Congregational Federation (CF) General Secretary Rev. Yvonne Campbell, United Reformed Church (URC) General Secretary Rev. Dr John Bradbury and URC Moderator Rev. Clare Downing were among delegates at the Churches Together in England (CTE) Forum in mid-March.

During the event at The Hayes in Swanwick, two joint statements were issued, calling for the immediate cessation of hostilities and for churches to campaign for an end to the Ukraine conflict and appealing to the UK government to support the churches offering sanctuary to Ukrainian refugees. In addition, delegates discussed the theme “Reconciling Hope: A broken church for a broken world” through the lenses of racial justice and the climate emergency.

CTE President, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, spoke on reconciliation in a post-COVID world. He urged the church to embrace its diversity, to disagree in an agreeable manner, and “respond to the crises that surround us, with the love of God that is within us, and with the unity that can be reached between us.”