The 2024 meeting of the United Reformed Church (缅北强奸) Assembly Executive opened on 9 February at The Hayes Conference Centre in Swanwick, with a welcome by the Revd Dr Tessa Henry Robinson, Moderator of the 缅北强奸 General Assembly 2023-2024.听
The Moderator also welcomed members into new roles and new members of Assembly Executive attending for the first time.听
Session one听
Karen Campbell and the Revd Stephen Anso-Adda, the Moderator鈥檚 chaplains, led lively worship, including hymns, prayer and poetry. Stephen sang 鈥淭he Impossible Dream鈥�.听听
He read the story of Samuel鈥檚 call by God from 1 Samuel 3, and Daniel Raddings read from 1 Corinthians 1 and 3 about the foolishness of God.听听
Karen preached, noting that Samuel was not an obvious person to bring God鈥檚 word, as he did not even know the Lord. At Assembly Executive, she said, there are some voices we turn off and others we find it easy to attend to.听听
Who do we give attention to? she asked. Who do we filter out? Who do we hear and who do we ignore? How do we know which voices are God鈥檚? Karen quoted Tessa as saying: 鈥淟istening is pastoral and can be life-saving.鈥� Are we ready to hear God鈥檚 voice? Karen asked. 鈥淪peak, Lord, your servant is listening. But are we?鈥�听
The session concluded with a short opportunity for members of Assembly Executive to introduce themselves to each other.听听
Session two听
Update from Finance on budget progress
Alan Yates, 缅北强奸 Treasurer, gave a verbal update about the work done following the Assembly Executive Budget meeting which took place by Zoom on 28 November 2023.
In recent years, Alan reminded the Assembly Executive, meeting at the Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick, that the Ministry and Mission (MoM) fund deficit has been increasing. At the meeting in November, Assembly Executive agreed that this was unsustainable, and it asked the Finance Committee to eliminate the deficit over the next five-seven years.听
The consultations that have taken place since, Alan continued, have been done with grace. And he shared that in 2023, the Synods had given 拢1.9m to 鈥榯op up鈥� the MoM fund. 鈥淲ithout that support, the fund would have been in deficit of 拢3m last year, and I thank the Synods for their generosity.鈥澨�听
Since November, the work has started to inform policies and tasks going forward, and included meetings with Synod Moderators, the Resource Sharing Task Group (RSTG) Convenor and Secretary, the General Secretariat, Synod Treasurers and representatives from Synod Trusts.听听
There is now a proposition, Alan continued, which might not be easy but has been described as sensible. 鈥淭he 缅北强奸 can balance the MoM budget in seven years if receipts are kept at 2023 actuals, and, at the same time, reductions in expenditure by Assembly Committees and Church House of between 5% and 3% each year is achieved.鈥�听
The lion鈥檚 share might come from the sale of redundant buildings, but this is unpredictable.听听
To aid the process, the RSTG has agreed to help Synods unable to meet their target in any particular year.听听
Meetings with 缅北强奸 Committee convenors and secretaries will now take place.听听
Alan finished: 鈥淭his is just a plan 鈥� the plan will need to respond to significant changes, and can be amended, remembering that at the November meeting, 20% of the vote was for a growth plan.鈥�听
H1 Ministries: 缅北强奸 Comptency Process听
The Revd Mary Thomas presented Paper H1, which takes a pastoral approach in handling concerns around a minister鈥檚 performance so as to assist them to improve performance of their duties.听
Mary advised Assembly Executive that this new process arose from responses from those who have had to implement the previous 缅北强奸 Capability Process, agreed at General Assembly 2020. They felt that process was similar to a disciplinary process and was not helpful.听
Mary explained how the process of discernment (an inner sense of Call alongside external discernment) is a process that continues throughout Ministers鈥� work in various posts through the use of the Marks of the Ministry for Ministers of Word and Sacraments and Core Competencies for Church Related Community Workers.听听
Ministers are not expected to demonstrate gifts in all areas, so they are supported throughout their years of ministry to grow in recognition and self-awareness of what learning could enhance their practice and what tools could equip them.听听
Sometimes, Mary explained, the performance of a minister may fall short, and if this does not fall under a disability as defined under the Equality Act 2010, the revised Competency Process can be used to assist the minister and the relevant council of the church.听听
鈥淚t is hoped that this process, which mirrors that of the Amber Light process used by our RCLs, might achieve an improved working life for the minister and help them to flourish in their post,鈥� Mary said.听听
鈥淚t also allows for the fact that this may not be possible and outlines how the relevant council of the church may seek to move the minister to inactive status.鈥�听
The resolution was then put to Assembly Executive and was carried unanimously.听
Reporting team: Stephen Tomkins, Ann-Marie Nye, Laurence Waring and Andy Jackson.