A member of Vicars Cross URC, in the United Reformed Church’s Mersey Synod, has spent the lockdown raising hundreds of pounds for charity.

Marje Robinson kept active by taking walks around her local area but increased her distance after spotting Water Aid’s ‘Walk for Water’ charity challenge on Facebook which encouraged people to walk four, eight or 12k a day.

Marje signed up for the 4k challenge, walked each day of March, and raised more than £850 for the charity to help make clean water normal for everyone, everywhere.

The United Reformed Church has joined a coalition of faith groups and leaders in writing to Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, to urge her to rethink the government's proposed New Plan for Immigration, which they say “lacks humanity and respect for human dignity.”

Signatories include the Jesuit Refugee Service, Caritas, Welcome Churches, the Salvation Army, Quaker Asylum and Refugee Network, UK Welcomes Refugees, the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the United Free Church of Scotland and many others.

The following prayer was written by Diana Paulding from the context of the participants of the URC’s educational visit to Israel and Palestine in 2019.

It has been adapted for possible use in collective worship. Please feel free to use and share it. 

The next session in the United Reformed Church (URC’s) Black History Monthly initiative takes place on 17 May from 7.30-8.30pm.

This month’s theme is ‘Black Voices Speak Out’ and a selection of poems by Black writers through the ages – from slavery to the present day – will be reflected on. The session promises to be poignant, challenging, inspiring, humorous.