The opening session of Assembly:

Constitution of Assembly: Assembly begins with laughter and prayer
The Revd Kevin Watson, Moderator of the United Reformed Church General Assembly, opened the 2018 meeting on Friday 6 July with a heartfelt prayer. To the great amusement of Assembly members, Mr Watson introduced the prayer with a quotation from the late Revd Kim Fabricius, ‘a great Christian friend’. Quoting Mr Fabricius, Mr Watson said: ‘There is a Bible verse on a plaque in the birthing unit of a maternity ward: “Jesus said: ‘Come to me all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you an epidural.’”’

Today (5 July 2018), marks the 70th anniversary that Labour MP Aneurin (Nye) Bevan established the National Health Service and to celebrate the achievement, the United Reformed Church National Synod of Wales is hosting a series of activities and events as part of its ‘God Bless the NHS’ campaign which aims to show its appreciation to the thousands of women and men who dedicate their lives to ensuring our health and well-being.

The Revd Phil Wall, Minister of St David’s Uniting Church, in Pontypridd, has spearheaded the campaign and will begin a trek across Wales with Bethan Walkling, daughter of the Revd Simon Walkling, Moderator of the National Synod of Wales, on 7 July 2018 in Rhyl as part of the festivities. They both hope to complete the trek on 17 July 2018 ending with a reception at the National Assembly in Cardiff Bay.

This week marks the 77th anniversary of an act of faith that led the Revd Herbert Cecil Pugh to become the only church minister awarded the George Cross.

RAF Chaplain, Squadron Leader Cecil Pugh, was aboard a troopship, the SS Anselm, sailing for West Africa when it was torpedoed by the Germans on 5 July 1941. Mr Pugh did his best to help the injured but, hearing that many men were trapped in the hold, insisted on being lowered into it, despite it already being below the water line. Mr Pugh insisted that he needed to be with his men and that his love of God was greater than his fear of death. According to the citation made in 1947, Mr Pugh knelt with the men in prayer as the ship went down. He was never seen again.