{"id":1967,"date":"2025-07-04T20:55:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T20:55:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/urc.org.uk\/?p=59579"},"modified":"2025-07-04T20:55:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-04T20:55:10","slug":"general-assembly-2025-day-one-round-up-4-july","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/standrewsurcrustington.org.uk\/?p=1967","title":{"rendered":"General Assembly 2025: day one round-up 4 July"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2025 meeting of the United Reformed Church General Assembly, opened at The Hayes Conference Centre in Swanwick on 4 July.<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n

The meeting began with Communion led by the Revd Tim Meadows General Moderator 2025-2025, and with worship led by the Revd Andrew Mann-Ray and Andrea Heron, his chaplains. <\/span><\/p>\n

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 <\/span>As Andrew is a lover of folk music, he led Assembly in singing unaccompanied the folk hymn <\/span>John Ball<\/span><\/i>. The reading was from 1 Corinthians 13, about the supremacy of love. Andrea reflected on the 60ft sculpture in the Vatican, <\/span>Resurrection <\/span><\/i>by Fazzini,<\/span> in which Christ emerges from nuclear crater. It encapsulated what it meant to live under the threat of nuclear war in the mid-20th century. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is one of my favourite things,\u201d said Andrea. \u201cAnd it scares the life out of me.\u201d <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

She said: \u201cThe idea of the destruction of everything I recognise, know and that gives me my sense of self and identity, scares me senseless. But that image of Christ rising out of the ashes \u2013 now that, that makes my soul sing!\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

As Christians we should know that there can be no resurrection without crucifixion, but it can be hard to really grasp that. Traditional western images of crucifixion are beautiful, but unreal. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo,\u201d said Andrea, \u201cwe are called to join with those going through real suffering and stay there. God invites us to share his greatest moment of suffering and that is the path to joining in his resurrection. What a beautiful privilege! Because we are promised resurrection, we are called to go through the world of suffering. Love is the path that will lead us through crucifixion to resurrection.\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

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Session one<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n

Introduction and greeting of ecumenical guests<\/span><\/b>
<\/span>The Revd Philip Brooks, Deputy General Secretary (Mission) reminded Assembly that \u201cthere is a world outside the United Reformed Church\u201d and that it is represented by ecumenical guests. Uniquely, ecumenical guests are normally full members of Assembly with voting rights. This year\u2019s guests are:<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n