The Revd Jenny Mills, the United Reformed Church’s (URC) Secretary for Education and Learning, has been appointed to serve as its Deputy General Secretary (Discipleship), taking up the role after the Revd Adrian Bulley retires in July.

Jenny was a teacher at Lumbertubs Primary School, Northampton, before accepting the call into ministry.

After training at Mansfield College, Oxford, Jenny was ordained in 2008 and inducted into the Milton Keynes Mission Partnership, Newport Pagnell and as Pastoral Consultant for the East Midlands Synod until 2016. From 2016-2020, Jenny continued to serve at Newport Pagnell URC, where she helped to develop The Mead Centre, a welcoming space for individuals, clubs, families, businesses and other community groups, and at West End United Church in Wolverton.

In 2020, Jenny became the URC’s Secretary for Education and Learning, the team that encourages and enables training and learning throughout the Church, the way it thinks about learning, the content of courses and working with the URC’s Resource Centres for Learning in Glasgow, Manchester and Cambridge.

It also supports Assembly committees and Synods in training and development matters and maintains oversight of the initial and continuing development of ministers of Word and Sacraments, CRCWs and lay preachers.

The Revd Dr John Bradbury, URC General Secretary, said: “Jenny brings many gifts and graces to this role. Her passionate commitment to, and experience of, education is a real asset to the United Reformed Church. She also brings a commitment to discipleship in its widest sense, particularly as we are all people who are continually learning to follow the way of Christ.

“It will be a joy to welcome Jenny as a colleague to the General Secretariat. I look forward to working with her over the next few years, as together the United Reformed Church faces its challenges and opportunities.”

While serving in local ministry, Jenny also served as Convenor of the Children’s and Youth Work Committee.

Jenny said: “I am delighted to have been put forward for the role of Deputy General Secretary (Discipleship) after receiving nominations and a number of wider encouragements.

“I offered myself into the process to test my call to the role and was very pleased that the call was affirmed, and that my gifts and skills were seen to be a good match for the position.

“I have been part of the Church House staff for nearly three and a half years, as Secretary for Education and Learning, and I look forward to using that experience in this new role too.

“As I move on, there will be questions around what happens next with Education and Learning since we are already in a period of change following the appointment of the Revd David Salsbury to the role of Moderator of the National Synod of Wales. We are currently looking at where Education and Learning emanates from within the URC, exploring even closer links with our Resource Centres for Learning and closer working with Synods, through the Training and Development+ Network.

“I know I will be given the best handover as I begin this role, by Adrian, who retires in the summer, who will be greatly missed. He is a hard act to follow having brought stability, wisdom, structure and closer working relationships both within Discipleship and beyond, post-Covid. I will endeavour to build on the solid foundations he has laid.

“As we work out the transition into this new role for me, I ask for your prayers and encouragement. It will be a time of letting go alongside sorting out and learning new things!

“Please also pray for the whole Discipleship Team as we continue to journey together with all we do, as well as finding new ways to support and resource the local churches whom we serve.

“I am grateful to all who have supported me in my journey so far and for those who have believed in me and seen things in me I could not see in myself. I thank God and the Church for this new opportunity, and I will seek to give of my best, as I am able, and working closely with those alongside whom I serve.”

Jenny has been married to Aldam for 35 years and they have three adult children, Harriet, Abby and AJ.

Jenny will be inducted at the URC’s General Assembly which meets from 12-15 July at The Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick.

The post Jenny Mills appointed as next URC Deputy General Secretary (Discipleship) appeared first on United Reformed Church.

On Saturday 23 March, 2024, the Revd Dr Michael Hopkins was inducted as Moderator of the URC Wessex Synod during an act of worship at London Street United Reformed Church in Basingstoke.

Michael was appointed following the move by the Revd Clare Downing to be Moderator of the North Western Synod.

Introduced by the Revd Josh Thomas, acting Minister at the church, himself the grandson of the late George Thomas, who served Wessex Synod as Clerk for many years, the service was led by the Revd Dr Tessa Henry-Robinson, Moderator of the URC General Assembly 2023-2024.

The packed church listened to the choir, which came together especially for the service, led by the Revd Michael Hodgson, which began with the South African traditional hymn Mayenziwe ‘ntando yakho, transcribed by John Bell.

Hymns and anthems included O for a thousand tongues to sing, Not far beyond the sea, nor high; Brother, Sister, Let me serve you; Give to me, Lord, a thankful heart; Take this moment, sign and space; finishing with And can it be that I should gain.  

Ecumenical and international guests included the Revd Andrew de Ville, Chair of the Methodist Southampton District, the Revd David Barrett, Deputy Chaplain General of the Army, Bishop Lordwell Siame from the Lusaka Presbytery of the United Church of Zambia and Pasteur Charles Klagba of the region Nord-Normandie of the Eglise protestant unie de France.

In his sermon, the Revd Dr John P Bradbury, General Secretary of the United Reformed Church, used Jeremiah 29 as the principal text.

“The words … mark out the words of our text today as being the words of a true prophet – not the words of the false prophets whose message is being contrasted with the words of the true prophet. There is often a choice of voices to heed, so how does one discern which voices might be the voices of wisdom, and which the voices that might lead one astray?

“Many were listening to those whose message they liked, those who they wanted to believe. What were these voices saying? ‘it will soon be over’, and ‘vengeance will be yours’, and ‘resist your enemy – destroy them from within’. How we like to pay heed to the voices that say the things we want to hear. To follow the people on X, formerly Twitter, and Tik-Tok who chime with the way we see the world. To vote for those who promise us the earth because we want it to be true.

“Such voices are false prophets. They lie. To be a true prophet is to be realistic.

So when your new Moderator tells you that of course every congregation can have its own minister, that of course every new minister he inducts will restore the Sunday School to many scores or hundreds of children, will visit everyone in need every day, and magic an army of Elders, Secretaries, Treasurers and people for the tea-rota out of nowhere….well…you might be just a little sceptical.

“Part of the prophetic ministry of the Moderator is precisely to help congregations face reality as it is. And much of our reality is currently extremely challenging. Pretending otherwise and that there are easy solutions gets us nowhere. We are required to face reality squarely, name it, and engage with it. That is the task of the truly prophetic Moderator.

“A Moderator who is a true prophet will help you spot the seeds that you can plant today, that might never feed you – but stand the possibility of feeding those who come after you. A prophetic Moderator will be hopeful – not naively optimistic, or living in fantasy land, but a prophet who will help you see something in a different light, and spot the possibility within it.

“Even as churches reach the end of their mission and close, as realistically we know many will in the next few years – they can do so in a way that plants a seed for something new to emerge. As Christians, we are called to die hopefully. “For unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

In his personal statement to the congregation, Michael Hopkins described a Moderator as “a Minister to Ministers and a friend of churches.” He also discovered that there was Wessex Gin and Wessex black pudding, so his appointment “was meant to be.”

“The challenge is to see where God is at work in Wessex, and to join in with that.”

After the affirmations, presentations were given by Linda Jackson, Church Secretary of Twyford URC, where Michael was ordained; the Revd Wilbert Sayimani, Minister of Richmond Hill St Andrew’s URC, Bournemouth; the Revd Hayley Young, Regional Minister of the Southern Counties Baptist Association and the Rt Revd Andrew Watson, the Bishop of Guildford.

After welcomes from ecumenical and URC guests, prayers were led by the Rt Revd Olivia Graham, the Bishop of Reading.

• Watch the service on YouTube
• Look at photos and videos from the service (please use or share them using the below credit)
• Read the full text of John Bradbury’s sermon

Photos by Andy Jackson, URC Head of Commnications, and Tony Brett, Convenor of the NW Pastoral Committee of the Wessex Synod.

The post Michael Hopkins inducted as Wessex Synod Moderator appeared first on United Reformed Church.

In response to the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Commitment for Life, the global justice programme of the United Reformed Church, is launching an urgent appeal.

The aim is to raise £5,000 to provide vital support and aid through partner agencies Christian Aid, the Culture and Free Thought Association (CFTA), and the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee (PARC).

Recent reports reveal a grim reality: on 18 March, it was declared Gaza’s two million people are experiencing “severe levels of acute food insecurity”.

In a statement, the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations’ High Representative Josep Borrell and Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič said: “This is unprecedented. No IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) analysis has ever recorded such levels of food insecurity anywhere in the world.”

This is first time an entire population has been classified in this way.

In emphasising the dire situation in Gaza, William Bell, Christian Aid’s Head of Middle East Policy and Advocacy, said: “nobody is safe, but still our partners are doing extraordinary work in the most extreme conditions”.

Commitment for Life is devastated by the violence, scale of destruction and loss of life in Gaza affecting friends and partners of the URC in the region and is launching its to do what it can to help aid partner agencies on the ground.

The Revd Dr Kevin Snyman, Programme Officer – URC Global Justice & Partnerships, said: “The October 7 attacks devastated many communities in Israel, a close-knit society on the whole, and one deeply anxious about the anger and vitriol directed towards it.

“But there can be no justification for such widespread, indiscriminate killing.

“We are gravely concerned about Israel’s military response, which the International Court of Justice views as ‘plausibly’ genocidal. We are desperately worried for the entire population in the Gaza Strip, and increasingly in the West Bank.”

CFTA is working across refugee camps in Rafah is piloting two ways of addressing basic needs using local, existing mechanisms. The first is water distribution for hygiene by working with well owners across Gaza. The second is working with local farmers who are risking their lives to tend their crops, then distributing vegetables to their communities.

PARC is providing food for displaced Gaza refugees, who finding themselves in the most desperate of circumstances.

“These brave people need our support,” added Kevin. “Please give generously to this appeal.”

Please donate to Commitment for Life’s Gaza Appeal.

Every contribution makes a difference in helping those affected by the ongoing crisis in Gaza. Your generosity will help provide essential resources and support to those in need during these challenging times. Thank you for your compassion and support.

You can also scan this QR code to donate.

Images are stills from a BBC News report/YouTube.

The post Commitment for Life launches urgent appeal appeared first on United Reformed Church.

In this short video, the Revd Matt Stone, Chairman of Group for Evangelism and Renewal within the URC (GEAR), reflects on the God who comes along side us in Jesus this Easter.

GEAR is a voluntary network of Christians who long to see evangelism and renewal become part of the heartbeat of our denomination, the United Reformed Church.

Learn more about the GEAR.

Image: Pisit Heng/Unsplash.

The post GEAR Easter 2024 message appeared first on United Reformed Church.

The Revd Dr Tessa Henry-Robinson, General Assembly Moderator 2023-2024, offers this Easter message:

Friends, grace and peace to you as we enter this sacred Easter season; a season that is steeped in the profound mysteries of hope, love, and resurrection. We are positioned to reflect on a poignant convergence and it is noteworthy that at this time, the United Nations marks the Monday of Holy Week as the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

This is a moment that calls us into deep spiritual engagement, which urges us to plait the threads of Easter’s promise of renewal, the infinite reach of God’s love through God’s son Jesus Christ, and the act of honouring the memories of the lives of those ancestors which were irrevocably changed by the horrors of slavery.

In the community of our Easter gatherings, we think of what Jesus experienced on the cross at the hands of those bent on doing harm to his body, even as we hold in our hearts the indomitable spirit of those who endured through the abyss of one of history’s most grievous chapters. Easter calls us way out of our comfort zones to celebrate life’s victory over the shadow of death.

And we have been presented with this opportunity to remember the enslaved across the Atlantic. Friends, this an invitation to confront the reality of human anguish and marvel at the resilience of the soul in its quest for freedom. As Easter people we have a sacred duty to cherish the memory of those affected by slavery by participating in cultivating a church that mirrors the virtues of love, justice, and communal harmony.

If we pay attention, we will see how greatly we would benefit from confronting the lasting scars that some colleagues among you right here in the URC carry, owed to the legacy of bondage. Then, what if we dedicate ourselves to mending the breaches brought by centuries of injustice with compassion, understanding, and acts of reconciliation? For in honouring the memory of the enslaved and descendants of the enslaved, we testify to the enduring capacity for hope and rebirth in our collective journey.

So, as we celebrate the joy of resurrection this Easter season, may we be filled with God’s unfailing kindness, stirring us to transform both the world around us and the inner landscapes of our soul.

As we try to grasp the promise of rebirth, propelled by the spirit of Easter to commit anew to the ideals of equity, justice, and universal peace, let us not only pay tribute to the legacies of those who have gone before us, but also lay the groundwork for a future in which every person is valued and embraced for their inherent dignity and worth.

Friends, may this Easter season inspire each of us to be agents of God’s love and justice, rekindling in our hearts and communities the brightly lit hope of rebirth and the steadfast pursuit of a world where the full humanity of all is celebrated and safeguarded.

As we shout our hallelujahs, mindfully embracing the transformative power of Easter, may we remember to dedicate ourselves to the creation of a more just, loving way of being in the world; and as Isaiah urges…

“You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in’.

May God bless us all.

Happy Easter!

Amen

Image: Tasha Jolley/Unsplash.

The post Commit to justice and peace this Easter appeared first on United Reformed Church.

In this alternative, environmentally-themed Easter reflection, the Revd David Coleman, EcoChaplain for EcoCongregation Scotland, draws parallels between the shyness of rabbits at sunrise and the apprehension of the women who approached the empty tomb.

He suggests that this parallel offers a profound reconciliation with the Easter story and its interpretation in wider society.

David’s Lent series, where he has been close to various creatures, leads to the realisation that a gentle setting doesn’t diminish the urgency for hope and change that Easter brings.

By referencing the Great Commission in Mark 16:1-15, where Jesus tasked his disciples with spreading the Good News to every creature, Coleman emphasises the interconnectedness of all beings and the importance of environmental stewardship within the Easter narrative. This alternative reflection intertwines themes of renewal, reconciliation, and responsibility towards the natural world, offering a fresh perspective on the Easter story.

David explains further in this video:

Learn more about EcoCongregation. Learn more about Eco Church.

The post Alternative Easter Sunday: When shy rabbits and the resurrection meet appeared first on United Reformed Church.

The April edition of Reform asks what we can learn from the Church in Africa, and wonders why African Christians ‘seem much more ready to give the reason for the hope they have than Western Christians’.

In the month that we mark Easter, Trevor Jamison overcomes a Jesus allergy, and Rosalind Selby asks whether Jesus had anything to say about environmental issues. And in our featured interview, we hear from the Revd Mark Coleman on why he decided to stand as an independent candidate in the recent Rochdale by-election.

Two new columns also get underway in this issue. Mark Robinson is the first contributor to Soul Stories, in which individuals share key moments in their journey of faith. Plus our expanded Review section includes not only a focus on the upcoming film Kidnapped by resident Reform critic Jeremy Clarke, but also introduces TV reviews. This month: Michael Sheen’s directorial debut, The Way. Missed it? You’ll want to catch up with it after reading Oliver Tomkins’ thoughtful assessment.

The magazine is out from 20 March.

Reform has several subscription plans. Find the plan that suits you. You can also give a friend or loved one the gift of Reform. Simply choose from one of the three different subscription types here.

The post Reform Magazine: April edition appeared first on United Reformed Church.

A round up of news from around the United Reformed Church over the past seven days: 18-24 March 2024.

East Midlands
Congratulations to Dave Dennis who has become the fourth, new Assembly Accredited Lay Preacher to be commissioned in the East Midlands Synod this academic year.

At a recent service at Bulwell United Reformed Church, Dave’s commissioning was conducted by the Revd David Featonby, Convenor of the Synod’s Lay Ministries Group, and Mark Hodgson, Lay Preaching Commissioner. Equally delighted to lend him their support were his TLS tutor the Revd Colin Bones and AALP mentor the Revd John Filsak.

Dave’s achievement follows Sam Goodman in Derby, Ray Morrall in Daventry and Claire Ette in Wellingborough.

They are all wished every blessing in their ministries as Lay Preachers.

Elsewhere across East Midlands, church members from all around Derbyshire took the opportunity to talk with the Synod staff at its first Synod Team on Tour event.

Hosted at Derby Central URC in February, the initiative provided the Synod team with the chance to hear firsthand what is going on in local churches – and for people from those churches to explore what support the Synod might be able to offer.

Southern Synod

Congratulations to Zeerak Shahbaz from Broadway United Church Eastbourne who has become a Locally Recognised Worship Leader.

Zeerak received his certificate from the Revd Bridget Banks, Southern Synod Moderator, at a service at Broadway Church in Eastbourne earlier this month.

Thames North Synod

An uplifting celebration saw the URC’s Chesham Pilots celebrate its 30th anniversary on 3 March.

Pilots from across the years, some travelling long distances, joined the congregation and present Pilots to mark the milestone through worship, prayer and a nice lunch during which a cake was cut by three original Pilots and three original Pilots officers.

Congratulatory messages were received from former Pilots now scattered across the globe in Australia, Belgium, Finland, Japan and South Korea and the company was re-dedicated by the church.

Elsewhere across Thames North, Ponders End URC has welcomed three new elders.

And lastly, a group of synod and head office staff recently gathered at Church House for a ‘Welcome to the URC’ training day.

The gathering of 17 included staff from head office and from a number of synods. Andy Braunston and senior staff explained the way the United Reformed Church’s structures work, how they reflect its values and priorities, and exactly what makes the URC unique.

Even participants who have already worked for the Church for some time left the day with many new insights, and a vivid sense of the breadth of mission and discipleship that the denomination has grown over the last century.

The post Around the URC in seven days: 18-24 March 2024 appeared first on United Reformed Church.

The post Help shape the new Resources Committee appeared first on United Reformed Church.

A minister who spent 30 years working in civil and structural engineering before answering the call is retiring after 13 years of service.

The Revd John Lee, Minister of Thatcham URC, a father of two and grandfather of four, explains his ministerial journey and shares what some friends and colleagues said when he told them about his then new adventure.

“I can remember emailing 70 different people in my contacts from my career,” John said.

“I got a range of replies. A lot of them wishing me well. Some couldn’t understand it and wished me well in my new hobby. Some said they could see that as a next step they could see it in me which was really nice and quite affirming.”

John, who is 70, said his “calling” was quite subtle and not “God pointing a big finger at him.

“It doesn’t work that way,” he continued. “You get a sense of change, a sense of there is more to do in life that is more worthwhile.

“You feel a calling, you go to investigate and it all falls into place.”

John, a non-stipendiary minister, has enjoyed his ministerial journey.

He worked through the pandemic and has seen many people through some difficult, personal situations.

“Some families have lost loved ones young or old,” he continued. “It has been hard because some people have gone through terrible things. But you walk with them it.”

The minister praises the support of his church who he feels is like an extended family.

“I have always preached the value of a church family,” adds John. “And I hope for everybody to be able to have a church family.”

As for his retirement, John says he will be focusing on his family and taking a break with wife Rachel.

“She has been so supportive,” he said.

“She deserves a break; she has been busy as well in the church leading the music most Sundays.

“We are going to have one or two holidays to take a deep breath on life and reflect on what we have done.

“And find each other again, I am very lucky to be married to someone who is so supportive.”

John, however, has plans to still be around for his Thatcham community, adding: “I’ll be an active, retired minister so I will be at local churches helping out and taking some services.”

The very best of wishes for John’s busy retirement.

The URC’s Ministries Team regularly holds Ministry Enquirers’ Events that are designed to help people think about God’s call to Worship Leading, Lay Preaching, Ministry with children and young people, the Ministry of Word and Sacraments or Church Related Community Work. If you’d like to know when the next event is, please email ministries@urc.org.uk.

Image: Newbury Today.

The post Engineer who answered call to ministry retires appeared first on United Reformed Church.