Who the Heck Are We? Exploring the Identity of the URC

The United Reformed Church are hosting their 1st Webinars – “Who the Heck Are We? Exploring the Identity of the URC” on:

Wednesday 24th March 2010, 12:30pm – 1:30pm:
This is an invitation to all our ecumenical and external partners who work with the United Reformed Church.

Saturday 27th March 2010:
This is an invitation to EVERY member or visitor of the United Reformed Church.
There are 4 time slots available between 9am – 2.30pm. More details can be found if you click on “Q&A re: The Webinar” below.

What is a Webinar?

A Webinar is a convenient way of hosting a meeting online for up to 1000 people to attend. All you need is connection to the internet to join in and a computer or laptop. For maximum participation, use your computer’s built-in audio (i.e. speakers and microphone or use a headset) to contribute. You can also participate in the meeting by “calling into the webinar” using an ordinary landline at a cost of a local telephone call. You can attend the meeting via your mobile, if your mobile supports internet connection.

But how does it work?

You will be sent an invitation by email and asked to register your details (i.e. your name, address and some questions e.g. which Synod or organisation you belong to etc). Once completed, a confirmation email will be sent to you confirming your place. The email will feature your direct link to the webinar. This link is UNIQUE TO YOU and enables you to securely gain access to the meeting. At the time that you have decided to attend the webinar, you must click on your direct link.

If you don’t have my email address already, how will I be invited?

To attend your exciting online event, please contact Denese Chikwendu, Campaign Co-ordinator at: denese [dot] chikwendu [at] urc [dot] org [dot] uk or call her on 020 7916 2020 or Lawrence Moore at: lawrence [dot] moore [at] urc [dot] org [dot] uk . Please be ready to give us your full name and correct email address. Denese Chikwendu can also send you hard copies of “Save the Date” cards for you to hand out to members, visitors and friends. (They are the size of business cards for convenience).

Help! I’m not convinced – I haven’t done a webinar before…

Don’t worry, we will be hosting test runs so that everyone can try out the application and feel more comfortable with it. We plan to host test runs from w/c 22nd February 2010 to w/c 15th March 2010; so that’s 4 weeks of practice! Each session will last approximately 30 – 45 minutes. There will be:

• 2 sessions per week for all URC members to join an informal webinar where we can discuss church related issues or general current affairs/ news etc. EACH TUESDAY AND THURSDAY between 2pm – 3pm.
• 1 session per week for all of our URC external partners to join an informal webinar. EACH WEDNESDAY between 2pm – 3pm.

More details will shortly be available on the topics below:

1. A full set of Q&A re: The Webinar, including time slots for 27th March 2010
2. Email template/ Invitation – for URC members and friends – invite more people!
3. Email template/Invitation – for URC ecumenical and external partners – invite more people!
4. Save the Date card – A4 notice for your church/ church notice board/ share at the next Church meeting
5. Save the Date card – A4 notice for external partners and colleagues
6. View Webinar Demo – https://www2.gotowebinar.com/en_US/webinar/pre/G2W_Demo.tmpl or https://www2.gotomeeting.com/en_US/pre/quickTour.tmpl

Image on the front page and above is ‘Mouse’ by pure9 , Licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/deed.en

I was leading worship at Hamilton URC this morning.  Nothing unusual in that except that I was early.  I usually follow the ‘the closer it is the later I’ll be’ rule but today I was early.  Good job because it turned out it was communion today… and I didn’t know!  At least I had time to nip home and collect a communion liturgy.

I was early because my friend Thomas was coming over to Hamilton to join us for our worship.  Because of my missing communion liturgy he was left to fend for himself which probably gave him a more realistic insight into the congregation.

It’s funny how the unexpected or unprepared things often have more significance.  I grabbed the only communion liturgy I could find this morning.  But if was ideal.  It fitted with the sermon.  It fitted with the feel of the service.

The best bit was sharing the peace, greeting each other and wishing God’s blessing of each other.  The congregation don’t normally do it.  But today they did… with relish.  People wandered around the church hugging and shaking hands for quite some time.  It was brilliant.  People were warm and genuine in their sharing.  A real community.

And I liked being a part of that.

Today I’m learning about VOLE.  Apparently that’s something to do with Virtual and Online Learning Environments…

I’ll let you know what that means as the day progresses.

This morning we have been looking at MOODLE.  We’re playing with forums, profiles, feedback, messages and stuff.  Good fun.

The afternoon was spent doing more of the same.  We each have our own little Moodle sandpit to build stuff.  It looks like an interesting tool but I’m yet to be convinced that it would be worth investing in the hosting costs for us yet.

Lunchtime was an unexpected surprise.  We went to the church next door to the London office.  Lumen URC has been completely renovated and is now a stunning space.

It has meeting rooms, a multi faith prayer space, a sanctuary, a cloistered courtyard and a soon to be open vegetarian cafe.  It is quite simply stunning.  If you are passing Tavistock Place in London then go and have a look at what a falling down 50s building can be transformed into.

Perhaps that was a bit of a metaphor for the the day?  Is VLE something that can transform learning in the church?  Will it help to engage people?  Will it bring new life to an old idea?

Have you given up on evening services but still long for that special evening thing? – but not necessarily on a Sunday?

Want to reach out to people for whom traditional morning services don’t seem to appeal?

Like to tackle spirituality in different ways?

At ‘Night Has Fallen’ Stewart Cutler and Jack Dyce will help you explore some fresh ways of doing evening worship.

Tuesday 3 November – unpacking some ideas

Tuesday 17 November – planning an Advent night service

Tuesday 1 December – the Advent service!

7.30 to 9.30pm

Giffnock United Reformed Church

Trains stop at Giffnock station nearby & 38 buses outside the door and ample parking at the church

Let us know you’re coming – phone Christine on 0141 332 7667 or email Scottishcollege [at] urcscotland [dot] org [dot] uk

I’m just back from a week visiting the Presbyterian Church in Cuba with a group of young people from the URC Synod of Scotland.  I’ll write about it over the coming days but for now if you have some spare time on your hands feel free to look through the photos…

The new episode of the Something Beautiful Podcast features an interview with Lawrence Moore, director of the URC’s Windermere Centre and author of Disclosing New Worlds, a fabulous lectionary blog.  It’s his story of his journey from Zimbabwe  where he served as a police officer in special branch through the civil war to a realisation of what he’d been involved in and a changed life and understanding of who God is.  Well worth a listen!

Just in case you are wondering where I am… bay window, 1st floor… the one on the right.

My colleague and mate Leo has been blogging for a few weeks.

I didn’t want to heap pressure on him so I’ve given him some time to get his head round blogging.  That said, the time has come for a bit of a plug.  He’s been writing some great stuff so check out his blog and say hi.  You can follow him on Twitter too.

Tomorrow at Together@MCT we’ll walk a labyrinth to help prepare us for Lent.

Come and join us if you’re in Edinburgh for 5.30pm-7pm at Saughtonhall United Reformed Church.

It’s almost Christmas.  For many churches that means nativity plays and carol services.  For Dunfermline URC those will come later so this morning presented a bit of a challenge.  How to preach on Christmas… before it’s Christmas.

This is what I came up with.  Your thoughts and comments are very welcome.

Sermon Text (for those who like to read)

When the world was dark
And the city was quiet,
You came.