Welcome!

Welcome to the website of Hull United Reformed Church (URC) Team Churches!

We’re glad that you have found us and hope you like our website. Like us it is in a constant state of evolution and growth so please feel free to come back and visit again! We hope to see you at one of our churches soon.

St Ninian's and St Andrew's, Chanterlands Avenue, Hull, Zion, Hallgate in Cottingham  and Christ Church, Swanland are all  open for worship.   Unfortunately, Christ Church, Southella has closed.  Weekly activities are ongoing in all 3 churches.

Do join us on Sundays:   St Ninian's and St Andrew's meet at 9.30a.m, Zion's service on a Sunday usually begins at 10.00a.m. and Christ Church, Swanland at 10.30am . 

Please note:  the service at St Ninian's and St Andrew's on Sunday, 21 July will begin at 10.30am and include the Sacrament of Baptism

The Ordination and Induction of Rev Dr Simon Cross will take place at St Ninian's and St Andrew's on Saturday, 3 August at 2 p.m.

Smile a while

Readers may be aware of the popular BBC1 series ‘Would I lie to you?’ hosted by Rob Brydon. On a programme broadcast in February 2021, Rev’d Canon Kate Bottley was describing in incident in which she disgraced herself in morning worship. The panel was invited to decide whether her story was true of false.

Kate explained that in the Anglican tradition it was customary for the presiding clergy to reverently consume any blessed communion wine that remained in the chalice after all the congregation had partaken. On this particular Sunday, she had conducted three communion services consecutively on the same morning and at the third service there was a large quantity of surplus wine. Having not had any breakfast and already a little light-headed, she drank the lot. However, when she looked down into the empty chalice there were the remnants of a piece of bread that someone had spat back. Ugh ! That immediately made her feel very queasy, so she hastily excused herself and rushed to the church toilet and (putting it politely) was violently unwell.

The panel on the programme, listening to Kate’s account of the incident, were puzzled and wondered where the embarrassment factor came into the story. All became clear when she explained that her lapel radio-microphone was still turned on. Therefore the entire congregation heard the unfortunate regurgitation, broadcast throughout the church in resounding stereo.

So Rob Brydon asked, “Was Kate’s story ‘true’ or ‘false’?” It was in fact perfectly true, but they obviously didn’t have a competent sound technician at that church !!

Kelvin Young

Just a thought

A lot of problems in the world would disappear if we talked to each instead of about each other.

Just a thought (2)

The following article is adapted from a response made by Jane Bower who is an elder of Downing Place URC, Cambridge. She stated that this is what she has learned about how a church thrives.

             • Step out of your comfort zone – well out, if necessary.

            • Accept change for the better, even when it hurts.

            • Don’t always try to fit people into roles – look at the gifts they

              have and use what God has put in front of you.

            • Play as well as work – relish social events, humour, food,

              music and drama.

            • Abandon things that aren’t working.

            • Don’t build a path and then get cross if people don’t follow it.

              See where they need to walk and then pave those areas.

            • Forgive.

            • Learn from all others. There is no human from whom nothing

             can be learned.

            • Share feelings and problems candidly. 

            • Learn from Jesus, who forged changes, called unlikely people,

              and pulled them out of their comfort zone.

Learn a new word

In this two-month edition you have two new words in one! Contronym, or autantonym (both nouns). Both words can be used to refer to a specific grammatical expression, when a particular word has two meanings that are opposite to each other. They are sometimes known as Janus words.

 Example: "In the GCSE English exam, candidates were asked to give an example of a ‘contronym’. One boy obtained full marks with the word ‘cleave’ which means both to cut apart or to bind together.”

 Here are some more contronyms for you to ponder over:

            Left  -  meaning remained or departed

            Bolt  -  meaning to secure or to flee

            Screen – meaning to conceal or to broadcast

            Peer – meaning a person of nobility or an equal

            Buckle – meaning to connect or to break