Belonging to the World Church – Global Partners Programme Guidelines

The global partners programme will provide within the framework of Belonging to the World Church an opportunity for synods to enter into a bilateral exchange with a partner church outside of Europe (European partnerships are already provided for in the 1996 Europe policy). These exchanges will be primarily organised by the synod with advice and assistance from the international relations office. Financial assistance will be available through the Belonging to the World Church programme.

Outline

Belonging to the World Church through exposureto our international partners aims to:

  • Create opportunities for mutual learning and enrichment, and in particular exposing people in URC congregations to stories from our overseas partners in ways which are meaningful to the congregation

•stretch the imagination and vision of people in the United Reformed Church, enabling us to find new ways of being church here

•equip us to become a more multicultural church, enabling us to embrace the full range of ethnic and national diversity in Britain today

•promote a concern for the world in which we live and for its peoples, encouraging us to take a stand in solidarity with our partners on the pressing issues of the day.

It is:

•Primarily aimed at lay people

•Enables congregations to learn from our overseas partners

•Is based on reciprocal exchanges

A typical example will look this:

Phase 1

Introduction to potential partner church (usually made through the international relations office)

Initial discussions with partner church and outline timetable agreed

Programme developed

Phase 2

First group visit made (e.g. overseas partner to URC synod)

Visit will include:

  • Preparation before departure
  • Orientation on arrival
  • Group splitting up for local visits
  • Group reflection on what they have experienced with hosts (i.e. URC synod or overseas partner)
  • Debriefing on return

Phase 3

Return visit made (e.g. URC synod to overseas partner)

Visitors share experience within synod on return

Phase 4

Evaluation

In all it is anticipated that this will take two to three years, after which time there might be a fallow year before repeating it all over again, either with a new overseas partner or the same one if felt desirable by both partners.

Visits or exchanges with Commitment for Life partners will be somewhat different as they are organised by the Commitment for Life programme. However, it is hoped that they will continue as part of the global partners programme, maybe as an alternating feature, i.e. exchange programme as above, followed by a Commitment for Life partner visit/exchange, followed by an exchange programme as above, and so on.

Guidelines

Phase 1

  1. Initial discussion about the choice of a partner will take place between the synod World Church co-ordinator and the Secretary for World Church Relations who will make an introduction for the synod if such is required.
  1. Synods participating in the programme should appoint a group for the purpose, usually comprising the synod World Church Co-ordinator, moderator and one other. In most cases these will be the people who will participate in the visit to the overseas partner, or they may be the visitors plus other people who can help make it happen. It is important that those who get to participate in the visit overseas are involved in the organisation of both the sending and receiving aspects of the exchange.
  1. At an early stage there should be a meeting between this group and the Secretary for World Church Relations or such other person previously involved in an exchange who they ask to represent them. At this meeting the thinking behind the global partners programme will be introduced and the details of what is involved explained, including the resources available to help them. (A more detailed paper will be available for use in these meetings covering such things as orientation, programme design, debriefing, evaluation, etc.).
  1. The organisation of the programme will rest with the synod once the contact has been made with the overseas partner. The international relations office will endeavour to assist if communication with the overseas partner proves difficult or appears to have broken down.

Phases 2 and 3

  1. The international relations office will assist with:
  2. General advice
  3. International travel arrangements and related matters (e.g. health precautions and visas)
  4. Preparation and debriefing of URC people going overseas
  5. Orientation of overseas visitors in the UK
  1. The Secretary for World Church Relations will endeavour to participate in the visitors’ reflection on their visit to the URC.
  1. The international relations office will make available and/or arrange funding for the following items if required:
  • International travel for both the incoming and outgoing group (Normally this will be a CWM Experience Enlargement grant with the maximum grant available being £3,000 per leg of the exchange, with the expectation that the usual group size is 6-8 people).
  • Travel insurance
  • Preventative health measures for the outgoing group
  • Visas
  1. Synods will be expected to cover the following costs:
  • UK travel of incoming and outgoing groups
  • Orientation programme for incoming group
  • Concluding consultation with incoming group
  • Hospitality costs for incoming group
  • Preparation and debriefing meetings for outgoing group
  • Meeting and administration costs they incur both setting up and evaluating the programme

Phase 4

  1. The Secretary for World Church Relations will share in the evaluation of the programme by the synod.
  1. Synod World Church co-ordinators at their annual consultation will share experience of the programme (including evaluation reports) enabling improvements to be made to the programme.

And a general point

As this is still a developing programme flexibility, patience and understanding will be called for from all involved. It should also be remembered that this is a cross-cultural programme and so not all our overseas partners will approach organisational matters in the same way that we do.

JR 02/09/2011