Monthly Archives: August 2021

The United Reformed Church (URC) has launched an appeal to help Haitians whose country has been devastated by a catastrophic earthquake and tropical storm.

The appeal aims to raise £2,000 to help people affected by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake which struck Haiti at Les Cayes, 75 miles west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, on 14 August.

As the country reeled from its impact, two days later on 16 August, Tropical Storm Grace struck causing further devastation on the island.

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Shiregreen United Reformed Church (URC) in the Yorkshire Synod has become the first church to receive the new Children and Youth Friendly Church Scheme award.

Launched in September 2020, the scheme replaces the old Child Friendly Church Award and is a reflective and encouraging process which any church can undertake with the support of a CYDO+ or similar to help grow their engagement with children, families and young people.

Shiregreen URC received its award for the work it does to support its local community.

Lisa Wigfield, Shiregreen URC’s Church and Community Development Worker, said: “Children and young people are a massive part of everything we do at Shiregreen. We value their opinions, input and presence. They bring a whole different aspect to worship.”

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The Education and Learning team is happy to announce the arrival of a new home for blended learning programmes in the church – the URC Learning Hub.

Blended programmes mix online preparation study with in-person sessions in order to make the best use of both digital and human resources for learning, while also allowing access from wherever participants may be located geographically.

In this way programmes in the Hub will bring a greater selection of learning options to a wider church audience.

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General Assembly, the key-decision making body of United Reformed Church (URC), was held between 9-12 July. Due to the Covid-19 restrictions, the meeting was held digitally.

The 2021 General Assembly of the United Reformed Church began with the Constitution of Assembly in prayer by the Moderator of Assembly, Peter Pay.

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Yesterday, MPs returned from their recess to the UK parliament to debate the UK’s action in Afghanistan. There was widespread criticism from both sides of the house, and questions were raised about the UK’s course of action over the last … Continue reading →

Commitment for Life, the United Reformed Church’s global justice programme, has created a new resource for Harvest.

Developed in partnership with Christian Aid along the theme of ‘Leaving a legacy’, the resource is designed for use for Harvest services or worship.

The resource includes a video of the service accompanied by its full text.

The Revd Dr Kevin Snyman, Programme Officer (Global Justice & Partnerships), said: “We are especially pleased with the brand-new song that was written, performed, and produced by our very own Roo Stewart, called ‘A Legacy’.”

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The United Reformed Church’s Education and Learning Committee is launching a new grant to support lay discipleship development.

Funding for the Discipleship Development Large Grant Award comes from the proceeds from the sale of the Windermere Centre.

Around £5,000 per award per annum is available to recognised groups within the URC which can apply to the newly formed Discipleship Development Fund (DDF) Large Grant Awarding Group (LGAG) via the Revd Jenny Mills, the URC Secretary for Education and Learning.   

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It seems that the long-running 20 year military campaign in Afghanistan has come to an abrupt end, along with huge apprehension for what might come next. Those in Afghanistan who have been active in supporting the US/UK backed governments of … Continue reading →

The Joint Public Issues Team and Eco-Congregation Scotland have co-produced a variety of resources for the Season of Creation.

Each year, from 1 September to 4 October churches are encouraged to have a focus on the season – also known as Creationtide or Creation Time – with all the joys and responsibilities that being part of God’s creation brings to us.

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The Revd Ruth Whitehead, Moderator of the United Reformed Church’s South Western Synod, offers a reflection and prayer after yesterday’s shooting in Plymouth.

The events in Plymouth on Thursday, which unfolded sometime after 6pm, are still not fully understood, but it seems that a young man shot dead five people and then killed himself.

For this to happen in Devon’s ‘ocean city’ of Plymouth, as it is anywhere, is simply shocking.

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