The United Reformed Church in Chappel

We meet for worship every Sunday at 6.30pm The Chapel on Rose Green (Colchester Road - A1124) What we believe Holy Communion second Sunday each month

We are a mainstream Christian Congregation. Baptisms, weddings and funerals by arrangement Our faith and our worship while rooted in with our Minister Open to God tradition, aims to be living and relevant to today’s The Chapel premises are available for hire Open to each other world with its varied issues and challenges. We contact Secretary Open to the community believe in God revealed supremely in Jesus Christ; we treasure the inspired writings of the Bible Contacts and the work of the Holy Spirit in empowering Welcome . . . our lives as Christian people. We do not regularly Secretary recite creeds but we affirm broad statements of Anthony Percival The URC in Chappel is a place where you faith and church order, following the Christian tel: 01206 240442 will find a warm welcome and a heritage of liturgical calendar but not normally following e-mail: [email protected] Protestant Reformed Church worship. A place of set forms of worship. We respect the conscience Minister friendship where tradition and new ideas mix, a of the individual believer in our search for God place where all may find something to strengthen The Rev’d Kenneth M Forbes and refresh their lives together. Local decisions about our Church are tel: 01206 547920 made at quarterly church meetings by those who e-mail: [email protected] RGP 5/2014 worship regularly. . . . A place for you were greatly increased after 1662 by following clergy How we began who were ejected from their Anglican churches Part of a worldwide The roots of the United Reformed Church in for refusing to conform to an Act of Uniformity in fellowship Chappel, one of hundreds of similar churches worship. across the country, are in the 16th century English Since 1972, Chappel Congregational Church Church Reformation. Some Christians, later known Our kind of church has been part of the United Reformed Church, a coming together of Congregational, English as Independents or Congregationalists, wanted to Nonconformist congregations grew all over the Presbyterian and the former denomination known reform the Church of England. Their numbers country, despite persecution, and by the 19th century had won recognition and their civil liberty. They as the Churches of Christ in a scheme of union in became known for their preaching and action in England and Wales. Subsequently Congregational support of people’s welfare and education and Churches in Scotland became part of the United civil liberties. Reformed Church. The URC is part of the World Communion of Reformed Churches. Nine local christians We here are linked with Lion Walk United Chappel’s Independent Congregation began as Reformed Church, Colchester, through the recently as 1901, when nine local people met to oversight of its Minister. start a Free Church in the village and rented and We meet for worship every Sunday at 6.30pm, and converted a former builder’s storeroom, which was celebrate Holy Communion monthly. later bought, and extended. Worship and fellowship has continued on Rose Baptisms, weddings and funerals by arrangement Green ever since and with the Minister. We play an active part in the life the Chapel has in the of the village and today enjoy a good relationship past held a flourishing with the parish church. Sunday school, a youth group, and women’s Our music and prayer groups. The premises were The Chapel has a fine small pipe organ, registered completely refurbished as of national historical importance, and is known for the Centenary in locally for the quality of its music and enthusiastic 2001. hymn-singing.

Our hope It is our hope that all who come will find friendliness and openness, and something of the love, peace and presence of God