URC_News_Update_February_2021
News Update
February 2021
Two teenagers become latest Lundie Memorial Award recipients
Two teenagers have been named the latest receipients of the
Lundie Memorial Award. Thirteen-year-old James Gough, pictured
left, from the United Reformed Church (URC) South Western Synod,
received the award in December for sharing his technical skills
during the Covid-19 pandemic when he joined the all-age worship
team. Joseph Hartley, 16, from the URC Yorkshire Synod, received
the award in January. Joseph has a leading role in ensuring that
the audio and visual presentation is available for all Sunday
services and for other church life events such as church meetings
and Messy Church. Read more about James, Joseph and other
recipients here.
Ruth Clarke, 1935-2021
Tributes have poured in for Ruth Clarke, a trailblazer for all
sorts of issues, especially the ecumenical movement, and the
representation of young people and women in the Church, and was a
former Moderator of the General Assembly, who died on 11
January aged 85. Read more.
URC curates service for Fairtrade
The Revd Dr Kevin Snyman, who leads Commitment for Life, the
URC's global justice programme, has curated the Fairtrade
Foundation’s online Ecumenical Service of Worship, for Fairtrade
Fortnight (22 February to 7 March). Find how you can enjoy the
service here.
URC helps flush away poverty one toilet at a time
Encouraged to 'give a penny when they spend a penny', Church
House staff and visitors have raised hundreds of pounds for
charity. Through involvement with her local church, Helen Bird, URC
Human Resources Officer, introduced Toilet Twinning, a charity
which helps bring clean and safe sanitation to the world's poorest
people by linking toilets with a latrine in Africa or Asia, to
staff in 2019. Since then, £497.64 (£349 in 2019, and £148.64 in
2020) has been raised for the charity, and all nine toilets in
Church House have been twinned with latrines in Myanmar, Malawi,
Zambia, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan,
Honduras, and Burkina Faso. Helen said: "Thank you all very much!"
Find out more about toilet twinning here.
Pictured: Dr Sam Richards, URC Head of Children's and Youth
Work, left, and Heather Wilkinson, Children's and Youth Work
Administrator, right, celebrating their 'Jungle John' decorated
toilet win for World Toilet Day in 2019.
Number of United Reformed churches registering for eco
initiative grows
The number of United Reformed churches (URCs) registering
for A Rocha UK's Eco Church initiative is growing. The charity,
which recently announced its 1000th award, has revealed that 11% of
all Eco Church Awards have been bestowed upon churches within the
denomination. Seven per cent of Eco Church registrations (3100
churches in total) have been made by URCs, and of those 43% have
achieved an Eco Church award. A spokesperson for the charity said:
"We are pleased by the continued involvement of the URC with the
Eco Church programme." A Rocha UK is a Christian charity working
that helps equip Christians and churches in the UK to care for the
environment. In July 2020, the URC officially recognised the
climate emergency after URC Youth presented a resolution at Mission
Council which subsequently passed. The resolution also asked that
local churches across the denomination be challenged to “make
conscious changes to their practices in order to reflect this". If
you would like to know more about Eco Church and how to become one,
read more.
Send in your photos of URC life
Bored in lockdown? Then help the URC Communications Department
by digging out those old photos! The department is seeking
photographs from URC members that represent the life of the
denomination before and during lockdown. Find out more here.
Greater welcome for infants and carers
As part of its five-year focus on supporting children under five
years old, the URC's Children’s and Youth Work Team has created an
inclusive policy to support parents and carers bringing infants to
local churches. Read more.
Weekly devotionals series
Sundays with the Council for World Mission is a series of weekly
devotionals meant to inspire faith and deepen our relationship with
God, as we face the challenges and opportunities of life. Download
the free resources here.
Become a sight-loss friendly church
Torch Trust, the Christian sight loss charity, is holding free
30-minute taster sessions about becoming a Sight Loss Friendly
Church (SLFC). The sessions, which will take place via Zoom, offer
an opportunity to hear about all the benefits of this free
resource, as well as a chance to meet the SLFC team and ask
questions. Read more.
Educational bursaries available
Bursaries are being offered by the Milton Mount Foundation to
assist with the cost of secondary school fees, uniform and
educational trips of the children of Congregational and URC
ministers. Grants are also available to the daughters of those
ministers who are starting their first undergraduate degree in
autumn 2021, and those beginning a first postgraduate degree, for
up to three years. Subject to sufficient funds being available,
similar grants may also be available for sons of ministers. For
further information or an application form, please email the
Secretary, Rosie Hopkins, or telephone on 01252 715 087. The
closing date for all applications for the 2021-22 academic year is
10 May.
Develop your discipleship
If you want to know more about Stepwise, the URC's discipleship
development programme, information on all five streams is now
available here – click on each stream heading for more
details. The programme begins with 'Faith-filled Life' which
provides a foundation for exploring more deeply the call to
discipleship in modern times. It's designed to be a core
introductory experience that will lead onto the other streams. To
ask questions or for more information, please email the team.
Churches help tackle youth violence
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, of which the URC is a
member, is part of the growing Synergy Network which encourages
churches, community groups and individuals to address serious youth
violence via prayer and action. In December, the network launched
the ‘Synergy Network: Churches and Communities Taking a Stand’
website. This digital resource is the only online portal that maps
all church-related responses to serious youth violence in the four
nations and is a platform for those wishing to engage in these
activities or wanting to find out more. Read more.
Gospel written in verse Lent study
This year’s Lent programme, from Churches Together in Britain
and Ireland (CTBI), is the outcome of a partnership which is rooted
in fulfilling an elderly gentleman’s dream. John Alan Davis visited
his wife every day as she lived with dementia. When she died, he
turned to the only place of comfort he knew: his faith. CTBI has
partnered with Alan and his family to produce 'The Poets Gospel' a
gospel in blank verse with rhymed parables. Download the study
booklet and listen to audio files here.
Keep-up-to-date with URC's focus on discipleship
If you're looking to refresh your walk with Christ, don't forget
to visit the URC's Walking the Way: Living the life of Jesus today
page for all the latest news and resources on whole-of-life
discipleship.
Coronavirus: information and resources
Updated Synod Moderators' advice
Considering the rapid spread of the new variant of the Covid-19
virus, the URC Synod Moderators strongly recommend that churches
should cease to meet for in-person worship and move exclusively to
online or paper-based worship material. Read the guidance
here.
Worship with us online
The list of URCs worshipping online has been updated. More than
163 churches are now live streaming acts of worship or offering
Bible studies, sermons and services as podcasts, audio files or
video recordings. View the list here. To add your church to the
list, please email the Communications Team here.
Ordination and induction advice
Read advice from the URC on the ordination and induction of
Elders during Covid-19 restrictions.
Resources to help safely reopen
Check out the URC's range of resources to help your church
reopen safely. From face masks to floor signs, from badges to keep
your distance stickers and 'We're open' vinyl banners, there's much
on offer. Visit the URC Bookshop here.
This month in Reform magazine
What will churches look like after the pandemic? That’s the
question that Reform is grappling with in February’s issue. And if
you don’t yet receive the URC’s national magazine, how about this
for a special offer? Subscribe now from £18 for one year, and
receive your choice of books or other gifts from the URC Bookshop
worth up to £9.99. See February's issue of Reform for details, or
call 01371 851 886 quoting the offer code ‘WINTERGIFT’. Also in
this month’s edition: Friends of the Earth call on the churches to
help tackle the plastics crisis, why church should be more
‘spacious’, a life in fair trade, a major report on UK diversity
and why tinned tomatoes in Wales astonish a man from Madagascar.
All this and much more news, comment, inspiration and debate, from
across the URC and beyond.
Please order online. You can contact the shop by email or by
calling 020 7916 8629. Thanks for your understanding.
'Walking towards Easter together' is a limited-edition Lent
resource for churches to give to students, seniors, households and
families to reduce isolation and offer hope in these challenging
times. The pack invites them to join a journey through Lent with
opportunities to build connections with Jesus, others and their
local church. The materials include a wide range of activity
suggestions so there should be something for almost everyone to
engage with in their own home. Contents include an A3 poster – a
map from Shrove Tuesday to Easter Sunday; an A5 spiral bound
stand-up diary/journal with pull out activity pages; 100s of
stickers to use with the map and journal; a Lent and Easter recipe
booklet. £4.50 each or £4 for 15 or more +p+p.
Containing the definitive list of United Reformed churches and
ministers, alongside a wealth of other information about the
denomination, the URC 2021 Yearbook now includes 'Celebrated
Lives', remembering ministers and others in the life of the URC who
have died in the past 12 months. The 2021 Yearbook follows the 2020
redesign to make its information easier to read. New lower price of
£17.99 +p+p
Hook: Learning to fly, written by the Revd Heather Whyte, a URC
minister, is a five-week course of spiritual journeying based on
the film Hook. This course attempts to offer a contemporary
spiritual experience, an exploration of Jesus’ observation that we
must become like children to enter the kingdom of heaven, alongside
the very real need to search for our true selves – that which is at
the very heart of our being. £3.99 +p+p
The reflections in A Great Cloud of Witnesses Part Three: Death
and Beyond, by Barbara Bennett, are the imagined thoughts of those
who witnessed the momentous events at the end of Jesus’ earthly
life and his resurrection. £6.99 +p+p
Bible Activity Sticker Set – a set of eight sticker
books introducing favourite Bible stories in a simple and
attractive way. With stickers to place on every page, children can
play and learn as they follow the stories. With more than 800
stickers, the books include: The First Easter, Noah's Ark, Moses in
the Bulrushes, David and Goliath, Jonah and the Whale, Jesus and
the Fisherman, The Good Samaritan and The Nativity. Published by
Miles Kelly. £14.99 +p+p
Synod news
Northern
Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, helped serve refreshments to
visitors to The Secret Garden, an award-winning project set up by
the Zion URC, which had been turned into a festive wonderland for
families due to the Covid-19 restrictions.
Image: Hambleton Today.
North Western
Chorley URC received three new church members via Zoom at their
Covenant Service on 3 January. Apart from a brief respite in the
autumn, the church has been offering an online act of worship on
YouTube since last March. The reception of three new members was
called a “great joy” to the church.
Thames North
To help tackle crime, Ponders End URC has had a knife amnesty
bin installed on its grounds. Supplied in collaboration with
Enfield Council, the local police, and specialist company
Knifesafe, funding for the bin is for two years and includes secure
disposal of any weapons deposited. Any knives collected will be
destroyed and kept off streets for good. The Revd Melanie Smith,
Minister of Ponders End URC, said: “We hope that the knife amnesty
bin will help make it a little easier for young people, gang
members and others in the community who might be tempted into knife
crime to move in a different direction.”
Image: The Revd Melanie Smith, centre, with Imam Shams, right,
and Andrew White of Knifesafe, left.
What's On
Stepwise webinars
Find out more about Stepwise, the URC's discipleship development
course through a new webinar series. On 23 February at 7pm, the
Stepwise team delivers the first of five webinars to introduce each
of the five Stepwise streams. The first webinar explores
Faith-filled Life, followed by Faith-filled Worship on 9 March. For
further dates and details, read more.
Single Friendly Church
URC members are invited to a free webinar on ‘How to become a
Single Friendly Church’ on 3 February at 11am. Forty per cent of
adults in the UK are single, and they do not always feel welcome in
church. This free webinar is a great place to start for anyone who
wants to learn how to welcome, value and include the single people
in their churches. Book your place here.
Pray with others ahead of Mission Council
The Group for Evangelism and Renewal is hosting another short
series of prayers leading up to Mission Council in March. At 8.15pm
for four Thursdays from 18 February, a guest will introduce some
prayer needs in the URC family and then a panel will lead prayers
for 15 minutes on the dedicated Facebook page. Those tuning in can
chip in with comments or prayers via the comment facility. Guests
include, the Revd Steve Faber, Moderator of URC West Midland Synod,
the Revd Dr John Bradbury, General Secretary of the URC, Mr Peter
Pay and the Revd Clare Downing, Moderators of the URC General
Assembly, and the Revd Adrian Bulley, interim Assistant General
Secretary of the URC. Short prayer videos are also posted on
the page each Thursday for people to watch at their
leisure.
Line management training
The URC's HR department has announced new dates for its Line
Management training. The course is for anyone working within the
URC with direct line management responsibility and is divided into
three parts. To reserve a place for these training sessions, please
email the HR office, or visit the training webpage here.
Why Manage - Part 1
Date: 18 February
Time: 10am-12pm
Training delivery mode: online
Why Manage - Part 2
Date: 29 April
Time: 10am-12pm
Training delivery mode: online
Why Manage - Part 3
Date: 13 May
Time: 10am-12pm
Training delivery mode: online
Why Manage - Part 1
Date: 16 September
Time: 10am-12pm
Training delivery mode: tbc
Why Manage - Part 2
Date: 26 October
Time: 2-4pm
Training delivery mode: tbc
Why Manage - Part 3
Date: 18 November
Time: 10am-12pm
Training delivery mode: tbc
Wellbeing webinars
In the light of the long-term psychological impact of Covid-19
on everyday life, the URC's central Safeguarding Team will host a
series of webinars focussing on mental health, wellbeing and
self-care on 19 and 26 March from 1-4.30pm. Please email the team
to book your place and include your name, Synod and role.
Ministry Enquirer's Day
If you're thinking about worship leading, lay preaching,
ministry with children and young people, the Ministry of Word and
Sacraments, or Church Related Community Work, then consider the
URC's Ministry Enquirer's Day on 27 February from 10am-3pm designed
to help you think about God’s call. To register, please email for
joining details.
Create space with children
Go beyond the risk assessment and explore children’s
spirituality at a virtual brunch on 13 February from 9-11am and 27
April. This is an ecumenical initiative working together with The
Well Network for Methodist Children, Youth and Family Workers,
United Reformed Church, St Albans and Oxford Diocese and Roots for
Churches, and is for all those in children’s ministry to listen to
children, each other and God and shape responses to the current
situation. For more information or to register, read more.
CWM webinars
Council For World Mission (CWM) Europe is holding a series of
online webinars and presentations around the theme of ‘building
life flourishing communities’. The first for 2021 takes place on 8
February from 2-3.30pm where Dr Peter Cruchley on the theme
'Whiteness and anti-racist practice: from talk to action'. The URC
Revd Melanie Smith, along with Revd Dr Alan Barrett and David
Jonathan will take part in a panel discussion on life-flourishing
activism on 22nd February from 2-3.30pm. Further webinars are
schedule for 8 and 22 March. For more information and to register,
please send an email to CWM.
Social Justice
Faith leaders welcome nuclear weapons treaty coming into
force
The URC, along with 27 faith leaders from around England,
Scotland and Wales issued a joint video statement which welcomed
the United Nations' Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
coming into force on 22 January. Watch the video here.
Faith in Politics
Join Meg Read and Rodney Coker as they interview Louise Davies,
Director of Christians on the Left. Louise reflects on the
influence of faith in her political journey and the contribution
Christians can make to politics. Meg and Rodney consider what being
a prophetic voice means and how this can be achieved in politics.
Listen here.
Reset the debt
By the end of 2020, more than 900 people had written to their MP
about JPIT and Church Action on Poverty's 'Reset The Debt' campaign
which calls for a fresh start for families in Britain swept into
debt by Covid-19. Four hundred and twenty-five MPs have been
contacted, and the campaign has been featured in the national news.
The most effective next steps in the campaign are now being
developed. But, it's not too late to lend your support. Read
more.
Recruitment
URC vacancies and beyond
URC National Synod of Wales is seeking a Synod Safeguarding
Officer. This post is offered on a part-time fixed-term five-year
contract in the first instance. Salary: £25,116 per annum. Closing
date: 12pm on 11 February. Email the Synod office for an
information pack.
URC South West Synod is seeking a Property and Trust Officer,
based in central Taunton. Salary: £40,000-£50,000 pa FTE depending
on experience. Applications are invited for full or part-time
employment. Email the Synod office to apply and include a CV and
covering letter. Closing date: 8 February. For more
information, call the synod office on 01823 275 470.
Churches Together England is seeking a Web Content Assistant for
a fixed term of 25 days, over 12 weeks. Home-based. Salary: Living
Wage (£9.50 per hour, or £10.85 per hour in London). Closing
date: 8 February. Apply here.
