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Life
and Witness
The purpose of the Life
and Witness Committee is :
•
to enable the local church to capture the vision of God’s mission for
itself and to plan its life accordingly;
• to encourage growth in faith among people of all ages;
•
to challenge members in their stewardship and witness
• to encourage the local church to engage with its community in evangelism, if possible ecumenically;
•
to enable each church to engage with its local community in partnership
and service;
by gathering ideas and
experience, including best practice, and advocating these to the local
church;
by monitoring and assessing relevant government policy and advising the local church accordingly;
•
to support the work of elders and the work of the district councils in
their oversight of the local church;
•
to stimulate district councils and synods in the development of their own
strategies for mission;
•
to support the work of the Windermere Centre and of the Rural Consultant;
•
to enable ongoing reflection on issues related to the Community of Women
and Men in the Church.
Committee Members
Convener: Revd Frank Beattie Secretary: Revd John Steele
Convener of Stewardship Sub-committee:
Mr Keith Webster
Revds Peter Ball, Eddie Boon, Bob Day, Ken Forbes, Suzanne Hamnett, Bob Warwicker, Mrs Rita Joyner,
Mrs Tina Rook, Mrs Sheila Thatcher and Mr David Williams.
All Change
1.1 For us in this committee, the last General Assembly heralded a number of changes: a new name, a new convener, six new members (over 50% of the committee) and a purpose that had been revised and extended. We are hugely indebted to those who have served the committee in the past, not least Elizabeth Caswell who for the first four years of the committee’s life was its convener.
1.2 This year Bob
Day’s term of service ends, and we thank him for the
expertise and enthusiasm he has brought to our work.
1.3 Michael Cruchley, who
since 1990 has been the Rural Consultant for both the Methodist and United
Reformed Churches, (and the Life and Witness Committee’s unofficial
photographer) has come to the end of his term of office. Michael has been
a great enthusiast and has accepted the drudgery of touring the world
learning the job with typical grace and humility. He has done much to keep
rural matters in the forefront of our attention and we shall miss him.
Michael’s final word from Stoneleigh appears elsewhere in this report.
1.4 Towards the end of last
year, the vacancy left by Michael’s departure was advertised in the
religious press. There was a healthy amount of interest in this joint post
and three candidates were interviewed. The outcome of the process was that
the position was offered to Mrs Jenny Carpenter, a Methodist. Jenny
comes to the job from CTE. We hope to introduce her to Assembly and we
wish her well in her new responsibilities. We look forward to welcoming
her to our committee, and to the breadth of vision she will bring to us.
2 The
Spiritual Aspects of Ageing
2.1 Last year, the
International Year of the Older Person, we offered the Church suggestions
for worship materials and in tandem with the Church and Society Committee,
promised a theological colloquy to explore some of the issues raised by
providing meaningful and sensitive pastoral care for the aged. We had
hoped that this would take place in the autumn of 1999. This proved to be
over ambitious. However the colloquy was re-arranged for the 28-30 March
2000 at The Windermere Centre. It was initially by invitation only and at
the time of writing this report, was well subscribed. We anticipate that
this will be a live issue for all of our churches and we await with
interest the distilled wisdom of the Windermere conversations.
3 College of Evangelists
3.1 As reported last year,
our Church has been part of discussions on the role and place of
evangelists, and all eyes were on the Church of England in October as they
inaugurated their College of Evangelists.
3.2 The Service of
Commissioning in Westminster was a significant and memorable event,
presided over by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, with some forty
or so Anglican evangelists received and formally recognised as the
College’s first members.
3.3 The commissioning
itself was moving for those witnessing it, and affirming of those
re-committing themselves to the ministry of evangelist. Some were well
known figures of many years’ experience. Those from other churches
listening for an invitation to ‘come and join us’ were disappointed,
but the life of this ‘network’ will be observed with interest as our
discussions continue.
4 Money!
Money! Money!
4.1 A retired Inspector of
Taxes, who is also secretary of a South Yorkshire church, likes to remind
his minister from time to time that there is no such thing as a free meal.
Who would argue with such wisdom? But when funds that otherwise may lie
hidden come to our attention, then it is our joy to invite all who will,
to share the bounty.
4.2 Gift of Grace.
We reported last year that we expected significant funding to be made
available to local church projects, through the CWM Self Support Fund. A
capital sum of £366,043 has been set aside for use within the URC, and
the newly constituted Grant and Loans Group is already co-ordinating
applications for submission to CWM. Application forms and guideline notes
may be obtained through the Grant and Loans Secretary, Miss Jean Thompson.
4.3 Grants for Rural Churches. Grants are available for rural churches from the Arthur Rank Centre, to enable church youth leaders to attend a training course connected with their church youth work or to assist the arrangement of a training course for church youth workers. The grant may also be used to help defray the costs of resources needed for rural church youth work. Further information about these and other grants available to the rural churches is available from: The Arthur Rank Centre, National Agri-cultural Centre, Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire CV8 2LZ Tel: 01203 696969, ext 216. Fax: 01203 414808
4.4 In addition to grants
available from the Arthur Rank Centre, every ‘shire county’ has a
Rural Community Council (it may not have that title!). These councils hold
details about local charities and have access to information on larger
grant making trusts. Their field officers are usually very willing to
assist churches develop their plans for serving their local communities.
4.5 Money Trees. It is worth remembering that churches of all denominations in urban settings may apply to the Church of England’s national Church Urban Fund and that many Local Authorities are able to make grants available to organisations who do work in their area of interest, for example, community care. Local Police Forces are sometimes able to provide funds for work done in partnership with them. A youth project, for instance, may have crime prevention spin-offs.
4.6 Europe. A
seminar, jointly organised by the Life and Witness Committee and the Vines
Centre Trust, Rochester, and entitled Empowering and Envisioning the
Voluntary Sector was held on the 16 & 17 February this year. The
aim of the seminar was to help participants consider how to establish a
community project and how to access funds from various sources including
Europe. Invitations were sent to every synod. Someone from your synod may
have attended. Ask at your synod office.
5 To
encourage growth in faith among people of all ages
5.1 The Committee has been
asked to give some preliminary consideration to the requirement for Church
Membership material. At the same time we were invited to provide some
input to a suitable replacement for the Hitchhikers’ Guide. There
is no doubt that such a piece of work will mean collaboration with a
number of Assembly Committees and we look forward to the opportunities
that will present. We are conscious that some local churches have
developed their own materials and we would be glad to receive a copy of
them along with notes about how they have been used, and received.
5.2 Fifty years ago,
Holiday Forum was introduced to the Congregational Church diary,
and it has remained a firm favourite ever since. Thus the 1999 Holiday
Forum started with a day of celebration, ending with a service led by
Keith Forecast at which Tony Burnham was the preacher. The week’s
conference then continued on the theme of “Going for Go(l)d”. Murdoch
McKenzie ably led our thoughts about jubilee and millennium with Alan
Morris leading the worship. A week of learning, mixed with fun and
fellowship, proved that Forum has lost none of its appeal. Attendance was
again about 220, thus ensuring that financially Holiday Forum is in good
shape. The conference in 2000, from 19th-25th August, is following on from
last year, with the theme of “Ready for Action?” led by Paul Quilter
and Rosemary Johnston. To book your place or for any further information,
contact Caroline Sturtridge at 27 Cavendish Road, Bognor Regis, PO21 2JN
(01243 822902)
6 To
encourage the local church to engage with its community in evangelism, if
possible ecumenically
6.1 We rejoice that through the expertise and guidance of synod Mission/Evangelism Enablers and CRCW’s many of our churches are engaging with their communities in effective ways of evangelism. We appreciate that often this means unwavering commitment to a course of action that sometimes can be called into question by the doubters. We are absolutely convinced that evangelism is by both word and deed. In Jesus, word and action were held together in perfect unity. His deeds encouraged questions he was well placed to answer and his words led the sinner to seek healing and salvation. Those emphases continued into the life of the young church and we find them again in the vision and generosity of the great philanthropists of the 18th and 19th centuries. More than that, men and women of faith found courage to challenge socially respectable views on child labour, slavery and wealth. It is a matter of concern to us that the methods of evangelism, ‘word’ and ‘deed’, can so often become polarised in people’s minds.
6.2 We in the United
Reformed Church recognise and thank God for the work being done by
Mission/Evangelism Enablers and CRCW’s. The Life and Witness Committee
is seeking to engage these servants of the church in a dialogue about
evangelism, which ought to bear fruit for the whole church.
7 To enable each church to engage with its local community in partnership and service; by gathering ideas and experience, including best practice, and advocating these to the local church. 7.1.1 Church Life
Profile 2001. The United Reformed Church has signed up to take part in
a Church Life Profile which will take place in April 2001 – to coincide
with the Government census. A random sample of 10% of congregations will
be chosen to participate. (Other congregations will have the opportunity
to take part in the profile as well.) Everyone who attends a worship
activity connected with the congregation during “survey week” will be
invited to answer questions about themselves, their faith and their
congregation. (There will be special forms for under 11s and for
ministers.) The answers from the sample congregations will be used to
build up a profile of URC congregations and attenders, and (with samples
from other denominations) of church attenders in England. This information
will be used for national and local planning both within the United
Reformed Church and ecumenically.
7.1.2 The most important
benefit will be for the congregations who take part. Each congregation
will receive an individual report about itself, pointing out its strengths
and its weaknesses, together with a focussed mission planning resource
suggesting ways to build upon those strengths and remedy weaknesses.
7.1.3 The Church Life Profile is being carried out for the churches by Churches Information for Mission, a charitable company set up by various churches and Christian agencies in England to facilitate and co-ordinate the work of churches and mission agencies in the use of information for mission planning. Alison Gelder, the chief executive officer of CIM is available to speak to synods, by invitation, about the Profile and the benefits of participation. (Alison Gelder: CIM, 22 Salisbury Road, New Malden, Surrey KT3 3HZ; tel & fax 020 8241 0847)
7.2 Building Bridges of
Hope.
Does YOUR Church
• want to grow and to
help others to grow?
• want to learn with
others effective ways of conveying faith?
• want to become a
‘mission church’ connecting with the needs of the community at large?
Building Bridges of Hope
could be for you!
7.2.1 This is not ‘just
another programme’ but a process. It began in 1994 with twenty local
Christian communities across the four nations, representing a variety of
denomination, social situation, ecumenical commitment and mission
approach. CTBI’s ‘mission arm’, the Churches Commission on Mission,
began gathering information and practical wisdom from these communities.
7.2.2 Each was visited
during 1997-99 by a ‘participant observer’ who systematically took
‘snapshots’ of their life over that time. Developments and setbacks
were monitored and analysed so that conclusions could be shared with all
churches. The three key elements of the BBH process have been to i) learn
from local situations, ii) work on sharing values and iii) investigate
wider church support. This has resulted in communities being enabled and
encouraged to think ‘big and daringly’ to move out and to build
bridges of hope with their wider communities.
7.2.3 The United Reformed
Church has so far featured in two of these communities, High Barnet and
Furnival, Sheffield, supporting the process since it began, and committing
both financial and personnel resources to it. Our representatives went to
the national BBH Consultation in February, and Life and Witness has made
available copies of the video and booklet ‘Bridges to Build’ following
a launch in May.
7.2.4 From the findings so
far, the following seven key indicators have emerged, and the next
step will be to test them out in a variety of settings within our
church life. They are:
1. Recognising
opportunities
Integrating vision and
programmes
2. Sharing the same road
Engaging through
community partnerships
3. Sharing yearnings and
faith
Sharing with others on
values and aspirations
4. Helping each other
grow
Spiritual nurture for
daily life and work
5. Becoming a team
Formation for clergy-lay
teamwork
6. Looking through fresh
eyes
Accompaniment and
networking from the wider church
7. Learning on the job
Becoming a community of
learning and engaging.
7.2.5 We have already
confirmed the URC’s support for this next exciting stage but congregations,
districts, training colleges and individuals are needed to act as
‘models’, working with the indicators which are appropriate to
their setting and discovering together how their life and mission can be
reshaped and revitalised.
7.2.6 There is much in
Building Bridges of Hope that will be of great value and resonates with
our ‘Growing Up’ proposals. It could be just what your church or group
is looking for. Further information from the Life and Witness office.
8 To
support the work of elders and the work of the District Councils in their
oversight of the local church.
8.1 As part of the Growing
Up report, the Life and Witness Committee was asked to ‘review the
work that is being done on elders’ training and to present
proposals for a systematic programme’. We realise that much good work is
already done in this field and we are in the process of ascertaining from
synods exactly how the work is carried out and by whom. Representatives of
the committee will be involved with the Mersey Synod Training Committee in
reviewing the training that is currently offered across the denomination.
It is hoped that we will be able to offer to the church a new Elders’
Training programme that is both comprehensive and practical.
8.2 Since last assembly,
the committee has commissioned two pieces of work that are both almost
complete and should be available to the church before the end of the year.
The first deals with the role of the church secretary and the
second with that of the district secretary. We recognise that there
will be local emphases that cannot possibly be reflected in pamphlets like
these but the hope is that they will give a good foundation to any local
edifice that needs to be built upon them. Both will be in the format ‘They’ve
asked me to be…’ It is worth noting here that the Windermere
Centre continues to offer short courses on both these areas of
service. The next one for church secretaries is scheduled for 3-5 November
2000.
8.3 While thinking about
the support offered to district councils, it seems appropriate here to
remind Assembly of the leaflet, ‘They’ve asked me to be an
Interim Moderator’. This is available from the URC Bookshop. A
much fuller set of Guidelines was also produced some time ago and
circulated to all District Pastoral Committee conveners. It remains a
useful resource for those approached by District Councils to become
interim moderators of local churches. Further details from the Life and
Witness Committee.
9 To support the work of the Windermere Centre and of the Rural Consultant.
9.1.1 The Windermere
Centre continues to serve the Church through the diversity of its
programme, its ethos of fellowship and care, and the unspoken individual
ministries which are exercised. Much of 1999 has been and most of 2000
will be marked by the travelling life of the Centre Director as Moderator
of General Assembly. That the Centre has not lost momentum is a tribute to
the diligent and caring work of the Locum Director and all the Centre
staff. We already know that the retiring Moderator will bring much
stimulus to the Centre in 2001 as a result of his Moderatorship.
9.1.2 Occupancy in 1999 was
somewhat lower than in the previous year for a variety of reasons. The
need for general advocacy and targeting of publicity remains clear and the
Advisory Group is considering ways in which this need might be met – but
the best form of advocacy is from people who have enjoyed their ‘Home in
the Lakes’! It is good that we now have 650 ‘Contact People’ in
local congregations.
9.1.3 The work of the
Management Group is evident in excellent employee relations, provision of
further en-suite facilities, improvement of office accommodation and the
ongoing redecoration and minor improvement schedule. A structural survey
revealed no surprises and precautionary work to an external wall is
complete.
9.1.4 The Centre and the
Carver congregation have intensified their mutual exploration of effecting
mission locally and nationally. A very helpful independent Feasibility
Study was completed during the year and a joint council is now
prioritising areas of further partnership. The hope is that the result
will demonstrate what applying the principles of the ‘Growing Up’
report can mean in practice
9.1.5 So this part of the
Church’s life leaves one century successfully and plans a new life for a
new century.
9.2 Rural Consultant.
In his final report as our Rural Consultant, Michael Cruchley writes:
9.3.1 Farming. The
last year has seen continuing difficulty in the farming community and a
further decline in farm incomes. The Day of Prayer for the Farming
Community held in May 1999 was well received by many in that community and
is being repeated in 2000. If churches have not observed it in May, then
to include special prayers at Harvest time would be appropriate.
9.3.2 The Arthur Rank
Centre will be continuing the Harvest Briefing Sheet that has been
produced for churches in recent years. It may be true that not many of our
churches have close contact with farming families and, at the same time,
many ask why we make special pleading for farmers. ‘We all need food’
is one answer. Another is that because many in the churches did not speak
out about the decline of coal and steel industries (though some
significantly did) we should not make the same sin of omission again.
9.4 Regional Government.
Significant changes took place in 1999 concerning regionalisation as
well as devolution. There is a continuing need for the churches to relate
to the new agencies who are beginning to develop their working patterns.
The pressure on the members of these agencies to concentrate on urban
needs is great and we need to help them keep a balance of service to the
whole community whilst not saying that rural is better than urban, or vice
versa.
9.5 Small Churches
Report. This report will be of considerable significance to our rural
churches in every synod. It is anticipated keenly by many of us in those
rural areas.
9.6 Arthur Rank Centre.
The Revd Gordon Gatward has begun his term of service as Director and is
keen to continue the close relationship with the URC. As Mrs Jenny
Carpenter begins her service as our Rural Consultant it is hoped that
Synods, Districts and churches will call on the resources of the Arthur
Rank Centre and its staff to encourage and enable mission and to give
considered views on all aspects of rural life and work.
10 To enable ongoing reflection on issues related to the Community of Women and Men in the Church.
10.1 When the United
Reformed Church heard from the World Council of Churches in 1987 about the
Ecumenical Decade of Churches in Solidarity with Women, the response of
the then Faith and Life Department resulted in the network known as
Sharing People in Network (SPIN). This became linked with Discipleship,
Stewardship and Witness in 1995.
10.2 With the end of the
Decade came the end of SPIN, but not of its work. The 1998 Assembly gave
Life & Witness the mandate to enable a new network to take shape, in
association with other related groups. But SPIN was ‘of its time’ and
its aims resonated with many. Could a new network do the same?
10.3 Since then, there has
been much discussion and planning. A Consultation at the Methodist
International Centre in November concluded that there is a place for a
network which has ‘inclusive community’ at its heart and is capable of
facilitating awareness of gender and social issues across the structures
of the church.
10.4 To this end, a small
steering group is taking shape which will begin to set a working agenda
for a Community of Women and Men. Life and Witness want to hear from
anyone who would like to become involved.
11 Growing
Up. A Church at the Crossroads.
11.1 It has not been within
our remit as a Committee to question the broad-brush picture painted in
part 1 of Growing Up. We are grateful for the painstaking research
and are happy to acknowledge that the broad sweep of the historical
perspective never intended to give the impression that every local church
is the same. Clearly there are already a number of churches that deserve
to be described as ‘missionary congregations.’
11.2 Growing Up.
Towards a Mission
Strategy
‘The lessons of the
URC’s past resistance to what the New Testament means by evangelism
indicates that the (Life and Witness) Committee must sharpen its focus, to
help the people become more effective in its witness of proclaiming the
good news of the kingdom.’
‘To revive the desire to witness and to suggest the ways, must be the focus of the Life and Witness Committee’s work in supporting the local Church in proclaiming the good news.’
As General Assembly
accepted the mission programme outlined in the report ‘Growing Up’,
an awesome responsibility passed into the hands of the Life and Witness
Committee. These quotes and the whole of the paragraph that binds them
together (7.2) have concentrated our minds and held us to account at each
of our meetings. As we considered how we were to respond to the challenge
we became more and more convinced of our impotency. How can we
revive ‘the desire to witness’ in a Church which historically
has proved so resistant to what the New Testament means by evangelism? How
are we to envision and energise a church that received the report
for ‘consideration’ only? If this report, like so many others before
it, is not to wither on the vine, it needs to be welcomed by local
churches for consideration, prayer and action.
11.3 How can the ‘desire
to witness’ be revived? Not by external helps and props! Later in
this report we shall recommend a number of tools readily available to the
church to equip them for the task. But if there is no heart for the task,
even the best tools will accomplish nothing. As a Committee, we can do
nothing to revive the desire to witness. We would suggest however that
that desire may well be re-kindled, by a loving appreciation of what God
has done for all men and women in Christ crucified. But more than that, a
return to the first principles of our faith needs to be coupled with
prayer. If our devotion towards the God who has saved us is not to
terminate in a cosy ‘me and him’ relationship, then we need to pray
that the Spirit will give us the desire to witness. No survey of the Welsh
revival in the 18th century, or of the founding of the great missionary
societies or indeed of the Irish revival of 1859, would dare to play down
the place of faithful, corporate prayer. How many of our churches have
meetings for prayer? How many of our people acknowledge the need? The
recovery of the desire to witness is grounded in prayer. If we are not
prepared to give ourselves to prayer in this matter, the best programmes,
the most instructive books and the highest quality teaching will not help
us.
11.4 On Your (5) Marks!
The General Secretary, in introducing the report to the 1999 General
Assembly, described the report as, ‘the sound of the starting pistol
in a long race’. If local churches receive Growing Up for
discussion, prayer and action, they will find that they have entered a
marathon, not a sprint. We would ask the church to recognise that we in
this Committee are fellow runners! Rather than making a dash for the line,
we have been forced to pace ourselves. Consequently, not all the issues
laid at our door receive equal weight in this first report. We have chosen
to begin where Growing Up begins - PROCLAIMING THE GOOD NEWS OF THE
KINGDOM.
11.5 ‘People need help
to be credible witnesses’. Jesus said more than ‘follow me’, he
continued ‘and I will make you to become fishers of men.’ How long
would it take to expound all that? At least we can agree that there is
here a promise that Jesus will foster a process of change within us that
will result in others being brought into the Kingdom. The assessment of Growing
Up is that many of us have stalled in that process and now we need
help to begin moving on again.
11.6 Ministers must bear
responsibility in this task of enabling the people of God to be credible
witnesses. But if ministers too have stalled, who is to help them? Is
there a difference between preaching and witnessing? Where are we to find
again our confidence in telling our faith story? Has this cry been heard
by our colleges and training courses? If local churches are to move on in
the whole business of being credible witnesses, then we need to learn to
trust one another, to acknowledge our shared failure and to move on
together - minister and people. This will not be without risk or pain but
will have the value of enabling congregations to reflect on the truth that
in telling our faith stories, ministers and people start from the same
place of discomfort and vulnerability. We need to grow fellowships
committed to the task where the risks are understood, where the hesitant
are encouraged and where wounds are tended.
11.7 Resources. We
have been thrilled to learn of the initiatives taken in several synods and
of the imaginative ways of getting the Five Marks of Mission onto
the agenda. We would wish to encourage those who are already ‘off the
mark’. In spite of all these best efforts, we have an underlying unease
that a huge percentage of our local churches remain impervious to the
challenge. How to encourage them to join us in the race has exercised us
considerably. Do we need some local churches to become advocates for the 5 Marks? We would like to hear from any church, prepared to become a local
resource by telling its stories in a way that would encourage others. Do
we need small group action packs on each of the 5 Marks and modelled on
the excellent ‘Roots and Branches’ which addresses the issues
of the environment in the fifth mark? We are keen that the church should
avail itself of the first rate resources already on the market that deal
with the challenge to be witnesses to the faith. The ones we have chosen
to highlight are accessible, inexpensive and could make an immediate
difference to our mission.
Building Bridges of
Hope (see 7.2)
Telling Our Faith
Story. This
small booklet is designed to help Christians tell their faith stories.
(Janice Price, Church House Publishing, £2.95 available at Bookshop)
Lay Witnesses. This
is a human resource. The Lay Witness Movement is an independent,
non-denominational organisation who will run a weekend at your own church.
They offer a low-key gentle approach to help any church become more
effective in mission. No charge, but a donation is requested. Please visit
Brian and Hazel Rollins at their Assembly display or contact them at The
Lay Witness Movement, 25 Chorley Road, Standish, Wigan WN6 0AA. Tel: 01257
422995.
Lost for Words. A six-session course full of practical ideas, offered by CPAS to help Christians relax into ‘being ourselves, with God, for others’. (CPAS, Athena Drive, Tachbrook Park, Warwick CV34 6NG. Tel: 01926 458458)
11.8 Joined-up thinking.
The mission of the church is about words, action and relationships. The
five marks of mission are a joined-up way of thinking about how we live
out our faith in a world of need. None of us can with integrity, turn away
from the challenge we face.
Stewardship Sub-Committee
Sub-Committee Members
Convener: Mr Keith Webster Secretary: Revd John Steele
Members: Mr Frank Dale, Mrs Sue Wilkinson, Mrs Sheila Yates, Mr Geoffrey
Wood
12.1 Introduction. This
has been a transition year for the Sub-Committee which has a continuing
aim of developing and promoting ways in which the church, at all levels,
can exercise real stewardship of the gifts entrusted to it. These gifts,
whether financial or individual skills, must be identified, nurtured and
used effectively to support the life of the church. This can range from
the day to day ‘housekeeping’ to the high profile mission activity,
not losing sight of the fact that everything that is done in some way
supports the implementation of God’s mission for the church as a whole.
12.2 TRIO (The Responsibility is Ours). Work started during the year to develop a successor to TRIO. Many churches
can testify to the benefits they have found in raising the profile of
stewardship through the use of TRIO. The basic programme still has a role
to play since not all churches have given their stewardship needs the
detailed attention to be found in TRIO. The aim of the Sub-Committee is to
develop a successor programme which will help churches as they look at
their mission initiatives and their wide role within the local community.
A key element in the success of TRIO has been the involvement of the whole
congregation, highlighting the fact that everyone has a part to play in
stewardship.
12.3 Vision Workshops.
Local Churches still find that the identification of a clear focus for
their church life brings renewed commitment and enthusiasm. This focus has
been achieved through the running of a Vision Workshop (or some similar
activity by whatever name), arranged through the Synod or District.
12.4 GEM (Giving Enables
Mission). GEM, which is a full stewardship programme, continues to be
used by churches that have carried out a Vision Workshop or similar
programme. The programme is still available from URC Bookshop at £25,
which includes copies of the necessary literature and acetates for
presentation.
12.5 Deeds of Covenant. During
the year the updated leaflet setting out the substantial benefits
available to the church, through Deeds of Covenant and Gift Aid became
available. All gifts under deduction of tax are from April 2000 made under
the new Gift Aid scheme and the leaflet will be reviewed in the light of
the recent changes in the tax implications of charitable giving.
12.6 Ecumenical.
Through the Staff Secretary, John Steele, the Church is represented on the
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, which is invaluable for the
sharing of resources and information on all stewardship concerns.
The annual Conference of
the Network takes place in Harlech College, Gwynedd from the 17th – 20th
July.
It has been good also to
renew contact with the United Church of Canada this year, and to have
received information on their programmes.
12.7 People. The year has also been one of change with regard to membership of the Sub-Committee. Julian Macro, whose role as Convener began in the days of the Advocacy Group, stands down this year. His guidance and input over the years has been much valued. Also standing down are Janet Turner, David Netherwood and Tom Hamilton – their contributions have been greatly appreciated
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