New year's message from Roberta Rominger, General Secretary
23 January 2012 - 11:25am — Sarah Hall
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?
"Alongside these national events we have celebrations of our own to look forward to. 2012 begins with a service in Westminster Abbey to express reconciliation between the United Reformed Church and the Church of England. It's the fruit of bilateral conversations that resulted in resolutions at URC Mission Council and the Anglican General Synod in 2011. This service, on 7 February, will mark the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Great Ejectment by looking to a future of shared work and witness.
"And, when General Assembly meets in Scarborough this July, we will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the founding of the URC as well as the 350th anniversary of some of our churches. The unofficial theme for this commemoration is ‘Courage, conscience and conviction' and these three qualities are indeed what we offer in our determination to live faithfully in these challenging times. Our valiant Church makes contributions out of all proportion to its size. God bless you for all the lives you will touch in the year ahead and the faith that will shine from you."
"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?
"Alongside these national events we have celebrations of our own to look forward to. 2012 begins with a service in Westminster Abbey to express reconciliation between the United Reformed Church and the Church of England. It's the fruit of bilateral conversations that resulted in resolutions at URC Mission Council and the Anglican General Synod in 2011. This service, on 7 February, will mark the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Great Ejectment by looking to a future of shared work and witness.
"And, when General Assembly meets in Scarborough this July, we will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the founding of the URC as well as the 350th anniversary of some of our churches. The unofficial theme for this commemoration is ‘Courage, conscience and conviction' and these three qualities are indeed what we offer in our determination to live faithfully in these challenging times. Our valiant Church makes contributions out of all proportion to its size. God bless you for all the lives you will touch in the year ahead and the faith that will shine from you."
