The United Reformed Church

A year after the murder of George Floyd, a new booklet of praise songs and protests has been published by the United Reformed Church. Sunflowers & Thistles is a collection of songs written by URC minister and hymn writer the Revd John Campbell, and focuses on the Black Lives Matter movement and the coronavirus pandemic.

The free online resources include the booklet of songs, which can be sung to the tunes of well-known hymns, a full music version of all the hymns, PowerPoint presentations and slides, and videos.

God has given people many talents to share and as we go through this pandemic people are using these talents in many different ways. Nigel, a funeral director in Marton, Blackpool, North Western Synod, working on the front line, came up with the idea of making face masks for the community, as the need for them increased.

Nigel and his friend Val were able to call on their skills as keen members of the local theatre group, including skills in costume making, to take their plans forward, with Val cutting out the patterns from fabric, and Nigel sewing them together.

Two churches in Thames North Synod have been working hard to keep their work with children alive and active during lockdown, as Panshanger Ecumenical Church and Grange Park URC have each found creative ways of keeping groups together safely.

For Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise in Lancashire, Christian mission isn’t complicated. All you need is an idea, and the kind of love that may seem small to us, but is, in fact, huge in God’s eyes. They look to scripture for inspiration, reading in John 12:34: “And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

In the face of Covid-19, the project has had to find fresh ways of supporting the community, especially asylum seekers and refugees. Has closing the doors of the building to protect people against the spread of the virus stopped this important work? No!

To combat the lockdown blues, members of Chappel United Reformed Church (URC) in Colchester, spent a weekend bringing Easter joy to their community.

The group delivered Easter cards and Palm crosses to 350 households in the villages surrounding the church on 27 March.

 A blog from Tragedy and Congregations written by the Revd Dr Carla A. Grosch-Miller.

A year ago today the Prime Minister announced the first lockdown. All but essential workers were sent home, places of worship and other public venues closed and we began our crusade against Covid-19. It’s been a bumpy ride. A summer of relaxed restrictions was followed by the alarm of rising rates in the autumn and the introduction of tiers which rapidly became new lockdowns. Next week we hope to begin our way out of lockdown number 3. Watching a third wave rise in Europe, we hold our breath – wanting our vaccination programme to spare us and enable more and more freedom over time.

Identifying food poverty isn’t as obvious as it seems. Sometimes those, who suddenly find themselves in financial difficulty, don’t know where to turn or how to access the right support. The impact of Covid19 on household income has had a catastrophic effect for some and has been (and continues to be) very troublesome for many. It has become a stark reality that we are now seeing families, who never dreamt they would be seeking help, turning to foodbanks much more regularly.

The coronavirus lockdown was no obstacle for a Fenstanton United Reformed Church member determined to raise money for charity.

This month, we hear from Church Related Community Worker (CRCW) Ann Honey who says that it doesn’t matter how small the gesture, a little can go a long way to make a difference, especially if it becomes a collective effort. 

Church Related Community Work students Felicity (Fliss) Tunnard and Alice Gilbert reflect on what they have been able to achieve despite lockdown restrictions and remind us that showing love, kindness and compassion is what we need at this time.

Weekly prayers from the United Reformed Church to help bring you comfort and spiritual support during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Please use these devotions in your private prayers, prayer groups or sermons. 

Coronavirus and lockdown has made lots of our churches take the plunge and start worshipping together online. This guide offers tips and ideas to help you engage with people and make your online worship more intergenerational.

The United Reformed Church (URC) is hoping to raise £10,000 for its ‘Give Thanks for Your Vaccine’ fundraising campaign, developed with Christian Aid.

So far, £4,815 has been raised.

In the UK, nearly 18million people have had their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine. But for the poorest and most vulnerable communities across the world, there is little hope of a vaccine rollout. These are people who already face lack of water, food, and basic healthcare.

A church-based community service set up to distribute surplus food during the pandemic has just served up its 5,000th parcel.

Since the first lockdown began last March, Waste Not Want Not, based at Buxton United Reformed Church (URC), has given away thousands of pounds worth of food to the local community, some of which would have ended up in landfill.

The project is led by church member Cath Sterndale and her son Dan who first came up with the idea four years ago.

The United Reformed Church (URC) Equalities Committee issues this statement in advance of when the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions begin to ease: 

The Equalities Committee is mindful that the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way the URC, its committees and churches work. It celebrates the way in which virtual meetings have facilitated participation by people who are unable to travel.

However, the Committee recognises that new ways of working, while they provide new ways of participation for some, mean that others are excluded.

In the first of this month’s reflections, Church Related Community Worker Jo Patterson reminds us that as we embrace technology to reach out to people during lockdown, we must be careful not to exclude those who don’t have access to the internet. 

Chorley United Reformed Church (URC) received three new church members via Zoom at their Covenant Service on 3 January.

Apart from a brief respite in the autumn, the church has been offering an online act of worship on YouTube since last March.

The reception of three new members was called a “great joy” to the church.

On a bright, autumnal day in October, just before the second lockdown began, I had the pleasure of visiting one of our CRCW projects in Peckham, London. The informal meeting took place at Copleston Church and Centre and a small group of us sat and listened (at a suitable distance) to how the Church had responded to the needs of the community during the last eight months.

Read the United Reformed Church's (URC) advice on the ordination and induction of Elders during Covid-19 restrictions.

The Coronavirus (Covid-19) threat continues to emerge in the UK and throughout the rest of the world. At these difficult times, we would like to help churches not only promote everyone’ wellbeing but also consider actions for those who are more vulnerable in the next weeks and months.