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Amend paragraph 2.[5] by adding the following category to the membership of the General Assembly:

‘All Ministers of Word and Sacrament and CRCWs who are to be received by Assembly at the outset of their Ministry in the United Reformed Church.’

1.2 It is important, too, that they are encouraged to participate in the life of the United Reformed Church at a wider level than their particular pastorate or appointment.

1.3 This resolution would allow those already invited to be part of the General Assembly in order that they may be presented, to be present for the whole of that Assembly and to speak and vote as full members.

1.4 This will increase the voting body of Assembly, but not the total number attending Assembly in any one year. The financial implications are the cost of accommodation and ancillary papers only, as transport is already met.

a) urges the URC Trust and the URC Pensions Trust to dispose of all shares held in GKN and any other companies involved with the arms trade and

b) instructs Mission Council to report to the Assembly on the ethical policies followed with regard to the investments of the Church.

Before the Northern Synod met in March an article had appeared in the press concerning continuing investment in the arms trade by organisations that seek to present themselves as morally and socially responsible. A number of members had read this article, and had been dismayed to see the United Reformed Church cited alongside various Oxbridge colleges and trades unions among the offenders, and standing out as the only Church on the list.

We had believed on the basis of numerous General Assembly debates and resolutions over the years that the United Reformed Church has a commitment to ethical investment. We recognise that those who work on our behalf in this field may be constrained in various ways, and that particular problems arise from companies like GKN where only a proportion of activity is in armaments. However, the sole listing of the United Reformed Church in that particular article suggests that other Churches have found ways of meeting these problems; and believing that we can take similar steps we present this resolution. We feel that it is timely undertake a review and for Assembly to endorse our current practice.

Resolution 3 - District children's and/or Youth Worker

In view of the catastrophic decline over the past twenty years of the number of children and young people who are part of the worshipping and learning fellowship of the Church and because of the long term consequences of this to a society with little or no knowledge of Christianity and no experience of Christian worship and because this will make evangelism increasingly difficult General Assembly requests the Youth and Children’s Committee to ensure that the review into its work explores the possibility of providing every district council which requires it with a children’s and/or youth worker.

East Midlands Synod 

Proposer: Revd Chris White

Seconder: Mr Ray Chambers

1.1 This Resolution has its origins in the Northamptonshire District which has reflected on the decline in youth work in our churches in recent years. Peter Brierley’s recent research (‘Turning the Tide’) has shown that for the first time in a millenium the church is in touch with proportionately fewer children and young people than adults. In other words, a smaller percentage of young people attend worship, Junior Church, Sunday School or Christian youth activities than the percentage of adults attending worship or cell groups. The Church of England report of 1991 (All God’s Children?) produced telling evidence that the majority of adults who attend church services today were in Sunday Schools forty to sixty years ago. The post war boom in Sunday Schools attracted about 60% of the young people and provided contact and a basic understanding of Christian faith and worship which has been of enormous benefit ever since. There is no such base being created at present on which the church might draw in 2010 and after.

1.2 Northamptonshire District therefore decided to investigate the employment of a District Youth Worker to become involved in local churches, giving them vision and training and helping them with their youth work. It was even considered by some that such a worker would be more effective in forwarding the mission of the church than another minister. The Resolution also recognises that it is the voluntary agencies and youth organisations who are more in touch with todays young people than the churches and therefore calls for work in partnership with them.

Resolution 4 - Gift to Reformed Church in Romania

General Assembly approves the offering of a gift of grace to the Reformed Church in Romania in the form of an annual gift of £50,000, shared between two Districts, for a period of three years and to begin as soon as possible.

West Midlands Synod 

Proposer: Revd John Johansen-Berg

Seconder: Mr Ray Coombes

Acts 11. 29. ‘ The disciples decided that they would each send as much as they could to help their fellow-believers who lived in Judea’.

In December 1999 national celebrations were held in Temesvar (Timisoara), Romania. They were marking the ten year Anniversary of the Revolution which led to the overthrow of the oppressive President Ceausescu. The person who was the spark for the revolution is a minister of the Reformed Church there, Laszlo Tokes. At that time his courageous stand, already costly, could have cost him his liberty, even his life. Now he is one of the Bishops of the Reformed Church in Romania, his predecessor having fled the country. He stated in November 1999 that none of the hundeds of churches and schools of the Reformed Church, confiscated in the Communist era have been returned, in spite of promises made. The Hungarian population which suffered discrimination under the Communist regime continues to suffer now. The population of Hungarian nationality has declined from 1,663,000 to 1,603,000 from 1910-1992. There are about 765,000 in the Reformed community, the vast majority being in Transylvania. Faced with low wages and high inflation, with basic needs in community life and with the repair or rebuilding of churches after forty years of persecution, Laszlo Tokes has led his people with energy and courage in a programme of self-help calling for much sacrifice.

As in his District so in the neighbouring one based on Kolosvar (Cluj-Napoca) there is much planning and action. Dr Csiha Kalman, the Bishop, (recently retired) has an outline proposal for an imaginative project for Tirgu Mures which will provide education and training for community service and health work. In both Districts there is creative planning to restore the church’s role in community service, worship and teaching.

As Moderator of the United Reformed Church in 1980, the Revd John Johansen-Berg visited Romania and again in 1990 to see the post-Revolution situation and in a number of years since then. He has described the oppression suffered by the Hungarian minority in earlier days and the continuing problems faced by the Reformed Church now. Through the Community for Reconciliation he has been involved in sending aid, supporting imaginative local projects and arranging twinning of churches over a ten year period primarily through the Reformed Church but also in partnership with other churches and community groups.

The United Reformed Church has been fortunate to have our overseas financial commitment reduced considerably. It would be an act of faith and compassion to tithe our benefit by our own gift of grace to a sister church in need. Because the Council for World Mission gained extra resources from the sale of a site in Hong Kong our annual giving has been reduced by about £500,000.

It would be appropriate for the United Reformed Church to make an annual gift of £50,000 to the Reformed Church in Romania (£25,000 to each of the two Districts) for a period of three years. The difference this would make to a church in need would be immense. If we shared in planning the use of these gifts we too would be given inspiration and encouragement. If it is the opinion of Assembly that it would be an appropriate and helpful project to undertake, funding could perhaps be found to implement it in the year 2001. If not it might be included in the budget for 2002 to 2004.

Many members of Assembly will have their own links with Romania and some will have visited there. The need is still evident as is the generosity of the Hungarian speaking Christians to their churches. Reformed Churches naturally have a special link with and responsibility for sister churches. This resolution proposes that we should follow the example of other Reformed Churches and give help now when it is so greatly needed. As the Jerusalem churches were greatly moved and encouraged by the help from Antioch in a time of need so now a sister church could be encouraged by a gift of grace from us.