The Revd Neil Thorogood, Minister of Thornbury and Trinity-Henleaze URCsĚýinĚýSouthĚýWesternĚýSynod, who will serve as General Assembly Moderator 2026-2027, called the role anĚý“honour”.ĚýĚý

Born in Sydney, Australia,Ěýwhile his parents were serving as missionaries in the Cook Islands, Neil was ordained in 1992 at the age of 28. He served in local churches in Halifax and Welwyn Garden City before serving as Director of Pastoral Studies and then Principal of Westminster College in Cambridge.ĚýĚý

AĚývisual artist and writer,ĚýNeilĚýreturned to local ministry in Bristol and Thornbury in 2020.Ěý

He regularly contributes to the URC’s Daily Devotions,ĚýtheĚýannualĚýURCĚýPrayer Handbook, andĚýReformedĚýmagazine. During the Covid lockdown, Neil made small sketches each day and published them on Twitter (now X). These pictures were the basis of his bookĚý, published by the URC in 2023.ĚýĚý

He was inductedĚýas Moderator at the URC’s 2026 meeting of General Assembly, the denomination’s key-decision making body,Ěýheld at the Hayes Conference Centre in Swanwick,ĚýDerbyshire, onĚý3–6 July.Ěý

Neil said: “I’m very conscious of the privilege of being elected Moderator of the General Assembly and hope I can fulfil this new chapter of ministry in ways that can be a blessing for everyone I share with.”Ěý

A theme he hopes to explore throughout his term in office is “Christ’s conspiracy of goodness”.ĚýĚý

Neil explains: “It is inspired by a book about mission written by an American Methodist which has spoken to me ever since reading it in the 1990s.”ĚýThe book takes inspiration from rural French Christian communities who protected Jews from the Nazis during theĚýSecondĚýWorldĚýWar; undermining evil with faithful goodness.Ěý

As well asĚýrepresentingĚýthe URC at significant ecumenical and national events and gatherings, NeilĚýadds: “IĚýaim to visit many parts of the URC and discover more of the amazing mosaic of faith and action that is our life together.”ĚýĚý

The Revd Dr Susan Durber,Ěýa URC ministerĚýwho serves as President of the European Region of the World Council of Churches, was electedĚýasĚýGeneral Assembly Moderator-ElectĚýand willĚýserveĚýin the role from JulyĚý2027-2028.Ěý

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We met in the where St Mark’s URC in Amble now worships. It was good opportunity to catch up on the activities of the churches in the town, including their involvement in an upcoming variety show.

Saturday was a day encouraging reflection. In the morning I visited and joined morning prayers led by the Revd Kay Blackwell (pictured). Among those with us were some visitors to the island and a minister staying in the Bothy, the cosy converted former vestry.

The Centre often hosts artists in residence who work with visitors to help them explore their relationship with God through art. It is easy to see why artists are attracted to spend time on Lindisfarne. We were blessed with beautiful weather, and the spread of sea, sands and land were entrancing. The Centre encourages reflection within a pilgrimage garden surrounding it, focussing on the life of St Cuthbert.

Visitors to the island are attracted to the Centre by the beautiful mosaic on an outside wall, showing the causeway leading to Lindisfarne crowned by a sun containing a St Cuthbert’s cross. I was amused by the seal’s head poking up in one corner. Although the island was quite busy while we were there, the causeway would close later in the day, giving peace and more time for solitary reflection for those who stayed. I would encourage those who are visiting Northumberland or who are looking for somewhere to spend a few days of reflection to visit the St Cuthbert’s Centre.

Back on the mainland, has created a labyrinth to aid those who would like to spend time focussing on their prayer. We worshipped in a short service, enjoying the sun pouring down on us, then I was able to walk the labyrinth. It gave me a time of peaceful contemplation as I wound steadily back and forth, sometimes seeming to come close to the centre, then finding myself out at the edges again.

I was then welcomed into the church for afternoon tea, and to meet church’s mascot, Wooly the Sheep.

While Sunday’s weather may not have been as sunny the previous day, the welcomes remained as warm. I was able to join the congregation of Rothbury, together with some others from the local group of churches for morning worship. The group, like many others around the country, is beginning to contemplate how they will work together with one minister and considerable distances between the churches.

My weekend was rounded off by fellowship and food at St James’ in Alnwick. An enjoyable time here ended a joyous weekend learning how the local churches are very much part of their communities. On my return home, when I mentioned to a colleague, who is not a church goer but works remotely from that area, his immediate response was to comment how active St James’ in Alnwick is.

Catriona Wheeler

Catriona is the current URC General Assembly Moderator (2025-2026). Read more on the General Assembly Moderator’s Blog.

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On 31 January 2026 I took part in a service which was long expected but still seemed to rush up in the final week. The closing service of the church in which I was member, Elder and Church Secretary – Trinity URC in Lincoln.

In some ways it was not a sad event – we were able celebrate the years of the life and work of our church with 130 members, friends and family of the church; to reminisce, to catch up with people who had travelled to be with us. It was though, the end of a chapter. A chapter that left questions and “what ifs”. When I heard people talking about the thriving clubs there used to be, how important it had been to get to the Christmas Eve service early if you wanted a seat, how they used to come to junior church when they were young it led to the question of why had things changed? Each church that closes has its own story. For us, it was partly younger generations moving away and all the members living at a distance from a city centre church whose only close housing is a gated community. We remained a friendly, welcoming church and older people who came to us would stay and become members, but we recognised some time ago that we had the problem that in the commercial world is known as succession planning. A capable and engaged membership and eldership were growing older and weary, not able to give as much energy to the church, not able to pick up tasks that others had done before them, feeling guilty about it and longing to come to church simply for worship.

The Elders started carrying out risk assessments during Covid and included financial and age-related matters. Those were the areas that continued to stay in red on our assessment. We gave much prayerful consideration to our future, took matters to the Church Meeting which also considered our future prayerfully and had the help and guidance of our Synod Transitional Minister. We reluctantly came to the conclusion that an orderly closure now, while we still had the resources and capability of doing so was the best course.

A great fear that our members had was the loss of contact with each other. While a good many of us are joining the Local Ecumenical Partnership in Lincoln – St Columba’s – a United Reformed, Methodist and Anglican partnership who are well known to us, and good friends, others will worship in the churches in the villages where they live. We will no longer have the weekly, or more, time to catch up with each other and that connection cannot and should not be lost. We still feel a pastoral responsibility for each other no matter where we worship. Monthly meetings have been arranged, and people will be able to meet each other with fresh news of their new churches and of the new chapters in their worship journey. As Trinity has come to an end the seeds have been scattered around Lincoln, and Lincolnshire, and we will still have much to offer the in service of the Lord.

Catriona Wheeler

Catriona is the current URC General Assembly Moderator (2025-2026). Read more on the General Assembly Moderator’s Blog.

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A difficult question – I had only recently purchased a new bible and had spent some time choosing a translation I liked in a format which I felt would be easiest for reading during services. The bible I chose then was a New International Version, which has the bonus of beautiful illustrations by Hannah Dunnett.

As part of the Stepwise course I had prepared an Excel sheet with various pages setting out my resources. One of the tabs listed quite a number of translations. Should I choose yet another so I could better compare texts, or should I request another commentary?

Bible journalling

I drifted round the internet looking for inspiration and discovered the world of bible journalling. I have heard of journalling before – for those who have not come across it, it is more than merely keeping a diary. Many of those who journal illustrate their notes, or create beautiful books in which to keep a record. Some will write or keep copies of poems or words of inspiration. I had not however come across bible journalling. I discovered that this is used as a way of studying and reflecting on bible passages or themes. Those who are artistic may add illustrations in the margins – they may be abstract, pictures or swirls expressing their emotions. Coloured highlighters and pens can be used for notes drawing on reflections on the passage, cross referencing to other passages. Each journaller will mark up their bible as best suits them.

I would admit that I am terrible at keeping a diary. As a teenager I probably had good intentions every January. By the time I reached my twenties I had long given up the thought of being so disciplined. My only real attempts at a diary in past years has been as part of the Stepwise Faith Filled Worship course. If I had not been told to keep a journal for that course I would have been unlikely to have done so. I did find it a useful way of reflecting on what I had learnt during the course and a time for directed spiritual thought.

Savour the year

The idea of a journalling bible appealed. When I became Moderator Elect, one message from a previous Moderator was to savour the year. I look forward to it as a way of meeting more people in the wider church, but I also look forward to it as a way of seeing God at work in the URC and beyond. I decided that a journalling bible might be a way of focussing my reflections during the course of the year and requested one as the bible to be given me at General Assembly. It is designed for writing in – wide margins and a good quality paper. I have armed myself with a multitude of coloured fine nibbed pens, pastel highlighters and sticky tabs. I am definitely not of an artistic persuasion, so I do not expect my bible to become a thing of beauty with delicate illustrations and bold calligraphy highlighting my notes. What I have done so far is highlight the passages used in the services at the end of General Assembly, at my more recent commissioning service as a Synod Recognised Worship Leader and from a recent set of lectionary readings. I have made notes of what was said with cross references to the other passages and some of my own thoughts. I expect to use this as one of my tools when preparing for services during the course of this year. I hope to look back in a year’s time and see a bible thick with notes (which I trust will still make sense to me) that will become a resource for the future and a reminder of the year’s encounters.

I will be interested as I meet people from around the URC to learn how many others do bible journalling and how they go about it.

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The day after our arrival we popped over the wall for a daytrip to East Berlin. For those of you not as old as me, essentially this meant that we had arrived in East Germany just in time to catch the aftershocks caused by the massacre at Tiananmen Square.

This trip had a profound effect on me – it was a real culture shock. So many images, and feelings are indelibly etched on my psyche. So much so that as I’m talking to you about it today, 35 years later, I can still see it like a movie in my mind. Some things were odd. The plain brick walls, buildings with no adverts on them at all, making red brick feel grey. Some things were funny. The Lada cars so scarce that there was a running gag that, before you put your newborn’s name down to register them for school, you registered them for a car. It’d take that long for one to arrive for them. And some things were unsettling. At a time before camera phones and selfie sticks, there were the cameras on every roof, at every junction – we’ve let privacy go without much thought with the advent of mobiles – still, then, it felt like a particularly ominous intrusion.

But I’m getting carried away…this isn’t a reflection about that trip. There are many things I could talk about if that was the topic. But it isn’t. This is a reflection about space. Real and imagined, ancient and new, temporary tabernacles and permanent buildings. Safe space. Welcoming space. God’s space. Church.

I wonder what comes to your mind when you look at this image?

Given the reading from Amos, you may be thinking ‘tabernacle or booth of David’.

Or, given our context, this year’s theme of Resurrection for Tim’s tenure as Moderator, your mind may be drawn to ‘tent revival’.

Or you may, like me, have just glanced at this picture with nothing particular in your head and just thought – ‘circus’.

There are some key elements to be found in all of those possibilities. There are performances, and participants observe and play roles. Most importantly, all involve the creation of a clearly demarcated area, that exists in the material world and is designated by the physical boundaries of canvas and pole, but that is actually designed to enable those enclosed within its embrace to access something transcendent.

Having a discrete area where you can go to connect with God in some way is the origin of church. For the Israelites their skene was an earthly place for interacting with God. Highly portable, it consisted of a fenced off area that contained an altar for sacrifices and, of course, the Holy of Holies, the secluded area housing the Ark of the Covenant, separated from the general congregation by a veil, and only entered by the High Priest, once a year. From here we can trace a throughline from tabernacle to Temple to synagogue to church.

Like churches, theatres can also trace their origins back to tabernacles – both are connected to the Greek word for tent or tabernacle – skene.
This meeting of religion and performance is nothing new – they’ve walked through the ages, holding hands, like mardy siblings, coming together at key moments in history and then periodically squabbling over which one is the most useful, the prettiest, the most welcoming…

As you will all know, theatre’s origin story in the UK derives directly from the Catholic church’s desire to communicate Biblical stories to congregations only able to access the Latin mass in church. Conversely, Shakespeare’s Richard III, one of our best theatrical villains, has his origins in portrayals of Herod in Medieval Mystery Cycles. And today? Well, like churches, many theatres are now under existential threat.

The booth of David is in ruins…

As Rupert Shortt suggests in his recent book, The Eclipse of Christianity, in this country at least – we are living through a recession of a profoundly Christian nature.

Elsewhere, where Christians are being heard the loudest, they represent a very different form of the faith than our own. Substituting dogmatism for dogma, they present an image of Christianity armoured in certainty; its boundaries asserted loudly, angrily, intolerantly. The Christian of popular culture is viewed as, at best, irrelevant, and at worst, as an Evolution-denying, human rights oppressing bigot, whose hierarchical worldview remains grounded in Bronze Age fantasy stories. Like Paul and Barnabas in Iconium, truly it could be said that we live in unkind times, where short form video content and online echo chambers have led us to a place where our tolerance levels for uncertainty have never been lower.

And that leads us to tighten ourselves culturally and religiously. To become more dogmatic, more authoritarian, expressing views with unfounded confidence and certainty, loudly and quickly, before anyone spots the enormous, fearful elephant in the room…

And so, it is this authoritarian cultural turn that leads me back to East Berlin. 5th June 1989, just a few short months before the Berlin Wall is pulled down. The East German state is in its death throes and its enforcers, the Stasi, are much more dangerous as a consequence.

And there, in the midst of all of this, is a space. It exists in the real world and in the imagined. Kirche. Church.

During our initial meeting with the church community in East Berlin, one of the ministers apologised because he had to leave us. He had to go to his church to speak to some people who were gathering there to protest against the events that had occurred in Tiananmen Square. The minister had to warn them that the police were intending to use water cannon on them, should they take to the streets. But, he told us, they would be safe in church.

Talking to the church’s youth group afterwards, they talked of church as a place where they could be themselves, where they could dissent and express themselves freely. Because of that, they had chosen church freely, refusing to sign up to the Communist Party as required, a decision they were told would be to their own detriment.

They were proud of their church as a space that could offer the consolation that came from the acknowledgement of the difficulties of their lives as they experienced it. They could trust the church because it was a place of safety. They felt it offered hope in spite of those difficulties – or maybe because of them. Church for them offered a space for reflection to everyone and anyone in that complicated, authoritarian, angry, scary world.

And what’s that got to do with circuses, I hear you cry?

Students of Greek will amongst you will know that the word that speaks to both theatre and church origins is skene – tent.

Reading Amos and Acts, I was reflecting on how we can go about creating a social sacred space, for today’s Iconium? What should our newly raised booth look like?

And this led me to the reflect on the idea of a Circus of Faith…

Less a building, more a metaphor, I wonder if we should join the circus…

A circus consists of a diverse company of performers – jugglers, trapeze artists, clowns, magicians, hoopers, trained animals. Each offering themselves, their ‘act’ as they are. Each act gets its own space and is celebrated for its difference.

The Circus Tent is a space that contains a multivocal, multitalented collection of people, in safety and enjoyment, seeking transcendence.

What could be more church-like than that?

Links to information about Kirchentag:

The with details of this year’s Kirchentag in Hannover

(don’t worry if you don’t speak German, you’ll be offered a translation into English as you access the site)

The

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The idea behind the game is that you get into twos, you propose an idea, it can be something simple: ‘Let’s ski down the Alps…’ and your partner yes ‘Yes and then we can…’ and then says the first thing that comes into their head. No planning, no filter. It can be anything as long as it is the first thing that has come into their head. Each time an action is described: ‘Let’s ski down the Alps’ the two partners also act out the action physically with full commitment. The longer you play the game, the weirder and more wonderfully outrageous the ideas become. If you do this with the group, the room gets loud and very busy very quickly.

When you run this exercise with a new group, what usually happens is they try to think their way through the exercise. To intellectualise themselves out of the problem to save face. They make every effort to come up with the cleverest idea. They plan in the minutest detail…

If ever there was a sentence that signals the death knell of an improvisation in Drama it’s, “I know, you say [this] and I’ll say [that] – it’ll be great!” It’s never great. It’s stilted, usually a bit banal and ultimately the absolute antithesis of creativity and originality. Crucially it demonstrates that the participant hasn’t understood the point of the game.

The point of “Yes And…” isn’t to consciously create a brilliant idea. It’s not to be funny or clever. It’s not to be the coolest person in the room. It’s not to avoid embarrassment or humiliation. The point of “ Yes And…” is to learn how to accept the offer given to you and to use that offer to launch yourself into… well… the unknown… To learn to trust that the idea will come, despite the interference of the intellect. And in doing so, to create a brilliant idea.

One of the most misunderstood elements of the creative process is its beginning. It’s assumed that artists sit around their studio – or walk, or pace moodily – planning and generating ideas, thinking their way through. And that there’s a trick to it that you can learn and improve so that, once you’ve been an artist for a long time, you can go in and CREATE. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Sure, if you want to paint an orange, well, have at it. The orange is there, away you go, but really that’s a technical exercise. Your orange may be wonderfully different from everyone else’s but still life isn’t a new idea. Nor is painting the still life of an orange. It’s a reinterpretation of an old one. No problem with that – it’s just not what I’m talking about here.

“Yes And…” for an actor, then, is the equivalent of a blank page for a writer. Terrifying! As soon as you introduce this exercise to a group not familiar with it, the levels of anxiety go through the roof. How will I know what to say? What will everyone think of me? What if my idea is rubbish? What if I die? For clarification, dying onstage is to do something embarrassingly badly – we don’t actually sacrifice them. It’s that tumbleweed moment that sees the performer left vulnerable and exposed in front of an audience. It’s the theatrical equivalent of the nightmare where you dream you’ve woken up on a platform, not knowing why you’re there, then realising you’re in charge of leading worship and you’ve forgotten your trousers…who says actors are dramatic!

So, how do you avoid this death by humiliation?

The solution is easy, actually. You commit to the physical action utterly and completely in the moment, trusting that the answer will come. And it does. Every time. Bigger, better, weirder, more original than it could ever have been if you’d planned it. It forces you to think outside your usual patterns. It forces you to come up with something completely new and never previously imagined. It forces you to create…

Because that’s the thing often misunderstood about creativity. It’s finger-nail chewing, anxiety-inducing, scream at a noise in the dark in a haunted house at Halloween terrifying! So you do plan. But when you plan, you don’t plan for the inspiration, the artefact, the concept for the painting, the idea for the play script, the sculpture, rather you try to create the perfect environment then you open yourself up, and wait. And in doing so, you are trusting that something, as yet unknowable, will appear.

If it doesn’t…well, now you know why we’re all so darn temperamental!

So an experienced artist is not so much practised at consciously coming up with ideas. Instead they are well-practised at living with ambiguity, uncertainty, with not knowing. With experience, they learn to control their response to anxiety. They don’t lose the fear, but they learn to manage it so that it doesn’t interfere with their process. They learn to walk off the cliff trusting that something, anything, will catch them on the way down. And, if it doesn’t, then everything gets smashed and destroyed when it hits the ground. And they rise and start again. From scratch. From somewhere new.

So, my question for you to ponder this fine morning is: do you believe in resurrection? Do you trust the process?

I could talk about our scripture reading this morning in terms of this being Christ’s first miracle. We could debate whether we believe it happened as described here. I could talk about it as being the moment Jesus reveals himself to his disciples or it representing the fulfilment of the passage from Amos we heard on Monday…

But I think it’s simpler than that. Mundane even. This story is about a son having a good time with his mates at a wedding until his Mum comes in and tells him its time for him to get to work. Jesus replies: “My hour has not yet come!” Jesus knows that taking this step – performing this miracle – will force him to step off the cliff, to begin a process he can’t come back from…

You can almost picture Mary rolling her eyes as, ignoring him, she turns to the servants and instructs them to do what Jesus tells them to do. She knows Jesus is comfortable, enjoying the company of his friends, doing the busy-work, maybe, but not quite fully committing to the process. Yet. So she gives him a nudge.

And when God gives us a nudge, the “Yes and…” well that’s our job. Because, when we’re nudged, our task is to jump into the playing area with both feet, fully committed, with an open heart and a sense of joy, secure in the knowledge that we are loved and cared for, that God has a plan and that the time is right because he says it is.

Anything after “Yes and…” well that’s God’s bit and it’s bound to be better than anything we could come up with!

(image courtesy of )

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This act of prayer and reflection begins with washing hands with soap and warm water.

Call to Remember

I will bless the LORD at all times; *
whose praise shall ever be in my mouth.
2 I will glory in the LORD; *
let the humble hear and rejoice.
3 Proclaim with me the greatness of the LORD; *
let us exalt the Name together.
4 I sought the LORD, who answered me *
and delivered me out of all my terror.
5 Look upon the Lord and be radiant, *
and let not your face be ashamed.
6 I called in my affliction and the LORD heard me *
and saved me from all my troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encompasses those who fear God, *
who will deliver them.
8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; *
happy are they who trust in God!

An Inclusive Language Psalter

HymnĚý Ěý ĚýThere is a Balm in Gilead Hymnal 1982, The Episcopal Church #676

General Reflection

Five years ago the world was riveted by news of a strange virus originating in China. Little did anyone know how quickly Covid-19 would move across the planet. All living creatures were affected by Covid-19. Humans covered their faces, doing what social creatures find impossible to do. Not being able to gather with friends, families and community was a trauma compared to world war without human relating, we isolated and stayed in our homes. Nature began to recover, flora and fauna took a deep breath when we could not. Human activity was arrested for a while as the planetary eco systems were stunned by human absence.

Our wider humanity became acquainted with illness and death, often far too young to embrace finitude. The lack of gathering loved ones at the deathbed exacerbated grief and extended sorrow into a bleak emotional landscape. For generations who had never known a global crisis, this was a catastrophe. Covid-19 brought a golden age into existential pain and end. Whilst faith communities resorted to Zoom and YouTube to connect the faithful, others fell away longing for in-person gatherings.

If there was a brighter side, people were forced to slow down. Some days felt like a much needed sabbath rest. The introverted rejoiced in solitude! Our hectic, over thinking, rat race subsided and we were shown our lives do not need to be so full and hurried. Working from home and digital know-how grew at a greater pace. We knew this historical crisis would change us and the after effect would be enacted for years to come.

Praying

Healing Christ,
In marking this time we have not arrived in this present moment unscathed by
Covid-19. With each additional vaccination we know this virus is living and evolving. Yet, we are grateful for medical science and continued miracles of healing and well-being.
With each regret and wince recalling days of isolation we know in spirit we held each other. Yet, we are grateful for the gift of gathering and joining around tables of kinship and friendship.
With the encroachment of human activity upon nature and wildlife we must learn to live in harmony with all your creation. Yet, we have been reminded that we do not need to be greedy to be happy.
With each new viral infection we know this disease does not respect our human divisions of class, sex, age, race, gender, sexuality, faith or none. Yet, we are called to have respect, mercy and compassion for the whole global human family.
In our sorrow bring comfort, as we name before you those we miss and see no more……….
We entrust them, O Light of Life, into your mercy where there is no sighing, tears or remorse. May the light of your life, O Christ, encourage us as we continue our earthly sojourn. In your holy name we pray, Jesus the Christ, Amen.

HymnĚý Ěý ĚýHealer of our Every Ill Marty Haugen

Prayer for Covid Anniversary

Has it really been 5 years Lord?
5 years since lockdown, fear, heroic NHS staff, and a daily death toll on the news?
5 years since panic, uncertainty, and incompetence
mixed with dedication, unity, and scientific ingenuity?
5 years since law breaking was contrasted so strongly with law keeping?

It feels so much further away than just 5 years.
We’ve seen several different prime ministers and a different monarch;
there again we’ve got the same US president back!
The homeless have been returned to the streets
– seems it was too expensive to keep on supporting them after all,
politicians are busy rewriting history,
seeking to influence which lessons are to be learnt,
…and we live with the trauma.

So, we remember before you, Lord, those who have died,
those whose lives are still wounded with grief and long Covid,
and those who gave their lives through caring.
We give thanks for doctors and scientists who found a vaccine so quickly,
for advisors and planners who got the vaccine delivered so well,
and for those who devised treatments to relieve suffering.

But, Lord, we’re left with the pandemic’s legacy –
unanswered questions, unresolved grief, and unaddressed anger
which sit alongside our gratitude and admiration.

We wonder, Lord, what we can learn from the pandemic,
whether we’re ready to hold to account
those who failed to plan,
those who could not lead with integrity,
those who profiteered from suffering, and
those who evaded justice.
We’re left wondering how to deal with both the trauma and the memories,
and, most of all, Lord we wonder if we’re any better prepared for the next one.

So give us your wisdom, Lord,
that we can navigate these times, and our memories,
with honesty, grace, and the ability to bring change, Amen.

——– Offered by a United Reformed Church member

Hold a silence

Closing WordsĚý Ěý Ěýbased on Psalm 103

May the Holy One who heals all your iniquity bless and keep you;
the face of the Lord who heals all our afflictions
shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the light of the countenance of the Christ who redeems your life
be lifted upon you and give you peace. Amen.

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Prior to the election, I was visiting my father in America. Like everyone else, I was perplexed why Trump and Harris were running neck and neck at the polls.

The cost of living crisis is hitting the US. People see the immense resources, and how grand America is, yet if you break away from the tourist areas, amusement parks and fancy neighbourhoods and ride public transportation you will see another American reality where there is much poverty. Illegal drugs and the opioid crisis have had a devastating effect.

I think it’s helpful to note the difference between talking about big overarching issues like abortion, the environment, human rights and immigration, which tend to take on an almost theoretical or even religious discourse, and the bread and butter issues like affordable housing, buying groceries and having a pension.

The tangibles of some semblance of the American dream matter. Whether one is a recent immigrant or well established, a good job, a house, a car, and two weeks’ vacation is a sign of reasonable success.

America is vast and cannot be summed up with a dualist view, even though political parties and some Christian groups are trying to convince us otherwise. A deepening divide between rural and urban states seems to be at play again.

This isn’t new to the American socio-political scene; this difference contributed to the American civil war in the 19th century. Slavery, individual and states’ rights, and racism were an issue; racism, personal and states’ rights, sexuality and gender are now. There is a red/blue political divide, but what about the vast majority of Americans we don’t hear from at the ballot box?

For a number of decades it’s been hard to decipher if the government has influence over huge health insurance, financial, tech, and pharmaceutical companies. I marched in Washington D.C. during the Bush presidency out of concern for the influence of multinationals over American life and policy.

As buoyant as many people were with the great hope of Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz, I know for many people it felt inconsequential. The prospect of Christian nationalism in America is frightening.

This idea has multiracial support from people who are worried about secularism and the decline of a common morality. On the other side, this brings fear, violence and further minoritisation to immigrants, refugees, non-heterosexual, transgender people and women.

Project 2025 is a manifesto that enshrines ‘biblically based’ definitions of family which establish Republican domestic policy. The crucial challenge is whether we are willing to talk about these tough issues in families and in our churches, or whether fear stifles conversation.

I wonder if some of the angst about ‘something wrong’ is about baby boomers looking back sentimentally. When there isn’t a future to look to, or the present seems too complex, we tend to be distracted by what was.

Privileged folks look back with nostalgia; those on the edge remember hard struggles. Only looking back is cynical, rather than imagining and envisioning hope and a future. I’m sure Lot’s wife has much to say about that in her salty tears!

A dear Irish friend who loves the USA says, ‘Never think tomorrow will be the same in America.’ That to me feels very hopeful.

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My hope is that this year a discussion about ‘What does it mean to be a United Reformed Christian?’ will return to our URC family table. Perhaps we would start with what we all hold in common: Jesus Christ. I think we would also say we honour diversity and hold a level of respect for each other no matter where we are on life’s journey. We hope that our places of gathering are safer places or, as I would say, we can be soft here. We cherish community life and hold words and discernment as key to our functioning. We tend to have a social conscience and have a proud tradition of activism for the oppressed, downtrodden and minoritised. We prefer simplicity over aesthetics in our worship. Centrally we believe in the separation of church and state – a nonconformist heritage. These would be a few of the things that for me describe the United Reformed Church. What other principles would you say we hold in common?

As I have begun to be the representative face of the URC to the world it is important that I have a sense of what we hold in common. We are not a hodge-podge of individuals seeking our own way are we? What would you say unites us?

I read an American article about Christianity in the UK beginning to experience a REVIVAL. I have heard it too throughout several places: in the Council for World Mission in Durban, South Africa in June, at the recent Church of England General Synod in York and I have heard it in a few places in the URC. To my surprise, the chaplains on my team presented the theme: “Resurrection, not resuscitation” at my induction service. Revd Andrew Mann-Ray and Andrea Heron left us with a question, “What does resurrection mean to you?”

I wonder if it is time to be passionate about being a United Reformed Christian? Not that we are into being trendy – heaven forbid! Rather that we would stand firmly, thoughtfully and respectfully passionate on our convictions. I am a devout Christian (follower of Jesus), I read the Bible, it is preached each Sunday and I am a faithful member of the United Reformed Church and this is why…

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“I will, and all these things I profess and promise in the power of the Holy Spirit.”

The Revd Timothy Meadows was inducted as the Moderator of the General Assembly 2024-2025, during an act of worship at the close of the 2024 General Assembly.

Inducting Tim, the outgoing Moderator, the Revd Dr Tessa Henry-Robinson, declared: “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and representing the General Assembly of the United Reformed Church I declare Tim to be inducted as Moderator of General Assembly. May you continue to walk in the way of Christ, following in his footsteps. ‘Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever.’”

“This is really something else. Recently one church person asked me if the URC could not find any British people to do the job. To which I replied, ‘whatever gave you that idea, I’m from Liverpool, can’t you tell from my accent?!

“I originally come from rural America, where Christianity was instilled in me from a very early age. I am well-appointed with the evil exacted on the queer community by society and the church, although that is not the impetus of my moderatorial year.

“The AIDS pandemic has left trauma. It wasn’t long ago, and it still exists, and I stand here on the ashes of thousands. I come with a lesson for us all. The forces of religious extremism with right wing politics is in the rise on our lands, and the global church is split. I dare say ecumenism is no longer about denominations but political affinities.

“I am so full of hope. The URC is a safe harbour in a stormy sea. It is a place of grace, and the divine, as we continue to learn to respect each other. I am so deeply grateful to you, that with God, we can face our fears and anxieties head on. As the chaplains said earlier, we have to live into hope.

“The URC is a gift to the body of Christ. Yet our work is far from finished. It was, and is, time to share our faith. Revival and resurrection is in the air. Let’s go out and share our treasure. We are diverse and we are united in being followers of Jesus Christ. Now is the time to recentre on that which we hold most dear, a Jesus-shaped church for all.”

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