Welcome back to the Northern Synod e-newsletter

We begin with an apology that the summer has meant a few more staff holidays and therefore the newsletter being delayed a fortnight. The next edition has also had to be pushed back but we will then be back into our regular fortnightly pattern, bringing you all the latest news from around the Synod. 

We begin this edition with a word of thanks from Wendy Watson for all of the well wishes she received for her retirement. It is certainly very different in the Synod Office without her and it feels very strange to have only my name at the end of this introduction for the first time. Further on, we bring you news of celebrations in Monkseaton, as a baby and toddler group at St Andrew’s URC has recently won a national award, and a look into how some different churches in the Synod have been worshipping recently.

We also have various upcoming events around the Synod which you may wish to consider attending including prayer days in Wooler and Roker, a conference organised by the Ecological Group with Green Christian, and the induction of the Revd Edward Butlin as minister at Trinity Church, Gosforth.

We are always looking for news of interest and events so, if you have any items that you would like to be included in the newsletter, please send them in to Andrew Cooke. Please remember that if you are including photographs, you need to gain the permission of the people in them for it to be shared.

We hope you enjoy this edition. The next e-newsletter is due to be published on Friday 11 September 2026. 
Until next time …
Andrew 

A word of thanks from Wendy Watson

‘Dear friends

I would like to thank you all for the very kind gift for my retirement. I’m very grateful for your thoughts and good wishes which are greatly appreciated.
I send you my warmest wishes for the future.

Wendy’

Synod Executive has been keeping an eye on…
From Lisa McAvoy, Synod Clerk

At the most recent Synod Executive meeting held in July, we were delighted to record the appointment of Andy Jackson as our new Communications Officer.  As a Synod, we look forward to the skills, experience and enthusiasm he will bring to this important role.  If you feel your church would benefit from some input from Andy,  please get in touch with the Synod office.  The Synod Executive also discussed the future development of the Green Apostle role, considering how this important area of ministry can be best supported and resourced in the years ahead.  Our recruitment process continues for both an Office Manager/PA and an Ecumenical Officer to join the Synod team.  Discussions have commenced about the possibility of developing a Seedbeds Hub in the North East, creating new opportunities to support and nurture mission and discipleship in the region.

The Synod Executive also received an update on the work of the Resolution 46 Task Group, which is reviewing the future of the Ministry and Mission Fund (M&M Fund). Recognising the importance of this work for the whole Church, a wide-ranging consultation process will take place over the coming months, giving local churches and synods opportunities to engage with the discussion and share their perspectives. As part of the consultation process, this matter will be brought to the Autumn Synod Meeting on Saturday 17 October which is to be held at St James’s URC, Newcastle upon Tyne.  The findings will help shape recommendations to General Assembly in 2027.

Executive also welcomed representatives from The Grindon Church Community Project, who shared an inspiring presentation about the impact of their community work and community garden. It was encouraging to hear about the variety of ways this project is serving the local community and contributing to the wider mission of the Synod.

A tribute to Hannah Middleton

Following the death of our dear friend and colleague Hannah Middleton, the Revd Jane Rowell has written a poem as a tribute to her life. Jane has kindly agreed that the poem be shared through the newsletter so that others can also read it. You can read Jane’s poem, Hannah, by clicking here.

St Andrew’s URC, Monkseaton wins national award

A group for parents and small children in Monkseaton has received a national award from the United Reformed Church. Songs & Stories at St Andrew’s URC, Monkseaton is one of six projects to be named as winners and runners up of the United Reformed Church’s (URC’s) 2026 Community Project Awards.

First opened in November 2024, the group is a space mainly for people who don’t come to church, says St Andrews’ minister, the Revd Louise Sanders. She says that when Songs & Stories was set up, she said to her congregation, “I am not starting this group to feed the Sunday morning congregation”. Instead, she says, the group itself, which always includes storytelling and craft activities around a Bible story, is a form of church – and it’s also a place for parents and grandparents to make connections in their community.

  Photograph used with permission.

At the URC General Assembly, which met at The Hayes, Swanwick at the beginning of July, Songs & Stories received an award of £2,000 towards its work, in a scheme sponsored by the insurance company Congregational.
 

The URC’s Community Project Awards have been running for 28 years. They recognise outstanding community projects in local URCs and churches in ecumenical partnerships that demonstrate the love of God and the mission of the Church by reaching out in many different ways to help the local communities in which they serve. Since the awards began, more than 80 churches have received £150,000 in support.

Memory and Wellbeing Ministry at Robert Stewart Memorial Church
Submitted by Revd Ray Anglesea
 

I was delighted to care for my first service at Robert Stewart Memorial URC, Newcastle, designed to support people living with memory loss or dementia, together with their families and carers.

Over the past year, the church has transformed its halls and facilities into a welcoming community space. From this vision has grown a weekly Memory and Wellbeing Club, bringing together guests, carers, volunteers, church members, and professional staff for friendship, refreshments, conversation, and support.Our first Sunday gathering was a joyful and uplifting occasion. Through familiar hymns, a reflection on Psalm 23, and shared worship, there was a tangible sense of welcome, peace, and belonging.

      Photograph used with permission.

A service of Holy Communion at Jesmond URC
Submitted by Revd Ray Anglesea

Our morning service of Holy Communion centred on the lectionary Gospel reading from Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43: the familiar parable of The Wheat and the Weeds. Rather than offering easy answers, the passage invites us to reflect on God’s patience and grace as growth and goodness emerge alongside the imperfections of life. The sermon drew on my experience as a volunteer gardener in a nearby churchyard. The quiet, unhurried work of tending the ground provided a fitting image for the Gospel’s message, reminding us that faithful discipleship, like gardening, calls for patience, care and trust in God’s timing.

Music enriched our worship throughout the service. Ralph Vaughan Williams’ gentle setting of O Taste and See served as the introit, while Philip Stopford’s moving anthem Beatitudes echoed Christ’s vision of the blessed life, deepening our reflection on the Gospel. The reading of John Swales’ poem A Psalm for a Secular Age offered a thoughtful and contemporary expression of faith, and a reflection on Grant Wood’s painting Fall Ploughing encouraged us to see the rhythms of cultivation and harvest as signs of God’s continuing work in both the world and our own lives.

Holy Communion was celebrated using the Wild Goose liturgy, whose fresh and inclusive language drew us together around the Lord’s Table. The service concluded with God’s blessing, sending us out to live with patience, hope and confidence in the One who continues to nurture the seeds of his kingdom among us.

Induction of a new minister in Gosforth
The United Reformed Church Northern Synod and the Methodist Newcastle Central and East Circuit warmly invite you to the Induction service of the Revd Edward Butlin as minister to Trinity Gosforth Church (a Methodist-URC Local Ecumenical Partnership), Newcastle upon Tyne.
 

A visit from the URC Youth Assembly Moderators

Volunteering opportunities with the URC

The URC are currently looking for a URC representative on the World Day of Prayer National Committee. This is a voluntary position and applications close on Tuesday 15 September. You can find out more about this role and other paid and voluntary job opportunities with the URC by clicking here.

Click here to read the latest news from Churches Together in England.