Labyrinth-walking and a famous tree stump were highlights of a fruitful residential meeting of the URC Youth Executive in January.
URC Youth Executive gathered at Shepherds Dene retreat house in Northumbria for a weekend in January to finalise Youth Assembly 2026 preparations and enjoy some spiritual and physical rest and time together.
URC Children’s, Youth and Intergenerational theme for the year is “Wise Words”. The group explored this through worship, and their chaplain, Tim Meadows, introduced them to the spiritual discipline of the Labyrinth-walking, to be walked in silence.
The weekend also included a less silent walk along part of Hadrian’s wall to the “Sycamore Gap”, which reached wide attention when the 120-year-old sycamore tree located there was felled illegally. “The stump that remains could be seen sprouting renewed life, a powerful symbol of the Spirit of God at work in our lives and communities,” said the Head of Children, Youth and Intergenerational, Dr Sam Richards.
The Youth Executive has been piloting a new structure, following a review received at Youth Assembly 2025. The decision to share the Executive’s roles and tasks between three different groups, each taking more focus with a clear task but less time commitment, has enabled a more diverse than ever group of young people to be involved as either Synod Youth Representatives or as part of the Youth Assembly Planning Group.
As a result of the work becoming more focussed, Executive meetings across the year have also been freed up to include team bonding activities such as learning to punt, visiting Lindisfarne, and joining local URC churches for worship.
Image: (new growth from sycamore stump)
used with permission from Northumberland National Park Authority