For the first time in two years, young members of the United Reformed Church (URC) gathered in-person for Youth Assembly.
Held at Whitemoor Lakes in Staffordshire from 28-30 January, the theme of jubilee ‘commemorate the past, celebrate the now and create the future’ radiated throughout the event.
The weekend included activities, workshops, worship, Bible studies, fellowship and opportunities for youths to get creative.
URC Youth’s dedication to ecumenism was echoed throughout the Assembly with a constant reminder that the unifying of churches was part of their foundation 50 years ago.
URC Youth also showed a joyful and renewed commitment to following their ecumenical legacy and invited ecumenical youth reps from the Quaker, Methodist and Pentecostal Church to participate in worship and their youth decision making.
Dr Sam Richards, Head of Children’s and Youth, said: “The URC’s jubilee is off to a flying start! Youth Assembly 2022 was a joyful in-person gathering of URC Youth, with many attending for the first time. The parallel URC Youth Leaders Gathering was also much appreciated as churches look to re-engage with young people after the challenges of the past couple of years.”
Jo Harris, URC Youth Assembly Moderator 2022-2023, added: “Over this next year I hope to inspire young people to challenge themselves and take steps outside of their comfort zones much like I have taking on this role. As a very ecumenical person myself I would like to develop strong relationships with the Congregational Federation, Quakers and Methodist Church and also make steps to reach out to other denominations that URC Youth currently doesn’t have links with to plant seeds of ecumenical teamwork.”
Keynote speakers included the Revd Dr Michael Jagessar, Council for World Mission’s Mission Secretary for Europe and the Caribbean, Revd Fran Kissack, a former URC Youth Moderator and hospital chaplain, and Revd Sam Sheehan, a university chaplain and Special Category Minister serving the 18-25 Project with the aim to explore how congregations can engage with young adults.
The keynotes and worship can be viewed on Children’s and Youth’s YouTube channel here.