Final airing for ZI at Assembly

General Assembly has had the opportunity to air views about Mission Council’s decision to end the Zero Intolerance (ZI) campaign. Roberta Rominger, speaking in her capacity as co-convener of the ZI steering group, took a variety of questions on the end of the campaign, including the future plans for radical welcome within the denomination, the availability of the adverts to the churches, funding and the use of the “Askit” website.

Mrs Rominger told Assembly that the future of radical welcome lay between three Assembly committees – Mission, Education and Learning and Communications and Editorial, later confirming that Mission Committee would be taking the lead on taking forward the URC’s work on radical welcome.

She also confirmed that the copyright for the posters belongs to the URC but decisions as to their availability to the denomination is not yet clear; as to funding, she informed Assembly that the accounts to the end of 2011 has been finalised, showing a total expenditure of £325,000; final accounts, coverng the past six months were being prepared. She added ZI had been funded by a grant from CWM; and £80,000 of this grant was still available, but only for radical welcome projects and how it may be spent lies with the three committees listed above.

Tracey Lewis, convenor of Mission Council, spoke and confirmed that oversight for taking the initiative forward la primarily with the Mission Committee. She said: “We are trying to treasure what has come out of this…. The project was funded by CWM money; it was given as a mission grant … for the taking of risks and to help us expand our boundaries and be a church in mission. We have tried hard to be a church that is out there and pushing forward with mission – and that’s fine with CWM.”