URC Church House provided the venue for the formal launch of this year’s Inter Faith Week in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, which runs from 12 to 19 November, as does Scottish Inter Faith Week.  

More than thirty members of the Inter Faith Network’s Faith Communities Forum, gathered to share news and events with one another, as well as swap information about faith and community related initiatives.

Soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the First and Second World Wars, along with all those who died in recent battles, will be honoured by many on Remembrance Sunday, 12 November. 

In memory of all service personnel who have lost their lives in active duty, the Revd Kevin Jones, United Reformed Church army chaplain to 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment Royal Logistics Corps, remembers summer 2012 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, as chaplain to 1st Battalion The Welsh Guards. 

This round-up focuses on the business of Mission Council and gives short accounts of the content of the debates and discussions held and decisions reached at its November 2017 meeting. The full business papers, which include the resolutions, are available here.

Day three – Thursday 9 November 2017

Session nine:

Paper G1: The Budget

Mr Ian Hardie, Treasurer and convenor of the finance committee, presented Paper G1.

Mr Hardie highlighted some noteworthy areas of the draft budget; he said that, although there was a continued modest decline in M&M, other sources of income will rise – specifically an increase in dividends and the rent from the second floor of the newly refurbished Church House. The costs of ministry are expected to decline slightly, and other costs will hold – and this will result in a deficit of around £1000 for the year.