Monthly Archives: May 2021

In this reflection, Maria J.Y. Lee, a United Reformed Church Related Community Worker (CRCW) based in Chelmsford, talks about the impact of Covid-19 on vulnerable and elderly people who suddenly found themselves isolated due to the pandemic, and how a ray of hope and connection was brought to them.

Maria and her CRCW team support members of ‘Good Companions’, a dementia-friendly group which benefits people who live with dementia and aims to improve the quality of life for older members of the community. Read about their experience throughout the pandemic:

Before Covid-19, we met on the first and third Wednesday of the month for two-hour sessions and we gathered around 20 people each time. The sessions included dementia-friendly activities, hymns, discussion, fellowship, creative prayers, and a light meal.

Read More …

Continue reading →

The last few weeks have seen some internal changes for the Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT). JPIT’s longstanding Team Leader, Rachel Lampard, has been seconded to lead a two-year project for the Methodist Church, looking at how the denomination can … Continue reading →

Kind-hearted members of Gillingham United Reformed Church (URC), in the Southern Synod, have knitted and crocheted 120 blankets for friends in Malawi.

The church has been supporting Starfish Malawi – a Christian organisation whose mission is to reduce extreme poverty and build the Kingdom of God in lives of children, through collaborative work within communities, schools and churches in the UK and Malawi.

The charity fills a container with anything that is considered to be of value in Malawi, such as educational materials, sewing machines, bicycles, blankets, shoes, clothes, and much more.

Read More …

Continue reading →

The United Reformed Church marked the retirement of the Revd Dr Andrew Prasad, Moderator of the Thames North Synod, on May 22 with a service of celebration and thanksgiving by Zoom, attended by more than 140 people from around the world.

Andrew, who has served as Moderator since 2008, started his ministry in 1981 with the Church of North India, before moving to the Council for World Mission in 1989. After three years with the Streatham Asian Christian Fellowship from 1999, he became minister of Dulwich Grove and Camberwell Green URCs in 2002.

The service was introduced by the Revd John Campbell.

Read More …

Continue reading →

This month in Reform, Steven Tomkins talks to Chine McDonald, author of God is Not a White Man, about race and faith.

Are the sexes equal in church is a question answered by four contributors, Nadia Bolz-Weber offers a prayer for resurrection; now is the perfect time for churches to be creating community gardens; Church Related Community Worker Simon Loveitt tells the story of food justice and financial inclusion in Sheffield; and Andy Jackson shares some tips about how to tell what’s false and what’s genuine on email.

Read More …

Continue reading →

Do you ever get that feeling as you approach 6 January? The one which is part relief that ‘Christmas’ (which started in October with the shops putting up decorations) is finally over? But which is also part sadness that, with … Continue reading →

As the first anniversary of the murder of George Floyd approaches, the United Reformed Church (URC) has published a new collection of praise songs and protest, Sunflowers & Thistles.

Written by the Revd John Campbell, Minister of High Cross URC, Tottenham, the book of 36 songs was inspired by the global Black Lives Matters (BLM) protests and devastating impact of Covid 19.

Available to download for free from www.urc.org.uk/sunflowers-and-thistles, John explains how it became important for him to express the emotions of his congregation:

Read More …

Continue reading →

The United Reformed Church has become a founding member of new campaign coalition Together With Refugees.

The coalition, made up of more than 100 national, local, refugee-led and grassroots groups, calls for a better approach to supporting refugees that is kinder, fairer and more effective, and believes in showing compassion to people fleeing war, persecution or violence. 

Read More …

Continue reading →

The URC General Assembly Moderators joined 450 academics, politicians, charities, faith leaders, and healthcare workers on 10 May to urge the prime minister to waive vaccine patents.

In an open letter, organised by Global Justice Now, STOPAIDS, and Just Treatment, the group called on Boris Johnson to “stand on the right side of history”. 

The letter urged the UK to follow the US example which saw the Biden administration announce on 5 May that it would support a waiver to help scale up global vaccine production to produce safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines for all people, in all countries.

Read More …

Continue reading →

The United Reformed Church (URC) Eastern Synod has joined 35 faith institutions from 11 countries in announcing its divestment from fossil fuels.

The announcement, made on 17 May, comes from institutions in Brazil, Argentina, India, the Philippines, Uganda, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Ireland, the UK and the US, along with the URC, Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, and Baptist churches, among others.

These commitments highlight the urgent need to divest from fossil fuels and invest in clean alternatives in response to the growing climate crisis.

Read More …

Continue reading →