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Autumn2000

Money for mission

Ecumenical movement

Highly 
recommended

• The Presbyterian Church of Myanmar, because of the difficult political situation for the church there, has asked the United Reformed Church to manage its CWM allocation from both the Mission Support and the Self-Support funds Ð a total of perhaps £750,000.  The committee acceded to the request and set up a system, involving PCM, CWM and URC personnel, to carry out the task responsibly.
  
  

• The committee agreed the budget both for the URC's contribution to ecumenical bodies here and abroad, and for support for ecumenically appointed ecumenical officers throughout England.  It was dismayed to hear that the Church of England had frozen its contribution at the 2000 level.
  
  

• The URC money from the sale of St Andrews Hall will be used, firstly, to fund a scholarship bearing its name and, secondly, to fund a full-time Mission Enabler for the CWM European Region.
  

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• A proposal, entitled A different way, that the Free Churches Council should re-position itself within Churches Together in England was strongly supported.  The decision in principle will be taken at the FCC annual meeting in November.  The way forward for the Welsh part of FCC (separate from the FCC of Wales) is not yet clear. 
  
  

• The National Synod of Scotland gave overwhelming support to the Second Interim Report of the Scottish Church Initiative for Union and recommended it to local churches and area councils for their responses. The Methodist Conference and the Scottish Episcopal Synod also gave formal support, but the Church of Scotland General Assembly only voted in favour by a narrow margin.  
  

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• The United Reformed Church was officially represented by 10 people at the World Convention of the Churches of Christ in Brisbane this summer. 
  The URC and the Fellowship of the Churches of Christ will host this huge gathering of 4,500 in 2004.
  
  

• The General Secretary attended the Assembly of the Uniting Church of Australia on behalf of CWM. 
  Bernard Thorogood, former General Secretary, presented a proposal there for partnership with the Congregational Church of the Cook Islands!
  
  

• Both the World Council of Churches and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches are in financial difficulties.  Philip Woods attended a European consultation mainly about the WCC crisis.  Elizabeth Nash, member of the WARC Executive, praised the new General Secretary, Revd Dr Setri Nyomi, for his approach to finance and other matters.
  
  

• David Campbell, the new representative from the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, updated the committee on church and society matters there.
  
   

• A partnership agreement between the United Reformed Church and its Yorkshire Synod and Die Evangelische Kirche der Pfalz was approved.  Tribute was paid to Revd Ernest Dawes who had fostered this partnership over many decades and who had died since the previous meeting.  
  

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• Fleur Houston will succeed Murdoch McKenzie as URC representative on the General Synod of the Church of England.  She will also be the URC observer at the next Meissen Theological Commission meeting in March 2001.
  
  

• Andrew Bradstock, the new Secretary for 
  Church and Society, will be the URC representative on the Latin American/Caribbean Forum of the Churches Commission on Mission.
  
  

• Gabrielle Cox, Convener of the Church and Society Committee, will succeed Philip Woods, on the European Integration Working Group of the Conference of European Churches.
  
  

• Ray Adams, Moderator of the South Western Synod, will represent the URC on the Church Life Liaison Group of CTBI.
  
  

• Sheila Maxey is the Moderator of the Church Life Liaison Group of CTBI. 
  
  

• David Thompson took office both as President of the World Convention of the Churches of Christ and as Moderator of the Disciples Ecumenical Consultative Council at their respective gatherings in Brisbane this summer.
  
  

• Philip Woods, the Secretary for International Relations, will be on sabbatical until the end of the year.
  

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• The committee is working on a wide-ranging ecumenical strategy for the URC to present to Assembly in 2001.
  
  

• In March 2001 a Windermere consultation of representatives of the Church of Scotland, the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, the Presbyterian Church of Wales and the United Reformed Church will consider their 'Identity and Partnership'.
  
  

• In Autumn 2001 an invited group will form a URC think-tank to stimulate mission thinking and take us beyond Growing Up.
  

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Sharers, Guests or Tenants? The sharing of church buildings in the multi-cultural city.
This new account (together with principles of good practice) of the often unchristian relationship between owner-congregations who share their building with another Christian congregation will be sent to every district secretary and ecumenical officer.
Additional copies can be obtained from Churches Together in England London office and on CTE website www.churches-together.org.uk.  It is a pity the title suggests it is only for London.

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Bob Andrews (Convener), Mary Buchanan, Darnett Whitby-Reid, Phillip Jones, Jackie Marsh, Richard Mortimer, Elizabeth Nash, John Rees, John Smith (Scotland), Stuart Jackson (Wales).

Representing other committees:
Carole Ellefsen-Jones, Alistair Ellefsen-Jones, Hugh Graham, Suzanne Hamnett, Rosemary Johnston, Raymond Singh, John Crocker (Convener of the International Exchange Sub-Committee).

Representing other churches: David Campbell (Presbyterian Church in Ireland), Colin Buchanan - alternate, Elizabeth Fisher (CofE), Peter Sulston (Methodist Church)

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Sheila Maxey, Secretary for Ecumenical Relations [ecumenical@urc.org.uk]

Philip Woods, Secretary for International Relations [international@urc.org.uk]

Lesley-Anne Morgan, International Relations Programme Administrator

Veronica Singh, Personal Assistant to Secretary for Ecumenical Relations

Doris David, Personal Assistant to Secretary for International Relations.

Produced by Ecumenical Relations  
Published by Communications & Editorial, 
Graphics Office  
The United Reformed Church, 86 Tavistock Place, 
London WC1H 9RT

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