Other Links

you are in : General Assembly > Assembly Records 2002 > Monday 8 July 2002

general assembly

THE UNITED REFORMED CHURCH

Minutes of the General Assembly of the United Reformed Church 2002

Monday 8 July 2002

The Chaplain led Assembly in worship.

The Moderator asked the Assembly Clerk to present the minutes of Sunday 7th July.

Address to the Throne

The Moderator invited the Revd Elizabeth Welch, the immediate past Moderator, to present the Address to the Throne:

 

To the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty

The General Assembly of the United Reformed Church now meeting at St Andrew's University sends greetings to Your Majesty.

Our decision to hold our Assembly at St Andrew's reflects the stronger presence the United Reformed Church now has in Scotland. This is a consequence of its union two years ago with the Congregational Union of Scotland which was entered into with great enthusiasm and anticipation by both parties. The United Reformed Church is proud that it is now able to exercise its ministry in the three nations on the mainland of the British Isles.

We give gratitude and thanks to God for the fifty years of service Your Majesty has given to the nation and the Commonwealth, and pray that God may bless and uphold you during this year of Jubilee. We were pleased to be represented at the Jubilee Services at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle and St. Paul's Cathedral. We were grateful that, after the first of these significant services, you marked the ecumenical progress that has been made in these islands over the past 50 years by your presence at the signing of the personal Covenant between the Presidents of Churches Together in England.

We share the sense of sadness and loss felt by the whole country at the deaths earlier this year of Her Royal Highness the Princess Margaret and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. We pray that Your Majesty and the members of your family will know the gracious blessing of God through the Christian hope of Resurrection.

The mood of celebration abroad in the country during this, Your Majesty's Jubilee year, calls to mind the biblical roots of the concept of 'Jubilee'. The Scriptures teach us that the institution of a 'Jubilee year' was God's way of periodically levelling out inequalities in society, of ensuring that those burdened with debt or bonded as slaves could enjoy a fresh start. Appropriately the international campaign for the relief of the debt burden borne by the world's poorest countries styles itself with the name 'Jubilee'. We congratulate Your Majesty's Government on the lead it continues to give the rest of the world in the matter of securing deeper and wider debt relief for the millions of people still enslaved by debt in Commonwealth countries and beyond. We pray that this will be a continuing part of Your Majesty's Government's policy through this Jubilee year and beyond.
 

Our concern for justice also leads us to support the growing movement for a transformation of the rules governing international trade. We share the view that such a transformation, together with full debt relief for the world's poorest and most indebted countries, is vital if the Millennium Development Goals, to which Your Majesty's Government is committed, are to be met. We very warmly welcome Your Government's decision to honour Your Majesty's Jubilee year with the establishment of a fund to speed the introduction of universal primary education in the Commonwealth.

With the whole global community we continue to be deeply shocked by the events which took place in New York and Washington last September, and continue to work and pray for peaceful and just solutions to the situations of conflict in our world. The experience of September 11 presents us with many challenges, one of the most important being the need for different faiths to understand one another better and find ways of working more closely together. We applaud the lead Your Majesty has given in this direction, noting especially the reception at Buckingham Palace in June for representatives of nine faith communities in the UK. We warmly endorse the message presented to Your Majesty on that occasion, with its pledge to pursue mutual understanding 'in a spirit of friendship and co-operation'. Our own churches are committed to working alongside others of goodwill to foster harmony between people of all faiths and races. We seek to follow the biblical injunction to 'welcome the stranger' into our midst, and stand in prayerful solidarity with those from minority communities, including those seeking asylum, who so often find themselves among the most vulnerable and marginalised in our society.

We pray for the continued health and strength of Your Majesty as you offer leadership and service to the United Kingdom and to the Commonwealth.

We have the honour to remain your Majesty's faithful and loyal subjects.

 

The Assembly approved the Address.

 

Moderator-Elect

The Moderator invited the Moderator-Elect, the Revd D. Alasdair Pratt, to address the Assembly.

 

Vote of Thanks

The Moderator called upon Mr Graham Rolfe, who thanked the Synod of Scotland for its welcome and hospitality. Mr Rolfe assured members of a warm welcome to Wessex Synod in 2003.

The Moderator thanked those who had contributed to the smooth running of the Assembly, expressing particular thanks to the Chaplain and leader of Assembly Bible Study.

The Revd Carolyn Smyth, on behalf of the Drumchapel Churches Partnership, thanked the Assembly for the generous donation to the Emmaus Project, of the Offering from the Assembly Communion.

The General Secretary thanked the Moderator for his patience, wisdom and grace in conducting the proceedings of Assembly.

 

Closing Worship

The Chaplain led the closing worship, which included the induction of the Revd Raymond Adams as Deputy General Secretary.

The General Secretary formally announced that the Assembly had completed its business and would adjourn to meet as agreed in Portsmouth on 5th-8th July 2003, or at such other place or on such other date as may be necessary.

Monday 8 July 2002

The Chaplain led Assembly in worship.

The Moderator asked the Assembly Clerk to present the minutes of Sunday 7th July.

Address to the Throne

The Moderator invited the Revd Elizabeth Welch, the immediate past Moderator, to present the Address to the Throne:

 

To the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty

The General Assembly of the United Reformed Church now meeting at St Andrew's University sends greetings to Your Majesty.

Our decision to hold our Assembly at St Andrew's reflects the stronger presence the United Reformed Church now has in Scotland. This is a consequence of its union two years ago with the Congregational Union of Scotland which was entered into with great enthusiasm and anticipation by both parties. The United Reformed Church is proud that it is now able to exercise its ministry in the three nations on the mainland of the British Isles.

We give gratitude and thanks to God for the fifty years of service Your Majesty has given to the nation and the Commonwealth, and pray that God may bless and uphold you during this year of Jubilee. We were pleased to be represented at the Jubilee Services at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle and St. Paul's Cathedral. We were grateful that, after the first of these significant services, you marked the ecumenical progress that has been made in these islands over the past 50 years by your presence at the signing of the personal Covenant between the Presidents of Churches Together in England.

We share the sense of sadness and loss felt by the whole country at the deaths earlier this year of Her Royal Highness the Princess Margaret and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. We pray that Your Majesty and the members of your family will know the gracious blessing of God through the Christian hope of Resurrection.

The mood of celebration abroad in the country during this, Your Majesty's Jubilee year, calls to mind the biblical roots of the concept of 'Jubilee'. The Scriptures teach us that the institution of a 'Jubilee year' was God's way of periodically levelling out inequalities in society, of ensuring that those burdened with debt or bonded as slaves could enjoy a fresh start. Appropriately the international campaign for the relief of the debt burden borne by the world's poorest countries styles itself with the name 'Jubilee'. We congratulate Your Majesty's Government on the lead it continues to give the rest of the world in the matter of securing deeper and wider debt relief for the millions of people still enslaved by debt in Commonwealth countries and beyond. We pray that this will be a continuing part of Your Majesty's Government's policy through this Jubilee year and beyond.
 

Our concern for justice also leads us to support the growing movement for a transformation of the rules governing international trade. We share the view that such a transformation, together with full debt relief for the world's poorest and most indebted countries, is vital if the Millennium Development Goals, to which Your Majesty's Government is committed, are to be met. We very warmly welcome Your Government's decision to honour Your Majesty's Jubilee year with the establishment of a fund to speed the introduction of universal primary education in the Commonwealth.

With the whole global community we continue to be deeply shocked by the events which took place in New York and Washington last September, and continue to work and pray for peaceful and just solutions to the situations of conflict in our world. The experience of September 11 presents us with many challenges, one of the most important being the need for different faiths to understand one another better and find ways of working more closely together. We applaud the lead Your Majesty has given in this direction, noting especially the reception at Buckingham Palace in June for representatives of nine faith communities in the UK. We warmly endorse the message presented to Your Majesty on that occasion, with its pledge to pursue mutual understanding 'in a spirit of friendship and co-operation'. Our own churches are committed to working alongside others of goodwill to foster harmony between people of all faiths and races. We seek to follow the biblical injunction to 'welcome the stranger' into our midst, and stand in prayerful solidarity with those from minority communities, including those seeking asylum, who so often find themselves among the most vulnerable and marginalised in our society.

We pray for the continued health and strength of Your Majesty as you offer leadership and service to the United Kingdom and to the Commonwealth.

We have the honour to remain your Majesty's faithful and loyal subjects.

 

The Assembly approved the Address.

 

Moderator-Elect

The Moderator invited the Moderator-Elect, the Revd D. Alasdair Pratt, to address the Assembly.

 

Vote of Thanks

The Moderator called upon Mr Graham Rolfe, who thanked the Synod of Scotland for its welcome and hospitality. Mr Rolfe assured members of a warm welcome to Wessex Synod in 2003.

The Moderator thanked those who had contributed to the smooth running of the Assembly, expressing particular thanks to the Chaplain and leader of Assembly Bible Study.

The Revd Carolyn Smyth, on behalf of the Drumchapel Churches Partnership, thanked the Assembly for the generous donation to the Emmaus Project, of the Offering from the Assembly Communion.

The General Secretary thanked the Moderator for his patience, wisdom and grace in conducting the proceedings of Assembly.

 

Closing Worship

The Chaplain led the closing worship, which included the induction of the Revd Raymond Adams as Deputy General Secretary.

The General Secretary formally announced that the Assembly had completed its business and would adjourn to meet as agreed in Portsmouth on 5th-8th July 2003, or at such other place or on such other date as may be necessary.

INDEX