With less than 45 days to go, there’s still time for churches to tap in to mission and community opportunities offered by the Games. Whether it’s an event built around the torch relay, a barbeque held after the opening ceremony, an international meal during the Olympics, a sports quiz in the run-up, or even a full blown community festival, there’s still time for your congregation to go for gold this summer.

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Twenty-one-year old Miriam Webb has been appointed as the next FURY/Christian Aid intern and will replace Charis Unsworth, joining the established Christian Aid Collective Internship programme at the end of August. This is the second year of this URC sponsored internship.

This internship programme offers young people with a passion for global justice the opportunity to spend ten months working as a Christian Aid volunteer. The overall purpose of this role is to support and encourage young people and youth leaders – with particular focus on FURY – to become actively engaged in global issues, through Christian Aid’s campaigns, worship materials and fundraising projects.

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In a service held on Sunday 3 June the United Reformed Church celebrated the creation of the URC’s newest congregation – Bournemouth International Church.

Bournemouth International Church has its roots in July 1998 when Joshua Han invited three Korean students into his home for a prayer meeting. Six months later the group started meeting as an International Church and, in January 2000, became known as Bournemouth International Church. Formally adopted as a mission project at General Assembly 2010, the church now has 160 regular worshippers.

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Christ Church in Braintree, a United Reformed and Methodist congregation, has opened a food bank in the town to help local people in times of crisis. It joins a growing number of food banks opening across the country.

Food banks help families and individuals who find themselves in short-term difficulties by providing an emergency three-day supply of food. The food is collected primarily from shoppers at supermarkets, and is distributed to those in need in exchange for vouchers issued by partner agencies such as local housing services and the Citizens Advice Bureau, all of whom have warmly welcomed the church’s initiative as meeting a real, local need.

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