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A
Brief History
City United
Reformed Church is a union of three Cardiff city centre churches
with roots reaching back to the mid-nineteenth century—Charles
Street and Wood Street Congregational Churches had merged in 1971,
then in 1976 this united congregation joined Windsor Place Presbyterian
Church in a service that not only included the inauguration of City
United Reformed Church but the induction of the Rev. Wyn Parry as
Pastoral Minister for the new congregation and the induction of
the Rev. Douglas Bale to give leadership to the mission and development
of City Church and to serve as Cardiff's first "Urban Chaplain".
A 1977 church meeting affirmed that “God has brought us together
in the City United Reformed Church in order to fulfil a ministry
in and to the life of the city centre."
The church took
a major leap of faith, making a significant financial investment
in thoroughly refurbishing and expanding the Windsor Place building
as its new common home. The commitment to the city centre was made
against the advice and wishes of many people in the URC District
and Synod, including the Moderator at that time. A vision of Cardiff's
now vibrant city centre that today we take for granted had not yet
taken shape, so a considerable effort was needed to overcome opposition
to a city centre ministry, and approval was ultimately given only
because we were able to present a case for an "English"
free-church in the commercial and administrative centre of Cardiff
which would fulfil its mission to minister to that centre and, as
an ecumenically-minded community, develop central resources for
the city's ecumenical church community and for the urban community
in general. It was realized that it would be wrong to commit such
a significant capital investment simply to provide a church for
worship an hour a week on Sunday mornings for people who pass other
churches on their way in from the suburbs. So the work went ahead,
and when the Rev. Peter Scotland was called to lead the united church
in 1981, the work going on at Windsor Place meant that City Church
had to be worshipping in temporary quarters, in a YMCA dining hall,
and Peter’s induction was held at Tredegarville Baptist Church.
By the end of the millennium, both Doug and Peter had retired, and
the Rev. Dr. Tom Arthur was called as minister of City Church in
2001.
The vision,
which actually goes back at least to the 60s, (when the imagination
of the Rev. Dr. William Hodgkins, minister at Charles St., sparked
the ecumenical Cardiff Adult Christian Education Centre) continues
to unfold in new and unexpected ways today. City Church is a hub
of Cardiff ecumenical activity, has made a significant effort to
welcome marginalised populations, and, working with both faith-based
and secular organisations, is continually finding new opportunities
for engagement and networking with urban issues.
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What
is a "Reformed" Church?
The word “Reformed”
in the United Reformed Church refers to our roots in the 16th century
Reformation. The word “United” refers to the union,
in 1972, of two British denominations—the Congregationalists
and Presbyterians—that shared such Reformation roots. In 1981
we were joined by Churches of Christ, and in 2000 by the Congregational
Union of Scotland.
That said,
we are very ecumenically minded in the URC and at City Church in
particular. We see ourselves as essentially part of the broader
Christian family in all its diversity.
What is distinctive
about the URC is reflected most visibly in the way we are organised.
We are not a “parish” church relating to a specific
geographical community, but a “gathered” church. People
come here because they choose to be part of this particular fellowship.
Reformed churches
are led in ministry by a ministry team of Elders elected by the
Church Meeting and working in partnership with the pastoral staff.
The sense of being a gathered community runs throughout our fellowship.
We make decisions together. We plan together. We minister together.
A key to the
Reformed tradition is that every member is a minister, and our goal
as a church is to strengthen and equip the fellowship for this work
of ministry.
So what is
the “Reformed” tradition? At the end of the day, it
is you, your membership, and your ministry as part of the team.
Check out the United Reformed Church's Web site at http://www.urc.org.uk
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