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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 URC offers these prayers to help congregations navigate issues around Assisted Dying as they are discussed by legislators across these islands:

• The Isle of Man allows Assisted Dying, Jersey is in the latter stages of legal preparation for this;
• the Scottish Parliament is working on detailed legislation with a bill passing Stage 1;
• The Terminally Ill Adults Bill, passed by the House of Commons, is now subject to further scrutiny through various stages in the House of Lords. MPs will then get a final say when they have looked at any proposed changes. This is the point at which the bill will officially become law, unless it runs out of Parliamentary time or those in the House of Lords who oppose the Bill find a way to block it.

The United Reformed Church’s General Assembly last discussed the matter in 2007, ��resolving:

General Assembly affirms the report Assisted Dying, as encapsulated in the following statements:

1. As Christians, we regard all human life as being God given, and therefore precious; we believe that death is not the end and we have faith that there is a more perfect life to follow.
2. We recognise that there is a time to die and that there are circumstances in which it will be wrong to continue to provide treatment designed to prolong life.
3. We recognise that some palliative treatment for the terminally ill, makes the patient more comfortable and pain free, but can also hasten death. We believe this to be acceptable, as long as the intention of the treatment is pain relief and comfort of the patient
4. We could not support legislation that would empower medical staff to intervene in ways which deliberately seek to assist a patient to die. We would therefore oppose any change in the law to permit voluntary euthanasia or assisted suicide
5. We believe that a Living Will or Advance Directive which has been prepared by a patient of sound mind, can be helpful for carers and relatives; however, we do not believe such a document should be used to facilitate a person’s death
6. We believe that additional resources are needed to provide more uniformly available and more high quality palliative care
7. We recognise the valuable contribution made by carers. We express our prayerful support for those who work in, and promote, hospices and others who care, befriend, and provide support for the dying.

I’m Confused Lord

I’m confused Lord and don’t know what to say;
I grew up believing in the sanctity of life,
that You command us not to kill, and that life is always worth living…

…but if I was in pain with little hope of respite,
or one I loved was living in unimaginable agony,
I’d want that pain to stop.

I’m confused Lord and don’t know what to say,
all these difficult choices but they can’t properly fund hospice care,
there’s always money for bombs though…

…but surely good end-of-life care is a prerequisite of a decent society?
We live our lives as if there’s nothing else to come,
clinging to it, forgetting it’s possible to have a good death.

I’m confused Lord and don’t know what to say,
I’d not want to be a burden when my time comes,
I’d not want to cling on seeking every medical intervention when it was time to go…

…but I’d not want to be despatched more quickly so the will can be read!
I’d not want to be pressurised to die to save the State money,
nor be seen as dispensable.

I’m confused Lord and don’t know what to say,
disabled friends are frightened – fearing their lives will be seen as less worthwhile,
doctors and nurses are trained to save life not to kill …

…but saying “thou shalt not kill” seems judgy,
to urge for better palliative care seems unrealistic,
and to oppose social trends seems hard.

So, help me Lord, in my confusion,
and give me ears to hear and the words to say.
Amen.

A Fuller Life Awaits

Eternal One,
we pray for our legislators,
faced with complex lives, situations, and finances,
and trying to discern right from wrong,
in the face of high-powered campaigns.

Suffering Lord,
You walk with us in our pain, bewilderment, and grief,
give grace to those who approach the end of life,
wisdom to clinical staff who care for them,
and time for loving farewells.

Renewing Spirit,
remind us that death is not the end,
that a new, fuller, life awaits us,
where there will be no more death, sorrow,
mourning or crying.��Amen

Perfect Love

Gracious God,
help us to hold Your truth gracefully,
proclaim Your love with humility,
and serve Your people faithfully.

Dying God,
drive out our fear of death with Your perfect love;
banish our meanness with a generosity
which funds proper care for the dying, the ill, and the disabled.

Energising God,
transform our ideologies,
that we face both life and death,
in the safety of Your love
and the promise of resurrection.
Amen

For more on the progress of the Terminally Ill Adults (Assisted Dying) Bill through the Houses of Parliament see here.

Image: Alexander Grey/Unsplash.

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On behalf of friends of the United Reformed Church in the Pfalz, Pfarrer Martin Henninger, Minister of the Lutherkirche in Frankenthal, has sent greetings to the whole of the denomination, saying:

“As Richard von Weizsäcker, the former President of Germany forty years ago said: ’The 8th of May was a day of liberation. It made us free from the inhuman system of the National Socialist terror system.’

“We are very much aware the British people among many others paid a high price for it not the least when a German rocket hit the Presbyterian Church House in March 1945 which is still remembered at Tavistock Place. But out of the ashes of this war came reconciliation, friendship and the Covenant of Pulpit and Table between our churches for which we are grateful. As the conference in 2019 has shown both churches remain committed to peace and reconciliation in a world which increasingly seems to be divided by national interests and even war as the conflict in the Ukraine is making obvious.

“So, as we commemorate the end of ��Ʒ��ҹ�������� War II causing millions of victims, let us continue to pray for repentance, forgiveness and peace with the words from the Litany of Reconciliation (Coventry):

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
The hatred which divides nation from nation, race from race, class from class,
Father forgive.

The covetous desires of people and nations to possess what is not their own,
Father, forgive.

The greed which exploits the work of human hands and lays waste the earth,
Father, forgive.

Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others,
Father, forgive.

Our indifference to the plight of the imprisoned, the homeless, the refugee,
Father, forgive.

The lust which dishonours the bodies of men, women and children,
Father, forgive.

The pride which leads us to trust in ourselves and not in God,
Father, forgive.

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Image:

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Sign up to be a volunteer with the URC at Greenbelt festival 2026

We are looking for volunteers to be a part of the URC team at Greenbelt festival, Thursday 27 – Sunday 30 August 2026, at Boughton House, near Kettering.

Being part of the URC team is fun, with plenty of free time to enjoy the fun activities offered by Greenbelt. Don’t worry if you have never been before, as you will be part of a supportive group of people.

Volunteer Application Form

If you are interested in volunteering in the URC venue at Greenbelt festival this year, please complete the form below.

Due to the increasing demand for volunteer places, we will give priority to applicants who have either not volunteered with the URC before or have volunteered with our team just once. Please do not let that deter you from applying if you have volunteered with the URC team for two years or more however, as we still require a team with a broad range of skills and experience.

The closing date for applications is 20 April 2026.

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Name of your local church if applicable (please state what town/city it is in)

Are you over the age of 18? This is the minimum age requirement for volunteering with us. *

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• Yes
• No

If so, how many times have you volunteered with us?

If relevant, please state when you last volunteered with us.

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Describe any voluntary roles you carry out, which could be within your local church

What appeals to you about becoming a volunteer with the URC team? *

Do you have any relevant catering experience or qualifications, such as food hygiene certificates or roles within your church, bars, cafes, fast food or restaurants?

• Yes
• No

Describe any hygiene qualifications/certificates you have:

What relevant skills, experience and qualifications could you bring to the team? E.g. craft, musical instrument, customer service, working with young people, operating a sound desk or simply making a great cup of tea! *

We will need to fill a variety of roles within the team. Thinking about your specific skills and preferences, please indicate where you would prefer to be working (tick all that apply): *

• Café front of house – welcoming people, clearing tables and restocking, etc
• Café behind the counter – serving food and cakes, making teas and coffees, etc
• Craft – planning and preparing craft activities and helping people of all ages to have a go themselves
• Presentation – talking to festival goers about the URC, introducing contributors, announcing upcoming programme items, facilitating talks and discussions, story telling
• No preference

Other (please specify)

Where would you stay during the festival? E.g. in a tent, a caravan/campervan, in a B&B/hotel, commute from home, other (please specify) *

For those who are new to volunteering with us, please provide contact details of a person who can provide a reference (for example, a Church Minister or Secretary). Name, email address (and phone number if known):

Deadline

Application deadline 25 March 2026.

We will let you know shortly after this deadline whether you have been successful in your application.

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Dr Robert Pope led the gathering in its third Bible study, exploring Deuteronomy 30:11-20. The exiles, and all of us, are challenged to “choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). Robert asked the animators to reflect on what it is about their faith gives them life.

In the penultimate session of the conference, Dr Nigel Pimlott set attendees off with Play-Doh and pipe cleaners, asking them to make something that would most help the URC’s new communities of worship and discipleship flourish.

One innovative contribution featured a pipe cleaner text box and heart, with a golden thread connecting the two, reflecting the need for love, relationships, and communication in the URC’s communities of worship and discipleship.

The final session challenged the animators to think about what three words they would use to summarise themes from the consultation. Nigel then fed back on outcomes and themes he had heard from all the conversations over the course of the consultation, which the animators further refined.

In support of new worship and discipleship communities, the outcomes and themes were:

Outcomes

• Be more intentional about everything
• Develop and deepen relationships
• Increase evangelism
• Animate local change; with central support
• Embed “both/and” thinking
• Lessen organisational burdens
• Take more risks

Themes

• Death and resurrection – midwiving, hospicing, rhythms of life
• Being responsible – who’s here, taking action, laying down and taking up
• Little consensus – value this and be a network movement
• Seek the kingdowm; as a church movement

These outcomes and themes represent the beginnings of a set of principles, which the planning group and Church Life Review Steering Group will distil and refine. The intention is that the principles will become the future basis for decision making about the URC’s new communities of worship and discipleship. Conversations from the consultation will continue to evolve both locally and as part of the Church Life Review.

The conference closed in worship, led by the event’s planning group.

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“Spaces of grace” is the theme underpinning worship throughout Assembly, and this was the starting point for prayer – that we might become a “community of grace”. This opening service found its focus in the theme of “forming community” and began with the words of Brian Wren’s hymn, “Great God, your love has called us here”.

The Statement concerning the Nature, Faith and Order of the URC was��led by the Revd Lesley Thomson, ordained just six days previously, and the Revd Dr Stephen Orchard who recently marked 55 years of ordained ministry. This was followed by a reading from Paul’s letter to the Philippians 2:1-11.

We need grace in communal life, said the Revd Fiona Bennett, the Moderator of the ��General Assembly. It is through God’s grace we become able to laugh, cry, to wonder, and through that grace we also have hope for the world and God’s community of disciples. Fiona then drew on the imagery of multiple coloured fish created for the URC’s jubilee celebrations to suggest we are like those jubilee fish – swimming in an ocean of grace.

The Moderator reminded Assembly of the popular contemporary phrase “get over yourself” – something she admitted she’d said to herself many times over the past year. Alluding to Paul’s words in Philippians, she said we need to step over our ego and hubris to see and act on what is truly important. This, she said, is true humility: lifting our gaze beyond ourselves to the needs of others and the world. Paul was talking of unity born out of humility and this is the model we need to use in order to be people of the Gospel. Such humility is only possible in the ocean of grace where we can indeed “get over ourselves”.

Fiona concluded by inviting Assembly to look not only at our own interests but to the interests of others, within the URC and ecumenically, and to trust each other enough to share with each other our vulnerability and resources. In Assembly, she said, let us open our hearts, minds and hands to the ocean of God’s grace.

Following the decision of the 2022 Assembly to create the role of Chief Operating Officer, the Moderator welcomed and commissioned Victoria James to the position. Victoria started in the role earlier in the year and regards the work as her vocation. She was welcomed with applause.

The Revd Canon Helen Cameron, currently Moderator of the Free Churches Group and one of the presidents of Churches Together in England, brought ecumenical greetings, in particular from the conference of the Methodist Church, where she had just recently been elected President-designate.

Following a time of prayer, Assembly joined in a celebration of Holy Communion, concluding with the sharing of the peace in sign language and the singing of “Brother, sister, let me serve you”.

Session one

Paper Z1 – Synod Moderator’s Report

The first item of business at General Assembly 2023 was the report of the Synod Moderators of the United Reformed Church, presented to the meeting by the Moderators.

The report looks back on the URC’s 50^th anniversary in October 2022. The Church is not now what its founders envisaged in 1972, but, the report says, we are not called “to try and be what we are not”. Rather we are called to be comfortable in our own skin – to love ourselves as Christ’s Body, as the presentation put it – and to adapt to our changing circumstances, which can be liberating. “We already have all we need to be the people of God.”

The paper concludes with questions for local churches to discuss. Explore the questions in the Synod Moderator’s Report entitled Paper Z1 – Life after 50?

Speaking on behalf of the Moderators, the Revd David Herbert Moderator, of Northern Synod, said that being more comfortable in our own skin is not about complacency or resignation. It is about remembering how God works through unlikely lives in surprising ways, as the story of David and Goliath illustrates.

One example of this, they said, was the way that being slimmer than 50 years ago allowed the URC to respond to the pandemic in ways that were ‘lean, light, and fleet of foot’.

“We are in transition, not dying, but we need to be prepared to change as our mission context changes and as the Holy Spirit leads us into new ways of being.”

Paper X1 – East Midlands Resolution for Ukraine

Out of concern for the churches in Ukraine which, like the URC, are members in the Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE), the General Assembly sent greetings to the United Methodist Church in Ukraine, the German Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ukraine and the Transcarpathian Reformed Church, the Reformed Church of Ukraine.

Derek Graham and Luke Framji, members of St Andrews-with-Castlegate URC, Nottingham, proposed the resolution on behalf of the East Midlands Synod.

General Assembly further instructed the Mission and Finance Committees, in conjunction with Synods and ecumenical partners, to determine what help might appropriately be offered to the Transcarpathian Reformed Church as a result of the Russian invasion and the ongoing consequences of the war in Ukraine

The resolutions and exploratory work were accepted once clarification about how the committees would carry out this work, either under delegated powers or by further resolutions at the next General Assembly.

Paper X5 – South Western Synod: Bristol Korean Church

The Revd Douggie Burnett, Minister of Redland Park and the Bristol Korean Church (BKC) delightedly proposed Resolution 78, that General Assembly receives BKC as a local URC.

The Revd Yohan Song was then formally greeted by the Moderator of General Assembly who called the occasion “really exciting”.

“Every time a new member joins, the whole body changes as we have new limbs – or rather, new gifts. With these new limbs, we are a new body.”

Fiona then asked Yohan what prayers he would like as a “new limb within the URC body”? Yohan responded that he was truly grateful for the opportunity and that Bristol Korean Church regards itself as a seed planted in fertile soil, the URC. He asked for prayers that the Bristol Korean Church would be a proactive, fertile church, filled with hope and joy.

The Revd Lindsey Sanderson then led Assembly in prayers for the church, asking for God to fill the BKC with insight and purpose.

Day one concluded with evening prayer, including the commemoration of ministers, Church Related Community Workers, missionaries, clerks and moderators of General Assembly who have died and congregations which have closed since the last General Assembly.

Reporting team: Andy Jackson, Ann-Marie Nye, Stephen Tomkins, and Laurence Wareing. Pictures by Chris Andrews.

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Dr Warner looked at the question of land ownership in Leviticus. Giving the example of the flat that she is buying, she said that ownership would give her the crucial right to exclude others from living there. The book of Deuteronomy has the same concept of land ownership, using the Hebrew word nachlah.

In Leviticus, the word for possession is achuzzah which involves the right to live there only alongside others who God sees fit to bring there too. God owns the land, so people can’t. People can buy and sell land, but in the Jubilee year it returns to the original owners. This means the price of land goes up and down depending on the number of crop years till jubilee.

This is why 25:23 says: “The land shall not be sold in perpetuity for the land is mine; with me you are but aliens and strangers (gerim and toshabim).”

We use the word “alien” of people from elsewhere in order to not acknowledge their full humanity, said Dr Warner. How would it change our relationships if we saw land as belonging to God not us?

The passage offers two case studies on the buying and selling of people.

First, Israelites in poverty can sell themselves into bound labour, but not slavery. However, Israelites can own gerim as slaves. Dr Warner said: “I cannot excuse away what Leviticus says about slavery, especially knowing what we do about legacies of slavery. This text is extraordinarily difficult and I cannot fix it for you.”

Second, Israelites can sell selves to gerim, but only until the year of jubilee. Israelites cannot be sold in perpetuity because they belong to God. She related this to the way

Leviticus talks of the Exodus, bringing Israel out of Egyptian slavery because they’re God’s slaves.

Dr Warner pointed out that Deuteronomy says much more about caring for strangers than Leviticus, paradoxically because in Deuteronomy Gerim can’t own land, so charity becomes necessary. In Leviticus they can own land; the book has far fewer charity provisions because it legislates equality. “You shall have one law for the stranger and for the native.”

In Babylonian culture, she said, following the law made the temple holy so gods can live in it; in Leviticus it makes whole land holy so God can live among people. Law applies to all irrespective of ethnicity, and the whole point is to return us to the garden of Eden where God walks amongst us.

“How can these ideas from the first jubilee inform the URC’s jubilee?” Dr Warner concluded ‘And, if I’m going to be tricky, what will be the role of rest?”

Session seven

Paper I2: Environmental Policy

Sarah Lane Cawte, Mission Committee Convenor, invited Rob Weston, Convenor of the Environmental Task Group, and Simeon Mitchell, Secretary for Church and Society, to present the report.

Noting that 2022 is the fifth hottest year on record, Simeon said the climate crisis is an ever-present reality; including a “frightening loss of biodiversity”. The policy being put forward with effect from January 2023 instructs committees and bodies under the control of the Assembly to adopt as minimum the practices it sets out, but Simeon emphasised that the plan requires all of us to play our part.

The policy sets out an ambition to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2030 and puts in place the plans we need to achieve this. Caring for creation and pursuing a just and sustainable use of the world’s resources are Gospel commitments, Simeon said.

Rob outlined progress that has been made since an earlier environmental policy was agreed in 2016. One in five congregations have signed up to the Eco-Church or Eco-Congregation Scotland schemes, half of them so far receiving an award; and systematic programmes of building assessments are in place across many synods. But we need to go further, Rob said: “We have dillied and dallied for too long.” He said the 2020s are a critical decade: “There is something more important on the agenda than the future of the URC. . . if we destroy the planet, there is no need for a URC.”

Turning to the “how” of implementing the policy, Simeon pointed Assembly to the range of resources available to churches and individuals, including:

• Green apostles in every synod to assist you
• Eco-Church and Eco-Congregation Scotland websites
• Greening your Church section of the URC website
• Synod Property Officers

Turning to questions, one speaker noted that pastorates are getting larger and asked whether the committee had considered ministers’ travel and financial support for the purchase of electric cars. Another member asked if any financial support would be available for synods. Simeon responded by saying the Task Group has not worked through all the implications of the policy because it permeates every part of the Church and requires discussions at every level: having set the policy overall the Church will need to work through the practicalities.

How do we hear the voices of children? asked another member. One youth representative said that finding out who the green apostles are is tricky (Mr Weston said that the Task Group would look to improve this). Another member asked, in view of the number of large, hard-to-heat buildings, was this a policy that is going to close churches? It was also noted that the policy is not in conflict with the Assembly’s decisions on pensions.

Supporting the resolution, one synod moderator said: “It’s often said we should do this for our children. Tosh! We need to do it for those who are dying all around the world now.” If anything, a youth representative said, we should be achieving net zero before 2030.

The Convenor of the Education and Learning Committee was concerned “we’re setting ourselves up to fail”, arguing that the URC’s plans are not as well developed as those of some ecumenical partners. He urged for significant resources to be applied to developing plans. Another speaker wished a challenge had been laid down for churches to “leave their buildings and pitch their tents elsewhere”. He believed that in some cases the building itself had become the idol replacing God as the sole focus of worship.

Some members shared their own local experiences of making changes in response to the crisis. What gets measured gets done, was the advice of one speaker. Another, responding to concerns about the upkeep of sizeable Victorian buildings, said how encouraged her congregation had been to discover that getting their large, old building through the Eco award requirements was the easiest part because there is so much advice online, and so many tools for a congregation to use. Another speaker encouraged the Task Group to work in conjunction with the Church Life Review.

With the addition of an amendment that requires a representative of URC Children to be included on a new Net Zero Task Group, the resolution as a whole was agreed by consensus.

Session eight

Paper N1: Church Life Review

The Revd Dr John Bradbury, General Secretary of the United Reformed Church, had planned to update General Assembly verbally on the work of the review task group, in addition to the written report received. The group was set up by the 2021 Assembly to undertake a major review of the work of the URC with a view to making it smaller and more sustainable.

In Dr Bradbury’s absence, the Revd Steve Faber, Moderator of West Midlands Synod gave a brief introduction to the report and fielded questions.

Mr Faber said that the group had embarked on considerable research. Most of the work undertaken is not yet ready for report but the group expect to bring substantive resolutions to General Assembly 2023.

He said: ‘This is not��change for the sake of change��time or inclination to rearrange deckchairs on the Titanic. We do not accept that ship is sinking, we do not accept inevitability of decline. There are stories of decline around the church but it is not too late to change.’

The written report outlines the following: research by Theos into flourishing churches; forensic accounting research into URC finances; matters of governance to be considered; helping churches with the burden of compliance; providing options for struggling churches.

Earlier in Assembly, members had discussed the future of the church in groups and given feedback. Mr Faber invited further feedback by email to churchlifereview@urc.org.uk

Paper I3: Mission, Korean Peace Appeal

In this session, Assembly was invited to “affirm its support for a lasting peace settlement to end the Korean War” and to instruct the General Secretary and Moderator to sign the Korea Peace Appeal on Assembly’s behalf.

The Appeal is a worldwide effort to secure 100 million signatures by June 2023, supporting a formal Peace Treaty between North and South Korea.

Members watched a video message from the Revd Dr Jong-Jung Lee, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches in Korea, who spoke about the Korean situation and also greeted the URC in the year of its jubilee.

Sarah Lane Cawte, Mission Committee Convenor, then invited the Revd David Grosch-Miller to introduce the motion. David is a member of the ��Ʒ��ҹ�������� Council of Churches Ecumenical Forum on Korea.

Despite the cessation of fighting and signing of an armistice in June 1953, he said, a formal end has never been declared to the war on the Korean peninsula, and he described the people of Korea as “pawns in the geo-politics of South-East Asia”.

He argued that the armistice remains a “temporary fix” that continues to bring hardship and pain to those living either side of the Korean Demilitarized Zone, which lies between North and South Korea.

David said that, in effect, Korea is one country with two governments, both laying claim to the peninsula. In addition, pre-Covid, it was estimated that 11 million people were living in poverty in the North owing to the sever regime of international sanctions which – David believed – would not effect any changes in North Korean’s closed society.

The people of Korea have suffered long enough, he said; a peace treaty will normalise the relations between the two parts of the country.

David concluded that, by supporting the resolution, the URC would be taking a prophetic stance; presenting a challenge to the foreign policy of governments, including in the UK and, principally, the USA.

A number of members spoke in support of the resolution, including a representative who brought a message from the Bristol Korean Church, which described the situation in Korea as “a wound that never heals”.

The Assembly also heard from two Koreans who are members of Assembly. In thanking the Assembly for considering the resolution, the Revd Barnabas Shin recalled growing up in South Korea where he was taught that “North Korea was our enemy”. He said: “We are still at war, pointing the guns to each other. We are supposed to be enemies and hate each other.”

Maria Lee spoke about going to Berlin in 2019 to mark the 30^th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. She was happy to be there to celebrate the union of a divided Germany. When the wall fell, she said, “their history became our nation’s hope”. In 2022, Korea is “living in the middle of a conflict”, Maria said, but she believed that prayer would lead to conversation.

The resolution was passed by consensus.

Session nine

Greetings from Bishop Mike Royal, General Secretary of Churches Together England

Bishop Mike Royal, the newly appointed General Secretary of Churches Together in England (CTE), greeted General Assembly and provided a synopsis on his career and priorities in his new role.

He explained that his focus for CTE Is “raising up a new generation of ecumenical leaders”.

“I want to see young leaders coming through,” he said, “and I’m excited about some of the young leaders that are coming across different church traditions.”

Importantly, he’d like to create more spaces for new churches of the charistmatic, Pentecostal and traditional churches to emerge at national and local levels as well.

Working closely with Philip Brooks and Karen Campbell, Bishop Mike shared how he looks forward to working with the URC in the future years.

He and a CTE colleague were gifted with goody bags by the General Assembly Moderator.

Visual presentation of Jubilee Ministers, New Ministers and CRCWs

The Moderator, the Revd Clare Downing, introduced a video presentation of ministers celebrating notable anniversaries of their ordinations in 2020. Ministers presented are celebrating 50, 60, and 70 years as ministers of Word and Sacrament.

The Moderator then introduced two newly ordained ministers: the Revd Jonnie Hill and the Revd Adam Woodhouse.

The Moderator led the Assembly in prayer for those who have had long journeys in ministry and for those just starting out on that journey.

��En bloc resolutions

The following resolutions were passed en bloc. En bloc resolutions are voted on without debate, having been deemed uncontroversial. This has no reflection on their importance. The full reports and resolutions in each case can be read here:

G1 Finance: General report 2021 to 2022
An update on the recent work of Finance Committee

H2 Ministries: Maintenance of ministry (resolution 14)
Restructuring the membership of the committee.

H4 Ministries: Confidentiality policy (resolution 15)
Changes to the parts of the policy dealing with prayer support and online meetings.

I4��Mission: Vision 2020 (resolution 19)
Evaluates the success of Vision 2020 and launches the Mission Enabling Fund in place of its grants scheme.

J1 Nominations: Report (resolution 22; 23)
Appoints committees and representatives of the Church and extends the term of service of the Assistant Clerk.

M1 General Secretary: Ministerial Discipline and Incapacity (resolution 24)
Amendments to the Basis of Union regarding ministerial discipline.

M2 General Secretary: Safeguarding (resolution 25)
Amendments to the Basis of Union regarding safeguarding.

M3��General Secretary: Church changes (resolution 26)
Lists church closures.

P1 Law and Polity Advisory Group
Update on drawing up guidance on property matters.

R1��MIND: Professional investigation within the Discipline Process (resolution 29; 30)
Change to the URC’s disciplinary process to allow the appointment of a professional investigator when needed.

R2 MIND: Indemnity (resolution 31)
Change to the URC’s disciplinary process to indemnify those involved.

R3��MIND: Authority within the Discipline Process (resolution 32)
Change to the URC’s disciplinary process allowing an Executive Group to interpret unclear rules.

R5 MIND: Assisting an accused minister (resolution 40; 41)
Change to the URC’s disciplinary process providing assistance to an accused minister.

R7��MIND: Assembly Representative for Discipline (resolution 43; 44)
Appoints the General Secretary to serve as the Assembly Representative for Discipline.

R8��MIND: Transitional arrangements (resolution 45)
Attempt to smooth the transition from the URC’s old disciplinary process to the new.

T1 Safeguarding Advisory Group: Annual report 2021
An update on the recent work of Safeguarding Advisory Group.

Paper H3: Pastoral supervision update
The Convenor, the Revd Paul Whittle, wished to make a small change to a paper concerning Pastoral supervision for ministers. Steps are being taken to increase the number of accredited pastoral supervisors – including training URC ministers and lay people through an established scheme at Wesley House. The change brought to the Assembly read:

“It is expected that ministers and lay folk will not charge for pastoral supervision of URC ministers, and will pastorally supervise no less than three per month when fully qualified.” (Previously the number of supervisions required per month was six.)

In response to a question, the Convenor confirmed that the new requirement would mean that some supervisors would carry a caseload of six individuals, meeting each minister once every two months.

Resolution 53: Private members resolution – travel expense rates
In the light of conversations with individuals fearing they may be “priced out” of attending meetings on behalf of the Church owing to the rise in fuel costs, the Revd Anne Sardeson brought an emergency “private member’s” resolution for consideration:

“In the light of increasing fuel costs, General Assembly requests the Finance Committee to reconsider the current policy of paying only the lower HMRC rate for travel expenses at General Assembly level, and encourages, synods and other bodies also to reconsider this.”

Seconding the resolution, The Revd Alex Clare-Young emphasised that the request was only for the relevant bodies to look at the issue.

The resolution was passed by a clear majority.

Paper G2: One off payment to ministers and lay staff

General Assembly resolved that, bearing in mind the recent energy cost increases, and with probable further energy price rises coming, a payment be made in October of £800 to those on the URC Plan for Partnership and £500 for each Church House employee.

“You don’t often hear of the Finance Committee spending money,” URC Treasurer Ian Hardie stated, “but this seems like the right thing to do. This is a gesture, it won’t cover the costs, but it will help.”

John Denison, Treasurer of the URC Southern Synod, said that this payment was the URC trying to level things up.

Jo Harris, URC Youth Moderator, and Dan Morrell amended the resolution to urge Synods and local churches to do the same for their staff, and Andy Middleton, the URC Legal Adviser, helped the Assembly to clarify the wording of the resolution.

Some Non-Stipendiary Ministers expressed disappointment about not being included, and the finance committee explained that not receiving a stipend was the reason why they weren’t included.

After a procedural motion from Steve Faber, Moderator of the West Midlands Synod, the resolution was carried.

Paper I1: Reinvigorating the ecumenical vision of the United Reformed Church

Discussions around Paper I1, the decision of which was previously remaindered, continued from session six.

Philip responded to points made about resolution 16.

One query centred on LEPs sometimes being difficult challenges, and not always positive experiences. Philip answered that they’re not always positive but that similar issues that exists in other areas. The film was an encouraging story, meant to encourage others. The report does highlight some of the frustrations with LEPs, complex issues that can challenge the URCs identity, but felt that shouldn’t discourage work as an LEPs. The report also recognises that approaches to ecumenism differs in England, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands.

He said: “In our anniversary year, how can we make the best use of our resources to further ecumenical commitments.”

“Ecumenism is who we are,” he said, “I ask you to trust the work that the Mission Committee will do so that we can come back next year to say this is what is possible.”

Although there was overwhelming support for the resolution, there was a concern about structural issues with LEPs.

Philip clarified that in the ongoing consultation work, positive and challenging experiences will be explored equally and not airbrushed over.

A toolkit for ecumenical work, mentioned in the report, can be found .

The resolution duly passed.

Reporting: Steve Tomkins, Andy Jackson, Laurence Waring, and Ann-Marie Nye. Pictures: Chris Andrews.

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