ROKER UNITED REFORMED CHURCH 1ST DECEMBER 2024
WORLD AIDS DAY
Revd Jane Rowell leads our worship for Advent Sunday.
Please join us for refreshments after the service.
THANK YOU!
Your generous donations last Sunday for the Bible Society raised £70.
OUR INTERNAL CHRISTMAS POST BOX CLOSES NEXT SUNDAY!
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
# The Christmas Coffee Morning is on Saturday 14th December from 10.00am to 12noon.
We will be happy to receive donations for the Christmas Hamper Raffle, Tombola and Raffle.
# Our Children’s Nativity Service will be on Sunday 15th December at 11.00am.
# ‘Carols by Candlelight’ – the Service is at 7.00pm, Thursday 19th December.
A ‘shout out’ from Susie for candles and candlesticks/candle holders, please.
# Panto comes to Roker URC on Saturday 21st December at 6.00pm.
‘The Frog Prince’ – a presentation by Theatre Space NE.
More information overleaf – look out for the posters and flyers!
# Revd Jane Rowell leads our Christmas Service at 11.00am on Sunday 22nd December.
# The Bede Pastorate Service on Sunday 29th December will be led by Revd Jane Rowell, 10.30am at St Margaret’s United Reformed Church, Prince Edward Road, South Shields, NE34 7ND.
NEXT SUNDAY: Revd Peter Jordan leads our service at 11.00am.
DONATE DIGITAL POSTSCRIPT – DEADLINE 3rd DECEMBER!
Following our participation in the above campaign, Social Chef’s Laura has access to refurbished tablets, mobile phones and laptops. If you know of anyone who is need of a device and may struggle to buy one, please contact Laura on: 07456 946504. Hurry – you have until this Tuesday!
THE FROG PRINCE
A fresh, froggy twist on a Grimm tale by Jamie Brown.
Here at Roker United Reformed Church – Saturday 21st December at 6.00pm. (70-minute show)
After their hit run of ‘The Pied Piper of Hamelin’ in 2023, Theatre Space North East return with their vibrant brand of fairytale telling – full of life, humour, puppetry, song and a festive twist – for audiences of all ages to enjoy.
Prince Freddie (ribbit!) finds himself in a pickle – well, it’s actually more of a soup – when he follows Princess Posy home to the palace after a promise is broken. Little does he know that this is only the start of his troubles as a mysterious curse forces Freddie and Posy to take a literal leap into the unknown in a quest to put things right!
Join us this festive season for a fast-paced amphibious adventure full of life, laughs, puppetry, song, and a festive twist for audiences of all ages to enjoy this Christmas.
Tickets booked before December receive a 10% discount – Code: FROG24
£5 Concession/Child, £7 Adult, four tickets for £20.
Tickets are on sale now via www.theatrespace.org.uk
Any space is a Theatre Space
Terminally Ill Adults Bill
A response from the United Reformed Church
Acknowledging a range of views on the issue within the Church and in society, the URC General Assembly in 2007 opposed any change in the law to permit voluntary euthanasia or assisted suicide, in line with the position of many Christian Churches and other faiths.
The vote in Parliament will have far-reaching impact on our society. Many will be troubled at the result of the vote, and perhaps feel that the will of lawmakers or wider society is profoundly out of step with their own personal convictions. Others will be relieved by the result, believing it will offer some hope and choice to them (or loved ones) as they approach the end of life.
The URC is unchanging in its commitment to support vulnerable people and to offer spiritual counsel and Christian love to all who seek it. Visiting – and endeavouring to meet the needs of – people who are sick is enshrined in our practice, following the example and instruction of Jesus, as well as supporting those who care for them or are bereaved.
We continue to call for the improved provision of palliative care and note the persistent lack of universal access to good quality hospices and home-based support for people nearing the end of life.
We are concerned for medical staff, already under constant pressure in trying to deliver services to patients, who may face increased demands, and may face difficult moral choices.
Key to our response is our belief of the inherent worth and value of every human being, made in the image of God. The Bill, if enacted without sufficient safeguards, risks devaluing the lives of people who have often been marginalised by society.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill therefore requires much work. There will be continuing scrutiny and debate as the Bill proceeds through the UK Parliament. Within the URC, the Worship, Faith and Order Committee will be listening to our congregations and ministers and considering carefully the implications of the developing Bill for us all.
Through all these things, we look to Jesus, the originator and finisher of our faith, and the one in whom all things hold together, as the source of our belief, our well-being and our hope. We will continue to encourage people at all stages of life to seek him, and experience his comforting presence found in his body, the Church. Written by Roo Stewart, URC Head of Public Issues