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Northern Synod
1
Visits to Districts.
1.1 This year has seen the first of the planned programme of
visits whereby the Synod sends representatives to exercise the same sort of ministry of
critique, care and support of the life and work of District Councils as the Councils
themselves exercise for local churches.
1.2 The Northumberland and Newcastle Districts were visited -
each by two persons from a neighbouring District who attended Council and committee
meetings, and consulted with officers, local church representatives and ecumenical
partners.
1.3 It has proved valuable in expressing a belonging and
responsibility together across the province, giving an opportunity to reflect deeply on
issues of the role and activity of the District Council, and exploring how the structures
within which we operate could more effectively support and develop local mission.
2
Development Team.
2.1 The Province continues to be challenged and excited by
the work of the Team - Development Officer, Youth and Children’s Work Trainer, Adult
Education Officer, Communications Officer and Creativity Officer. We are currently engaged
in a mid-term review of the team’s work, and look forward to expanding our vision and
expectations of its contribution in the light of the work and experience of the last three
years.
2.2 In the course of this year the team has helped in the
establishment of a Synod training strategy by which we hope to assure coherence and
quality in the whole range of training activity offered through province and district
initiatives.
2.3 It has also produced proposals for a programme of Artists
in Residence - a scheme to employ an artist or writer on short contract to engage in a
piece of work focussed on a local church or group of churches. This would have the dual
purpose of heightening the local members’ understanding of the contribution of the
arts to exploring issues and expressing faith, and of creating an artefact for use locally
or across the province.
3
Shapes and structures.
3.1 We have taken a long hard look at how we work to support
and develop major areas of the Church’s work across the province and in the
districts and local churches. A system of synod
correspondents in major subject areas had proved too restricting in terms of the
experience that individuals brought to broad briefs. So we have created a series of small
committees largely mirroring the current names and briefs of Assembly committees.
3.2 This has in part been related to our concern in another
direction. Three of our Districts have been working on plans to put themselves in better
shape to do their job. Teesside and Durham Districts are on the point of making final
decisions towards combining their life into one District Council, and the Cumberland
District is continuing to develop regular working relations with the Solway Area Council
of the Scottish Congregational Church.
4
And finally ...
4.1 In the next year we shall say good bye to the churches of
the Mid-Scotland District Council. For seventeen years they have made an exciting and
distinctive contribution to the life of the province. Through the process of development
of the new generation of ecumenical bodies they have built up and maintained a national
denominational presence and influence in Scotland out of proportion to their numerical
strength. With pride and some sadness we wish them well of their new relationships in the
Synod of Scotland.
4.2 This is also the end of the ministry of David Jenkins among us. David has brought his immense gifts
and skills to bear upon every area of life and work of the province. His distinctive style
and manner have opened folks’ eyes - initially in shock and amazement - latterly to
see new horizons of possibility for themselves and for the life and work of local churches
and the councils of the Church.
4.3 The shape of Synod, the holding together of worship and
business, the possibilities of music, ecumenical commitment, the Church’s influence
in secular institutions - these and many others are the areas in which David has reformed
and enriched our life together. We wish him peace and good travelling.
North
Western Synod
1.1 The recent meeting of Synod was held, for the second
time, in a secondary school in Bury rather than on Church premises. This proved, as
before, to be a positive experience. The school hall was more suitable for sessions of
debate and the availability of classrooms was invaluable for workshop activities which
occupied part of the morning session.
1.2 Most of the morning session was devoted to the theme
‘Belonging to the World Church’. The Assembly’s Secretary for International
Relations, The Revd Philip Woods, gave a clear and compelling exposition of the new
programme and its implications for Local Churches in a Synod which has agreed to be used
in a pilot capacity for the development of the programme. This was followed by fourteen workshops, each
led by a Synod member who had experience of one part of the world church. The aim was to
impart a flavour of the country in each case and to point up lessons which may be learned
from the life and witness of the Church in that place. It proved to be a stimulating and
thought-provoking exercise which will, hopefully, bear fruit in the months and years to
come.
1.3 After much discussion and consultation extending over
several years, Synod has finally accepted two proposals, each designed to develop the life
and mission of its Local Churches.
1.4 The first is to inaugurate a scheme for the provision of
Local Church Leaders, following the proposals agreed at the 1998 Assembly. The most
suitable sphere of service, we believe, is likely to be in groups of Churches where there
is probably only one stipendiary minister. In such a situation, of which we have many,
each Local Church within the pastorate would nominate from among its Elders a person to
act as Local Leader and to work in partnership with the Minister and other Leaders as a
team, sharing the ministry between them. A training scheme piloted in the Mersey Synod has
been adopted. The scheme is now available for adaptation and use wherever it is felt to be
desirable.
1.5 The second proposal is to provide a province-wide method
of assessing the contributions Local Churches are invited to make to the Ministry and
Mission Fund. In future, all the Churches will pay on a modified per capita basis, though
churches in vacancy will have a 15% reduction to allow for additional local costs during
such a period. We realise that we have hitherto lagged behind other Synods in seeking to
ensure that the whole of the Church pays for the whole of the Ministry the whole of the
time, but in the midst of lingering Lancashire independency the acceptance of this
proposal is a major triumph!
1.6 A Synod gathering is planned for Blackburn Cathedral in
June at which the Christian Aid musical ‘Feast of Life’ will be sung by a massed
choir in the presence of (we hope!) a vast congregation. Thus we hope to give one another
a renewed sense of corporate belonging and, at the same time, focus on the Millennium and
on the desire for justice and the remission of world debt.
1.7 During the course of the year the Synod has shared, and
expressed in various ways, the depth of its grief at the death of Frances Forecast.
1.8 In the province, as throughout all of their life and
ministry together, Keith and Frances have demonstrated the strength of their Christian
faith, linked with a great capacity to create and sustain personal friendships based on
sincere concern for the needs of others.
1.9 The loving and gracious presence of Frances within the
province is greatly missed, yet we have joined to give testimony to a distinctive, caring
life, deprived of the length, but not the fullness of years. Throughout the months of
anxiety Keith continued to exercise his responsibility with great diligence, as was so
ably evidenced at last year’s General Assembly.
1.10 He would like friends in all parts of the Church to know
how grateful he and his family have been for the wonderful measure of support they have
received through the thoughts and prayers of hundreds of people all over the country.
Mersey
Synod
1.1 I suspect that other Provinces are like ours in that
there is so much going on at the present time in all kinds of directions that it’s
hard to keep up with it all. We have found the work of our Synod Mission Executive through
its meetings in a year, of a residential weekend, a whole day and two evenings to be
effective in keeping an overview of needs, opportunities, changes and challenges for our
work. This last year has been no exception and some of the notable features are briefly
listed:
• The introduction of the Local Church Leaders
programme, successfully completed; Some are already commissioned and on the job. A second
programme beginning in September, 1999, following thorough review and revision of the
pilot scheme.
• The New Provincial Office and Resource Centre now
through the inevitable slow process of planning and consultation and funding. The first
‘bricks’ have been laid for a twenty week contract and the target date is July
this year (right in the middle of the General Assembly no doubt! - will someone please
change the date of Assembly?). A new member of Office Staff has been appointed and will be
on the job early May.
• Lively and well-attended Youth Services in some
Districts have taken place under the guidance and co-ordination of the Provincial Youth
and Children’s Training and Development Officer and his team of Province and District
helpers.
• Development of church clusters and working towards
implementation of the system and deployment of ministry.
• Encouragement to re-think types and use of our
buildings in planning and resourcing congregations, taking into account the "five
points of mission" for growth and vision.
• More resources being made available for
children’s and youth work with materials advice and assistance.
• Task Groups are now maturing and producing material
and ideas for use and consideration in local churches.
• Ministerial education through CEM, POET, Appraisal
plus wider education of Elders.
The list is by no means comprehensive but is an indication of
how crowded our agendas become.
District Boundaries
The Synod formally reports to the General Assembly, under
paragraph 2(4)(ii) of the Basis and Structure, that at its meeting of Synod on 1 November
1997, it was agreed that Huyton United Reformed Church move from West Lancashire District
to the Liverpool District.
Yorkshire
Synod
1 A New Start.
1.1 How should we prepare for the Millennium? We decided that
one way of doing this would be to use the three Synods between March 1999 and March 2000
to explore the ‘New Start’ theme suggested by Churches Together in England: how
better to prepare than by making a new start with God, working for a new start for the
world’s poor, and considering how best to make a new start
at home, in both our personal and our national life? A
memorable meeting in Harrogate, organised by our Church and Society Committee and
addressed by Revd Michael Taylor, strengthened our commitment to Jubilee 2000. Several of
our District Councils are carrying out searching reviews of the structures
that they need to make their mission more effective. At a
very practical level, the congregation of Herringthorpe URC, Rotherham, has become the
first church to be awarded a Millennium Certificate by the Christian Ecology Link for its
work in carrying out ten environmentally positive activities - including, for example,
holding three shoe re-cycling days.
2
God and Mammon.
2.1 Money is an important resource in God’s service; but
how can it best be used? The proposal from our Financial Resources Committee that we
should mark the Millennium by re-distributing between our local churches a proportion of
our financial reserves raised some fundamental questions about our Christian priorities.
Should money be equally distributed to all local churches, or just those who seemed to be
involved in effective mission? Should we hold money back in order to carry out the
increasingly costly repairs demanded by so many of our church buildings, especially listed
buildings for which we are responsible in law? Or is such maintenance work an improper use
of resources that should be devoted to mission? If so, where is the money for maintenance
to come from? Even if English Heritage is prepared to provide at least some of it, has
that source of funding been hopelessly contaminated by National Lottery money; or might
General Assembly have worded its 1995 resolution rather differently had it been able to
foresee this unwelcome development?
3
The Wider Church.
3.1 The women in the Province have for some years exchanged
regular visits with the Church in the Palatinate, as have individual local fellowships.
Synod has agreed in principle to establish a more formal and wider provincial partnership,
which we hope to see making progress in 1999. Meanwhile, the signing of the Ampleforth
Covenant has brought our Provincial Moderator into a more committed working relationship
with other church leaders in north east England, a relationship that has already existed
for some years in West Yorkshire, through the covenant signed by church leaders within the
West Yorkshire Ecumenical Council.
East
Midlands Synod
1
New Church.
Haven, Derby is a Local Ecumenical Partnership which
previously included the Church of England,
the Methodist Church and Baptists. United Reformed Church has
now been added as a participating denomination and Synod therefore invites General
Assembly to receive this church as a local church.
2
New Church Buildings.
2.1 At Carr Vale, near Chesterfield, the United Reformed
Church is the one remaining church in this ex-mining community. It has recently been
possible to replace temporary buildings dating from the 1920’s with a purpose-built
church. This commitment to the community has been received with some enthusiasm locally
and we are now looking forward to a developing ministry there.
2.2 In the inner suburbs of Derby our Ashbourne Road church
was burnt down some years ago and the congregation has now joined with the Methodist
Church nearby and an entirely new joint church has been opened recently on the Methodist
site.
2.3 For many years we have shared ministry with the Church of
England and the Methodist Church in Orton Goldhay, one of the new town areas of
Peterborough. With the help of the National Church Buildings Committee Synod has made a
commitment to the first phase of a new building to serve this area. The parsonage house
and ministry will be financed by the Church of England. An appeal is being launched for
the cost of the furnishings.
3
United Church.
3.1 Melton Mowbray and Freeby have united as a local church
as provided for in section 1.(1) of our structure. In effect the church at Melton Mowbray
has taken responsibility for the building at Freeby, a 1665 church and a Local Ecumenical
Partnership with the Church of England, whose parish church is unsafe for use.
4
People.
4.1 Our Moderator, Revd Malcolm G
Hanson nears the end of his first seven year term and a resolution appears
elsewhere inviting General Assembly to re-appoint him for a further term.
This is strongly supported by the Synod. The Review Group also made various
helpful suggestions about the office organisation and these are being taken
forward at the present time.
4.2 Revd Elizabeth J Nash has served us as Training Officer
for four years now and a recent review has recommended her re-appointment for a further
term of five years. Synod thanks her and John Quilter, our YCWT, for their work in
ensuring that a very effective training programme operates throughout the East Midlands.
The YCWT programme is largely funded by the Resource Sharing initiative and we record our
appreciation of this support by other Synods.
4.3 Revd Moiseraele P Dibeela is our Synod’s Mission
Enabler, in the middle of his three year appointment funded by the Hong Kong Gift of Grace
money. He is doing much useful work and conducting a programme of District Mission Days
this year.
5
Stipends.
5.1 Being aware that some of our ministers are in receipt of
Family Credit, Synod is looking forward to further support especially for ministers with
children. Synod passed forward from our Northants District a paper called Paying for the
Computer and we have been assured that this has been taken into account in the new
proposals.
West
Midlands Synod
1 Vision for the Province.
1.1 During the year work continued on the development of a
vision for the Province. A further 24 hour meeting of Synod Council identified three areas
of further work. These were
• defining the purpose of Synod in more detail, and
seeking more ways to involve people in its deliberations by, for instance, encouraging
Districts to suggest agenda items;
• encouraging local initiatives with small Provincial
pump-priming grants;
• developing a training strategy based on the new
Training Officer’s visits to Districts and the returns of a questionnaire to local
churches assessing training needs and priorities.
2
Synod.
2.1 The October Synod received a presentation by the
Provincial Vocations Strategy Group on stipendiary ministry aimed to encourage this area
of concern to be taken up in each church in the coming year. Further presentations on
non-stipendiary ministry and church related community workers will follow, but it has been
pleasing to note an upsurge of interest from people in the Province, particularly in
non-stipendiary ministry and church related community work. The Synod also expressed its
concern at the withdrawal of a URC presence at St Andrew’s Hall in Selly Oak and
hoped that some kind of mission training work would be continued on this site. It heard
news of a recent Provincial visit to the Evangeliche Kirche in Anhalt, Germany and of the
proposed two way youth exchange in Summer 1999.
2.2 In March Synod received a presentation on the World
Council of Churches Assembly in Harare attended by, among others, the Moderator and
Assembly Moderator, and also a discussion on Ethical Investment. Planning is going ahead
for the Provincial Service in Worcester Cathedral on 9 October as part of the preparation
for the Millennium and an exciting event is expected.
3
District Developments.
3.1 The Province was pleased to welcome three newly ordained
ministers during the year and to be able to hold a number of inductions, although the
number
of ministerial vacancies continues worryingly high.
All Districts are participating in a discussion on deployment
in September 1999 with a view to considering whether this needs to be considered more on a
Provincial basis than in the past.
3.2 The Special Category Ministry post for the Mission in the
World of Work based in Coventry and shared with a church in Leamington Spa has been
filled, and it is hoped that the Special Category Ministry to work in the new LEP at
Winson Green, inner city Birmingham, will be filled shortly. The Mission Project at Tomkin
in North Staffordshire was reviewed during the year and Synod was pleased to note progress
with growing support for this small isolated chapel. The church and community project at
Bloomsbury, Nechells, in inner city Birmingham, was closed after much discussion and a
Mission Project established to continue the existing work of the Church Related Community
Worker and to develop a worshipping community in a new way.
3.3 Most Districts have now reviewed their practice of church
visitations and are developing a more affirmative process with greater input by the local
church. The detailed consideration of a District Mission Strategy in the Birmingham
District continues with a discussion moving to local churches with a hope that an agreed
plan will emerge towards the end of the year.
4
Provincial Staff.
4.1 The Moderator’s heavy workload continued,
particularly with her Convenorship of the Core Group associated with Assembly Resolution
18 of 1997, but she maintained her series of in-depth visits to districts which are much
appreciated. As a member of the Central Council of the World Council of Churches, she
attended the Assembly in Harare and is taking a well earned Sabbatical leave in the first
half of 1999.
4.2 Synod agreed to renew the appointments of the Clerk and
Treasurer as well as that of the Youth and Children’s Work Trainer, for further
periods. Under the guidance of the Trust and Property Officer a more pro-active policy of
supporting church buildings, reviewing the quality of manse provision and other property
matters is continuing. As indicated, the Training Officer has been making his presence
felt to the extent that the Province wonders how it managed to do without one for so long.
The long serving Moderator’s secretary, June Hemming, retires at the end of May and
grateful thanks are expressed for her service under two Moderators.
Eastern
Synod
1 Mission and Growth.
1.1 ‘We’re going for growth - and that’s
official!’ So proclaimed Eastwords, the Province newsletter, in March last year.
Growth in love, faith, maturity, and integrity as well as an expectation of growth in
numbers, that is. Of course, mission and growth are not easy to promote. But whilst
Mission Council has been working on mission strategy, the Province has been looking to see
how it can best support local churches in mission.
1.2 Firstly, our lack of consensus on many issues has had to
be faced. John Reardon addressed our October 1998 Synod on ‘Living with
Diversity’. He spoke of the Body of Christ as a suffering and broken body, that we
are part of a community that is suffering and broken. He concluded that the way forward is
to listen to each other and recognise that what we all have to offer is a gift to the Body
- genuinely listening to each other and seeking to discern what Christ may be saying
through others.
1.3 Secondly, we have been looking at practical ways in which
ideas can be shared - the Spring 1998 Synod studied how District visitations should be
changed; three of our Districts are using District Ministers, albeit in very different
ways, to work with local churches.
1.4 Thirdly, the Province’s Life & Business
Committee has been giving more specific thought to mission and growth. This included an
invitation to John Houghton from Challenge 2000 to speak about mission at the most recent
Synod. We pray that the Mission Council and Synod studies will come together, to assist
the work with local churches in the way forward.
2
A Roadshow and a
Book.
2.1 The Roadshow took place in the week commencing 20th
September, with a commissioning service on the Sunday at Emmanuel URC, Cambridge. One day
visits were made to five locations in the following Monday to Friday, supporting the
mission of local churches at Castle Hill - Ipswich, Finchingfield, Halesworth, Stowmarket
Group and Wickford. The only stipulation was that the Roadshow’s contribution would
be complementary to the local church’s work.
2.2 Co-ordinated by Anthea Coates, the Roadshow group
comprised Provincial staff, a number of Westminster College students, and the Witham bus
worker. Contributions ranged from visits to local schools, including assemblies and a
Christian Union meeting, to a visit to a day centre for the elderly. The Roadshow’s
presence in the local community was reinforced by the arrival of the bus!
2.3 Great Eastern Journeys was conceived as a book that would
provide a snapshot of life in the URC in our Province at the end of 1998. Its twenty-three
articles did not attempt to be an exhaustive catalogue, but to give the flavour of what is
going on. We were fortunate to have the services of Norman Hart as editor, and Jacky March
(a DTP specialist), who both gave generously of their time, and of course the willing
contributors of articles and pictures.
2.4 About half the articles were about local churches. These
included stories about contacts with overseas churches, new forms of mid-week worship, a
Bible exhibition visited by 900 children, and a small chapel re-roofed. Other articles
talked about chaplaincies, including work on the Norfolk Broads, an art ministry, a new
ministry at a doctor’s surgery, spiritual direction and training. Of course, Bocking
and Witham, who have received attention through the pages of Reform, were included.
3
Changing
Faces.
3.1 All these initiatives and ongoing work require the
goodwill of many people. 1998 was a year of many changes in personnel.
3.2 Bill Grieve decided that he had to cut short his tenure
of office as Treasurer, but we were pleased to note that he has made a good recovery from
a stroke in February 1998. John Woodman has replaced Bill, on an interim basis. Colin
Raggett has recently retired as Trust Secretary, after many years of service to the
Province. Colin’s trust-related work will be taken up by Philip Wade, our Finance
Officer, for whom part-time assistance is being sought.
3.3 In the office, we said goodbye to Ann Barton, who moved
to Tavistock Place to work for Hilary Gunn. Sue Eason, who had been the Finance
Officer’s part-time PA, was appointed as Ann’s full-time replacement. Susan
Drane replaced Sue.
3.4 New unpaid positions have been created - John Hickmore as
Advocate for Spirituality within the Province, and Deborah McVey as Provincial Advocate
for Health & Healing. After many years we have a Children’s Work Secretary,
Hilary Littlejohns, and also a Provincial Pilots Officer, Anne Gregory. Other new
appointments to existing positions have included Youth Secretary - Anthea Coates, and
Provincial Lay Preachers Commissioner - John Cook.
3.5 We have been delighted to welcome five newly-ordained
ministers in the last year. Implementation of ministerial self-appraisal, post-ordination
training and continuing ministerial education is a high priority for the future.
South
Western Synod
1 Introduction.
This year’s report highlights new and developing
programmes within the life of the Province. All seek to be life enhancing for the Church
and the communities which they serve.
2
Understanding
where we are and why.
2.1 One of our aims, as a Synod, is to help local churches
engage in the mission of God to the world, and to have confidence to take up the
opportunities which arise in their own communities, whether they are in scattered rural
areas, among the many visitors to our region, in urban areas where there is a conscious
engagement with economic life, or in areas of significant new housing development. This is
done against the background of a decline in numbers of church members in the South West,
but also a growing sense among us that the things we value about the United Reformed
Church need to be affirmed and restated in the changing contexts in which we gather as
God’s people, and those in which we live and work every day.
2.2 During the year, in Synod, in the Ministers’ Spring
School, and in a special conference, the ‘where we are’ question was considered
in different ways: Professor Leslie Francis, one of the co-authors of the book Gone but
not forgotten: Church leaving and returning, challenged the Synod to take the necessary
steps for change in order to welcome people outside the Church who are still open to its
place in their lives; Dr David Cornick and the Revd Malcolm Hanson helped serving
ministers understand postmodernity and its challenge to the Church; and a conference
called Understanding decline - going for growth attracted ministers, elders and District
representatives from all parts of the Province. Through sharing together the positive and
negative experiences of ‘where’ we are, there has been greater opportunity to
discern ‘why’, and to find indicators to the way ahead.
3
Mission Enabling :
a Provincial gift of grace
Thanks to a generous legacy left to the Province, to be
disbursed at the discretion of the Moderator, there has been an opportunity for all local
churches to apply for grants for new and existing mission projects with which they are
involved. Help with costs towards funding youth workers, Alpha courses, buying equipment
for youth and children’s work, printing evangelistic and other outreach materials,
setting up and maintaining ecumenically-based projects in local communities, has become
possible through this ‘gift of grace’. Most important is the way in which local
churches have been challenged to think creatively about mission in their neighbourhoods,
and take action.
4
Consultations with Districts and
Areas.
4.1 The consultation process, set up in 1997 by the Synod to
every District and Area Council, has taken longer to complete than was originally
intended. The purpose of the visits by teams to District/ Area Council meetings and their
committees was to offer the same encouragement and attention to Districts/ Areas as they
in turn offer to local churches. It was recognised that Districts and Areas have
considerable responsibility and authority in the structure and life of the United Reformed
Church, and it was important to check whether the burden of such responsibility was being
borne equitably.
4.2 The consultation sought to discover areas of District/
Area life requiring further support (e.g. by providing opportunities for further
training); to clarify good practice in the way Districts/ Areas relate to local churches
and the Synod; to check the effectiveness of District structures and boundaries; and to
improve communication at every level.
4.3 Visits to the nine District/ Area Councils have been
completed. Synod is now examining the reports and will make proposals in due course.
5
Regionalisation.
5.1 Regional development is key to the economic development
of the European Union, and the Westminster Parliament has established Regional Development
Agencies whose aim is to secure sustainable economic development for their own regions.
Each Agency is answerable to a Regional Chamber consisting of representatives from local
authorities, from social and economic partners, and from the voluntary sector.
5.2 In the South West, one place has been allocated for a
representative of the Faith communities. In order to appoint such a person,
a South West Council of Faiths is being formed.
In the meantime, the Revd John Harrison, a retired Anglican
priest represents all the churches and the Faith communities on the Regional Chamber,
having been appointed and funded ecumenically as the Churches’ Adviser for Regional
Affairs. His short-term task is to liaise between the Regional Development Agency and
Church leaders, and to speak for the churches as these new structures are being set up.
5.3 Apart from the counties of Gloucestershire, Dorset, and
the unitary authorities of Bournemouth and South Gloucestershire, the South West Region is
almost exactly co-terminus with the URC’s South Western Province. Our full
participation in five Churches Together Intermediate Bodies at county level has helped
communications between them at this crucial early stage.
6
European Link.
6.1 Until two years ago this Province had neither a European
links co-ordinator, nor links with a Church in another part of Europe. Since then, Dr
Richard Deutsch has helped us develop links with the Church of Lippe in North West
Germany. Though, as yet, we have no formal partnership link, we have agreed to set up a
series of exchanges involving different people, to be operated and evaluated by a small
steering group.
6.2 In May 1998, five guests from the ecumenical committee of
the Church of Lippe visited Church House, London and different parts of the South Western
Province. The German Church’s link
with the Church of England through the Meissen Agreement, has
given the exchange an ecumenical flavour from the beginning. The visitors took part in a
rally organised by Somerset Churches Together on Glastonbury Tor at the launch of
‘Jubilee 2000’; and Dr Ulrich Moller (the Church of Lippe’s secretary for
ecumenical affairs) preached at the main Eucharist in Wells Cathedral.
6.3 The group agreed with us that the joint meetings had so
far opened up new perspectives, and had created real desire to continue learning together.
Suggested themes for future meetings include: local ecumenical relations; being a Reformed
Church today; how to build bridges between the liberal and evangelical wings of the
Church; how to be a missionary Church in a postmodern age; learning how to be European;
how to understand economic structures and how to witness within them.
6.4 A group of fifteen lay leaders from Lippe visited the
Exeter area in May this year to study the role of Elders in the United Reformed Church.
The visit took place over a weekend, so that Elders from Devon East District could share a
training day with them, led by the Provincial Director of Training, the Revd Roy Lowes.
7
Young People’s visit to
Auschwitz.
Through our well-established link with the United Church of
Christ in Wisconsin, two young people and a leader from this Province joined their
‘Young Ambassadors’ trip to Europe last summer, visiting
the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. The Wisconsin
Synod has its own links with a Church in Germany, and it was their intention that young
people from America and Germany should visit the painful places of history together, so
that there might be better understanding among them. They were keen that there should also
be representatives from our Synod, so we sent our young ambassadors, who learnt a great
deal from the experience. A return visit to the United States this year will involve the
group studying the history of native Americans.
8
In Conclusion.
The Synod continues to develop resources and opportunities
for people in local churches to be more fully equipped, challenged and better supported in
the ministry of reconciliation to which we are all called in the fellowship of Christ.
Wessex
Synod
1 Some years ago when the Revd Nelson Bainbridge was
Moderator of the Synod of the Wessex Province we introduced a questionnaire for churches
to consider, entitled How do you see your future? This was somewhat similar to the Vision
Workshops adopted by other Synods, but was helpful in determining when resources should be
given for new buildings etc. The Province is in the process of reshaping this document to
help churches keep a ‘rolling profile’ of their life and participation in
God’s mission. It was reported earlier that the Province has arranged for the church
buildings to be inspected and a good deal of work has been done to bring our church
premises up to standard. Following that, and alongside the How do you see your future?
document, emphasis has been placed on worship. The Province have a Resource Team
comprising the Moderator, the Training Officer, the YCWT, the Mission Enabler, the
Executive Officer of the Wessex Trust and the Synod Clerk and this team planned the March
Synod this year incorporating the whole atmosphere of worship in all the presentations. It
is hoped that bringing worship to the Synod meetings in this way will encourage us to see
how worship is at the heart of our mission.
2 Considerable work has been done among the five District
Councils on ‘Fair Shares of Ministry’, a better title we feel than
‘deployment’. The Ministries and Training Committee are now looking at the whole
question of local leadership in the hope that groups of churches may well be used more to
the glory of God.
3 The Province has been very much involved in the work of
STETS, the Southern Theological Education and Training Scheme, based at Sarum College in
Salisbury, through which non-stipendiary ministers receive their training. With the
support of the Central Training Committee, the Province is joining with the Methodist
Church and seven Anglican Dioceses in the development of a Regional Theological Network
under the aegis of STETS to bring resources together and thus provide coherence and
co-operation in theological education and training for the whole people of God, ordained
and lay.
4 The situation concerning Mansfield College, which is also
within the Province, has created considerable anxiety. There are strong feelings that
Mansfield, being part of the university of Oxford, has a contribution to make and there
would be sadness if ordinands in training did not have the opportunity of studying in
Oxford. Should a decision to withdraw be taken by Assembly it is hoped that the link
between the College and the church would be developed in other ways.
5 The Province has already begun the Ministerial Accompanied
Self-Appraisal scheme, which seems to have been helpful to a number of ministers, and the
Ministerial Discipline Panels required under the ‘Section O Process’ have been
established. A policy document entitled Sharing Resources Ecumenically setting out a
strategy for the URC’s involvement in ecumenical ventures has been considered with
our partners within the Southampton District of the Methodist Church and also in wider
directions. A meeting was held
with all the County Ecumenical Officers and the Revd Roger
Nunn, as well as a representative from the Central Committee of the Church. It is hoped
that this policy will be of help to us as we go forward into the future. A considerable
amount of work has also been done in the field of Industrial Mission and this has been
helped by the Revd Dick Wolff who, before becoming our Mission Enabler, was involved in
Industrial Mission.
6 The Province is privileged to be involved in the
‘Belonging to the World Church’ programme and we are looking forward to
welcoming members of other churches, through CWM, in the autumn. It has been good as well
to be able to send a FURY representative to Bangladesh together with one of our church
members who was a leader. The report of that visit, which was delayed because of the
floods, has been presented to Synod and was received with a good deal of emotion as we
contemplated how Christians work in other parts of the world.
7 Dealing with more local issues, we have been glad to
celebrate the Anniversary of Isaac Watts’ death, particularly with a number of
services held in Southampton. The Training Officer, Stephen Thornton, organised a day for
people to consider their vocation while sailing on a cruise from Southampton around the
Isle of Wight. The day was entitled ‘We are Sailing’ and as a result it is hoped
that more people will be considering their vocation either as ministers or through the TLS
scheme. An Enquirers’ Conference organised by the Province is being held at Sarum
College in the spring and an encouraging number of people have booked for this.
8 The final comment is to say that the Synod Clerk has
retired after fifteen years in this position and a new Synod Clerk, Mr Graham Rolfe, has
been appointed. He will be much more involved in computers and modern information
technology. The Province hope very much to be involved in web sites and in sharing the
good news through all modern means of communication.
9 The Synod goes forward into the future with confidence that
God will continue to be with us.
As mentioned by the Synod Clerk, the Revd George Thomas, in
his report above, he has retired after fifteen years of service to the Province in this
capacity. During that time, and not least in the difficult months following Peter
Chesney’s sudden death, George has been a pillar of strength in the life of the
Province, dedicated, wise, and with a deep pastoral concern for people and churches. His
gentle influence and guidance has been felt and appreciated also in the wider councils of
the Church and among his colleagues in other Provinces. In all this his wife, Christine,
has been a constant support to him, and we are grateful to them both. An opportunity was
taken at the spring Synod to express our thanks to George with a gift contributed by the
churches.
Thames
North Synod
1 People.
1.1 The people of Thames North Province gathered together for
two special occasions during last summer. The first was in July when we said farewell to
Janet Sowerbutts, who had served as Moderator for eight years, at a Service of
Thanksgiving followed by a buffet reception in a marquee. The second was in September when
we welcomed Roberta Rominger, as the new Moderator of Thames North Province, at a Service
of Induction. Both were splendid occasions and gave us the opportunity to both express our
gratitude for the past, and our hopes for the future.
1.2 At the beginning of July our new Mission and Evangelism
Enabler - Peter Hurter - started work. Peter is a Minister of the Presbyterian Church of
Southern Africa who has come to Britain for this five year appointment. His busy diary is
evidence of the need within the churches for this type of ministry; the skills and
insights which he brings to the Province are highly valued.
1.3 Also, at the beginning of December, our new Youth and
Children’s Work Training and Development Officer began work. Stephen Collins brings a
wealth of experience with him, having served as South Wales Youth Officer for the Baptist
Union, and as a youth worker/centre manager for the YMCA. We are confident that Stephen
will have much to contribute, both to the life of the Province, and to the national
YLTO/YCWT team.
1.4 So the Provincial Team - Moderator, Synod Clerk, Director
of Training, Mission and Evangelism Enabler, Youth and Children’s Work Training and
Development Officer - boasts just two faces who were in post 12 months ago, and only one
member who was ‘raised’ within the URC. We see both this injection of new blood,
and the breadth of background and experience, as a very positive influence within the life
of our Province. The team members are now getting to know each other, and learning to work
together effectively.
1.5 We have been greatly encouraged by the numbers of people
within the Province who have been accepted for ministerial training (currently 3 for
Stipendiary and 13 for Non-stipendiary on 6 different courses), as well as the number of
people enrolled upon the Training for Learning and Service course. The appointment by
Synod of a Lay Preaching Commissioner has enabled us to take a fresh look at how we
support and encourage Lay Preachers.
2
Projects.
2.1 We are excited by the number of projects and initiatives
that continue to be hatched and nurtured within the Province.
2.2 One such project - which has a national remit, and is
supported by a URC special category ministry - is Community Action Network (CAN). CAN aims
to identify 2000 high potential social entrepreneurs in the UK by the end of the year
2000; link these individuals and organisations in a network (electronically and
face-to-face); disseminate best practice; provide information; raise the profile of social
entrepreneurs and so improve work undertaken in communities. CAN has established a
Community Action Centre in Cumbria, and is looking at other possibilities - to act as hubs
for the Network - in Glasgow, Inverness, Edinburgh, Hartlepool, Birmingham and Nottingham.
CAN has also secured a £1/2 million property in the Cotswolds (known as
‘Guildhouse’) which is available for hire to churches and others (tel. 01386
584357). More information can be found on the CAN web site (http://www.can-online.org.uk).
2.3 We have been delighted to develop a close relationship
with the Asian Christian Church (London) - an Urdu-speaking congregation of Christians
with predominantly Pakistani roots - which worships in URC premises at Walthamstow, East
London. This relationship blossomed at Synod in March when the application by the church
for membership of the URC was endorsed with acclaim.
3
Planning.
3.1 We have welcomed recent Assembly resolutions concerning
Accompanied Ministerial Self-appraisal, Continuing Ministerial Education (CME) and
Post-Ordination Education and Training (POET) and are developing our existing work
accordingly. In Thames North we operate a policy that wherever feasible we make common
provision for lay and ministerial education and training, and this will be applied when we
consider the CME opportunities made available in the Province.
4
Properties.
4.1 A major piece of work undertaken during 1998/9 has been a
comprehensive review of the way in which the Province manages the considerable amount of
property vested in the Trust (one estimated is that it may be as much as £175 million).
As a result of this review, a number of improvements to present policies and procedures
have been highlighted. These proposals were approved by Synod in March.
5
Provincial Synod.
5.1 The Synod Executive is currently giving serious thought
to the biannual meeting of Synod; seeking to ensure that it is more than just a business
meeting or an exercise in rubber-stamping - something to be endured - but a date on the
calendar to which people will look forward. We want Synod to involve receiving and giving,
to offer challenge and encouragement, to equip and uplift, to give genuine opportunity for
people in churches to influence the wider church. There is still some way to go!
6
Postscript.
6.1 Last year’s report promised more information this
year about ‘Celebration Godspell’ which - at the time of writing last Spring -
was planned to take place in July in a circus tent pitched in the midst of London’s
Docklands. Sadly, for reasons beyond our control, the cost of staging an event on this
scale escalated, and the decision to cancel was taken amidst much disappointment.
Southern
Synod
1.1 Ecumenical Relations are often frustrating and difficult which is why Southern
Province appointed a half-time Ecumenical Officer. The purpose is to give encouragement to
those involved in local partnerships and to develop a strategy for the Province. What has
been discovered is that those working at the grass roots level need much encouragement to
face the reality of ecumenical involvement.
1.2 Local churches are working together in a number of places
but there is a weariness of institutional bureaucracy which stifles vision. Questioning
the role and relevance of a divided Church as we draw to the end of a second millennium,
is uncomfortable and disturbing. Furthermore there is little or no energy to make the
changes necessary and little encouragement from Church authorities to do so.
1.3 Districts are slow to recognise the ecumenical dimension
and opportunity when discussing the issues of deployment and mission. Clusters, groups,
ministry leadership teams are being developed too slowly. With fewer stipendiary ministers
there will be, if not already, a creeping exhaustion. All denominations will need to rely
on the ministry of the laity, but that requires imaginative planning. Human resources are
stretched to the limit in almost every denomination yet each is determined to keep
‘their own show on the road’. If serious debate and analysis were undertaken,
the resulting action might be the selling and merging of church buildings and new ways of
sharing ministry. Then we may find an abundance of ecumenical riches that we had not
expected. All this will take time, and time is something we don’t have.
1.4 There are many local Churches Together groups that are
working well and some have projects that serve the community. More needs to be done to
tackle community concerns together in addition to ecumenical services and Lent groups. A
divided Church cannot proclaim Kingdom values upon global issues such as poverty,
unemployment, education, care of the elderly, and the sick. The list is endless.
1.5 We have a duty to work towards the commitment we so
willingly made in 1987 to ‘Called to be one’.
2 Evangelism and Mission: Provincial Council and Provincial
Finance and Property Administration Committee have agreed to a three year project of
District Evangelism and Mission Enablers (DEMEs). It is the intention that each District
have a half-time DEME eventually. Interviews will take place soon to employ two DEMEs as a
pilot scheme.
3 Developing: In January 1999 we said farewell to Revd Bill
McCrorie who had been our half-time Training Officer for over six years. In 1998 Province
had to consider the future of this post and decided that what was needed for the future
was a full-time Provincial Development Officer who would enable the training of Elders and
local leadership; encourage POET and Continuing Ministerial Education; nurture NS
ordinands; take care of In Service Training; network with other Provinces, etc. We look
forward to Mr Desmond Colechin taking up his post on 1 April 1999.
4 Communication: A constant struggle! In a final effort (we
hope) to ensure that every church in Southern Province has all the relevant information
deemed necessary to deal with property procedures, copyright, manse policy, car loans,
etc, an A4 two ring ‘Information File’ was sent to each Church Secretary in
December 1998. It also contains a Health and Safety Document, Finance and Property Guider
and samples of all the forms we use in the Province. Some of the papers/documents have
been circulated before, some were updated and some are new. Updates and new material will
be sent out from time to time. No church can any longer say ‘we did not know’ or
‘we have not seen’.
5 Sharing: Conscious of the fact that we ought to share more
within the Province we have had in place since November 1996 a ‘Provincial Manse
Fund’. This was created after realising that there were 22 ‘manse funds’ in
the names of 22 churches! Some of these churches were in total agreement that these funds
should rightly be held by Province and not individual churches, with the others we had
consultations. In the end 21 of the 22 agreed and these 21 funds became the one Provincial
Manse Fund. This is used to help churches throughout the Province to refurbish kitchens
and bathrooms; double-glaze; build an extension and, where necessary, fund the difference
between selling a manse and buying another. Manses required in the future will be bought
from the Provincial Manse Fund. It is good that the whole Province can share this resource
instead of a fortunate few.
Wales
Synod
1.1 The letters IPRS may not be immediately recognisable to all those attending the
General Assembly; they will be recognised with joy by all members of the Wales Synod, who
have assiduously read, marked, learnt and inwardly digested their Synod Reports in recent
years. The letters, of course, stand for Inter-Provincial Resource Sharing, which so
clearly demonstrates one of our principles as a church that the strong should help the
weak. In terms of finance we in Wales are weak - bottom of the league in Provincial
resources - for a number of reasons that cannot be listed here. The agreement by Provinces
back in 1996 to contribute a percentage of their Investment and Bank Interest and to share
out the ‘pool’ in the reverse order of contributions has been of enormous
benefit to the Province; we received over £19,000 in 1997 and nearly £34,000 in 1998,
which nearly doubled our income.
1.2 These extra resources have enabled us to tackle areas of
need which otherwise we could not have contemplated. Our first priority has been to
establish a Province-wide Building Inspection Scheme which will be initially financed from
the IPRS benefits. Grants, albeit small, are now available for local churches carrying out
approved improvements or major repairs to their buildings, and when the Inspection Scheme
reports are received the demand for grants will clearly rise. In addition to Building
Grants we have been able to make a limited number of Grants for ‘Mission
Projects’.
1.3 We owe a debt of gratitude to the other Provinces for
their generosity, and we will do our very best to use our extra resources to maximum
effect.
Diolch yn fawr.
2
Towards an Ecumenical Bishop in
Wales.
2.1 In 1975 a Covenant for Union was cut in Wales between the
Church in Wales, the Presbyterian Church in Wales, the Methodist Church, the United
Reformed Church, and (later) several congregations of the Baptist Union of Great Britain
and Ireland. These Churches mutually recognised one another’s faith and order, life
and worship, members and ministers as all belonging to the one Church of Jesus Christ;
pledged themselves to work together for visible unity; and, in particular, declared their
intention ‘to seek an agreed pattern of ordained ministry which will serve the gospel
in unity, manifest its continuity throughout the ages, and be accepted as far as may be by
the Church throughout the world.’
2.2 To advance this search the Commission of the Covenanted
Churches in Wales was set up in 1976, and in 1979 it published The Principles on Visible
Unity in Wales. This document began to clarify the nature of ‘visible unity’ and
the form it might take in the area of ordained ministry. The Churches responded with
general approval, yet asked for more detailed work to be done. The result was the
publication in 1986 of Ministry in a Uniting Church. This document was not a scheme of
union as such but outlines an ecclesiology for such a union, based on a reformed threefold
order of ordained ministry. In the Churches’ responses however, it came unstuck over
the nature of episcopacy and the exercise of ministry.
2.3 With a Uniting Church now on hold, the Commission
proceeded to do some work on Christian initiation, publishing the two-volume Christian
Baptism and Church Membership (1990,1994). Meanwhile, local ecumenical partnerships were
cultivated and, in some areas, notably Cardiff East, began to flourish. Frustration,
however, grew that ‘the nurture and development of current ecumenical partnerships
between episcopal and non-episcopal traditions are being impeded (some would say damaged)
by the lack of an on-the-spot pastoral figure responsible for a number of Local Ecumenical
Partnerships/Projects, and able to give cohesion and direction to the work’. (Towards
the Making of an Ecumenical Bishop, 1997).
2.4 The Commission was thus led, as a mater of pastoral
urgency, to reconsider the issue of ecclesial oversight, and, in due course, to propose
the introduction of an ecumenical bishop, being in continuity with the ‘historic
episcopate’ and yet belonging to each of the Churches, a Bishop-in-Council and part
of an Ecumenical Mission Team, engaging in sustaining and pioneering work in ecumenism and
mission.
2.5 The Churches are now in the process of responding to
proposals set out in Towards the Making of an Ecumenical Bishop in Wales, while a
Commission working party, in hopeful anticipation, is preparing a liturgy of consecration.
Resolution 2 Violence against Women
General Assembly expresses its deep
alarm at a continuing public perception that there are circumstances which permit male
violence against women, and therefore publicly denounces violence of any sort against
women.
Proposer: Peter Clarke
Northern Synod
Seconder: John Paul
Leaders and representatives of the Scottish Churches, engaged
in a process of reflection to mark the end of the Ecumenical Decade of Churches in
Solidarity with Women, were made aware of the existence of a continuing public perception
that there are circumstances which permit male violence against women. They resolved to
call on each of the member Churches of ACTS (Action of Churches Together in Scotland) to
make a clear statement - official and public - that violence against women is wrong; that
women must have the right to resist abuse, and that it is God’s intention for all
human beings, both female and male, to live in safety, freedom, dignity and fullness. It
is in the spirit of this request that Northern Synod forwards this resolution from the
Mid-Scotland District Council.
Resolution
3 Westminster College Centenary
General Assembly in this centenary
year of the move of Westminster College to Cambridge gratefully expresses its thanks to
God for the great contribution made by the college staff and students to the churches of
the area and to the wider church, and prays God’s blessing on its future life.
Proposer: Revd Bill Mahood
Eastern Synod
Seconder: Dr David Thompson
Westminster College moved from London to Cambridge in 1899.
Since then it has contributed greatly to the life of churches in East Anglia and
particularly to those in Cambridge and the surrounding area. The Eastern Synod seeks to
acknowledge its gratitude through this resolution and to give General Assembly the
opportunity to express its thankfulness for the past and continuing contribution of
Westminster College to the life of the Church.
Resolution 4 Genetically engineered foods and crops
Assembly, believing that the
commercialisation of genetically engineered foods and crops seems premature, urges the
Government to impose a moratorium on such commercialisation whilst sufficient fundamental
research is carried out into the full consequences of this technology.
Proposer: Dr R Hunt
South Western Synod
Seconder: Revd K Wilkinson
There are moral, ethical, safety and other issues raised by
the preparation and use of these products. These brief notes aim to draw attention to
concerns about safety.
Today more and more we hear about genetically engineered
products which involve new gene transfers to plants, bacteria, and animals. The
introduction of food containing genetically engineered ingredients has already begun to
happen in the supermarket - some foods are labelled "genetically engineered" and
some are not.
There are considerable divergence of opinion from specialists
working in genetics, molecular biology and related fields, about the health and safety
risks from these products. The main concerns arise from the fact that genetic engineering
involves manipulation of genes to give radically new living materials unknown in nature
and whose behaviour, short term and especially long term, are unknown.
The major concerns relating to GE foods and crops are:
1. Their safety as food has not been established
2. Their environmental safety has not been established
3. Genes released into the environment cannot be recalled
What is being claimed, by concerned groups, is that
genetically engineered crops are undergoing trials without adequate safeguards. We also
know that some genetically engineered foodstuffs have been introduced, unlabelled and
without our knowledge, so that we were unaware that they contain such products - and so
have no choice. The long term effects of such foods are unknown.
It is possible that some of the predicted risks are without
foundation, but at present it seems we do not know enough about them.
There is reason to be concerned, and regarding foods, there
are actions that individuals and church groups can take - we can for example:
• Write to major food producers - Nestle, Unilever etc,
you can get addresses from your shop, demanding GE-free foods.
• Speak to your supermarket manager and ask for
guarantees that the foods on sale are free of GE ingredients.
• Write to the Prime Minister, your MP and/or MEP
demanding a ban on imports of foods containing GE products. Note Austria and Luxembourg
have already done this.
There is a great deal of information available on this
important issue, which has already had wide media coverage. It is for the reasons outlined
above that the resolution, appended, is being brought to General Assembly.
Resolution
5 Faithfulness, Chastity and Marriage Preparation
General Assembly affirms the
consistent teaching of the Church based on Scripture that calls us to faithfulness within
the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman and to chastity outside marriage, and
urges Churches Together at County and local levels to explore the possibility of setting
up ongoing marriage preparation courses to which all couples in their area preparing for
marriage could be invited.
Proposer: Revd S Newell
South Western Synod
Seconder: Mr T Jefferies
We encourage you to support this proposal for a number of
reasons
• Marriage is a vital issue in our society. We have high
rates of divorce and single parent families. The lifelong commitment to marriage of woman
and men is vital. We even say so in our service book: "God has given us marriage so
that husband and wife, being joined together as Christ with his Church, may be a sign of
unity and mutual commitment, for the enrichment of society and the strengthening of
community
• We need to become a people of Grace and Truth. This
motion is not intended to decry people who are not married. It is not intended as an
attack on single parents for example. We believe the Bible speaks of God’s special
care for particularly children in this situation. However our pastoral concern and care
for those who are not married or who are going through the pain of divorce should not lead
us to forget what we believe. That is that marriage is given by God as a symbol of his
commitment. Thus faithfulness and commitment need to be affirmed in marriages and in
society, rather than just personal fulfillment. It has been said, "You deserve what
you tolerate." We have become a society where tolerance has become the watchword,
nothing is "right" and certainly nothing is "wrong." In this situation
the body of Christ, the Church has been seen by many to be simply irrelevant. We do
however believe in truth and must once more proclaim this.
• This resolution began in helping a local church to
speak about what she believed. The perception was that within the United Reformed Church,
everything was up for grabs, even marriage. This resolution began in a local church. Ask
yourself the question how will that local fellowship, or many others, understand a
decision by the "powers that be" in this case you and I, to refuse this
resolution?
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