The 1925 Welsh Churches' Peace Memorial followed on from the women's peace petition of 1924. The speakers are the Revd Gethin Rhys, a society member, and Craig Owen, Heritage Adviser at the Temple of Peace in Cardiff. The Seminar is chaired by another member, the Revd Dr Susan Durber, who is currently President of the World Council of Churches from Europe.

In 1924, a remarkable memorial petition signed by almost 400,000 women in Wales was presented to the women of the USA, to urge the US Government to join the League of Nations. The centenary of this campaign has been celebrated by returning the petition from the US to Wales, and digitising the signatories - enabling descendants today to uncover ‘hidden histories’ of peace activism from this generation of truly great grandmothers. See www.PeacePetition.Wales or www.DeisebHeddwch.Cymru

The Women’s Peace Petition was a remarkable achievement, but did not immediately achieve its main aim. Back in Wales, the Welsh League of Nations Union (WLNU) considered what to do next. They resolved to invite leaders of the faith communities of Wales - in effect, the Christian churches - to sign a similar memorial appeal, the Churches Peace Petition, to the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America. Many of the documents have been digitised and can be viewed, along with a short explanatory feature film, at: https://www.wcia.org.uk/1925-churches-peace_appeal/

Revd Gwilym Davies, Secretary of the WLNU, conveyed the appeal in person to the Federal Council at their annual congress in Detroit in November-December 1925. Today, the faith communities of Wales (through Cytûn – Churches Together in Wales and the Inter-faith Council for Wales) are working with the Welsh Centre for International Affairs, Academi Heddwch (Wales’s Peace Academy) and others to commemorate the centenary in 2025.

This seminar began by sharing what is known of the history, what is still to be found out, how people can participate in the anniversary, and then open the meeting to questions and discussion.

You can find out more about the URC History Society at https://urchistory.wordpress.com/

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The East Midlands Synod of the United Reformed Church held a service at Melton Mowbray URC on September 21, 2024, to celebrate the life and work of noted hymnwriter Isaac Watts, who was born in Southampton 350 years ago.
Watch the service in full, featuring some of his best known hymns, with an address by the Revd Dr Robert Pope, Director of Studies in Church History and Doctrine at Westminster College, Cambridge. The organist is Thomas Corden, and the Synod Moderator is the Revd Geoffrey Clarke.
Isaac Watts told his father he was disappointed with the psalms and canticles that were sung in the church often in Latin. His father challenged him to do better. The outcome was “Behold the Glories of the Lamb” and thus began his life’s work as a hymn writer.

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Listen to three people who have taken part in Stepwise, the URC's discipleship programme. Gail, who has been on the Stepwise Worship Leader's course, Arbie, a Stepwise participant and Lillian, a Stepwise mentor. Find out more at www.urc.org.uk/stepwise

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