“I have watched with anger and deep sorrow as the Israeli government intensifies its bombing of Lebanon. These attacks come at a moment when a ceasefire agreement is reportedly being negotiated between the US and Iran, offering a fragile but real prospect of de-escalation.

“To expand military operations against Lebanon precisely when diplomatic channels were open is a reckless betrayal of the hope for peace. Such actions disregard the lives of countless civilians and the sanctity of international efforts to halt the cycle of violence.

“I welcome the 9 April announcement by the Israeli government to begin talks with Lebanon. However, its lack of a clear commitment to a permanent and sustainable ceasefire, and its continued bombing campaign across southern Lebanon and areas of Beirut (containing two major hospitals) are deeply at odds with any prospect of establishing truly peaceful relations.

“The United Reformed Church, through its world justice programme, Commitment for Life has for more than thirty years supported partners in Israel and Palestine. The URC enjoy a living and vital relationship with the people of Lebanon, not least through our umbrella body the ��Ʒ��ҹ�������� Communion of Reformed Churches in Europe.

“We have expressed our unreserved solidarity with our partner church, the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon (NESSL). The Revd Joseph Kassab, our good friend and President of the evangelical community in Syria and Lebanon, laments the death of innocent civilians who “have nothing to do with this war”.

“I invite our congregations to hold in our prayers NESSL’s congregations, their witness, and all the people of Lebanon who are once again subjected to bombardment, displacement and fear.

“We continue to pray for the comfort of the Holy Spirit for those who mourn, for the healing of the wounded, and for the protection of medical and humanitarian workers.

“We have also committed ourselves anew to walking with NESSL and all who seek a just and lasting peace, rooted in international law, human dignity, and the recognition of the equal rights of all peoples in the region.

“In light of this escalating crisis, I invite us to ask and pray that our own UK government might act without delay and call upon Israel to halt all military action immediately.

“Silence is complicity.

“The UK must use its diplomatic and economic leverage to uphold United Nations Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 1701, to cease hostilities and to insist that all parties return to peace negotiations.

“In 2024, the General Assembly of the URC, the highest decision-making council of the church, urged the UK government to cease the sale of arms to the region (Res. 40: I3), and to press for an immediate, verified, and permanent ceasefire.

“The United Reformed Church has resolved that only a just peace, established through dialogue and not military force, can confront occupation, respect sovereignty, and guarantee security for all that will end the suffering.

“We call on our congregations to pray, to speak up, and to press for their MPs to act until that peace is won.”

Image: First responders stand amid rubble at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s Corniche al-Mazraa neighbourhood on April 8, 2026. Israel launched a series of strikes in Beirut on April 8, causing panic among residents in the most violent attack on the capital since the start of the war with Hezbollah. The Israeli military said it carried out its “largest coordinated strike across Lebanon”. Israel has insisted the two-week truce in its war with Iran does not apply to Lebanon. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images). 

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During the service, Tessa, a URC Minister with churches in Gants Hill, Grange Park, Wanstead and Walthamstow, who served as Moderator of the General Assembly from 2023-2024, asked Dame Sarah to “add your signature to the Covenant we share as Presidents of Churches Together in England, and join your voice to ours in prayer and in the service of the Gospel in our nation.”

The Archbishop responded by saying: “Willingly I share with you the service of the churches of this country, and pledge myself to strive for the full, visible unity of Christ’s Church in truth and love,” before signing the Covenant.

In an interview with the BBC, Dame Sarah said that she recognised the significance of being the first female archbishop, but that she was “also aware of the women that have supported me in my ministry, and the men as well. …The installation service will have women’s voices right the way through it, so there’s something about celebrating women, but also being able to say to other people, in a sense, it’s entirely possible for you to follow your dreams.”

Guests included the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Prime Minister and leader of the opposition, representatives from local and national government, the Commonwealth and the United Nations, members of the Church of England clergy and lay, 100 people from the wider Anglican communion around the world including 26 Primates, 150 people from different Christian denominations in England (the URC was represented by Catriona Wheeler, Moderator to the General Assembly, John Ellis and Andy Jackson), representatives from a broad range of other faith groups, charity workers and nurses from Canterbury.

The service included prayers, hymns, readings and liturgical texts in many languages including the kyrie in Urdu, the gospel in Spanish, choral songs in languages from the Democratic of Congo and Namibia.

The Bible on the Archbishop took her oath is the heritage edition of The Saint John’s Bible, the first hand-scribed, illuminated manuscript commissioned by a Benedictine Monastery since the invention of the printing press more than 500 years ago.

She was then led to St Augustine’s Cathedra, a seat made from Purbeck marble in the 13th century. Bishop Anthony Poggo presented her with a Compass Rose pendant, the symbolic badge of the Anglican Communion, and other prayers were led by people from the diocese.

The United Reformed Church was represented by Andy Jackson, left, Catriona Wheeler, second right, and John Ellis, right, pictured with Tessa Henry-Robinson, second left, who took part in the service as one of the Presidents of Churches Together in England and Moderator of the Free Churches’ Group. 

Reporting by Andy Jackson and the Religion Media Centre.

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Catriona Wheeler said that the United Reformed Church stands in prayerful solidarity with UK Jewish communities at this distressing time.

Any act of violence or intimidation directed toward a faith community is an affront to the dignity of all people. It is a direct contradiction of the values of justice, compassion, and peace to which we are all called. As a Church committed to reconciliation, peace, justice, and to the flourishing of all communities, we unequivocally oppose such acts.

Through our ongoing interfaith relationships and partnerships, we have come to value deeply the trust, friendship, and shared witness we hold with our Jewish neighbours. When one community is targeted, all of us are diminished. We therefore reaffirm our commitment to stand alongside the Jewish community in both word and action.

We also recognise the confusion and speculation that can arise in the aftermath of such incidents. In light of this, we call on the police and relevant authorities to conduct a full, transparent, and thorough investigation.

It is essential that the truth is established clearly, both to ensure accountability and to counter harmful narratives or misinformation. Such clarity is vital in offering reassurance, restoring trust, and safeguarding community cohesion.

We pray for those affected, for the safety and wellbeing of all faith communities across the country and call for a renewed commitment across society to reject hatred in all its forms. May we continue to work together for a future marked not by fear, but by mutual respect, understanding, and peace.

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The sermon, the text of which is below, contrasted self-focused happiness with God-given joy. Drawing on Jesus’ teaching in John gospel and Micah’s call to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God,” it highlighted that joy emerges through covenant relationships, even when there is suffering and the realities of a broken world.

Are you happy? What are you doing to seek your happiness? Products are marketed to us, the latest model, the latest upgrade, will help make our life complete. We are advertised online therapy session, which will help us deal with those things standing in the way of our happiness and personal fulfilment. We think of it as a right, even. Anything that gets in the way of my personal happiness should be banished – even if that is other people.

When was the last time you experienced joy? Notice how I have to frame the question differently – when did you experience, not ‘are you’- for you are not ‘joy’, you might be ‘joyful’. Joy is not an inner quality. Joy is something that comes to us. Joyful – filled with joy. Something that we experience.

We take joy in things, and people, and relationships. A baby’s first smile, a toddler’s first steps, the twinkle in the eye of an aged parent or grandparent. Joy in old friends – I take joy today in Janet, a very old friend, today, as we come to induct her to a new ministry, which I know is already brining her joy.

Jesus speaks of Joy to his disciples in our reading from John. He says something quite remarkable. Jesus takes joy in his disciples. Jesus takes joy in us. And that our joy will be complete. Not our happiness will be complete. No. Our joy – a thing we receive from beyond, a thing that comes to us in relationship to other people and God’s creation.

This joy emerges not first and foremost through anything we do. It emerges from God. The one through whom the entire cosmos was created stands, in flesh and blood, before his disciples, in first century Israel-Palestine. God Godself, the son loved by the Father. Abiding in the father – abiding, dwelling with, walking with, enduring with – the closest form of family intimacy.

And this personification of God, ‘Godself’, invites us to dwell with, walk with, endure with, have the closest form of family intimacy with, them, and through them God. From that context of relationship, we are invited to keep the commandments. Which turns out to be to extend out that love that we are receiving to one another. And in all of that, our joy will be complete.

As a mother draws her daughter into loving embrace. So, this person who is God-with-us, draws us into their embrace. And through this embrace of love, this abiding with, we become siblings with one another and lovers of the world.

It is easy, perhaps, to scoff, or perhaps further, to become genuinely uncomfortable with some of this imagery. For some, the image of being drawn into a family set of relationships feels like a picture of hell, not a picture of heaven. This image that Jesus uses gives us, is of a set of Godly relationships into which we are drawn, and which result in joy. Real, genuine, joy. We all know that human relationships, in contrast, do not always end in joy – but rather are destructive, and at times, simply evil.

But what John’s gospel gives us is not oblivious to the dark side of life. For these words come in the lead up to Jesus’s arrest, trial, torture and death. In fact, this is not fluffy at all. We are asked to abide with, dwell with, walk with, be one with, one who is quite literally about to go to hell and back. We are being invited into a community of love not that is some fantastical escape of the dark side of life in the world, but knows it deeply, and intimately, and dwells with it in love regardless, and through the most profound engagement with its dark side, even to death of a cross, seeks to redeem it and draw us into that journey of redemption.

The prophet Micah knows a thing or two about the harsh realities of life. This rural peasant prophet has a thing or two to say about the profiteering elites, hovering up anything the poor have from which to ‘eek’ out their existence. He pours scorn, contempt and the very judgement of God on those who do not dwell in love, but abuse, profiteer, and seek their own wealth and fortune on the backs of others.

The nation, the world, has gone to hell in a handcart as Micah surveys the national and international scene. We might well think we know what he felt like, as we survey the national and international scene.

And we get this extraordinary courtroom drama. In the courtroom God stands and prosecutes the people for the woeful state of affairs they have brought the nation and the world to. God who reached out to them in covenant love, who invited them to abide in God in a community that would be a light to the nations.

And God finds them profoundly wanting. And in this courtroom scene, having been found judged, the people then seek to name what they must do to put things right with God. Shall they bow and scrape? Shall they bring burnt offerings? Does God want vast amounts of commodities – material things to make God feel better – thousands of rams, vast rivers of oil? Ye gods these morally deranged people even wonder if what God wants is the sacrifice of their firstborn children – such is the state of their depravity.

But no. That is not what God, the prosecutor and judge in this courtroom seeks. They already know – but have turned their backs on it. They are to do justice. Love kindness. And walk humbly with their God. They are to live well and fairly with one another. They are to love kindness – a word in the Hebrew we struggle to translate with just one word.

A word which captures covenant relationship, faithful love, loving kindness. A word rich in the fullness of life lived well in relationship and the fruits born from that. And to walk with God. To go, humbly, abiding with, at the side of, the God who has reached out and called them, freed them from slavery, walked with them through their history.

Jesus calls us to abide in him, and through doing so to abide in God the creator and sustainer of all things. Micah calls us to walk with the God who is the creator and sustainer of all things, and who calls us into covenant relationship.

Jesus invites us into a community of love – not a broken human family or community, but one genuinely Godly, heavenly. A community which gifts us joy. Micah invites us into covenant community, a community of kindness, mutual flourishing with one another. A community of justice.

In both our texts, the initiative comes from God. God reaches out to us. It is not the other way around. We are not called to do these things and earn God’s favour and love as a reward. No. God reaches out to us, calls us, loves us, abides with us, and invites us to abide with God, and then to be lovers of one another. Lovers of the world. Lovers of kindness. Lovers of peace. Lovers of justice.

To walk with the God who may take us, like Micah, to the place where we are called to proclaim truth to power, justice to those who seek onto to enrich themselves at the expense of everyone else. To abide with the person who is about to take us to the cross.

Happiness, of course, cannot cope with this. Our own, personal, inner sense of happiness cannot possibly survive walking with the God who might call us to difficult, risky, prophetic action. Our inner sense of personal fulfilment and happiness cannot possible survive being asked to abide with the one who may well hand us a cross to carry. But we’re not promised happiness.

We’ve promised that we will be part of a community of love, love that endures the realities of pain and suffering within life in the world. Love which reaches out into the midst of our brokenness and the brokenness of the world. And we are promised joy. Joy that breaks in from outside. Joy that finds its origin in the one who created and sustains the whole world in love. Joy that meets us in the most unexpected places.

Joy which genuinely brings light in dark times, new life amidst death, hope amidst despair.

This Synod marks two things which bring the hope of a richer walking with God, a richer abiding in Jesus, and a richer abiding in one another, and. The decision of most churches within the Synod to walk, not alone, but with one another in Mission Partnerships.

To reach out beyond what it is possible for any congregation to be alone, and to dwell together, as Jesus disciples, as the covenant people of God. To be communities of love together, for the sake of the communities in which your congregations are all set. And also today Janet responding to the call to walk in covenant relationship, to abide with, the congregations she has come to serve. To walk with, for the next step of the journey, ecumenical partners.

To abide with the congregations and people she will be in covenant relationship with, as together, they discern how God is calling them to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.

So let us not seek after a self-manufactured happiness, that will always find itself broken by reality.

Let us not imagine we can order our lives, or our possessions, or our experiences in ways that bring happiness and supposed self-realisation. Rather, let us walk with God. Let us abide in Christ. Let us abide in one another. Let us covenant ourselves to abide in love with others, seeking justice, loving kindness, walking humbly with God.

For that way lies the promise of the inbreaking of joy. Joy that comes to us from God. Joy that hits us unawares from outside. Joy that transforms. Joy that is complete. Joy in which we find good news.

Amen.

Voting at the meeting of the Eastern Synod on March 14, which took place at Christ Church, Braintree.

The Revd Janet Sutton, left, with the Moderator of the Eastern Synod, the Revd Lythan Nevard.

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The UK Government announced that the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme (LPWGS) would stop at the end of March 2026, without any official consultation with denominations or the Scottish Government. LPWGS enabled congregations to reclaim Valued Added Tax (20% VAT) on repairs to buildings of national importance and the fund provides support for churches across Scotland.

The Scottish Church Leaders’ Forum, which is convened by the URC’s National Synod of Scotland Moderator, the Revd Lindsay Sanderson, said the sudden decision to end the VAT recovery scheme will “severely affect community efforts to fix roofs, maintain aging heating systems and hold back damp”.

Many listed church buildings are also vital community hubs used by a wide variety of groups offering support to local people. The Scottish Church Leaders’ Forum has raised its concerns , who heads the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Church leaders encouraged people to raise their concerns with their local MPs and invite them to visit their listed church buildings to learn about the important community and spiritual work which takes place within.

The Rt Rev Rosie Frew, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, said: “We are seeking urgent clarification and assurances that money will continue to be made available in Scotland to fund essential repairs to listed church buildings. We have no idea what the implications are … where devolved governments receive a proportion of funding when the UK Government spends money for England.”

Church leaders warned that the loss of government funding risks increasing the number of heritage church buildings in Scotland needed to be cared for by the state, putting more pressure on public bodies such as Historic Environment Scotland. National Lottery funding is not always a suitable and ethical alternative for many congregations due to grants being derived from the proceeds of gambling.

The Revd Lindsey Sanderson said: “Church buildings are much more than bricks and mortar. They are places to meet with God whether that is in the act of worshipping, through the care given by a fellowship group, the justice seeking of refugee support project or the quiet serenity of architectural heritage.

“Sometimes, however, support is needed to sustain the bricks and mortar to enable people to have these divine encounters. The sudden ending of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme in Scotland, without consultation with the Scottish Government nor Christian denominations raises significant challenges for many historic churches across the nation and threatens the way in which these buildings continue to be places of mission and ministry today.

“I hope that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will respond positively to the concerns raised by the Scottish Church Leaders’ Forum.”

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Eternal One,
we remember before You
the people of Iran, Israel, Abu Dhabi, Oman, and Bahrain
and those sailing through the Strait of Hormuz:
all places of pain and division where the nations rage furiously together,
where drones and missiles fly overhead, children cry in bunkers,
and the bodies of the dead await funerals.
We remember the Earth, herself,
longing for redemption from humanity’s cruelty,
where every drone and missile wreak havoc and fear
even as they further despoil the earth
and add to the climate change which brings yet more death and destruction.
We grieve a world where there is neither peace nor justice,
where divisions are made into weapons and where ideology is used to maim.
We bitterly regret the failure of diplomacy, and wonder if it was designed to fail.

Guide now, Prince of Peace,
those who dare to work for peace,
those tending the injured,
those seeking to change our world,
those working for democracy and human rights,
and those who advise our political leaders;
that Your wisdom may shine through,
Your compassion be a watchword,
that consequences of our actions may be acknowledged,
and the cries of the children may ring in their ears.

Most Holy Spirit,
breathe Your peace to our troubled world,
comfort the parents of the girls killed at the primary school in Minab,
the relatives of those killed in Beit Shemesh,
and all who mourn in these days filled with war.
Inspire Iranians longing for a free and fair society,
and those who must now lead and guide its future.
Inspire, too, Israelis working for peace and justice,
longing for security and the chance
to finally turn swords into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks.

Eternal Trinity of Love,
Source, Guide, and Goal,
help us to work for peace even in a world at war. Amen

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The CPCE is a global communion of protestant churches, with 96 Lutheran, Methodist, Reformed and United Churches from more than 30 countries in Europe and South America, representing around 50 million Protestants.

The Revd Dr John P Bradbury, General Secretary of the URC, and a former President of CPCE, said: “I’m delighted to congratulate Dr Schenk in her appointment as General Secretary of the Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe.

“The Communion is an important expression of our membership of the Church Catholic, and brings us into fellowship with siblings in Christ across our continent.

“The United Reformed Church has worked within the Communion in many ways, including until last year my term as one of the Presidents. It is therefore a particular pleasure for me to welcome this appointment.

“We will uphold Dr Schenk as she prepares to take on this key role within the CPCE, and look forward to our joint working in the years to come.”

Dr Schenk, 53, currently serves as a theological advisor to Bishop Ernst-Wilhelm Gohl and as an ecumenical officer of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Württemberg.

She will take up her new post on 1 March 2026, succeeding Dr Mario Fischer who will take up the post of Director and Officer for Catholic Issues at the Institute for Confessional Studies in Bensheim, Germany.

Reflecting on her new role, Dr Schenk said: “I am delighted to have been elected General Secretary, and I am grateful for the trust placed in me by the members of the Council and the Presidium.

“I value the CPCE as a church communion that is rooted in the shared experience of reconciliation in word and sacrament. It draws from this both its mission and the courage to open up perspectives for reconciliation, both within the communion when dealing with differences and issues of dissent, and in contributing to social coexistence in Europe.

“I look forward to working with the team, the Presidium and the Council to further develop the CPCE as a network of understanding and reconciliation across Europe, and to strengthen its profile within the member churches and congregations.”

Rita Famos, Executive President of the CPCE, said: “The role of General Secretary of the CPCE has become more complex over the past seven years.

“I am therefore very pleased and grateful that we have been able to recruit Susanne, a seasoned church historian and ecumenist with many years of experience and a long-standing association with the CPCE, whom we trust to perform this task. We look forward to working and supporting her.”

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The United Reformed Church upholds the worth and dignity of all human beings as created in the image of God regardless of their sex or gender.

Like any diverse group within society, we understand and live with the enormous challenge of protecting the rights, beliefs and freedoms of all people without putting some at risk or treating them less equally.

Therefore, we lament that the Supreme Court ruling on the legal definition of a woman, attempting to clarify equality legislation, should have a negative impact on the lives of trans, intersex, non-binary/gender non-conforming people, who already experience significant marginalisation and misunderstanding within our society.

The traditions that make up the URC have been at the forefront of challenging long-held barriers to inclusion and equality: Constance Coltman was the first woman to be ordained as a minister in the Congregational tradition in 1917.

Gender is no longer an obstacle to serving and participating within the full life of the URC. We acknowledge that we are imperfect, but strive to be a place of inclusion, safety and genuine welcome for all.

The United Reformed Church continues to follow the example of Jesus, who sat with, listened to and uplifted the marginalised in society, and used his influence to challenge the powerful. We invite our own members and others to do likewise.

Notes

• On 16 April, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom ruled that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex.
• Judges cautioned that the ruling should not be seen as a success for any group, and that transgender people continue to have legal protection from discrimination.
• The Scottish government had argued that transgender people with a gender recognition certificate were entitled to sex-based protections.

Image: Tom Morris, , via Wikimedia Commons

Links

• What is the United Reformed Church? 
• Lent and Easter

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The United Reformed Church believes all human life is God given and precious, and each person, made in the image of God, is of inherent worth and dignity.

We have prayed for wisdom for our MPs as they wrestle with the complex issue of assisted dying for terminally ill adults, and are thankful where they have reached out to and listened to members of our churches for support and guidance.

Parliamentary debate

We note the debate in the UK Parliament today (November 29, 2024) on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, applying to England and Wales, and the vote of MPs to support further work on the Bill, which would still need Parliamentary approval before it could enter into law. The strength and depth of feeling was evident, and the discussion was gracious and sensitive.

Compelling arguments included personal stories from MPs and from their constituents, statistics from other states and countries where assisted dying has been adopted, as well as representations from those with professional experience as medical practitioners.

Comments were framed positively around dignity in dying and rights around bodily autonomy, around ‘shortening death’ rather than ‘shortening life’, while others countered that improving the quality of life, rather than hastening death, should be a priority. Members mentioned hope and life and being a society that values people and values life. The convictions of people of faith were referred to occasionally. Common themes of liberty, social responsibility, compassion, ethics and morality were expounded.

Great concerns were expressed around protection for vulnerable people, the possibility of coercion and shortcomings in the palliative care system.

There were objections around the limitations of the Private Members Bill process compared with Government Bills which would have received more much detailed preparation and allocated time on the Parliamentary agenda.

A response from the United Reformed Church

Acknowledging a range of views on the issue within the Church and in society, the URC General Assembly in 2007 opposed any change in the law to permit voluntary euthanasia or assisted suicide, in line with the position of many Christian Churches and other faiths.

The vote today in Parliament will have far-reaching impact on our society. Many will be troubled at the result of the vote, and perhaps feel that the will of lawmakers or wider society is profoundly out of step with their own personal convictions. Others will be relieved by the result, believing it will offer some hope and choice to them (or loved ones) as they approach the end of life.

The URC is unchanging in its commitment to support vulnerable people and to offer spiritual counsel and Christian love to all who seek it. Visiting – and endeavouring to meet the needs of – people who are sick is enshrined in our practice, following the example and instruction of Jesus, as well as supporting those who care for them or are bereaved.

We continue to call for the improved provision of palliative care, and note the persistent lack of universal access to good quality hospices and home-based support for people nearing the end of life.

We are concerned for medical staff, already under constant pressure in trying to deliver services to patients, who may face increased demands, and may face difficult moral choices.

Key to our response is our belief of the inherent worth and value of every human being, made in the image of God. The Bill, if enacted without sufficient safeguards, risks devaluing the lives of people who have often been marginalised by society.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill therefore requires much work. There will be continuing scrutiny and debate as the Bill proceeds through the UK Parliament. Within the URC, the Worship, Faith and Order Committee will be listening to our congregations and ministers and considering carefully the implications of the developing Bill for us all.

Through all these things, we look to Jesus, the originator and finisher of our faith, and the one in whom all things hold together, as the source of our belief, our well-being and our hope. We will continue to encourage people at all stages of life to seek him, and experience his comforting presence found in his body, the Church.

Written by Roo Stewart, URC Head of Public Issues

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Michael was appointed following the move by the Revd Clare Downing to be Moderator of the North Western Synod.

Introduced by the Revd Josh Thomas, acting Minister at the church, himself the grandson of the late George Thomas, who served Wessex Synod as Clerk for many years, the service was led by the Revd Dr Tessa Henry-Robinson, Moderator of the URC General Assembly 2023-2024.

The packed church listened to the choir, which came together especially for the service, led by the Revd Michael Hodgson, which began with the South African traditional hymn Mayenziwe ‘ntando yakho, transcribed by John Bell.

Hymns and anthems included O for a thousand tongues to sing, Not far beyond the sea, nor high; Brother, Sister, Let me serve you; Give to me, Lord, a thankful heart; Take this moment, sign and space; finishing with And can it be that I should gain.  

Ecumenical and international guests included the Revd Andrew de Ville, Chair of the Methodist Southampton District, the Revd David Barrett, Deputy Chaplain General of the Army, Bishop Lordwell Siame from the Lusaka Presbytery of the United Church of Zambia and Pasteur Charles Klagba of the region Nord-Normandie of the Eglise protestant unie de France.

In his sermon, the Revd Dr John P Bradbury, General Secretary of the United Reformed Church, used Jeremiah 29 as the principal text.

“The words … mark out the words of our text today as being the words of a true prophet – not the words of the false prophets whose message is being contrasted with the words of the true prophet. There is often a choice of voices to heed, so how does one discern which voices might be the voices of wisdom, and which the voices that might lead one astray?

“Many were listening to those whose message they liked, those who they wanted to believe. What were these voices saying? ‘it will soon be over’, and ‘vengeance will be yours’, and ‘resist your enemy – destroy them from within’. How we like to pay heed to the voices that say the things we want to hear. To follow the people on X, formerly Twitter, and Tik-Tok who chime with the way we see the world. To vote for those who promise us the earth because we want it to be true.

“Such voices are false prophets. They lie. To be a true prophet is to be realistic.

So when your new Moderator tells you that of course every congregation can have its own minister, that of course every new minister he inducts will restore the Sunday School to many scores or hundreds of children, will visit everyone in need every day, and magic an army of Elders, Secretaries, Treasurers and people for the tea-rota out of nowhere….well…you might be just a little sceptical.

“Part of the prophetic ministry of the Moderator is precisely to help congregations face reality as it is. And much of our reality is currently extremely challenging. Pretending otherwise and that there are easy solutions gets us nowhere. We are required to face reality squarely, name it, and engage with it. That is the task of the truly prophetic Moderator.

“A Moderator who is a true prophet will help you spot the seeds that you can plant today, that might never feed you – but stand the possibility of feeding those who come after you. A prophetic Moderator will be hopeful – not naively optimistic, or living in fantasy land, but a prophet who will help you see something in a different light, and spot the possibility within it.

“Even as churches reach the end of their mission and close, as realistically we know many will in the next few years – they can do so in a way that plants a seed for something new to emerge. As Christians, we are called to die hopefully. “For unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

In his personal statement to the congregation, Michael Hopkins described a Moderator as “a Minister to Ministers and a friend of churches.” He also discovered that there was Wessex Gin and Wessex black pudding, so his appointment “was meant to be.”

“The challenge is to see where God is at work in Wessex, and to join in with that.”

After the affirmations, presentations were given by Linda Jackson, Church Secretary of Twyford URC, where Michael was ordained; the Revd Wilbert Sayimani, Minister of Richmond Hill St Andrew’s URC, Bournemouth; the Revd Hayley Young, Regional Minister of the Southern Counties Baptist Association and the Rt Revd Andrew Watson, the Bishop of Guildford.

After welcomes from ecumenical and URC guests, prayers were led by the Rt Revd Olivia Graham, the Bishop of Reading.

• Read the full text of John Bradbury’s sermon

Photos by Andy Jackson, URC Head of Commnications, and Tony Brett, Convenor of the NW Pastoral Committee of the Wessex Synod.

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