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Alphabetical index of Issues
AIDS. Contact the URC HIV/AIDS group through church.society@urc.org.uk The Church of Scotland HIV/AIDS project produces worship resources for use in connection with World Aids Day, 1 December. Contact hivaids@cofscotland.org.uk or see www.churchofscotland.org.uk or www.worldaidsday.org
ASSISTED DYING. A Report was produced for the General Assembly of the Church in 2007.
ASYLUM. A briefing on the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Bill 2005 was produced by the Methodist Church, the Religious Society of Friends and the Jesuit Refugee Service. Click for further details.
BREAST MILK SUBSTITUTES. A working group is currently reviewing the Church's stance. General Assembly passed a resolution in 1992 encouraging churches to boycott Nescafe and other Nestle products because of the way Nestle markets breast milk substitutes in the developing world.
CARTOON PROTEST - The Church and Society Committee of the United Reformed Church issued the following statement on behalf of the Church. …. In February 2006, following publication of cartoons which caused offence to many Muslims
Click here to read the statement
CHURCH ACTION ON
POVERTY. The URC supports Church Action on Poverty and other
agencies working for social justice in the UK and encourages
churches to mark Poverty Action Sunday (See
Calendar
of Special Sundays)
CHURCHES’ CRIMINAL JUSTICE FORUM seeks to raise awareness of criminal justice concerns, and encourages church-going people to get involved in practical ways. The URC is represented on the Forum. www.ccjf.org.uk
CIVIL PARTNERSHIPS. The URC has produced guidelines to assist local churches considering a request to hold a service of blessing, for same sex couples entering into a civil partnership.
CLIMATE CHANGE. Click here to see the reslolution passed by General General Assembly in 2007 See also Environment Click here to see response to draft climate bill.
COMMISSION ON INTEGRATION AND COHESION Click to read the response to a government consultation from the Baptist Union of Great Britain, Methodist Church and United Reformed Church. Click to download in Word Format
COMMITMENT FOR LIFE. The URC’s own programme to help United Reformed churches work for a fairer world and the alleviation of poverty. Its work is overseen by the Commitment for Life sub-committee of Church and Society. www.cforl.org.uk
CREATION CHALLENGE. URC/Methodist environmental network which encourages local churches to consider environmental issues.
DISABILITY. www.disabilitysunday.org
EDUCATION. The Free Church Education website www.freechurcheducation.org.uk provides information ands support for those involved or interested in education and the church’s role. See also www.educationsunday.org
ELECTIONS
See also CLIMATE CHANGE and CREATION CHALLANGE
Projects under the umbrella of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland:
Eco-Congregation
www.ecocongregation.org is an
ecumenical project designed to help churches consider environmental
issues from a Christian perspective and respond with spiritual,
practical and community-orientated steps.
ETHICAL INVESTMENT. The Ethical Investment Advisory Group considers ethical issues relating to URC investments. It is one of several Advisory Groups which the URC’s Mission Council has established to help its thinking in specific, complex area. It includes representation from Church and Society as well as the finance area, the main URC Trusts with capital to invest and ecumenical partners. The Group has no decision-making power and does not invest money itself, but makes recommendations about the URC's investment policy, and advises on the practical dilemmas.
EUTHANASIA and end of life issues. A resource pack ‘A Time To Die’ was produced by Church and Society in 2002 for those in churches involved with bereaved people and the conduct of funerals. This was sent to every church and is available from the URC bookshop. Follow the Books Online link from the home page of the URC website. Price £5 +p&p.
Click here to read an article on Assisted Dying in Reform.
FAIR TRADE FORTNIGHT www.fairtrade.org.uk
GAMBLING BILL. The
Methodist Church, acting on behalf of other UK denominations,
published a leaflet outlining the Gambling Bill and suggesting
issues to raise with MPs
www.methodist.org.uk and
follow the links to News>Campaigns>Public Issues. The URC is currently reviewing its position on application for Heritage Lottery
funding for the upkeep of historic church buildings. During the third week in November churches are encouraged to focus upon criminal justice issues.
HOMELESSNESS. The URC is a member of Housing Justice, the national voice of Christian action to prevent homelessness and bad housing www.housingjustice.org
HOTLINE. The Church and Society Network Hotline provides the latest news on events, campaigns and resources. Available free via this website, e-mail or post, Hotline enables Church and Society to share information, and gives churches and church groups the opportunity to publicise events. (See HOTLINE on church and society menu page)
HUMAN TRAFFICKING. The URC has responded to a Home Office consultation on Human Trafficking. The URC is a member of the Stop The Traffik coalition www.stopthetraffik.org
Click here to read the submission Read a Reform article examining some of the issues behind human trafficking
JUBILEE DEBT CAMPAIGN. Although the Jubilee 2000 coalition disbanded at the end of 2000, the burden of debt borne by the world’s poorest countries remains a cause for concern. The UK campaign for debt relief is now spearheaded by the Jubilee Debt Campaign, a coalition of organisations and churches www.jubileebdebtcampaign.org.uk and Jubilee Research, a unit devoted primarily to research and lobbying www.jubileeresearch.org The URC supports both initiatives.
JUSTSHARE. A coalition of churches and faith-based agencies which the URC helped to create in 2001, which takes the debate about globalisation and social justice to the City. JustShare’s programme includes public debates and boardroom discussions www.justshare.org.uk
LOTTERY. See Gambling
MAKE POVERTY HISTORY. A major campaign to fight poverty during 2005. A URC General Assembly resolution called upon on all relevant councils of the church to engage with it, fully and imaginatively. The Moderator of General Assembly took part in the launch, and in the ‘Vicar of Dibley’ march to Downing Street. www.makepovertyhistory.org
NESTLÉ. See Breast Milk Substitutes
NEWSLETTER. The Joint Public Issues Team Newsletter provides the latest news on events, campaigns and resources. Available free via this website, e-mail or post, it enables the Team to share information, and gives churches and church groups the opportunity to publicise events. See JOINT PUBLIC ISSUES TEAM
NUCLEAR WEAPONS The United Reformed Church has declared its opposition to the renewal of Britain’s Trident nuclear weapon programme. Click for more details. The Churches have compiled a briefing to inform public debate. See www.ctbi.org.uk > Churches issue briefing on Trident. Press release June 16 2006.
A letter has been sent to all URC church secretaries, encouraging members to write to their MP, expressing the Church's view. Click for the text of the letter
There is also the opportunity to sign an e-petition to Ten Downing Street by going to http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/trident/
ONE WORLD WEEK seeks to enable groups to work across cultural, ethnic and religious boundaries to achieve a recognition that we are all part of one world in combating inequality and discrimination www.oneworldweek.org
PEACE. Peacemaking: a Christian Vocation: a report produced
jointly with the Methodist Church and adopted by URC General
Assembly in 2006 July, is available, with a study guide from the
URC bookshop. ISBN 1-85852-323-0. Follow the books online link from
the home page of the URC website.
PRISONS WEEK. During the third week in November churches are encouraged to focus upon criminal justice issues.
PROSTITUTION. The National Christian Alliance on Prostitution is a collaborative network, which exists to unite, equip and empower organisations seeking to offer freedom and change to those involved in prostitution. It connects more than forty projects and provides an information exchange, opportunities for training, support and encouragement for new projects, as well as raising awareness of the issues facing those involved in prostitution. More details from www.ncapuk.org
RACIAL JUSTICE. Click on the link for the Racial Justice pages See also Churches’ Commission for Racial Justice www.ctbi.org.uk
SEXUAL ORIENTATION REGULATIONS.
SOCIETY, RELIGION AND TECHNOLOGY PROJECT of the Church of Scotland explores the ethics of technology for a New Millennium, including environmental issues, GM crops, cloning and stem cell research. SRT works with Action of Churches Together in Scotland and with the support of the Scottish Episcopal, United Reformed and United Free Churches www.srtp.org.uk
SLAVERY. 25 March 2007 marks the bicentenary of the Parliamentary Act which abolished the slave trade in the British colonies. The URC will be commemorating the anniversary. For background information see www.setallfree.net and www.antislavery.org
SUNDAY TRADING On behalf of the URC, Church and Society responded to a Department of Trade consultation (April 2006) regarding further liberalisation of the laws governing Sunday Trading. Click to access the submission. As a result of submissions made, government decided not to further relax the law. See also www.keepsundayspecial.org
TERRORISM. The URC has welcomed a government decision to drop provision from proposed anti-terrorist legislation which would have allowed police to apply for places of worship to be closed. Click here to see full URC submission to the Home Office consultation ‘Preventing Extremism Together – Places of Worship’
Click here for - Church welcomes government climb down
TOBIN TAX. otherwise known as 'Stamp out Poverty' The United Reformed Church has supported the campaign for a ‘Tobin Tax’, a small levy on currency transactions which would raise revenue to support development in low-income countries www.tobintax.org.uk
TRADE JUSTICE
MOVEMENT. A coalition of faith groups and agencies committee to
securing a change to the rules of world trade in favour of the poor.
The United Reformed Church was the first church to sign up to the
Movement.
www.tradejusticemovement.org
TRIDENT. see Nuclear weapons
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Links:
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Gives access to information on a range of
Church and Society related issues. This index is being developed
and is not yet exhaustive – and hopefully never will be, as energy
for the Church and Society agenda means that there are constantly
new initiatives. 