United Reformed Church General Assembly to Discuss Major Changes

The General Assembly of the United Reformed Church (URC) is to be held at the University of Warwick in Coventry, England, from 2nd - 5th July. The Church said that proposals regarding major changes in the Church are to be discussed in the Assembly.

Over 700 delegates from local churches, districts and the 13 synods will attend the 4-day event. This is the first time in 15 years that that the United Reformed Church has held its annual Assembly in the Midlands. The total budget for the annual event is around £250,000, the vast majority of which will benefit the local community in the form of spending on accommodation and food.

Accumulating a two-year process of debate and consultation on the future of the denomination - Catch the Vision – the first practical proposals will be presented in this year’s Assembly. Some of these proposals include radical simplification of the Church’s structures, eliminating one entire tier of Church government and significantly reducing the size and frequency of Assembly itself.

The Catch the Vision Report 2005, entitled "Together, making a difference for Christ's sake", will give fresh impetus to the Church’s long-established commitment to Christian unity, including a startling new proposal for a "Church of Churches" in Britain, bringing together many of the programmes of current denominations, but with each denomination retaining its distinctive ethos.

The proposals conclude with a recommitment to the vision of a multicultural Church, recognising the strong growth within the United Reformed Church of congregations drawn from ethnic minority groups.

Specifically regarding the ministry in the Church, the proposals call for a greater reliance on local lay leadership and the more effective provision of training to both local leaders and members.

In view of serving the community, international debt reduction and anti-poverty actions are on the top of the Assembly agenda. Substantial time will be given to discuss the Make Poverty History campaign, in which many thousands of its members are engaged. There will also be a major debate on the issue of detention without trial in this country, with a resolution calling for the rapid repeal of current legislation.

The Revd David Peel is the Moderator of General Assembly. On Sunday 26th June, the URC across the UK devoted special prayers for the General Assembly.

A large wooden cross will be a focal point at this year’s General Assembly. It will be built from wooden letters, spelling out the words, Encountering Church. Thirteen of the wooden letters will have been decorated by each of the United Reformed Church synods, the rest have been sent around the world to be decorated by its partner churches. At the opening act of worship of Assembly the various different letters will come together to form the shape of the cross.

Through worship, bible study and decision making, the Church seeks to discern God’s will as God’s Church in God’s world.

The URC is a union of the Congregational Church in England and Wales; the Presbyterian Church of England; the Reformed Association of Churches of Christ and the Congregational Union of Scotland. Currently, there are around 90,000 members.

Please visit http://www.urc.org.uk to read the Catch the Vision Report.