Church and Society

This committee seeks to serve local churches, district councils and synods, ecumenical and appropriate secular bodies, in raising awareness, sharing information and encouraging reflection and action on matters of justice and peace, healing and reconciliation. It seeks to represent the concern of the Church for such matters to government and others with power over the life of people in these islands, acting ecumenically wherever possible. It is responsible for Commitment for Life (including the 1% appeal) and will promote such other programmes as will help the above aims.

Committee Members

Convener: Revd Martin Camroux Secretary: Dr Andrew Bradstock

Administrator: Ms Wendy Cooper Programme Director, Commitment for Life: Mrs Anne Martin

Mr Geoffrey Duncan, Revd Owiny Laber, Mr Simon Loveitt, Revd Alan Paterson, Revd Tjarda Murray, Mrs Glenna Paynter, Miss Emma Pugh.

attending by invitation: Mr Graham Handscomb (Free Churches Education Committee),

Mr George Morton (CTBI Environmental Issues Network), Revd Brenda Russell (Churches Together for Healing).

1. Following up on Assembly 2003

1.1 Millennium Development Goals

1.1.1 The idea of a world without poverty has always seemed utopian, yet it is spoken of today as a serious possibility. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals, which have informed our campaigning work for several years and to which we pledged our support as a Church at Assembly last year, set a target date for freeing the world from extreme poverty and hunger: 2015. They also commit signatories – most of the major global organisations and many governments, development agencies, faith movements and other bodies – to work to increase access to education (particularly for girls), reduce infant and maternal mortality rates, and combat AIDS, malaria and other diseases by, if not before, that date.

1.1.2 These Goals should give us renewed zeal as we work, through Commitment for Life and in other ways, to see God’s kingdom reflected in our world. The God to whom both the Hebrew and Christian scriptures attest manifestly calls for justice rather than charity – for societies, not where the poor rely on the good will of the better off for their survival, but in which there are no poor to seek our charity [cf. Deuteronomy 15:4]. So to seek to make the Goals a reality is entirely consistent with our calling as people of God, as is our commitment to see poverty overcome in our country.

1.1.3 But ‘making the Goals a reality’ is easier said than done: what can a church, small in size and resources, do practically toward that end? One important task is to monitor progress towards the Goals and hold those committed to their realization to account for their action (or inaction). This we seek to do through the Grow Up Free From Poverty Coalition in which we have played an active role since its inception in 2001. Another is to keep alive the ‘big picture’ or ‘vision’ which can so easily fade when setbacks are encountered. A third is to step up our campaigning and lobbying. Since politicians maintain that ‘political will’ is the key ingredient in the Goals’ success, then, with others of like mind, we should seek to show that there is popular will. An excellent model is Jubilee 2000 which provoked a phenomenal shift in popular knowledge and awareness of the issue of debt. Since tackling poverty is a complex business, involving action on debt, aid, trade justice, fair trade, arms sales and many other issues, we join enthusiastically in campaigns co-ordinated by the Trade Justice Movement, Jubilee Debt Campaign, Fairtrade Foundation, Tobin Tax Network and others.

1.1.4 2005 will be a key year in development terms: the G8 leaders will meet in the UK for the first time since that memorable weekend in Birmingham in 1998; the UK will have the presidency of the EU for the second half of the year; the Commission for Africa will report; and it will be twenty years since Live Aid and ten years to 2015. This should inspire us to double our resolve to achieve major breakthroughs in important areas. We shall certainly work to ensure that the churches’ shared concern about the moral dimension of poverty will be clearly heard during that momentous year, particularly by world leaders. We also remember Clare Short’s challenge to us at Assembly last year, not to be satisfied with doing a bit more campaigning and giving a bit more money but to seek to re-orient ourselves as a Church totally committed to justice.

1.2 Ethics of the new warfare

1.2.1 A no less challenging task was presented to the Church and Society Committee by the resolution asking us ‘to explore and prepare a report on the ethics of warfare for the twenty-first century’.

1.2.2 Assessing work already being undertaken in this area has been an important first step, and, in the spirit of the resolution, material, advice and support from ecumenical partners here and overseas have been sought and obtained. Much invaluable work collecting data and making contacts has been done by the Secretary for International Relations, with whose committee we are working closely on this project. The involvement of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland is also proving very helpful and constructive.

1.2.3 Although it is not possible to say what form the final report will take, or to what uses it will be put, the topic is an immensely important one about which the churches ought to, and will have, much to say.

2. JustShare

2.1 Taking the debate about globalisation and social justice to the City is a vital part of the Church’s commitment to tackle poverty, and this we do through JustShare, a coalition of churches and Christian agencies founded in 2001. JustShare’s programme includes public debates, boardroom discussions and ‘street-level’ events on May Day, which this year included a ‘sermon for the City’ on the steps of the Royal Exchange followed by an open forum, and, for the third year running, fair trade stalls outside City churches. Public lunchtime discussions in St Mary-le-Bow Church, Cheapside, have brought together politicians, bankers, academics, church and agency leaders and journalists to debate topics such as corporate social responsibility, debt and other development-related issues.

3. Assets for Life

3.1 Poverty, hardship and marginalization are experienced by people in our own neighbourhoods as well as in the developing world. With the Church Related Community Work programme and Toc H we have produced a valuable resource for churches wanting to become more involved in serving their own local community. By examining a variety of projects that churches are undertaking in their local areas, and presenting them in a workbook and video, ‘Assets for Life’ aims to resource, encourage and inspire churches already active in neighbourhood renewal, those considering being active, and those for whom the concept might still be unfamiliar. We look forward to launching this pack at Assembly and to its being available for churches to use.

4. Commitment for Life

4.1. Challenge

4.1.1 At Assembly last year Clare Short electrified those who heard her: ‘Now is the time for people who say they believe in Jesus Christ to really mean it’ she said, challenging us to rediscover a sense of purpose through the struggle for justice and fairness in the world. Commitment for Life has been galvanized to respond to that, knowing also that the General Secretary was inundated with messages following up on this topic. So began a process of strengthening the work of justice in our church, our task being to resource churches to campaign for justice and fairness. Our strapline is ‘The United Reformed Church working for justice and peace in the world’.

4.1.2 The key areas for our focus include Fairtrade; Trade Justice; debt relief; poverty elimination (achieving the Millennium Development Goals) and recognising that global inequality also impacts on our own communities in the UK. Other issues we address are: the struggle for peace and justice in Israel/Palestine; HIV/AIDS; and environmental sustainability. We continue to update churches about our Christian Aid partners in one of four countries: Zimbabwe, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Jamaica and Bangladesh. We recognise that churches might take up part, but not all, of this agenda.

4.1.3 The assertion in the ‘Catching the vision’ statement that we are called to be a Church which is ‘centred upon the gospel and the proclamation of its message of freedom and justice’ and the call to make a visible difference showed us that the context of our work is changing. Speaking in October 2003, David Cornick said ‘We need to continually be reminded that being “in Christ” means transcending narrow nationalisms and cultural constructs – including economic and political systems which are intended to advantage me and disadvantage my sister.’ We discover anew that our self-interest is not what counts in the eyes of God.

4.1.4 Over the past year, Commitment for Life has worked increasingly closely with the World Church programme, producing a series of ‘Going Global’ materials for harvest, Advent and Lent and a series of topical leaflets. This year we will jointly produce the Church’s leaflet for 2004 under the heading ‘The United Reformed Church working for justice and peace in the world, through Commitment for Life and Belonging to the World Church’. This offers an opportunity to explore the United Reformed Church’s response to global issues and overseas partner issues and to see how material and information from the two programmes can build and support each other. We regard the covenant for justice produced by the World Alliance of Reformed Churches as an important document to help us all reflect on our faith and our actions for economic justice and the environment. (See Appendix 3)

4.1.5 A World Church solidarity visit to Zimbabwe in April included a visit to Silveira House. A group of six Advocates are due to visit the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee (PARC) and Christian Aid’s other partners in April. These are dark and difficult times for both places but the sense of sharing with them is deeper. Our Bangladeshi partners visited the Synod of Scotland in September 2003 and toured churches. This October we shall have visitors from PARC to speak at two Synods. We are glad to have this opportunity to help people gain a deeper understanding of our partners.

4.1.6 During the year, Fairtrade gained an ever-higher profile amongst the general public and in our churches. We co-ordinated the Church Action Guide for Fairtrade Fortnight which was used by all the churches and agencies and helped to establish the criteria for being a Fairtrade Church as well as a Fairtrade Synod. By March 2004 all but one of our Synods had raised the issue of Fairtrade and were moving along a path to becoming ‘Fairtrade Synods’. Many people from our Church are also involved in helping their town or city become Fairtrade. The contribution of the churches in this growing movement is readily acknowledged by the Fairtrade Foundation and we trust that our support will be sustained and develop.

4.1.7 Awareness of issues around Trade Justice is growing, as stories circulate of subsidized goods from the European Union and United States dominating markets across the globe and forcing local producers out of the business. At Cancun, the World Trade Organization meeting ended without agreement because the rich nations insisted on pressing forward on four new issues, before agreeing to sort out failures to implement reforms in the agricultural sector. One significant success has been the backing down of our Government on two of the new issues, including investment. The World Development Movement leads the campaign to keep water out of private control, which the EU is increasingly pressing for under GATS. This important campaign for economic justice carries on and will be a key focus in 2005.

4.1.8 As mentioned above (1.1.4), 2005 is being identified as a major year of opportunity in which to tackle poverty in the world. Challenged by the Chancellor to back his ideas for a doubling of aid money, the development agencies have come together to plan for a massive campaign for 2005 around the elimination of poverty. The objectives are higher levels of financing for development (lest we fail to achieve the Millennium Development Goals) and also trade justice. The intention is that this campaign should be unprecedented in size and scope and we feel that there is a unique role that the churches can play. At the time of writing, an overarching slogan had yet to emerge.

4.2 Giving, partners and administration

4.2.1 The number of participating churches has grown and at the time of writing (March 2004) stands at 610, with several churches in the Synod of Scotland now participating. Giving to Commitment for Life grew by 7% last year to £564,000, revealing truly sacrificial giving on the part of many churches. This increase has enabled a larger than ever sum to be sent to Christian Aid for the work of our partners, and to the World Development Movement for their advocacy in the corridors of power.

4.2.2 We continue to send fresh material to churches including a Lent resource this year. ‘Moving Stories’ is an e-mail resource we began compiling in 2003 to pass on the stories we receive, responding to the crisis in Israel/Palestine. We share, not only stories of suffering and courage, but actions by peacemakers and activists, such as the Ecumenical Accompaniers sent by EAPPI programme of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) to witness for peace amongst both Israeli and Palestinian organisations. With resources available on a range of issues, we encourage all churches (not just Commitment for Life ones) to raise awareness on global issues of justice and peace.

4.2.3 The programme remains lively and responsive. Thanks must be given for the wonderful support at the centre from Michael Hopkins; the hard-working committee members; and the energetic advocacy from a loyal and passionate team of some fifty Synod Advocates and others like Val Morrison who copy edits ‘Moving Stories’.

4.2.4 Ecumenical links are increasingly strong, with Fairtrade as a valuable ecumenical tool. United Methodist churches receive materials from Commitment for Life and the Methodist Relief and Development Fund. The Baptist Union of Great Britain will be launching ‘Just Life’, a joint scheme with Christian Aid, in October 2004. ‘Just Life’ has been modelled on Commitment for Life because of the success of our programme.

4.3 In conclusion

‘One of the strengths of Commitment for Life has been the sharing of powerful stories about real people. Those stories bring home the issues of peace with justice in ways that engage interest and involvement. Commitment for Life is, therefore, truly a Kingdom programme. It reinforces the view that when people understand realities and see possibilities of change, they will respond. It is encouraging to know that increasing numbers of churches are taking part. Following Clare Short’s prophetic challenge at 2003 General Assembly, I very much hope that the number of participating churches will continue to increase.’

Alasdair Pratt, Moderator of General Assembly 2003/4.

5. Peace and Peacemaking

5.1 Members of the United Reformed Church Peace Fellowship joined in the annual walk round the embassies of the ‘Nuclear Weapons States’, the three countries who have not signed up to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and the embassies of the New Agenda Coalition. We have publicized the 2003 Assembly resolution on the ethics of warfare among other peace organisations that have contributed to the report.

5.2 We were represented at a service of remembrance and reconciliation for those who died in the war with Iraq. Our annual conference was well attended and we were urged by Fred Kaan to speak out challengingly for peace and reconciliation. We took part in the Holy Innocents Day Service at St Martin-in-the-Fields, remembering child victims of war. We continue to urge the United Reformed Church and synods to dis-invest from companies in the business of arms trading. The United Reformed Church is now a member of the CTBI Decade to Overcome Violence Working Group. We are all called to be peacemakers in a world broken by violence and conflict.

6. AIDS Working Group

6.1 The group continues in its task of resourcing ministers and congregations in a greater awareness of the devastating affects of the HIV/AIDS virus both globally and in the UK. While promoting the excellent materials available through the Commitment for Life programme, and from other churches and agencies, the group has decided to focus its current work on the UK dimension.

6.2 Representatives of the Methodist Church have now attended two meetings and they are keen to work with us in the future. We produced a joint leaflet, ‘Speak out about HIV/AIDS’, containing information and a directory of resources. This was distributed to all churches earlier in the year. We are keen to continue and increase ecumenical co-operation. The Methodist representatives are informally exploring within their structures the possibility of this becoming a joint United Reformed Church-Methodist Working Group, hopefully becoming more ecumenical in due course.

6.3 In our churches, we are avoiding talking about sex, violence and sexuality, all of which are intrinsic to humanity, God and AIDS. In the Working Group we seek to provide opportunity for further exploration of these issues, possibly through an open event in Spring 2005.

7. Health and Healing

7.1 During the past year the group Churches Together for Healing, which now has representatives from eleven denominations, has been seeking recognition as a Coordinating Group within Churches Together in England. This recognition has now been given and we are rejoicing that we are recognized as part of a much bigger ecumenical group. We go on seeking to encourage denominations that do not yet have a representative to appoint someone to come and share. Our representatives are the Revd Brenda G Russell and the Revd Delia Bond.

7.2 We have recently changed our Chairperson, from Brenda Russell to Christine Pocock (who represents Ecumenical Hospital Chaplaincy work), and Secretary, from Beatrice Brandon (one of the Editors of the Anglican, A Time to Heal) to Revd Elsie Howell (one of the Baptist Representatives).

7.3 Information is being gathered which gives a definition of each denomination’s understanding of the Ministry of Christian Healing. With this information we shall have a better understanding of each other’s way of working within this part of the churches’ life.

7.4 Later in the year a meeting is planned between members of Churches Together for Healing and the coordinators within the Acorn Trust. We go on seeking ways to help those with an interest in the Healing Ministry and would value an indication of what might be helpful.

7.5 Alongside this work the Methodist and United Reformed Health and Healing representatives will be having a gathering in Stafford in May when we shall have speakers and share information and experiences, seeking to support each other.

8. Environmental Issues Network

8.1 The Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Environmental Issues Network (EIN) provides the focus for United Reformed Church work on the environment. The EIN brings together representatives with environmental interests from the denominations and Christian environmental organisations. Global concerns about climate change have been dominant in discussions, particularly related to the revised World Council of Churches report Solidarity with Victims of Climate Change.

8.2 Churches are asked to take part in Operation Noah, an initiative of Christian Ecology Link, on climate change. This comprises a campaign for international action on global warming, individual action such as changing to electricity from renewable sources, and a commitment to increase public awareness of the dangers of global warming. Operation Noah will be launched at Coventry Cathedral on Saturday 9 October 2004.

8.3 Eco-congregation, the programme in which churches can improve their environmental habits, moves to a new relationship with the Arthur Rank Centre and the programme extends in Scotland and Wales. The related Black-Majority Churches Environmental Project developed environmental community work. The Revd Dr David Pickering will end his work for Eco-congregation in 2004 after five years establishing the programme. His commitment and enthusiasm have been the reason for the successful development of Eco-congregation and the greater activity of the EIN.

9. Criminal Justice

9.1 The Churches’ Criminal Justice Forum (CCJF) is a network of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, receiving funding from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation’s Rethinking Crime and Punishment project. Mrs Wilma Frew, a magistrate and former Moderator of General Assembly, was recently appointed to represent the United Reformed Church on this body.

9.2 One of the Forum’s main concerns is prisons, with prison conditions, rehabilitation of offenders, education and training within prisons, the care of prisoners’ families, prison chaplaincy and community chaplaincy dominating the agenda. A publication entitled What can I do?, detailing the many ways volunteers can help with the criminal justice system, was launched recently. It has been very well received and has been praised by, among others, the Minister for Prisons and Probation, Paul Goggins MP. The Forum has also considered the recently published Carter Report ‘Managing Offenders, Reducing Crime’ and the Government response to it. The Report gives a clearly presented overview of the criminal justice system at present and contains some proposals for changes in emphasis in sentencing for the future – moving from custody to more rigorous community penalties where possible. Its main recommendation is for one National Offender Management Service to integrate all the agencies currently involved in the various aspects of punishment and rehabilitation.

10. The rise of the extreme right

10.1 Aware that significant European and local elections were coming up in June, the Church and Society and Racial Justice committees jointly tabled a resolution at January Mission Council noting with concern the rise of ‘extreme right-wing and racist political parties’ and affirming that ‘membership or any form of support for organisations such as the British National Party is incompatible with Christian discipleship’. The resolution also celebrated our increasing number of multi-ethnic congregations and called on local churches to continue to practise and promote racial justice and inclusion and encourage voting during the forthcoming elections. It was carried unanimously and has been circulated widely to churches and the press. Similar public statements around the same time were made by the Methodist Church and the Synod of the Church of England.

11. World Alliance of Reformed Churches Faith Stance on the Global Crisis of Life

11.1 At last year’s General Assembly the following resolution (resolution 31) was passed:

General Assembly draws the attention of the councils and appropriate committees of the church to ‘Faith Stance on the Global Crisis of Life’, invites them (as a matter of priority) to find space to discuss and reflect on it, and instructs the Church and Society and Ecumenical Committees to collate responses to the document for report to the 2004 General Assembly.

11.1.1 In response the statement produced by the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (Appendix 3) was circulated to synods and districts through the networks of the International Relations and Church & Society offices with a request for comments. It was also discussed at the Ecumenical and Church & Society committees, at the Advisory Group on Faith and Order, and at the October meeting of Mission Council. The collated response below represents in the main the discussion at Mission Council (only two districts having submitted written responses), and the subsequent discussion in the Ecumenical Committee as it considered a draft response prepared by the Secretary for International Relations in consultation with the officers of the Church & Society Committee.

11.2 Response to Faith Stance Statement

11.2.1 The United Reformed Church welcomes the Faith Stance on the Global Crisis of Life statement produced by the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) as a contribution to the Covenanting for Justice process. We have discussed it in our councils and committees and offer the following comment as our contribution to the ongoing debate.

11.2.2 Listening to the voices of our sisters and brothers in the South we hear their pain and their cry for justice, but find this somewhat obscured in the complexity of the statement’s language. In particular the undifferentiated use of theological and economic reasoning (sometimes in the same sentence) often induced a negative response in many of those who read the statement as they misunderstood the point being made. That said, many commented that they felt compelled to engage with the statement even whilst its language was not their language.

11.2.3 Some concern was expressed that the statement was too simplistic in its analysis of the global economy and the part we all (from North and South) play in it. Whilst the majority of the victims of economic injustice are to be found in the South, they are also here in the North and likewise the beneficiaries are not confined to any particular continent. Furthermore as churches we need to recognise our own complicity with the existing systems, being for the most part beneficiaries (Northern churches through their investments and Southern churches in receipt of funding derived from these investments – member bodies of the Council for World Mission being a particularly good example of this).

11.2.4 Some respondents felt that the statement reflected an ideology that was not helpful for engaging with present day realities.

11.2.5 Many felt that modelling the ‘Our Covenant for Life’ on the Ten Commandments was not helpful, preferring instead to have something more positive or constructive – a statement of what we commit ourselves to, rather than what we reject: an affirmation of life. Or, if we state what it is that we reject or repent of, what is it that we affirm in its place? What is our good news, our hope for the world today?

11.2.6 In this respect many noted some of the ways in which we, in the United Reformed Church, are seeking to respond to global injustice, in particular through our Commitment for Life programme. We also note our draft vision statement, which states: ‘We are called by God to be a church which is centred upon the gospel and the proclamation of its message of freedom and justice … We will seek, visibly and recognizably to make a difference to our communities and our society, in the name of Jesus Christ.’ And the second of our three ecumenical principles, adopted at our Assembly in 2001 is ‘to proclaim more clearly, in word and deed, that in Christ we are one World Church family living in a world which God loves, and to celebrate the rich diversity of cultures, languages and church traditions, and to seek, as appropriate to work with members of other faith communities for the promotion of biblical values of love, peace and justice.’

11.2.7 In this context we offer our comment, recognising the real pain of many in the world today and our own commitment to work for justice. We therefore hope that WARC can arrive at a statement which simply and clearly offers a covenant which sets out our commitment to God and to one another to work for justice in the world. Micah put it most succinctly when he said ‘what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God’ (Micah 6:8), which is why for many years we included it on United Reformed Church membership certificates.

11.3 Subsequent Developments

11.3.1 As part of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches Covenanting for Justice process the United Reformed Church, with assistance from some of the other British and Irish member bodies of WARC, hosted a WARC Members Gathering at London Colney in February, at which a new Faith Stance statement was agreed (Appendix 3, Document 2), which will be presented to WARC’s General Council in Accra, Ghana in August for adoption by the World Alliance as its Faith Stance on Covenanting for Justice in the Economy and the Earth. This statement, which has been considered by the Church & Society Committee, is presented here in line with the spirit of last year’s resolution, giving Assembly the opportunity to voice its views which will help inform our representatives to the WARC General Council.

Resolution 17: 2005 Campaign to Double Aid and Make Trade Just

General Assembly

a) notes with approval plans for a major mobilization to fight poverty in 2005 incorporating efforts to ensure that the finance is available to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and a concerted campaign to make trade rules work in the interest of poor nations;

b) pledges its support for this mobilization and for ecumenical action within it.

1.1 Reflecting its concern for global justice, General Assembly 2003 formally endorsed the Millennium Development Goals. These Goals have been adopted by the global community and set targets to ensure that, by 2015, every child has schooling, avoidable infant and maternal mortality is prevented, more people have access to clean water and poverty is halved. The United Nations has estimated that, if the Goals are to be achieved, aid must be increased from the current level of just over $50 billion per year to $100 billion each year until 2015. The danger of not realising the international promises made is very real.

1.2 The UK Government is committed to reaching the target of spending 0.7% of national income on aid. However, a co-ordinated effort by all donor governments is required to raise the levels of aid significantly in the short run so as to impact on tackling poverty NOW. The evidence is of good returns on aid spent on poverty reduction programmes, especially where recipient governments support such strategies. With other developed countries the UK Government is creating an International Finance Facility (IFF), designed to double global development aid from US$50 billion today to US$100 billion a year in the years to 2015.

The Facility would move the developed world closer towards the international target of spending 0.7% of national income on aid and help to improve the way aid works. Aid is needed to build the infrastructure, create an educated and healthy workforce, develop systems to deter corruption, and to create an environment where trade can be increased.

1.3 The 2005 campaign encompasses a concern to see fairer rules governing global trade, so carrying forward the work of the Trade Justice Movement which comprises 60 organisations including Christian Aid, the World Development Movement and ourselves. Talks at the World Trade Organisation will progress during the coming year, but a unique opportunity exists for the UK government to give leadership in this process and ensure that the rhetoric of a ‘development’ round becomes a reality and the interests of poorer nations are safeguarded.

1.4 All the major development non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are in the throes of planning a co-ordinated campaign for 2005, using existing plans such as Comic Relief Day, the Week of Global Action for Trade Justice (10-16 April) and the G8 Summit in the UK in June. The intention is that this campaign will be unprecedented in size and scope, be populist in its message but seek to see tangible results. At the time of going to print a catchy title had not yet been agreed on. We are working ecumenically towards a specific contribution from the churches to the 2005 campaign.

Resolution 18: Commitment for Life

General Assembly

a) welcomes the continuing and significant growth in the number of local churches participating in Commitment for Life and the consequent increase in funds raised and campaigning activity;

b) recognizes the personal effort in promoting the programme put in by advocates in each synod and the effective work of the Director and Programme Assistant;

c) notes that although there is a continuing focus on partners, through Christian Aid, in four countries, there is an increased and growing emphasis on campaigning for economic justice;

d) notes the closer relationship between Commitment for Life and the International Relations office and commends to churches the new leaflet produced jointly by both programmes;

e) agrees that the disbursement of Commitment for Life income shall remain at 75% going to our partners via Christian Aid, 10% for World Development Movement and 15% for Grants and Advocacy;

f) therefore urges non-participating churches, large and small, to join the Commitment for Life programme, a mission priority of the church, and in the work for justice and peace.

Resolution 19: The Environment

General Assembly

a) affirms its commitment to the Five Marks of Mission with their call to the people of God to be faithful stewards of God’s creation and to seek to sustain and renew the life of the earth;

b) welcomes and endorses ‘An environmental policy for the United Reformed Church’;

c) commends churches that have engaged with the United Reformed Church ‘Roots and Branches’ pack and the subsequent ecumenical ‘Eco-Congregation’ project; congratulates Zion United Reformed Church Northallerton and Christ Church URC/Methodist Church Ross-on-Wye on gaining the Eco-Congregation Award; and encourages other churches to follow their lead;

d) pledges its support for Operation Noah, an initiative of the Christian Ecology Link seeking to raise awareness of, and promote action around, the issue of climate change.

An Environmental Policy for the United Reformed Church

1 Introduction

1.1 For the past five or more years the United Reformed Church has been engaged in a thorough examination of its ideas of mission and the degree to which ideas are turned into reality in the life of the Church. One of the tools used has been The Five Marks of Mission, first formulated by the Lambeth Conference of 1988 and then endorsed in their present form in 1997 by the Forum of Churches Together in England:

• to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom;

• to teach, baptise and nurture new believers;

• to respond to human need by loving service;

• to seek to transform unjust structures of society;

• to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation; and to sustain and renew the life of the earth.

1.2 General Assembly adopted the Five Marks in 1999. These principles need to be translated into policy and an agenda for the church. Church and Society has prepared the following environmental policy in response to the fifth ‘mark’, ‘to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation; to sustain and renew the life of the earth’. It is offered to Assembly for discussion and (hopefully) adoption.

1.3 It is clear from all that we affirm that care for creation, a just sharing of the world’s resources, and a concern for the environment are fundamental gospel commitments. We acknowledge the work and effort already undertaken by some of our local churches on environmental/creation care issues and, noting the significant impact that this has had on their mission, believe that a far greater number should be encouraged to give expression to their Christian faith in this way. Assembly is therefore invited to reflect upon and to affirm the following policy statement in order that it may guide thinking and practice within our local churches, districts, synods, colleges and national church life and practice.

2 Our Stewardship of Creation

2.1 The Basis of Union, paragraph 17, affirms that the United Reformed Church believes ‘….in the one living and true God, creator, preserver and ruler of all things in heaven and earth, Father, Son and Holy Spirit….’ God entrusts creation to our stewardship (Genesis 1-2), and in Christ wills to reclaim it from its bondage to decay (Romans 8:19-25). Discipleship involves caring for creation so that future generations (whom God also loves) can enjoy it and benefit from it.

2.2 We affirm that Christian mission includes caring for God’s earth and of all creation. It includes sharing in putting right the relationships within God’s creation that have gone wrong, and working within the church and with partners outside the church to grow towards justice and good stewardship as envisaged in the Biblical vision of the world as it is meant to be.

2.3 We know that human activity has contributed to the degradation of the earth in its land, seas and atmosphere, and that this is not the will of God. We believe that this degradation limits the attainment of the fullness of life that God wills for all creation, and is a sin for which we should seek forgiveness. It also imposes most heavily upon the peoples of the developing countries of the world and is part of the intrinsic injustice to which we bear witness.

2.4 In fulfilling our commitment to our calling we challenge and encourage our churches and members to care for the earth by following sustainable practice and by taking into account global and local environmental considerations for present and future generations

• in the conservation and use of resources in church life and at home;

• in following a more sustainable lifestyle;

• in active involvement in community initiatives aimed at sustaining and renewing the environment;

• in concerns for action on global environmental issues.

2.5 To this end we should have regard to

• the challenge of meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs;

• the potential for harnessing the skills, expertise and enthusiasm of the members of our congregations;

• the opportunities for co-operation in joint initiatives with other congregations, including ecumenical joint action, schools and secular organisations;

• the actions in one place that may have an effect in other places;

• the valuable contribution of small steps by individuals as well as major initiatives.

3 Our Environmental Objectives

3.1 In order to work out our faith and fulfil our responsibility for the stewardship of God’s creation, we commit ourselves to the following actions:

3.2 Awareness and Commitment

• promoting awareness among our congregations of these principles and objectives and of the values underpinning them;

• ensuring that all staff members of the United Reformed Church, its synods and colleges are familiar with this environmental commitment and its objectives, and encouraging them to work towards its implementation;

• encouraging United Reformed Churches in their activities to comply with all relevant environmental recommendations for good practice.

3.3 Energy and Water

• ensuring energy is used efficiently and whenever possible conserving and reducing its use;

• encouraging the increased use of renewable energy, especially green electricity using water efficiently and with care;

• preventing pollutants from entering the drainage system.

3.4 Waste

• reducing the production of material waste including unnecessary packaging;

• encouraging the re-use, repair and re-cycling of materials including organic waste;

• disposing of waste in a safe and responsible way;

• adopting environmentally sensitive purchasing policies, for example recycled paper.

3.5 Materials and Resources

• buying products which are made in accordance with the principle of using material in a sustainable way and using locally-made or produced goods and food as far as this is possible and practicable;

• buying products from sources that adhere to principles of fair trade, especially mindful of those within poorer countries;

• taking into account the lifetime costs and embodied energy of materials when repairing, altering or rebuilding premises;

• offering electronic communication as an alternative to paper for those who are suitably equipped.

3.6 Natural and Built Environment

• taking appropriate opportunities to conserve and enhance the natural and built environment;

• engaging with local planning developments where these affect the environment;

• encouraging the renewal and enhancement of the urban environment;

• being sensitive to the impact of church activities on the local environment;

• ensuring church-owned land is used in ways that will protect the environment.

3.7 Travel

• making every effort to reduce air pollution and energy consumption resulting from the use of cars and planes by avoidance of unnecessary travel and the use of energy-efficient vehicles;

• exploring undertaking the work of the denomination and local church in ways which reduce the need for travel, particularly by car and plane, and encouraging the use of public transport;

• sharing car transport whenever possible.

3.8 We affirm that the earth belongs to God and hold to a vision of a world that reflects the glory of God. So together we will celebrate all that is done and achieved in fulfilling our human responsibility for the care and stewardship of creation.

3.9 We recognise and commend

• Eco-Congregation, an environmental toolkit for local churches which was established by the partnership of the Environmental Issues Network of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland and ENCAMS. Eco-Congregation now operates in England and Wales from the Arthur Rank Centre and in Scotland from a partnership between the Church of Scotland’s Society, Religion and Technology Project and Keep Scotland Beautiful. (www.ecocongregation.org)

• Operation Noah, an initiative of the Christian Ecology Link seeking to raise awareness of, and promote action around, the issue of Climate Change. (www.christian-ecology.org.uk/noah)

3.10 These projects supply materials and assistance in raising the awareness of congregations to our stewardship of creation, for enhancing worship and Bible study, for working with children, young people and adults, and for taking action of a practical nature in our church life and within our communities. We encourage their use amongst our churches as a way of living out our environmental policy. We also commend the Roots and Branches pack produced by the Church and Society Committee of the United Reformed Church in 1999.

We thank the Baptist Union for permission to model the above Environmental Policy on theirs.

Resolution 20: Israeli Separation Barrier

General Assembly:

a) views with deep indignation the Separation Barrier currently being constructed by the Government of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

b) believes that the Barrier is causing profound social and economic problems for the Palestinian population as well as seriously hampering efforts to find a just and long lasting peace in the region.

c) condemns unreservedly terrorist attacks upon innocent Israeli civilians but believes that the best way for Government of Israel to provide long-term security for its people is to engage in a peace process that will result in the end of the occupation in accordance with long-standing UN resolutions.

d) calls upon the UK Government to use its influence to see that construction of the barrier is halted, that existing sections are dismantled and that confiscated land is returned to Palestinians along with compensation for any damage caused.

e) pledges itself to support the work of peace groups within Israel and the Occupied Territories and UK based advocacy groups, such as Christian Aid and EAPPI in their work in the Occupied Territories.

1.1 Background

The building of a barrier was originally proposed by the Labour Party in 1989/90 and opposed by Ariel Sharon, then in opposition. The idea was for a barrier to follow the Green Line, thus demarcating the border, and for settlements to be dismantled. In April 2002, the Israeli Cabinet approved a plan to ‘improve and reinforce the readiness and operational capability to copy with terrorism’. (Chris McGreal,’Barricade or prison? A journey along Israel’s security fence’ Guardian, September 2003)