Hotline
Welcome to the 2003 edition of
Assembly Hotline. Keep up to date with the events and background to the
General Assembly as it meets in Portsmouth from July 5th - 8th.
[ Saturday News ] [ Sunday News ] [ Monday News ]
 Beacon
of Hope
Saturday 5th July
Rula Nesnas brought greetings from the United Reformed Church's partner
in Palestine, the Palestine Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC). She
described the innovative work of PARC in supporting and promoting
sustainable development, and the dire consequences for the Palestinians of
the current conflict. She described, too, the terrible effects of the
current project to build a wall between the West Bank and Israel, resulting
in massive loss of land and resources to Palestinians.
On behalf of Assembly the Moderator re-affirmed the URC's commitment to
all who work for peace in Israel/Palestine and the pride which the Church
took in the work of PARC.
 Resolution
31
Saturday 5th July
The Revd David Legge introduced a resolution critical of the absurdities
and injustices of the current global economic system. He appealed for the
Church to study materials produced by the World Alliance of Reformed
Churches particularly a document entitled Faith Stance on the Global
Crisis of Life, drawn up by representatives of Reformed churches in the
global south. The document encourages Christians to see the current global
system as being in direct contradiction to Christian values. The
resolution was overwhelmingly carried.
The text of this resolution is available
here.
Church & Society
Saturday 5th July
Church & Society convener the Revd Martin Camroux gave a round-up of the
Committee's work over the year. A major feature had been the Church's public
opposition to the war in Iraq but the year had also included positive notes,
such as a major seminar facilitated by the Church on the reform of the water
sector in Ghana. Assembly welcomed a visual presentation on the work of
Commitment for Life, the URC's development programme in partnership with
Christian Aid.
Read the Church & Society report
here.
The Agenda Before Us
Saturday 5th July
The General Secretary outlined the main business before Assembly. He
sensed, he said a divine restlessness within the Church - we were a Church
on the move. He admitted that the United Reformed Church was sometimes
riddled with reviews but our self-examination was no longer simply driven by
management priorities. God was being invited in and that was sometimes
disturbing as we struggled to find counter-cultural ways of Christian
living.
Saturday 5th July
‘The future is uncertain. It always has been. It always will be.’
Incoming Moderator Alasdair Pratt address to Assembly focused on the
challenges of rethinking the life and witness of the church in a time of
profound and sometimes disturbing change.
Read a summary here.
The full text of Alasdair Pratt's address to Assembly is available
here.
Saturday 5th July
Members of the United Reformed Church are to be challenged to stand up
against the selfishness racism which the presence of asylum seekers has
revealed within British society. Read more
here.
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Moderator's Address