Area Gatherings to discuss General Assembly:
Tuesday 20th September – Trinity United Church, Ringwood
Monday 26th September – St Pauls, Bracknell
Wednesday 28th September – Online session
A Guildford debt counselling service, in conjunction with Christians Against Poverty (CAP), has marked its tenth anniversary with a service of celebration and thanks. Held at Westborough United Reformed Church on Sunday, May 8, people who work and volunteer for and support the service from Guildford churches attended. Westborough Church’s minister, Graham Hoslett, said that […]
Covid-19 infections continue to spread, although the lower ‘R-value’ shows that the infection rate is slowing. Restrictions imposed by our various Governments have been lifted. However, many people who form, and are served by, our churches are still vulnerable. Many now see the risks from COVID-19 as being lower because of vaccines and seasonal factors. […]
The URC has various resources available to Churches – have a look at what’s available: Daily Devotions – A daily email with a simple reading, reflection and prayer to help with discipleship. Also available in advance, as booklets to print off locally to give to those without internet access. Sunday Worship – A weekly audio […]
The latest edition of NewsUpdate is now available at the following link: View NewsUpdate here NewsUpdate Extra – May
Introduction to Safeguarding for Elders – webinar Please join one of the dates below to gain vital information on your specific safeguarding role in the URC. This session is for all serving Elders and will last no more than 90 minutes. Tuesday 14 June 2022 at 7.30pm or Thursday 21 July 2022 at […]
It’s been a few years since we last held our challenge to find a design for the Moderator’s Christmas Card. This year the challenge is open to EVERYONE within the Synod. Are you up for the challenge? Rules: Design must be drawn on one side of A4 paper in portrait layout (which will be […]
Are you aged 5 – 11? Are you a young family with big ideas? Do you want to be involved in designing a new resource for the URC? You are invited to come and take part The creative team who are putting together this year’s Advent Resource would like to hear from you Come […]
DDC (Due Diligence Checking Ltd) and the URC Training Coordinator for Safeguarding will be hosting Verifiers and Safer Recruitment training on line on the following dates and times. You can come to both parts of the session or just one part, whichever is relevant to your role. Tuesday 12th July – Verifiers’ session 7-8pm, […]
Sat 1st October 2022 – 10am–4pm in Bristol (in person) This ACAT course is for those who are looking to source funding for their church or for a church project. It has been designed to provide delegates with the skills and confidence required to identify potential sources of funding before successfully applying for it. […]
Special Day as 8 new members join St Andrew’s URC Reading Sunday 8th May was a very joyful day as in a packed Church, friends and family saw 8 of our Church family came into membership of St Andrew’s URC, Reading. Revd Robert Barthram received into membership by Profession of Faith: Jacob, […]
Poor mental health affects all our lives. Mental health issues can affect anyone, at any time, and sometimes for no apparent reason. Not only that but the church is often at the forefront of engaging with the vulnerable. So, how can we best look after the mental health of the church while looking after ourselves? […]
Wessex Summer Camps 2022 22 – 24 July 2022 Oakwood Activity Centre, Wokingham. Camp 1 for ages 8 – 11 year Camp 2 for ages 11 – 17 years Wessex Summer Camps Brochure for further details including cost and payment information. Bookings: £10 deposit per person required to secure your booking Wessex Summer […]
Wessex Workshop on 28 February Making the Most of Your Online Presence Speaker: Dan Morrell Recording of the session available to watch on YouTube. Powerpoint presentation.
Revd John Bradbury, General Secretary of the URC spoke at the March Meeting of Synod on: ‘Reforming Christian Identity for the mid-21st Century’
Sun Hats and Wellie Boots has produced interactive Prayer Stations designed for all ages. They are ideal for intergenerational worship, or to be left in churches to be explored throughout the week. They’re also ideal for school prayer spaces, particularly for children 8yrs+ and high school students, but can also be used for youth groups […]
At March Synod Revd Dr Sarah Hall from Avenue St Andrew’s URC in Southampton spoke briefly about Green Living and the interactive leaflets available to help you and your friends, family, colleagues to understand more and take action. These Green Living leaflets are an attempt to convey key points from the Dorset Green Living Guide with updates of information […]
Synod meets in person on Saturday 12th March London Street URC, Basingstoke, RG21 7NU The Synod Papers are available to download below in either pdf or Word format Church Map: Find London Street URC Where to park: Car Parks Basingstoke 2022 We recommend you park in Eastlands multistorey car park which is highlighted […]
Twyford United Reformed Church After years of fundraising and planning, building work is underway to bring one of Twyford’s most loved community buildings into the 21st century. Apart from a small 1950s toilet and kitchen extension, Twyford United Reformed Church (URC) and old school room have changed little since the late 19th century and the […]
Discipleship – a Study Resource for Churches In 2020, just as we all went into Lockdown, a small group of people at United Church Winchester began to put together a booklet entitled ‘Discipleship: Know it. Nourish it. Live it.’ In the following year the church engaged with this in 3 parts, with preaching and in […]
Service of Thanksgiving and Celebration If you asked for a seat or two to be reserved for the October 1 service, you should now have received an email from Eventbrite with your ticket/s. Please keep these safe as the codes will be needed to gain entry to the venue. You can bring a print out […]
Here is the Bimonthly Newsletter from the Children’s & Youth Team at Church House – January 2022
A free guide to crisis communications for churches. Crisis communication is an essential element of disaster ministry. A little bit of preparation now can go a long way in ensuring everything goes more smoothly at your church when disaster strikes. This plan aims to support Ministers, Elders and staff to provide best practice tips for […]
Stepwise is making a difference! Read more about Stepwise in this article which can also be downloaded and used in church newsletters.
Thanks to the green-fingers and hard work of Guildford URC member Ian Hitchcock the Church was delighted to win the Gold Award in the Best Front Garden category, in Guildford in Bloom 2021.
And the winners are… Collectively Camberley, the Business Improvement District (BID) for Camberley Town Centre, was established in 2011. In 2021 95% of those businesses in the area voted to extend the BID for another 5 years. The BID, organises many of the town centre events, including the car show, Farmers Markets, Christmas Lights and […]
For many years, Revd. Duncan Wilson (now a retired minister in Banbury) has been using the lectionary’s choice of Psalms each week as a call or introduction to worship. He has paraphrased each psalm as a responsive call to worship and is now offering them as a resource for churches and worship leaders to use […]
Advent, Easter, Pentecost, Psalms, ResourcesGosport School Pastors, represented by myself and Andy Williams, were awarded the Community Impact Award at the Hampshire Education Awards celebration held in October 2021. This is a huge honour and one which we feel extremely privileged to have received. We were delighted to have been nominated by members of the Senior Management Team […]
You may remember the virtual Green Living Group based at Avenue St Andrew’s URC in Southampton which reported in May 2020 that we were using the Dorset Green Living Guide (greenliving.sustainabledorset.org) to look at our individual carbon footprints relating to food, energy, transport, waste, water and community in our lives. At that stage we thought […]
In June I was approached by one of our local councillors asking if he could fund a community accessible defibrillator outside High Cross Church. Having spoken to a few people and checked locations, we agreed it would be a great project and the ideal location would be outside the café doors so it was accessible […]
Synod meets in person on Saturday 9th October High Cross Church Knoll Road, Camberley, GU15 3SY The Synod Papers are available to download below in either pdf or Word format Download: Legacies of Slavery Consultation Overview Document Synod Apology Slip Find High Cross on the map Poster swap information We have looked at […]
Generous donors have helped the United Reformed Church (URC) raise more than £23,000 for Christian Aid. The initiative started when Salisbury URC member Meg Abel, suggested that people might wish to show their gratitude for their own Covid-19 vaccinations by helping to raise funds to supply coronavirus vaccines to countries struggling to afford them. The idea […]
What shall we do for Christian Aid Week this year? Faced with a second year of not being able to share with other local Churches in collecting from homes, outside the railway station and a big store, Woking URC, in addition to another Zoom Quiz Night, took on the challenge of a different kind of […]
Two of Salisbury URC’s Junior Church came to Synod on Saturday 13th March and spoke to the meeting. Their contributions can be read by following the links below: Alex’s Statement of Faith God’s Garden by Alice
Christians on Ageing provide useful resources, and run events throughout the year. More details from https://christiansonageing.org.uk
The URC’s Legacies of Slavery task group has launched a new initiative – Black History Monthly. Each month throughout the year, a different article, film, book, or poetry by Black writers will be explored so that people can learn about Black History through a variety of lenses. More details available here: URC launches Black History […]
Synod meets virtually on Zoom on Saturday 13th March 10am start – finishing by 16:00 Voting members sign-in from 9.30am Non-voting members and visitors sign in from 9.45am Join the Zoom Meeting using: https://zoom.us/j/95094248805?pwd=ZW0yUkY0akNFaFNhR2VxM1pWcmNrQT09 Meeting ID: 950 9424 8805 Passcode: 013302 The Synod Papers are available to download below in either pdf or Word […]
2021 Holy Week Mini Podcast Series A series of 8 daily recordings to listen and engage with throughout Holy Week 2021. Aimed at 11 to 14 year olds, each recording includes a Bible reading, reflection, prayer, and a response activity. Podcasts will be released daily from Palm Sunday (28th March) until Easter Sunday (4th […]
The nights are definitely drawing in and winter is in the air – a sure sign that Advent is just around the corner. Here is a special Advent supplement to share with you the resources which are available to you from the URC CYW team. We hope you find something of interest or […]
THE BIG SLEEP Ashley and Ryan have been raising money for a charity that provides shelter and accommodation for people that are vulnerable and homeless. We took part in an event that is called the Big Sleep, which was when you sleep on the floor in the streets, but due to Coronavirus (and us being […]
We would love everyone to hear about all that is going on among children and young people in the URC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAOwv-oOzZM Please feel free to share the link as widely as possible!
An online group for the Stepwise Faith Filled Life Stream will be starting soon. Not limited by geography this group will follow the same content of the stream, so participants will have the same opportunity for deepening their discipleship, just using a different medium for group interaction. The stream facilitators will be […]
Why should they experience brutality in the hands of the police? Why should they experience injustice from the justice system? Why experience inequality and racism in the classroom and in all work settings? Why are they affected the most in the face of Covid-19 pandemic? Is it by choice to be born black? Yes, there […]
Wessex Synod has a new page for children’s and youth work resources. Check out the new page here.
The Nicholson Gardens are a beautifully secluded, secure and peaceful place within the heart of Gosport. Managed by members of Gosport URC St Columba, they can be found between Spring Garden Lane and Carlton Road, (accessible from Carlton Road). Further information, including photos, travel directions and contact details for booking enquiries.
You may not be aware that there are certain situations in which a church can claim re-imbursement of Pulpit Supply expenses from Church House. These expenses can be claimed when a Minister is unable to work for one of the following reasons: ill-health which is certified; parental leave; Jury Service; a sabbatical term […]
Stepwise is being rolled out in Wessex Synod. What is Stepwise? Stepwise is the new intergenerational United Reformed Church discipleship development programme. It is for people of all ages and backgrounds. Stepwise is an integral part of Walking the Way – living the life of Jesus today, the United Reformed Church’s focus on whole-life […]
Example Safeguarding Policy for Local Churches in Wessex Synod.
We are looking for people who can catch a vision of the church of the future and help facilitate those who are going to be part of leading us forward towards that vision. We are not looking for teachers, but people who can facilitate others’ learning. If this sounds like you, please get in touch. […]
TRIO is a financial stewardship programme for churches which has proven success in a wide variety of demographic settings in encouraging generosity in giving. A TRIO campaign encourages people to consider their financial giving to the church. …The Responsibility Is Ours There are two copies of the TRIO pack available to loan from the Synod […]
Find out more about Stepwise, the United Reformed Church’s intergenerational discipleship programme. Visit their page here
Durning the week, Paddington spent time with knit and natter and the coffee morning at Fleet URC.
Paddington’s Pilrimage – The Route Find out when Paddington will be coming to your church. Paddington’s route – North Any problems or questions about the route in the North, please contact Phil Ray. Email Phil. Paddington’s route – South Any problems or questions about the route in the South, please contact Ruth White. […]
At Iford URC, Paddington had tea and biscuits, chaired the church meeting, the children made him a book mark for his journal, and wrote him a letter.
At Fleet URC, Paddington was baptised, joined choir practice and served refreshments.
We have received various questions regarding the hiring documents we sent out recently so have produced a document with the most frequently asked questions, which can be downloaded here. This will be updated from time to time with new questions we are asked.
Please download and read the letter about what we want each church to do in order to have people authorised to preside at the Sacraments.
United Church of Zambia United Church of Zambia links The Council for World Mission (CWM) has encouraged every Synod to develop a link with a church in another country as part of its ‘Belonging to the World Church’ Programme. Wessex Synod had already made links with UCZ when Revd Derek Wales was the Synod Moderator […]
NEW Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) Is your church currently involved with any type of construction works, or alterations? Are you planning to commence any of these works? Are you currently in discussion with contractors no matter how small the contract is? Do you have works carried out […]
