It is with deep sadness that the United Reformed Church (URC) announces the death of the Revd Arnold Harrison.

Arnold served as Moderator of the Yorkshire Synod, Clerk of the North Western Province, Secretary of the Nominations Committee, Minister of Bramhall URC, the Darwen Group of churches and, before the formation of the URC in 1972, as Minister at Duckworth Street Congregational Church (now Central URC Darwen).

The call to climate action has got louder and during Lent 2019, Christians are being invited to respond by making significant lifestyle changes.

During Lent, which starts on Wednesday 6 March, the Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT) – on behalf of the United Reformed Church (URC), Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Church of Scotland and the Methodist Church – is hosting Living Lent: Creating a climate of change.

Fairtrade Fortnight, the key moment for the Fairtrade movement in the UK, begins today (Monday 25 February) until Sunday 10 March.

For two weeks each year, thousands of individuals, churches, companies and groups celebrate the people who grow our food, many of whom live in some of the poorest countries in the world and are often exploited and badly paid.

This year the campaign is focusing on the people, in particular women, who grow the cocoa for the chocolate we love and buy so much of (669,000 tonnes per year in the UK).

A series of short films, produced by the United Reformed Church, which explores themes from the book Holy Habits, continues with the Holy Habit of Eating Together.

In the film, we explore how people are brought together through sharing meals in a variety of settings.