Author Archives: Littlehampton United

How have churches been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and how are they responding to these difficult times? In the latest issue of the United Reformed Church’s (URC) Reform magazine, four ministers address this question. Here’s an extract: Read More … … Continue reading →

A virtual Pentecost Communion service, between the United Reformed Church (URC) and the Evangelische Kirche der Pfalz (Protestant churches of the Palatinate region of Germany), will be held on 30 May. The service, taking place via Zoom, will be led by both the Revd Philip Brooks, URC Secretary for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations, and Pfarrer Martin Henninger, Minister of the Lutherkirche in Frankenthal, who is also the Convener of the Friends of the URC of the Evangelische Kirche der Pfalz. Read More … … Continue reading →

The Revd Bridget Banks has been nominated as the next Moderator of the Southern Synod of the United Reformed Church (URC). The Synod’s moderator post has been vacant since November 2019, when the Revd Nicola Furley-Smith became the URC’s Secretary for Ministries. Read More … … Continue reading →

The Revd Jenny Mills, Minister of Newport Pagnell United Reformed Church (URC) and West End United Church, Wolverton, has been appointed the Church’s new Secretary of Education and Learning. Read More … … Continue reading →

A talented musician and a boy with a fascination for streetlights have been named the latest recipients of the United Reformed Church’s (URC) Lundie Memorial Award. Emma Jackson, 17, from the URC’s Mersey Synod, received the award in April, and Henry Stapleton, seven, from East Midlands Synod, received the award in May. Henry received the award for raising £150 at Bulwell URC so that the people of York Village in Freetown, Sierra Leone, could install a solar powered streetlight. Read More … … Continue reading →

People from ethnic minority backgrounds in the UK have been disproportionately dying from Coronavirus. Data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) at the beginning of May identified that black people in the UK are 4 times more likely to … Continue reading →

Two United Reformed Church ministers, along with three other Kingston members of clergy, aim to clock up 1.5 million steps between them this month to help some of the world’s poorest communities across the world protect themselves from Covid-19. For Christian Aid Week (10-16 May), each year churches across Kingston come together to help transform the lives of the world’s most vulnerable people – but lockdown means that the usual community events such as house-to-house collections, market stalls and a flag day couldn’t happen this year. Instead, the Revd Lesley Charlton, Minister of Kingston-upon-Thames URC, and the Revd Suk In Lee,… Continue reading →

To raise money for Christian Aid Week (10-16 May), Ruth Tompsett, a retired NHS nurse who serves as Church Treasurer for Newport Pagnell United Reformed Church (URC), is walking a “virtual” pilgrimage during her lockdown exercise to help vulnerable people around the world. Ruth, who retired from nursing a year ago but has re-registered to help the NHS tackle the Covid-19 crisis, walked the 500-mile Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, also known as The Way of St James, from St Jean Pied de Port in France to Santiago in Spain in two stages in 2018 and 2019. She had planned to return… Continue reading →

For the start of this year’s Christian Aid Week, Roy Haworth, Musical Director at Shrewsbury United Reformed Church got a virtual choir together to record a song for a digital Christian Aid Sunday service to mark the start of this year’s Christian Aid Week. Twenty-nine people either played or sang along to the hymn God of Freedom, God of Justice on May 10. Individual recordings were then submitted to Roy who then put the pieces together to form one track using Audacity. Read More … … Continue reading →

Hoping to raise more than £1,000 for Christian Aid, Ron Forster, a retired United Reformed Church (URC) minister, and his wife, Shirley, are taking part in a sponsored run. The couple, who are members of St John’s URC in Wideopen, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, will run at least 210km – the equivalent of five marathons – between them within a month. Read More … … Continue reading →