A project exploring the legacies of the transatlantic slave trade held its third hearing in Jamaica in February. The hearing was part of a series of four, launched by the Council for World Mission (CWM) on 12 November 2017. The first hearing was held in London, the heart of the British slave trading system. The second was held in Ghana, one of the lands where people were captured. Jamaica, location of the third hearing, was chosen because it was one of the countries where enslaved people were put to work on sugar plantations.

United Reformed Church members supporting the project include Mr Alan Yates, Moderator of the General Assembly, and the Revd Dr Michael Jagessar, Secretary for Global and Intercultural Ministries. Mr Yates reflects on the importance of the hearings.

Since December’s official launch of Walking the Way: Living the life of Jesus today, the United Reformed Church’s focus on lifelong Christian discipleship, much has been going on. Simon Peters, Walking the Way Project Manager, talks about the available resources, what the denomination has to look forward to, and the plans for the coming months.

It has been clear to me, since I first heard about Walking the Way, that the denomination is heading down an exciting path.

The hopes, fears and challenges for the future of our communities, countries and the world will be the theme of a new Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT) conference taking place in Manchester on 17 March.

‘Brave New World? Faithful living in a time of change’ takes place at the Methodist Central Hall in Oldham Street and will also explore what it means to be a Christian in the midst of a changing world.

JPIT is a joint venture between the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Methodist Church, the United Reformed Church and the Church of Scotland. The team works together on issues of justice and inequality, by influencing those in power and by energising local congregations.