Social justice will be a key topic at the United Reformed Church’s Youth Assembly themed ‘One Body: we’re all in this together’ to be held between 18-20 January 2019.

The event is open to children and young adults aged from Year 10/S3 to 25 years from across the URC and beyond.

It is described as ‘a weekend to focus on Jesus, to share in community with other young people, and to explore what it means to be church together’.

‘God’s people, in every age, have been called to agitate for justice,’ said Simeon Mitchell, the URC’s Secretary for Church and Society, a guest speaker at the event.

Moderators of the United Reformed Church General Assembly joined four other Free Church leaders at three political party conferences this autumn. At each conference, the delegation spoke to MPs and Lords about issues of concern to Christians, prayed with and for political leaders at a dedicated prayer breakfast, and sought to listen and learn from conference delegates. Together, the five leaders represented the URC, the Methodist Church, the Baptist Union of Great Britain, Quakers in Britain and the Salvation Army.

Mr Derek Estill, who attended the Labour conference in Liverpool, said that the delegation ‘demonstrated unity across our various denominations’. The Revd Nigel Uden, who was part of the delegation to the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, said: ‘It was especially significant to be part of bringing into creative dialogue our various perspectives on topics that too often can mar abundant life – not least migration, climate change and poverty.’ 

All the ‘Anonymous’ 12-step programmes begin by helping an addict get off – and stay off – the substance, or the behaviour, which has damaged them, their families and their worlds. But after putting down the drugs or the drink or the whatever, then the addict must tackle is his or her resentments.  Jesus is helpful on that one. Over and over again.