Revd Dr Tessa Henry-Robinson elected as Moderator-elect to serve from April 2025

We are delighted to welcome Reverend Dr. Tessa Henry-Robinson as the new Moderator-elect of the Free Churches Group. Tessa will support the current Moderator, Reverend Canon Helen Cameron, in her first year before assuming the Moderator’s role in April 2025. The Free Churches look forward to working with Tessa over the coming months.

Tessa said, “I welcome this opportunity to work collaboratively in an ecumenical capacity. My background and work within the United Reformed Church (URC), which is itself an ecumenical union of churches, have uniquely prepared me for this role, emphasising my leadership capabilities as well as my commitment to ecumenism, inclusivity, and justice.”

Tessa has just completed her year as Moderator of the URC General Assembly and continues to have pastorate responsibility for four URC congregations in east London. Her work as the Moderator of the URC General Assembly involved engagements both in the UK and internationally. She has significant experience in church operations, making her well-placed to navigate and lead complex discussions and initiatives across Free Church denominations. Her ministerial and professional journey includes significant milestones that align closely with the values and objectives of the Free Churches Group. As the first Black and/or ethnically minoritized woman to serve in her current roles, she is committed to diversity, empowerment, and racial justice.

A message from the FCG Moderator-elect, Revd Dr Tessa Henry-Robinson

I am deeply honoured to become the Moderator-Elect of the Free Churches Group. I look forward to supporting the current Moderator, Reverend Canon Helen Cameron, during the first year of a four-year term and to learning more about the work of the Free Churches. As a committed ecumenist, I am delighted to have the opportunity to work with the 27 Free Churches denominations/groups who are currently members of the Free Churches Group. I understand that the FCG is growing, and it will be a pleasure to be part of the leadership team welcoming new members. I see this role as a calling and feel deeply connected to our diverse and vibrant Free Churches community. My extensive experience within the United Reformed Church (URC) has shaped my commitment to ecumenism. I believe that by working together, we can more significantly contribute to the common mission of sharing the love of Jesus Christ and the hope that His love brings to our world.

I have just completed my year as Moderator of the URC General Assembly and currently serve as the immediate past Moderator. This role provided me with broad leadership and representational experience both within the three-nation context of the United Kingdom and internationally. My contributions to the URC, including roles on the Mission Committee, the Church Life Review Group, the Business Committee, and the Faith and Order Committee, have deepened my understanding of church operations and honed my ability to lead complex discussions and initiatives.

As a Black woman - the first women of an ethnically minoritised background to become General Assembly Moderator in the URC, I bring a strong commitment to diversity and empowerment. My advocacy for racial justice within the URC and my role in Cascades of Grace, an initiative empowering minoritised women, underscore this commitment.

My curiosity about the triune nature of God, coupled with my background in community education and development, ministry formation, and anti-racism training, highlights my dedication to theological ecumenism and fostering an intercultural church environment. My academic work, including a thesis on intercultural inclusion, remains central to my ethos.

As an Associate Tutor in Womanist Practical Theology at Westminster College and a member of the editorial boards for the Journal of Practical Theology and the International Journal of Black Theology, I engage in scholarly discussions that bridge theory and practice. My pastoral service and community engagement further exemplify this commitment.

My upbringing in Trinidad and Tobago, which included attending Roman Catholic and Methodist churches and participating in Anglican and Pentecostal denominational activities, has shaped my approach to faith and diversity. This background, combined with proven presentation skills and the ability to engage and inspire diverse audiences, equips me to represent and collaborate within the Free Churches Group leadership.

I am confident that my vision, experience, and commitment to ecumenical networking, justice, and empowerment have prepared me well for this role. I look forward to contributing to the Free Churches Group and furthering our impact on communities and society.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve the Free Churches in England and Wales.  

Tessa

The Council of Christians and Jews (CCJ) Study Tour to Poland for Christian Leaders

The Council of Christians and Jews (CCJ) are currently leading a group of senior Christians leaders on a unique study tour to Poland, in partnership with Taube Jewish Heritage Tours. The programme explores the history of Jewish life in the country, before, during and after the Second World War – a journey which is taking us from Warsaw to Lodz, Krakow, and Auschwitz-Birkenau.

CCJ have gathered a group of Christian leaders from across the UK to take part in this journey. The participants are all leaders in their communities, including Bishops and Ministers, Trustees, Chaplains, and Theologians. They have wide and varied spheres of influences across Christian communities. Denominations within the group include the United Reformed Church, the Church of England, the Roman Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Church of Scotland, the Methodist Church, and the Church of God of Prophecy.

This programme has several aims. Firstly, this programme seeks to educate participants about Jewish life in Poland before, during, and after the Second World War. Tragically, at the heart of this history is the Holocaust. We have been visiting sites related to the Shoah, including ghettos, deportation stations and on Thursday 26th October we will visit Auschwitz-Birkenau. We are also exploring the 1000 years of Jewish history in Poland, looking at the rich history of Jewish life which was lost in the Holocaust, and celebrating contemporary Jewish life by visiting synagogues, Jewish community centres and participating in a Shabbat meal in Krakow on Friday 27th October.

The second aim is to learn about Christian-Jewish relations in Poland. We are exploring the history of Christian-Jewish relations in the country, and discussing how this is relevant for understanding the Holocaust. Through meeting with senior Christian and Jewish leaders, including the Chief Rabbi of Poland (whom we met on Tuesday 24th October), we are discussing contemporary challenges in Christian-Jewish relations as well as positive examples of interfaith engagement which seek to overcome centuries of Christian persecution of Jews.

The final aim is to explore contemporary issues in Poland. We are uncovering how the memory of the Holocaust intersects with other contemporary issues, particularly around identity-based discrimination and the curation of memory. We will ask how Poland maintains the memory of the Holocaust, and how is this framed.

Through this programme, we hope that the participants will be equipped with a deeper appreciation and understanding of Jewish life and identity, a detailed knowledge of the events of the Holocaust, and that they will be inspired to foster positive interfaith relations between Christians and Jews back home in the UK.

This programme sits at the heart of CCJ’s mission and values.

The Council of Christians and Jews was founded in 1942, at the height of the Second World War and the Holocaust, by Archbishop William Temple and Chief Rabbi Joseph Hertz. Today we are the leading nationwide forum for Christian-Jewish engagement.

For over 80 years, we have been engaging Jewish and Christian communities across the UK in education, dialogue, and social change. We aim to celebrate the history and diversity of both communities, to enable meaningful educational experiences, to facilitate constructive dialogue, and provide opportunities for transformative social change.

Today, CCJ is the only organisation in the UK which provides Holocaust education tailored specifically for the Christian community. By learning about the Holocaust and equipping church leaders to be witnesses to the devastations of the Holocaust and bring this back to their communities. We aspire to commemorate the past and transform Christian-Jewish relations for the future.

We are conscious of the vital importance of this work at a time where interfaith relations are being strained by violence throughout the world. The need to learn from the past, to listen to ‘the other’, and for people of faith to walk together remains as vital as ever.

We are grateful to the generosity of our funders for this programme, and without them it would not have been possible: the Claims Conference, the Association of Jewish Refugees, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain, and the United Reformed Church Interfaith Fund.

For more information about the work of CCJ please visit here.

Photo credit to CCJ.

All you wanted to know about schools but were afraid to ask

A Free Webinar, TUESDAY 14 NOVEMBER, 7 - 8.30 P.M.

Our member churches have told us that they would like to know more about what goes on in schools today and that building relationships with local schools is important to them.

“All you wanted to know about schools but were afraid to ask” is a free webinar that aims to equip you with an understanding of what goes on in schools, and to help you think about how you might get to know the schools in your community. It’s for anyone who wants to know more about schools.

Bev Smith, our speaker, is Schools Content Manager for Youth for Christ, and has many years of experience as a teacher, and in roles that build relationships between churches and schools.

Please circulate the details of the webinar to your churches and encourage your members to join us.

Register HERE.

The flyer is available to download HERE.

FCG statement on Israel-Palestine

We are heart-broken by the escalation of violence in Israel and Palestine.

The horror of the attack on Jewish communities in Israel by the terrorists of Hamas is beyond words. The humanitarian crisis facing the people of Gaza is appalling. We are greatly concerned for the innocent civilians of Gaza suffering as a consequence of the evil acts of Hamas. We in the Free Churches Group join with others to urge the Israeli government to seek to protect innocent lives wherever possible. We plead that humanitarian assistance is provided to all who suffer.

In our own country, we call for resistance against all antisemitic attacks for the protection for all Jewish communities. We look for visible action by Christian communities to reach out to their neighbours as people of light, and hope, who are called to be peacemakers, resisting hatred and violence.

We encourage Christians to pray for peace and comfort for all.

You may find the following links to resources, prayers, and articles compiled by the Council of Christians and Jews helpful:

• A CCJ message from Georgina and Nathan can be found on the CCJ website here.

• A collection of statements and prayers gathered by CTBI can be found here.

• An article from CCJ Senior Programme Manager, Dr James Roberts can be found here.

• The Diocese of London statement which includes a prayer by the Archbishop, Hosam Naoum of Jerusalem can be found here.