Author Archives: Littlehampton United

More than 150 people, including the deputy Mayor of Liverpool Cllr Jane Corbett, attended the induction of the Revd Geoff Felton as Moderator of the United Reformed Church (URC) Mersey Synod.

Other denominational heads including the Rt Revd Paul Bayes, the Anglican Bishop of Liverpool; the Rt Revd Julie Conalty, Bishop of Birkenhead; the Most Revd Malcolm McMahon, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Liverpool; and the Revd Dr Sheryl Anderson, Chair of Liverpool Methodist District joined the celebration held at Blundellsand and Crosby URC on 4 September.

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August’s Lundie Memorial Award goes to Andrew and Daniel Shaw, from St Columba’s United Reformed Church (URC), Wolverhampton.

The brothers, aged 15 and 13, are dedicated volunteers at the Community School Swap Shop which is part of the church’s eco-church work.

They sort clothes, find and bag up the correct uniform and sizes for people and work at the open sessions helping people find what they’re looking for.

With fewer volunteers due to the pandemic, the swap shop has been extremely reliant on the dedication of the brothers who gave up much of their school holidays.

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As United Reformed Church congregations mark the 20th anniversary of September 11th, the Revd Jennifer Mills-Knutsen, Senior Pastor of the American International Church in London, offers this reflection:

On the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, I wish I could remember this event as the tragedy it was, rather than the tragedy it still is.

The 2,977 souls who lost their lives that terrible day were only the beginning. Hundreds more have died since, from 9/11-related illness and cancer (especially first responders) along with countless others who had their lives cut short by the spiritual and emotional distress they experienced.

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The United Reformed Church (URC) has welcomed the publication and findings of the report from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) following its investigation into Child Protection in Religious Organisations and Settings.

As core participants of the inquiry, the URC is committed to ensuring that safeguarding continues to be paramount throughout the denomination and to ensuring that its churches, services and programmes are safe places for everyone.

The URC has robust policies and procedures in place to ensure the welfare and protection of all who attend church and who use its premises, and the Church will continue to make sure that safeguarding remains a priority – it is the responsibility of everyone, and we continue to be advised and guided by our team of safeguarding professionals.

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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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