One of our former members, Anastasia Armsworth, went back to the States last year, but we're still in touch. Now Stacie has sent us a link to her newly-discovered ability to play handbells in church. Maybe next time she's over she can give us a demonstration... or maybe not, if handbells are considered dangerous weapons on the plane? Anyway, in the meantime, follow this link and marvel!
http://s285.photobucket.com/albums/ll51/scotia007/Stacie/?action=view&cu...

Check out the new online all-singing, all-dancing Reform magazine at www.reform-magazine.co.uk - and then get your own paper copy by subscription at church!

Two men, both well known in URC circles, have been chosen as moderators-elect of the General Assembly. Mr Lawrence Moore, director of the Windermere Centre, and the Revd Dr Michael Jagessar, the URC's secretary for racial justice and multicultural ministry, will take up the mantle of moderator of General Assembly at the General Assembly of 2012 and each promise to bring something fresh and different to the denomination.

Commenting on today's emergency budget, the Revd John Marsh, moderator of the general assembly of the United Reformed Church said that the church will need to rediscover its mission to the poor as the austerity measures announced begin to impact on people living in the UK. "Whilst the Chancellor is to be given credit for seeking to achieve a measure of fairness in spending cuts and tax increases, it is the poorest members of our society who are going to bear the brunt of the cuts to benefits and public services and the increase in VAT from next year" he said.

Leaders from the Baptist, Methodist and United Reformed Churches, together with Church Action on Poverty, have called on the chancellor to opt for fairer taxes today.
Amidst predictions of harsh public spending cuts, the Free Churches and the anti-poverty action groups are asking the Coalition Government to make a thorough revision of the taxation system a central part of the Emergency Budget, which will be delivered from midday today.
The four bodies are specifically calling for Chancellor George Osborne to make changes to ensure that taxes are shared fairly amongst all tax payers.
Under the current system, the poorest pay around 46 per cent of their income in taxes, compared to the 34 per cent of income paid by the wealthiest. The churches say that an equal sharing of this tax burden is the very least that fairness demands.

"Violence is violence. It has no place in Islamic teaching", says a leading Muslim scholar in a fatwa, an extended religiously-based argument, directed at those who justify hatred and terror in the name of faith.
Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri Ul-Qadri's 600-page analysis is "arguably the most comprehensive theological refutation of Islamist terrorism to date," according to the Quilliam Foundation, the London-based counter-terrorism think tank.
"Terrorism is terrorism," Ul-Qadri, founder of Minhaj-ul-Quran, an organisation claiming hundreds of thousands of followers in South Asia and the United Kingdom, declared.
Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri is regarded as a mainstream Muslim scholar who is a "widely recognised and respected authority on Islamic jurisprudence."
At a press conference earlier this week, he criticised Muslims who, in justifying terrorism, say it furthers the goal of correcting wrongs done to Muslims.

As the government prepares for its Pre-Budget Report today, three of the UK's largest Churches have called for priority to be given to job security and protection for the poor.

The Methodist Church, the Baptist Union and the United Reformed Church (URC) have challenged a call made yesterday (8 December) for public sector cuts.

They have criticised the right-of-centre thinktank Reform, which has suggested that jobs should be cut in the National Health Service and the police in order to reduce public borrowing.

The Baptist Union's Graham Sparkes urged the government to deliver "a Pre-Budget Report that puts people's welfare before market gains" and insisted that "We cannot just return to business as usual".

Sunday 20th December 11am-12noon
All-Age Nativity Service
Speaker: Timmy the Lamb
Christmas Day 10.30-11.15am
All-Age Service 
Bring a present to church!

Muslims regard Judaism and Christianity as divine religions. Islam is a continuation and an extension of those great religions. In order to qualify as a Muslim, one has to believe in Moses (Musa) and Jesus (Isa) along with all the Biblical prophets, peace be upon them. Muslims have to believe in the Torah (Tawrat), the Psalms (Zabur) and the Gospel (Injil) although Muslim scholars do have some issues about the accuracy of a few parts of these scriptures. And although Islam declares that it is the way of life chosen by God for humanity and that Muhammad, peace be upon him, is the final messenger of God, and that the Qur'an is the final message, the Qur'an  affectionately refers to the followers of these previous scriptures as the People of the Book.

Methodist, Baptist and United Reformed Church leaders have called on people to send an extra card this Christmas, to Immigration Minister Phil Woolas MP, asking him to end the detention of children in the asylum system.
Revd David Gamble, President of the Methodist Conference, said: "Britain is the only country in Europe which locks up the innocent children of people who have had their asylum claims declined. Every year hundreds of children are sent to detention centres; most of them are under five years old and many of them are locked up for more than a month. Holding innocent children in detention centres can never be justified."
People should send their cards to Phil Woolas MP at the Home Office, 2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DF and can find tips for drafting their Christmas message at www.jointpublicissues.org.uk/childrenindetention.