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Moderator’s induction
In the first session of the 2006 General Assembly of the United Reformed Church, the Revd Elizabeth Caswell, pictured, was inducted as Moderator. As part of the opening worship, the Revd Caswell delivered an address entitled Sheer Grace. You can read a summary of the address here and the full text here. She also warmly thanked the 2005-6 Moderator, the Revd Dr David Peel, for the work he had done over the past year. Official greetings
The Rt Revd Alan McDonald, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, used his greeting to reflect on the first anniversary on the July 7 bombings in London. He did this to remind Assembly about the grief of others outweighing any disagreement that might take place in the business sessions. ResolutionsThe Moderator, Elisabeth Caswell, said that at the last Assembly, there was a view that 50 resolutions was too many for the Assembly to handle. She expressed gladness that the number of resolutions for this year totalled 63! The Moderator then introduced the top table, and William McVey, the Convener of Assembly Arrangements Committee, introduced some the formal notices of Assembly. New cards pleaseThe Moderator introduced a experimental system of cards that lets Assembly show whether it agrees or disagrees with those speaking at the microphones. A show of orange cards shows outline agreement with what a speaker is saying and a blue card indicates the opposite. Showing both cards indicates to the top table that the debate should move on. The Revd Caswell said that this system might speed business up! For example, if 90% of Assembly held up orange cards, then there would be no need for others to come up and repeat previous comments! This might be a new concept to grasp, she added! Human sexualityThe Moderator made a brief statement about the moratorium on human sexuality. She said that recent legislation had caused disquiet in the Church, especially regarding civil partnerships. The United Reformed Church had to submit resolutions to Assembly 2006 regarding changes in pensions law relating to civil partnerships. She also said that some churches had been approached about holding civil partnership ceremonies and reminded Assembly that the decision to hold such ceremonies was down to the local church meeting. The Revd Caswell told Assembly that a minister who had been in a long-term same sex relationship was ordained recently. The minister had candidated and trained before the moratorium was introduced in 2000 and that the call from the local church and the concurrence from the District Council followed existing procedures. She told Assembly that no decision had breached the moratorium. She concluded by saying that Mission Council should continue the work done in the past year on bringing together disparate groups within the denomination, and that in the spirit of the moratorium, the church continues to seek together the mind of Christ. Mission Council reportThe Revd David Peel introduced the report from Mission Council, the committee that carries out the business of the Assembly in between meetings. The report, said the former Assembly Moderator, was an accurate report of the work of the council work since last the Assembly. He was impressed by the wisdom and dedication of its members and paid tribute to URC General Secretary David Cornick, who oversees the work of the council. Catch The Vision (CtV) (click here) had been the governing theme of the council and that an immense amount of thought and debate had taken place on CtV themes. Sexual abuse in the workplace has become one of key concerns in latter part of the 20th century, said the Revd Peel. It took a long time for the church to recognise this. But with recognition comes responsibility, and the setting in place of codes of good practice. ‘We will have to be penitent enough to recognise we can learn from past mistakes,’ he continued. 'However difficult these issues are, we will, as a church, face them.' He recommended as required reading for all the URC report 'Preserving the Integrity of the Body – sexual ethics within the URC'. Ethical investmentThe Ethical Investment Advisory Group continues to place positive proposals about the church’s investment policy concerning social and political justice. This takes place when there are differences of opinion across the church on key issues of this area, Dr Peel said. NominationsThe Revd Dr Stephen Orchard presented the report from the Nominations Committee, which oversees the members, conveners and secretaries of Assembly committees. Assembly agreed with lists of names presented in the Book of Reports. The Revd James Breslin was reappointed as Clerk to the Assembly from 2007 – 2012. John Ellis is to become Assistant Treasurer with a view to becoming Treasurer from 2007. The Moderator thanked the Revd Stephen Orchard for his work as Convener of the committee. FinanceEric Chilton, the URC's Honorary Treasurer, presented the first part of the report from the Finance Committee. Firstly, he thanked the members of staff and directors of funds and others that serve voluntarily for their work. John Bradbury, Liverpool District, raised a question about Synod accounts and wondered whether they should be reviewed by the Assembly. Mr Chilton replied that Synods are independent of the Assembly, but that there is a great deal of resource sharing, where information and issues are discussed and solutions suggested, if needed. Under the review of the Maintenance of Ministry (MoM) Fund, this resource sharing is being further encouraged. Unrestricted income for the year ending December 2005 was £21.4m. 93% of this income was from MoM. The URC spent £21m in that year, 77% spent on ministers’ stipends, training and support activities, accounting for about 90% of expenditure. The accounts for 2005 were accepted. When considering the auditors for the forthcoming year, Assembly delegate James Wickens questioned the ethical business nature of the proposed company, in light of a campaign by the World Development Movement, which had been discussed at FURY Council. Mr Chilton replied that it was difficult to get a fully clean auditor in an ethical sense. The resolution was carried. Assembly gratefully acknowledged the generous giving of local churches and also thanked local church treasurers and others connected with the financial elements of local church life for their tireless work. The Pension Fund to be increased to 23% with effect from Jan 1st. The fund is 91% funded which is a lot better than other schemes. The URC is not thinking about closing it or modifying its terms. Trust statusClerk to the Assembly, the Revd James Breslin, explained that work into the nature of Trusts in relation to the laws of England and Wales, Scotland and the Isle of Man was still ongoing. He said that some parts of the URC Act of 1972 were causing difficulties with this work but that the latest guidelines were much clearer. New church and church closuresHaving expressed sorrow for the closure of some local churches of the URC over the past 12 months, the Moderator, the Revd Elizabeth Caswell, took great joy in welcoming a new church into the URC fold, Cambourne LEP in Cambridgeshire. Assembly welcomed and greeted its minister, the Revd Peter Wood. Reflection from the Revd Dr David Peel
'I can report unequivocally that the primary issues we face from top to bottom concern neither structures nor resources. Our root problems are ‘spiritual’ and ‘theological’; they invite serious questions about many of our current priorities, as individuals, as congregations, and as a denomination' Read the full text of David Peel's reflection about his year as Assembly Moderator here.
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HighlightsCatch the VisionRead all the 'Catch the Vision' material Photo diaryHighlights of the Assembly in pictures ProfileThe new Moderator Moderator's AddressElizabeth Caswell's address to the General Assembly, entitled 'Sheer Grace' Prayers for Assembly
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