St. Margaret's United Reformed Church - South Shields

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News Update                         June 2026

Keeping you informed with the latest news from around the URC

We shared our acts of hope

Forton URC was just one of countless United Reformed churches that shared stories, photos, videos and links in support of the Million Acts of Hope (AMAOH) campaign in May. Forton Church Elder Joyce Holden said: “We are a very small worship group, but each of us realised we acted with hope on most days of the week.” From the professional gardener who says “all gardeners are optimists” to the keyboard player helping her grandson prepare for an upcoming exam and the members taking the Open the Book storytelling project into the local primary school. “And as the hymn writer said, ‘All my hope on God is founded’.” Check the URC’s social media posts for many more Acts of Hope, and visit the AMAOH website.

Moving Stories

Life-giving hens in Bangladesh, safe spaces for children in Gaza, and First Aid training in Zimbabwe, all in the latest editions of Moving Stories from Commitment for Life.

Children, Youth & Intergenerational

Lundie Awards, how to love our far-right neighbour, and a month of prayer for toddler groups – just three highlights from Children, Youth and Intergenerational’s latest newsletter.

Shaping global reparative justice

Karen Campbell, the URC’s Head of Global and Intercultural, was part of a planning meeting in Madagascar that helped shape The Onesimus Project (TOP), an initiative of the Council for World Mission (CWM). The project is named after a runaway slave for whom St Paul advocated. TOP grew out of CWM’s Legacies of Slavery Project, initiated in 2017, but has broadened the focus to include Modern Day Slavery. CWM General Secretary Revd Dr Jooseop Keum said: “Member churches must move beyond symbolic remembrance toward concrete acts of justice, restoration, and communal healing.” The URC working with the Churches’ Reparations Action Forum on the New Free Villages, a transformative project which aims to see historic Churches in Jamaica donate land inherited after slavery and colonisation.

Munther Isaac visit

The URC was represented at a recent ecumenical gathering to hear from the Revd Dr Munther Isaac, a Palestinian Lutheran pastor famous for his 2023 Christmas sermon, ‘Christ in the Rubble’. Participants listened, shared stories, and prayed in solidarity. Extensive reference was made to the Kairos Document, written by Palestinian Christians, and Kairos Palestine II. Through the URC’s global justice programme Commitment for Life, its public issues work with the Joint Public Issues Team, with Christian Aid and ecumenical partners, the URC strives towards peace through action, word and prayer. Email for more information.

Teddy bear ecumenism

“It was a joy to be able to attend the National Assembly of the Congregational Federation in May, and experience how other traditions navigate their church business,” said the URC’s Youth Moderator, Kacie Hodgson. As well as hearing reports of the Federation’s work, Kacie caught up with their Youth Ambassador, Harry Booton, about the work young people are doing in the two denominations, and how they can work together. “A personal highlight was the meeting of our respective mascots; seeing Jeremy and Olly together was a lovely reminder that building relationships – even among teddies – is at the heart of our ecumenical work.”

Synod news

West Midlands

A pioneer mission project in Northfield is creating peaceful and reflective spaces. An Eco Together discussion and action group formed by pioneer workers Anna and Owen O’Brien has organised a litter pick, planted apple trees in local people’s gardens, and has started a forest church type experiment in the local park.

Thames North

New Southgate (Christ Church) & Friern Barnet, a Baptist/URC united church in North London, has embarked on a £3.4 Million Renovation Project to revitalise its Grade II listed building and create “a modern, eco-conscious facility designed to serve the entire local community”.

Southern

Over 30 ministers and church leaders gathered for this year’s Southern Synod Spring School. Led by the Revd Fiona Bennett, they addressed the theme of “Binding Anxieties”. Participants “explored ways to discover nourishment” and how to live and serve with hope in an anxious world.

North Western

The FaithTalk group in Lancashire has used conversation starter posters to help overcome language barriers with local Iranian Christians. Daleen Ten Cate, the Mission Mentor for Lancashire, said: “The faith of the Iranian Christians, who have fled their country in order to worship freely, is humbling and inspirational at the same time.” The downloadable posters feature questions put forward by URC Youth.

Wessex

The Revd Charles Meachin has marked the 70th anniversary of his ordination. He ministered in Peckham, South Croydon, and in the Congregational Union of England and Wales/URC offices, where he led the introduction of Non-Stipendiary Ministry, Church Related Community Workers, and Assembly Accreditation for Lay Preachers. 

Scotland

One fund raiser for Christian Aid this year was the Revd Lindsey Sanderson, Moderator of the National Synod of Scotland. Lindsey took part in the Kiltwalk, which takes place in four cities across Scotland, with Val Brown, Head of Christian Aid in Scotland. She raised £1,600, walking 14.5 miles from Clydebank to Balloch, on the shore of Loch Lomond.

Photos wanted – final chance

The 2027 URC calendar, titled “Transparent as glass”, will feature stained glass windows and glass sculptures from our churches and Local Ecumenical Partnerships. Deadline for submissions: June 5 2026. Full details on the website.

Listen before acting

Churches were encouraged to listen deeply, build relationships and avoid making assumptions about local need during the second webinar in the United Reformed Church (URC’s) “A Church with People at the Margins” webinar series. Watch the webinar in full.
Register now for Webinar 3, “Places to meet”, 10 August at 7pm. Can the church be the hub of the community? What support and funding are there to help? How can we grow our volunteer base?

Share your good news

If you have a good news story that can inspire, raise hope or show God’s work in action then please let URC Communications know. We would love to help share your news across the denomination and in local news outlets. Email the URC Press Office or call 07976 753 950.

We CAN do

Local churches and other faith groups are uniquely placed to support neighbourhoods that are hurting, and people facing real challenges, says the Revd Dr Alex Clare-Young, the Joint Public Issues Team’s Campaigns and Church Engagement Officer. That is why the Constituency Action Network (CAN) has been launched. Through church engagement, “it gives MPs opportunities to truly understand the people and places they serve, helping them to connect local issues with policymaking”.

This month in Reformed magazine

Reformed shows off its new name in the latest edition of the URC’s 54-year-old magazine. And because Reformed doesn’t shy away from the controversial, the latest “good question” is, “Assisted Dying: Should the UK change the law?” Four writers respond. New Free Villages are the transformative initiative being pursued by the URC with churches in Jamaica, and Michael Hopkins marks an overlooked anniversary – 1876, anyone? In an issue that recalls the first Pentecost, there are also stories of new beginnings and transformation, and lessons from your local garden centre.

This and much more in Issue 3/2026 of Reformed magazine, available now. Subscribe here.

A wide range of books and resources are available by ordering online on the URC Bookshop’s easy-to-use website www.urcshop.co.uk or by calling 020 7916 8629.

What’s On

Welcome Churches webinar

How can you and your church show Christian love for refugees and asylum seekers in your area? Come to our special webinar featuring guests from Welcome Churches on 10 June, 7-8pm. Explore the positive impact that being part of the free Welcome Churches network has on member churches and displaced people. The vision of the network is for every refugee to be welcomed by a local church. The team offers trauma-informed support to help the experience be safe and uplifting for everyone involved. Please register to attend the webinar.

Fringe Dweller book launch(es)

Westminster College, Cambridge, will host a launch event on 17 June for Jonny Baker’s book, Fringe Dweller – “a collection of forty reflections based on encounters in the gospels of Jesus the fringe dweller”. Details for this and other tour dates on Jonny’s blog.

Germinate leadership course

An 18-month programme for clergy and lay people developing their own leadership style, from the Arthur Rank Centre. The Centre supports rural churches and ministry. Contact synod Training and Development Officer (or equivalent) to explore available URC funding, including smaller Discipleship Development Grants. Ministers can apply for EM2/3 funding.

Everyday Adventure from LICC

Looking ahead, you can already find out about a 25-day devotional journey for Advent from the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity. Everyday Adventure will include sermon plans and videos for the four Sundays in Advent and Christmas Day. A handy guide to what’s coming is now available.

Resources

Run the Race –
Commonwealth Games worship

Worship suggestions on sports-related themes, produced on behalf of Glasgow Churches Together for use around the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, 23 July – 2 August. Downloadable from the URC website.

Diversity and nationalism 
– how to respond?

Two important new, ecumenical resources. Kingdom Over Nation, from Churches Together in England – a set of eight Bible studies; and Reaching Out in Love – an interreligious dialogue toolkit from Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, comprising six modules.

Recruitment

URC vacancies and beyond

West Midlands Synod Treasurer
Volunteer role, three-year term (renewable)
Applications close: 3 June
Further information from Rachel Wakeman at [email protected]

Administrator, Office or General Assembly
Contract: Permanent part-time (3 days a week)
Based in: London
Salary: £19,535 per annum
Applications close: 12 noon, Tuesday 2 June
Interview date: Monday 8 June

Trustee Manager (Retired Ministers’ and Widows’ Fund)
Volunteer role, contributing to the effective governance, financial oversight, and future direction of the Fund
Further information from Julian Macro at [email protected]

Safeguarding Committee Convenor
Volunteer role, requiring current or working knowledge of safeguarding with children and/or adults at risk, and an understanding of faith settings.
Further information from Sharon Barr at [email protected]

Many more vacancies, including volunteer opportunities, at urc.org.uk/jobs

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The United Reformed Church
Church House, 86 Tavistock Place
London, WC1H 9RT
Tel: 020 7916 2020
Email: [email protected]

The United Reformed Church was created by church unions in 1972, 1981 and 2000, facilitated by Acts of Parliament passed in each of those years. It has a number of associated bodies: The United Reformed Church Trust (URC Trust) is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales (Registered Number: 135934); it is also a registered charity (Registration Number: 1133373). The United Reformed Church Ministers’ Pensions Trust Ltd is a limited company registered in England & Wales (Registered Number: 2821011). The United Reformed Church Retired Ministers’ Housing Society Ltd. is a registered Community Benefit Society under the Co-operative & Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Number 15986R). The Registered Office for all the aforementioned bodies is Church House, 86 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9RT. 

St. Margaret's United Reformed Church - South Shields

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