British faith leaders recently signed the following letter calling for the household benefit cap to exclude child benefit:

As leaders of faith communities, we are often the first to see the impact of changes in Government policy as it impacts our congregations and the communities in which we work. We are deeply concerned about the planned introduction of a cap on benefits which will be debated in the House of Lords on Monday 23rd January.

Although targeted at promoting fairness between working and non-working households, evidence from The Children's Society shows that the cap will principally affect children much more than adults - only one in 560 adults is affected, compared to around one in 60 children. As many as 80,000 children could be made homeless as a result of the cap as it currently stands.

2012 is a big year for the UK - and a big year for the United Reformed Church. The Revd Roberta Rominger, general secretary of the URC, sets out some highlights of the next 12 months.

"We have quite a year ahead of us. The Queen celebrates her diamond jubilee in June and the 2012 Games come to the UK in July. National events like these provide opportunities for creativity in church mission. What can we do that will catch the public imagination, deepen our community engagement and enable us to share what we believe?

Leaders of the UK's three largest free churches have welcomed the breakthrough at climate change talks in Durban, but warned of significant future dangers.

Commenting on the agreement of a roadmap towards a new climate deal, the Rev Roberta Rominger, General Secretary of the United Reformed Church, said: "This eleventh hour consensus on charting the way towards a legally binding agreement on greenhouse gas emission by 2020 is good news for developed and developing countries alike. Now all governments must follow it through and take urgent action to cut carbon emissions significantly; failure to do this could have devastating consequences for the world's most vulnerable communities."

Lawrence Moore & Michael Jagessar
Moderators-elect of General Assembly, 2012-14
The Revd Dr Michael Jagessar was born and brought up in Guyana, where he was ordained as a pastor in the Lutheran Church in 1980. He is the Secretary for Racial Justice and Intercultural Ministry for the United Reformed Church, as well as being honorary research associate at Westminster
College, Cambridge, and honorary lecturer at the University of Birmingham.
A theologian by training, Lawrence Moore grew up in Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) during the civil war years before Independence. He began working for the United Reformed Church in 1997 as Training & Development Officer for the Eastern Synod. Since 2002, he has served the United Reformed Church as Director of the Windermere Centre, one of the URC's four Resource Centres for Learning.

Vulnerable older people are set for vital assistance through the coming winter months thanks to a new campaign being launched by the South Yorkshire Community Foundation.

Through the Surviving Winter Appeal, which launches next month, those who can afford to are being encouraged to donate their Winter Fuel Payment to benefit those living in fuel poverty in South Yorkshire.

On average between 2002-2009 almost 700 people over the age of 65 died EVERY WINTER in South Yorkshire, the majority from largely preventable causes related to the cold conditions.

The campaign is also running nationally with several high profile supporters already firmly backing the cause including Sir David Jason, Sir Terry Wogan and Denise Robertson of ITV's This Morning.

All monies donated will go straight into the Surviving Winter Fund from which grants will be made to support individuals who will struggle to cope with the cold this winter.

According to the latest statistics issued by the Communities and Local Government Department on 7 October, 44,160 households were accepted as homeless last year - a 10 per cent increase on the previous year.
Campbell Robb, chief executive of the housing and homelessness charity Shelter, said: "It is perhaps the most shocking consequence of our housing crisis that so many households in our affluent nation do not have a home to call their own."
Information obtained from Ekklesia website

The front page of the newspaper showed a hooded figure backed by flames and the headline: Mob Rule. By the end of the day there were interviews with people armed with nothing more threatening than brooms and shovels clearing up the mess, helping businesses to re-open, to get the local economy going again. What are we Christians to make of this sudden eruption of violence and looting on the streets of our cities? What are any of us to make of it?

Is it just mindless violence perpetrated by a few bored teenagers with access to social networks enabling them to gather groups from a wide area, making small groups into large crowds, or is there something deeper going on?

Four Palestinians and two Israelis used cameras provided by the Guardian and B'Tselem human rights organisation to record video diaries about their lives and experiences in East Jerusalem. For the results, follow this link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2011/jun/08/east-jerusalem-i...

Sermon preached on 16 April 2011 at Meersbrook Park URC
I Chronicles 15:25-28; 16:7-13; John 4:15-24
Friends, what a fantastic transformation of your buildings, and what a wonderful celebration! Thank you for inviting me to come to this party.

Representatives of the United Reformed Church have expressed their anger and concern at the news of the violent disruption of an ecumenical prayer service for peace at a church in Harare by Zimbabwean police earlier this month (April 2011).

Their comments, drawing on the Easter message, are based on a press statement from the Zimbabwe Christian Alliance (see below) which describes a vicious attack by Zimbabwe armed riot police on a Harare congregation of approximately 600 people.

The brutal actions of the police caused serious injury to many - and 14 people were arrested and taken to Harare central police station where they were charged with "causing public violence" and held for two days.