the Creator intended.

I’m thinking of family – esp. Glenys Huws, my beloved life partner, and our sons & their loved ones, and my brother John  (MDiv 6T6)- like Glenys and me a graduate of this College;

I think of professors like John Webster Grant, Doug Jay, Earl Lautenschlager (EMM), Leonhart Goppelt (UHamburg ), Jean-Marc Chappuis (UGeneva), Don Brundage (OISE), Gregory Baum and Ernie Skublics (St. Mike's/TST) and others.

I think of colleagues in various settings of ministry:   Yvonne Stewart & other members of our 50-year Harry Birch Society peer support group;  colleagues over the years like Kathy Toivanen, Ross White, Dick Davidson, Howie Mills, Mary Sanderson, Albion Wright, Jordan Sullivan, David Hallman, Marion Best, Pierre Goldberger, Garth Mundle, Jim Sinclair, Anne Squire, Hal Llewellyn, Rob Dalgleish, Bev Robinson, Isaac Kamta, Peggy Monague, Carmen Lansdowne, Kofi Hope...... – generous sisters and brothers sharing their accrued wisdom and modelling informed courage.

I think of many participants in congregations I served in Toronto, Mississauga, Vancouver, and on Manitoba mission fields (Whiteshell and St. Rose du Lac). They risked venturing with me to discern and to envision what the Holy One was calling us to become and to do in our time and place.

I think of many goodwill neighbours who generously linked arms for mending the hurting world – Rabbi Chuck Feinberg, Tim Ellis, Judith Rutledge, Martin Gerwin, Carole Goyette,  Stan Beardy, Imam Nedzad Hafizovic, Peter Shepherd, Arliene Botnick, Rabbi Larry Englander, Russ Ford.

Apologies to those I have not named. To them all – named here and not, I say “Thank you! Thank God! For walking with me on the Way of faithfulness. In my mind and heart, I share with you all this award for the Good News miracles and blessings we have been privileged together to co-create in the Spirit of Christ.  I am blessed!

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BIG THANKS TO ALL WHO SENT CONGRATULATORY MESSAGES UPON READING OR HEARING OF THIS AWARD.   YOUR ENCOURAGING WORDS WARMED MY HEART AND CONFIRMED MY VOCATION.   Harry