Induction of Rev Alison smith at oldfallings united reformed church"It was good to induct Alison Smith to the Wolverhampton and Smestow Brook pastorate on Saturday. Alison is the second minister for the pastorate and will work alongside Andrew Mann-Ray." - West Midlands Synod Moderator, Rev Steve Faber.
Interview with the new children and youth development officer, helen Laird1. What does the role of CYDO entail?
The role of the Children’s and Youth Development Officer is to support and encourage all the Churches within the Synod as they engage with the children and young people within their communities. 2.What drew you to the role of CYDO? I am excited by this position as I am passionate about enabling children and young people to hear about Jesus Christ, so that they will have the opportunity to decide to follow him for themselves. 3. Can you tell us more about your background? I am a Methodist and have been to Church all my life. I went to Girls Brigade and became a Boys Brigade Officer where I met my husband. I have two grown up children who both live near London, and we have an elderly Cavalier King Charles Spaniel called Tilly. I was employed by my home Church as their Children’s and Youth Worker for over 10 years, during which I studied for a degree in Children, Youth, Mission and Ministry. I then became a Mission Enabler within the Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury Methodist District, and I then moved to become a Mission Enabler for the Diocese of Worcester with an emphasis on children and young people. During this time, I studied for a Master’s (again in Children, Youth, Mission and Ministry). I am a Godly Play practitioner; an Open the Book trainer and I write resources for Roots and Messy Church. God has been using me within children’s and youth work for over 33 years and yet I am still learning, and I look forward to travelling with you as we learn how best to serve the Children and young people in your communities. 4. Do you have any exciting testimonies or stories to share that link to your role? As you know those that sow seeds do not always get to reap. However, as a Church we have grown our numbers through a youth group. I always gave out toddler Bibles when our toddlers left for school, one Mum contacted me (via Facebook) to let me know her daughter was doing so well in RE (now in year 5) because she had read the Bible I had given, I am sure they weren’t all read. However, for this one child it started her on a journey with God. Find out more about Revd Melanie Smith, our new training and development Officer and pastoral consultantHello from the desk of your new Training and Development Officer and Pastoral Consultant, Melanie Smith. Just a little about myself. I am married to Mark Meatcher, who is our minister at Solihull and East Birmingham. I have been a URC minister since 2012, serving in Southend, Enfield (north London), and then in Fiji as the Director of the Centre for Gender and Social Justice at the Pacific Theological College as part of the Council for World Mission’s Partners in Mission programme. That last role is quite a mouthful and was an incredible experience. Before all this, my main career was as a Chartered Accountant here in the West Midlands. I came to the West Midlands as the Assistant Warden at the Community for Reconciliation and my last job was as a Regional Development Officer based in Birmingham for Christian Aid, before training at Westminster College, Cambridge. The rest? Hopefully we’ll have many opportunities to get to know each other. I am happy to visit to preach, particularly if we can add on a short discussion on training and development over coffee or lunch after the service! Or, if you have training needs for yourself or your church, please drop me a line and I’ll see what we can do. I might also be able to help with funding and grants!
The Stepwise course continues to have a positive impact on its participants. Do watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QT6aQLf5ZGI and contact me if you have any questions or are interested in joining a group. Racial Justice Sunday is on the 9th of February. Materials are available here: https://ctbi.org.uk/racial-justice-sunday-9-february-2025/ This year is an important one for racial justice on these shores as it marks the 30th anniversary of RJS. RJS was established by the Methodist Church in 1995 following the tragic racist murder of Black teenager Stephen Lawrence in southeast London in April 1993. If you cannot mark the day on the 9th, the materials are a treasure trove to be dipped into at any time. Commitment for Life Lay Preachers Event 2-3 April 2025 Luther King House – free! See attachment. Dates for Lay Presidency at the Sacraments Training (initial and refresher) will be notified shortly. Blessings, Melanie With just over a week to go till Christmas Day, where many of us are looking forward to spending time with family members that we don't see often, the Revd Steve Faber, Moderator of West Midlands Synod, offers this prayer.RACIAL JUSTICE SUNDAY 2025:
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Each year ZION Langley Green makes an appeal for toys to send to the Sandwell Womens Refuge which supports families fleeing domestic violence. This year we also put this appeal out on social media. We were delighted to receive such an amazing response from members of our Church family but also from the wider community. We were blessed by such generosity.
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Church leaders' summit

Statement from West Midland Church Leaders following their meeting on October 2nd - 3rd
Woodbrooke Centre, Birmingham
We met together in Birmingham to pray and encourage one another. We represent a range of traditions and ethnicities and rejoice in that diversity. We gathered united by our faith in Jesus Christ, the hope that he inspires in us and the love which motivates us to love in response. We sought in prayer to discern God’s word to us and the West Midlands area we love and serve.
We rejoiced in stories of growth, whilst realistic about the challenges of sustainability post COVID.
We want to build our unity through prayer and mutual understanding se we more faithfully reflect our faith in Jesus Christ. Our call is to be more effective in blessing our communities in his name and sharing the reason for the hope that is in us. We encourage all our churches to engage locally and internationally, working with all of good will to contribute to the common good. In these challenging days of the cost of living crises, wars and climate crisis, we long to be a transforming presence, creating warm and safe spaces and living sustainably.
In a world that often seeks simplistic answers, we are called to hold the space for complexity and conversation across difference. We want that for our churches and we seek to be facilitators of that respectful dialogue in the wider community.
Attendees:
Bishop Joe Aldred National Church Leaders’ Forum
Revd Adrian Argile Heart of England Baptist Association
Rt Revd Sarah Bullock Diocese of Lichfield
Pastor Dr Marcus Chilaka Redeemed Christian Church of God
Revd Dave Ellis Heart of England Baptist Association
Pastor Eniiwaju Etomi Redeemed Christian Church of God
Revd Steve Faber URC, West Midlands Synod
Rt Revd Martin Gorick Diocese of Worcester
Ms Rhiannon Grant Central England Quakers
Revd Novette Headley Birmingham District
Rt Revd John Inge Diocese of Worcester
Rt Revd Michael Ipgrave Diocese of Lichfield
Bishop Jonathan Jackson New Testament Church of God
Rt Revd Richard Jackson Diocese of Hereford
Most Revd Bernard Longley Archdiocese of Birmingham
Mr Robert Mountford Birmingham/Black Country/Staffordshire
Rt Revd Matthew Parker Diocese of Lichfield
Revd Rachel Parkinson Wolverhampton/Shrewsbury District
Lt Col Joao Paulo Ramos Salvation Army, West Midlands Division
Bishop Mike Royal Churches Together in England
Revd Neil Le Tissier Heart of England Baptist Association
Rt Revd David Urquhart Diocese of Birmingham
Pastor Nick Whittome Elim Pentecostal Church
Woodbrooke Centre, Birmingham
We met together in Birmingham to pray and encourage one another. We represent a range of traditions and ethnicities and rejoice in that diversity. We gathered united by our faith in Jesus Christ, the hope that he inspires in us and the love which motivates us to love in response. We sought in prayer to discern God’s word to us and the West Midlands area we love and serve.
We rejoiced in stories of growth, whilst realistic about the challenges of sustainability post COVID.
We want to build our unity through prayer and mutual understanding se we more faithfully reflect our faith in Jesus Christ. Our call is to be more effective in blessing our communities in his name and sharing the reason for the hope that is in us. We encourage all our churches to engage locally and internationally, working with all of good will to contribute to the common good. In these challenging days of the cost of living crises, wars and climate crisis, we long to be a transforming presence, creating warm and safe spaces and living sustainably.
In a world that often seeks simplistic answers, we are called to hold the space for complexity and conversation across difference. We want that for our churches and we seek to be facilitators of that respectful dialogue in the wider community.
Attendees:
Bishop Joe Aldred National Church Leaders’ Forum
Revd Adrian Argile Heart of England Baptist Association
Rt Revd Sarah Bullock Diocese of Lichfield
Pastor Dr Marcus Chilaka Redeemed Christian Church of God
Revd Dave Ellis Heart of England Baptist Association
Pastor Eniiwaju Etomi Redeemed Christian Church of God
Revd Steve Faber URC, West Midlands Synod
Rt Revd Martin Gorick Diocese of Worcester
Ms Rhiannon Grant Central England Quakers
Revd Novette Headley Birmingham District
Rt Revd John Inge Diocese of Worcester
Rt Revd Michael Ipgrave Diocese of Lichfield
Bishop Jonathan Jackson New Testament Church of God
Rt Revd Richard Jackson Diocese of Hereford
Most Revd Bernard Longley Archdiocese of Birmingham
Mr Robert Mountford Birmingham/Black Country/Staffordshire
Rt Revd Matthew Parker Diocese of Lichfield
Revd Rachel Parkinson Wolverhampton/Shrewsbury District
Lt Col Joao Paulo Ramos Salvation Army, West Midlands Division
Bishop Mike Royal Churches Together in England
Revd Neil Le Tissier Heart of England Baptist Association
Rt Revd David Urquhart Diocese of Birmingham
Pastor Nick Whittome Elim Pentecostal Church
June 2022 Covid advice
The Synod Moderators have published updated guidance for local churches, reflecting the current state of the pandemic and ending of all government restrictions.
A number of our members, and those in our communities that we serve will still be vulnerable and anxious about Coronavirus infections. The Elders' Meeting (or equivalent council in a Local Ecumenical Partnership) are responsible for the Health and Safety of their buildings and activities. It is this council that has the authority and the responsibility to put in place appropriate mitigations. At a time of generally lower risk, Elders may wish to consider what measures should be retained. They should also monitor changing circumstances to see if and when protection measures should be reinstated.
The Moderators' guidance is available below.
A number of our members, and those in our communities that we serve will still be vulnerable and anxious about Coronavirus infections. The Elders' Meeting (or equivalent council in a Local Ecumenical Partnership) are responsible for the Health and Safety of their buildings and activities. It is this council that has the authority and the responsibility to put in place appropriate mitigations. At a time of generally lower risk, Elders may wish to consider what measures should be retained. They should also monitor changing circumstances to see if and when protection measures should be reinstated.
The Moderators' guidance is available below.

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COmmonwealth games
The Commonwealth Games is being hosted in and around Birmingham this summer. Here are some ways to pray for the Games and the preparation for them, and some ways in which you might be involved.

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BIRMINGHAM SCHOOLS OF SANCTUARY
Birmingham Schools of Sanctuary were out in force on Monday 21st March to form a human chain at The Church at Carrs Lane in response to the call by Together With Refugees to create an Orange Landmark Day all across the country. Birmingham schools were given invaluable support by Cllr John Cotton, and joined and supported by Revd Cristina Cipriani, one of the ministers of The Church at Carrs Lane. The church, a URC/Methodist LEP in Birmingham City Centre, runs a monthly welcome event for local asylum seekers and refugees in initial accommodation, and is part of the Lift The Ban movement.
Broadway moves forward with eco-churchRecent Bronze Eco-Church award winners, Broadway URC (Worcestershire) are encouraging other users of their premises to think about following their example to improve their environmental impact. This display reflects the Synod principles of refusing to buy what's not necessary and rejecting excess packaging, reducing purchases and avoiding single-use plastics wherever possible, re-using items instead of throwing them away, repairing things that are broken and recycling as the last option and always in preference to sending waste to landfill. What will your church do to share a similar message to people outside your congregation? Broadway would also welcome further ideas to make the best use of this noticeboard.
News from the diocese of duRgapur - April 28 2021We've been horrified at the scale of the second wave of the pandemic affecting India - over a third of a million new cases are being reported every day, and over 200,000 deaths overall so far.
We've had news from the Diocese of Durgapur, our world Church partner. Bishop Sameer Isaac Khimla writes, Warm Greetings from the Diocese. Thank you for your mail and your assured prayer support for all of us. We do need all your prayers. The situation in India and here in Durgapur is not very good. The Corona Tsunami if one could say that has left all of us paralysed. There is immense suffering as the medical and social infrastructure struggles to cope with the pandemic. From the Diocese office would like to inform you that two of our staff Tarun and Atin have tested Covid positive. They both are in home isolation and treatment; as it is no longer easy to get a hospital bed with the overwhelming numbers. Please continue to pray for them as well as Mr.Banerjee our Accountant who has recovered but is extremely weak to resume duties. We are all in prayers as the situation is grim here and hoping and praying for God's grace and mercies. Personally further I have lost good friends, acquaintances in the past couple of weeks. The Church has also lost many ministers both Pastors and Bishops in this period. We are assured that you continue to be with us in spirit and prayers and believe that this too shall pass. Deacon Ruth Pugh who has taught music to children through the Diocese for many years has told us that, "when the [Diocesan Child Study and Development Centres] are shut the teachers are still in contact with students and their families. The DCSDC, who have a much more spread out set of students [than government schools] have a Whatsapp group and Zoom meeting with them." However, many of the poorest children have little or no access to technology for home-schooling and have largely uneducated parents who cannot support home schooling. There are huge issues also with access to fast internet and uninterrupted power supplies in rural areas - things that we increasingly take for granted. The Diocese also writes that the pandemic has caused widespread unemployment, and poverty is increasing across the country. They write, "So it is our request that you kindly reconsider about the situation and support us with your contributions, so that we can together pave the way for a better and brighter future for these underprivileged children. Just as in Psalm 127: 3 it says, “Behold Children Are A Heritage from the Lord, the Fruit of the Womb A Reward”, it is our duty and our responsibility to preserve our heritage so that they can stand as an exquisite exception in the society. You have to pay online: Minimum US$250 or UK£160." If you currently sponsor a child in India through the Diocese of Durgapur, please continue to do so, but you will need to make payments through a new bank account because of a a change in banking regulations in India. The new account details are available on request from Margaret Marshall or the Synod Office. We've also heard from Khristiya Neva Niketan Hospital which is run by the DIocese: "Things are not very bright here. Already three of our staff members are diagnosed positive. Because of the magnitude of the problem, the government with all possibility will ask us to have separate covid unit. Announcement has been made in this regard, we are waiting for government order. We have very limited facility of oxygen and critical care equipment." You can provide practical support if you have an Amazon account in the UK by following this link: amzn.in/60DmxyO This will take you to KSN's "wish list" for supplies, which will be delivered directly to the hospital. The current exchange rate means that 1 rupee is about 1 penny, so an item costing R100 will cost you about £1.00. Guidance from the Moderators on re-opening church buildingsThe Synod Moderators have issued guidance to help churches consider the question of when they might re-open church buildings for in-person worship. The document below gives the guidance in full. In summary: don't rush! Consider safety as the paramount factor. Make sure everything is in place with an updated Risk Assessment AND implement the mitigations - it's not enough to say "we've filled in the form, put up some signs and made hand sanitiser available"! In almost every case, opening for Easter Sunday will be too soon. The guidance explains why we have that view.
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URC BLack history monthlyMonday 15 March, 7:30pm - The Kairos Document
One of the key church documents from the heart of the freedom struggle in South Africa, the Kairos Document, produced back in 1985 & 1986, has had a rich afterlife in other freedom struggles. Does it have helpful resonances with the situation in the UK today as we try to respond to Black Lives Matter? Let’s re-read it and discuss it for ourselves. The text of the Kairos Document will be available on the URC website… Zoom joining instructions available from Virginia Becher (Synod Racial Justice Advocate) or by emailing [email protected] ![]() THE WALL OF ANSWERED PRAYER
is a national landmark that's being built in Coleshill, Birmingham, built with a million bricks with each brick representing an answer to prayer, and for each brick in The Wall we will put a brick into social housing which will build about a hundred houses. Here are two videos that explain a little more about The Wall of Answered Prayer: Ten things you may not know about The Wall Heavenly Land Download an Answered Prayer form and 15 Ways You Can Help The Wall, as well as the launch brochure. If you could encourage your churches and connections to share their stories of answered prayer with us that would be great. Please do not hesitate to contact Helen should you have any questions, and if you wish to be kept up to date with the monthly email, just drop a line. Helen Roxborough Assistant to CEO [email protected] VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR
Ray Davison a member of Ansty Road URC Coventry won ‘Volunteer of the Year award’ At University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust OSCARs night (Outstanding Service And Care Awards) It was said of Ray on the night:- Volunteer Chaplain Ray is a hugely valued member of the team who continually goes the extra mile in his role. His nomination noted his amazing commitment to patients when they are most in need. This included visiting patients at Christmas time to ensure they are doing okay and showing great compassion by staying late to support those who may need him, including the dying, even it is just to hold their hand. The team receives constant praise for Ray, not just from patients but from families who are so grateful that he is there to offer their comfort in their time of need. The Chaplaincy Team & the URC is proud to have Ray amongst its’ number |
Bereavement Point expanding in Coventry
Foleshill Road URC are working with the Department of Spiritual Care at UHCW NHS Trust to host a Bereavement drop in called ‘Bereavement Point’ for people who have been bereaved.
A number of church members have been trained in basic bereavement support and along with a Chaplain they host a monthly informal drop in. Every family who has had a death in the hospital receive a letter inviting them to one of the drop ins either at the hospital or Foleshill Rd URC. We are expanding this service further into the community over the coming year as we realised there is a huge need as communities are becoming more isolated and people’s needs aren’t being met.
As a church and as a Chaplaincy Team we believe the way forward to provide support in communities is in collaboration with as many agencies as possible.
Further information: Rev Paul Holmes, Chaplain
Dept of Spiritual Care, University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust
Direct Line 02476967515 (ext.27515)
e mail: [email protected]
Foleshill Road URC are working with the Department of Spiritual Care at UHCW NHS Trust to host a Bereavement drop in called ‘Bereavement Point’ for people who have been bereaved.
A number of church members have been trained in basic bereavement support and along with a Chaplain they host a monthly informal drop in. Every family who has had a death in the hospital receive a letter inviting them to one of the drop ins either at the hospital or Foleshill Rd URC. We are expanding this service further into the community over the coming year as we realised there is a huge need as communities are becoming more isolated and people’s needs aren’t being met.
As a church and as a Chaplaincy Team we believe the way forward to provide support in communities is in collaboration with as many agencies as possible.
Further information: Rev Paul Holmes, Chaplain
Dept of Spiritual Care, University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust
Direct Line 02476967515 (ext.27515)
e mail: [email protected]
GENERAL ELECTION
SPECIAL EDITION
STEPWISE RESOURCES

Discipleship resources from the URC
NEW LAY PREACHERS
Information of those who are commissioned within the Synod is to be found on the Lay Preachers page.
Information of those who are commissioned within the Synod is to be found on the Lay Preachers page.