Upper Coquetdale Churches Together
Rothbury, one of the oldest villages in old Northumbria, was a fortified burgh before the Norman Conquest. Situated at the foot of the Simonside Hills it is known as the capital of Coquetdale, a valley populated by ten times as many sheep as people.
In the mid 1980’s its Anglican Parish magazine already reflected the way Coquetdale’s churches and clergy worked together by including the services of all the churches in the Valley. Throughout the 1990’s monthly joint services were held and the churches did all that they could to support local farmers during the 2001 Foot and Mouth outbreak. Afterwards it was decided to formalise this local church co- operation by forming and naming UCCT, drawing up a Covenant and setting up a governing Council.
Acknowledgement of the unity of faith in God and the calling of Christians to spread the Gospel, whilst valuing the diverse traditions of individual churches, were seen as the basis of closer future working. One memorable afternoon in March 2004 the Covenant was eventually signed in Rothbury United Reformed Church by the Anglican Bishop of Newcastle, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Hexham & Newcastle, the Moderator of the Northern Synod of the URC, and a senior representative of the Armstrong Hall Christian Fellowship as well as representatives of each congregation. It committed everyone to work together, consult on new initiatives, share resources, join together in worship monthly, and share in
pastoral care and outreach to the community.
UCCT has its own logo and distributes Churches Together leaflets listing the churches and their service details. Bereavement visiting is firmly established with the support of local GPs. Other initiatives include a hospital transport service and contact visits for new residents in the Valley. Over the Bridges, a UCCT monthly community magazine delivered free to around 2,000 households, has replaced the Anglican Parish magazine. Every autumn each village hosts its own agricultural show and the UCCT’s own marquee is always there giving out information. At Christmas, households receive a Christmas card from UCCT setting out all the services for the season. With six Anglican churches in the combined Upper Coquetdale Parish, two Roman Catholic Churches, two United Reformed Churches and the Armstrong Hall the listings are extensive!
The monthly services have included worship in the Iona and
Taize traditions as well as one in the Northumbrian tradition to mark the weekend of the Rothbury Traditional Music Festival. The old Mart is a favoured venue for special Harvest and Christmas services, and the Good Friday Walk of Witness is well supported, whatever the weather! Armstrong Hall is the venue for bi-monthly prayer breakfasts. Church members share their singing talents in choirs for the festivals of Easter and Harvest amongst others, and a series of talks on comparative religion entitled: Jews, Christians and Muslims attracted a packed church hall audience week after week.
The UCCT Council consists of five local church leaders and a dozen or so church people plus a Secretary, Treasurer and Chair. Social events such as the annual barbecue are still popular, despite a washout in 2007. With so much going on it is easy to overlook the benefits we have all enjoyed through being a part of UCCT.
Colin Wheeler UCCT
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www.arthurrankcentre.org.uk
rural mission and ministry
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