FEBRUARY 2020 DigestNews from the United Reformed Church United Reformed Church House, 86 Tavistock Place, London WC1H 9RT www.urc.org.uk reform@urc.org.uk 020 7916 2020 MISSION COUNCIL SPECIAL Highlights from Mission Council This extended edition of ‘Digest’ summarises key debates from the United Reformed Church Mission Council – the executive body of the URC’s highest decisionmaking council, General Assembly. Mission Council met from 15 to 17 November 2019 at The Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick, Derbyshire. More detailed reports than we have space for here are published online at bit.ly/roundup1119. The papers discussed during this Mission Council meeting are also available online, at bit.ly/urcmc1119. Church to promote ecumenical declaration A resolution was brought to Mission Council instructing United Reformed Church representatives to raise awareness of a declaration agreed between the URC and the German denomination, Evangelische Kirche der Pfalz. Written on 9 November, during an event that marked the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the declaration acknowledged, with sadness, the physical and metaphorical barriers being built today. The statement records the two Churches’ pledge to ‘treat differences of opinion, culture, faith and conviction with respect’, to speak out against racism and to strive for unity. The Council voted to commend the statement and to make URC partner Churches in Europe aware of it. The full declaration can be downloaded online from bit.ly/urcekp19. Council favours action over slavery’s legacies The United Reformed Church has signalled that it would like to meaningfully address the legacies of the transatlantic slave trade. Mission Council members considered the matter extensively over the three days it met. On the first day, Alan Yates, Immediate-past Moderator of the URC General Assembly, presented Paper I1, which outlined the URC’s Inside: • Support for safeguarding • Holy Land stories • 3D Advent calendar engagement with the Council for World Mission’s hearings on the legacies of transatlantic slave trade. The discussion paper recommended that the URC adopt a threefold approach to addressing the legacies of slavery: a Church-wide apology, some form of reparation, and eliminating white privilege within the URC. Mr Yates’ initial speech described the mental and spiritual impact of being part of the URC’s legacies of slavery task group, and of discovering that the legacies of slavery are alive and present today. He noted that the road towards addressing the legacies of slavery could be arduous, but reminded the Council that we are all God’s children. The Council discussed Paper I1’s recommendations in small groups on day two of the meeting, and Mr Yates fed back to the Council on the third day, reporting near unanimous support for some form of action. Though the feedback made clear that more conversation and further explanation were needed, Mr Yates said the feedback showed deep engagement and a strong desire to act. Council members made a range of comments, including on whether an apology needs to be institutional, personal or confessional, how white privilege and reparation could be better s Digest is sponsored by edwards insurance brokers 01564 730 900 www.edwardsinsurance.co.uk DIGEST • February 2020 • 1