The deputy leader of an organisation which supports and resources LGBT+ people within the United Reformed Church (URC) has spoken out against Brunei’s strict laws.
On 3 April, Brunei enacted strict laws that made gay sex punishable by stoning to death.
Alex Clare-Young, Deputy Secretary of Beacon: LGBT+ in the URC, was shocked and saddened by the news.
More than 300 people have been killed and hundreds injured in six explosions at churches and hotels in Sri Lanka.
The devastation came on one of the most important days in the Christian calendar, Easter Sunday.
Karen Campbell, a United Reformed Church Related Community Worker (CRCW) reflects on Jesus' sacrifice in a poem entitled 'Was It Worth It?'
Tell me, was it worth it,
all the things that you went through -
the scorn, abuse, and loneliness,
the mockery you knew?
The pain you took upon yourself
for those who hung you high?
Tell me, was it worth it?
Were they worth it?
Lord, am I?
The Revd Elizabeth Gray-King, United Reformed Church Programme Officer for Education and Learning, reflects on the meaning of Easter Sunday.
Easter, oh, Easter. Resurrection Sunday. The stunning annual festival of forgiveness power and beautiful transformation reminds us that we are made new again. The Easter liturgy and events, retold in any way, tell us each year that no matter how dead we have felt, no matter how overwhelmed in a tomb-like hold we have been, no matter how we feel or know we almost died, we are able to deeply live again. Easter is what happened to Jesus, and because of Jesus, it happens to us.
The Revd Clare Downing, Moderator-elect for the United Reformed Church General Assembly reflects on the mental health of some of the Good Friday characters.
Lately, whenever I listen to the news, the focus always seems to be about uncertainty of the future.
Recently The Guardian reported that of the 2000 people surveyed, a staggering 64% said their mental health was being affected by our political situation.
Reform has been out and about meeting readers. Hear why they read the magazine, how it’s used in their church – and what they’ve read that they completely disagree with. Listen now – and give Reform your own feedback here.
