CRCW - Alison Dalton

The Sunderland and Boldon United Reformed Church Partnership has supported two Church Related Community Work Ministries since 2003. Alison Dalton has joined the partnership to build on the excellent work already undertaken by Helen Stevenson, first with the Grindon Church Mission Project (2003 -2013) and then with the current work (2014-2017) for one term.

Alison Dalton joined the partnership in July 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and was Inducted in September with the service being made available through the URC YouTube channel.

In this initial period, the group have developed four working aims to guide them, as they begin this final five-year term for Church Related Community Work Ministry. These are:

1. To share the unconditional love of God through hospitality, service, and care by learning, listening, praying and working together.

2. To support the Sunderland and Boldon United Reformed Church Partnership and consider its mission to the communities it serves during a period of change:

• During the period of economic and social upheaval engendered by the pandemic.
• with the expected retirement of the Minister of Word and Sacrament in September 2021.

3. As found in Micah 6:8b ‘…what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God’ by supporting the work of other to maintain the health, happiness and wellbeing of the children and adults across the city of  Sunderland.

4. To act as an advocate for the Church Related Community Work Ministry across the Northern Synod of the United Reformed Church.

They foresee challenging and exciting times ahead as they build on Helen’s extensive work and adapt to a new way of being, with the support of a different Church Related Community Worker in post.

Read Alison's most recent reflection: Nature’s rainbows and whimsical wanderings.