Rush Hill United Reformed Church

The United Reformed Church (URC)

URC in Bath

Brief History of Rush Hill URC

1891 - 18th October a Church was formed at Rush Hill by Revd. I Turner-Smith with 15 members. This was a branch church of Argyle Congregational Church

1911 - Rush Hill became a Congregational Church in it’s own right.

1938 - 15th September Ordination and Induction of Revd. H Cunliffe Jones as the first full time minister.

1963 - Original Sunday School Halls modified and refurbished to become the regular place of worship. Old church sold

1972 - October Union of Congregational Church in England and Wales and the Presbyterian Church of England and Wales to become the United Reformed Church in England and Wales.

1972 - Joint pastorate with Larkhall URC.

1981 - By the unification of the URC in England and Wales with the Re-formed Association of Churches of Christ in Great Britain and Ireland there came into being the United Reformed Church in the United Kingdom.

1991 - Rush Hill URC centenary celerations

2006 - Joint pastorate with Larkhall URC and Central URC.

There are three United Reformed Churches in Bath - Rush Hill, Larkhall and Central. Central is the largest of the 3 churches which is situated in the City Centre. Larkhall and Rush Hill on on the outer edges of the city.

We meet together both to worship and also for social events.

Past and Present Ministers

Through a series of unions over the past 35 years, the United Reformed Church has brought together English Presbyterians, English, Welsh and Scottish Congregationalists and members of the Churches of Christ. One hundred thousand people make up 1600 congregations, with more than 700 ministers, paid and unpaid.

Although one of the smaller mainstream denominations in Britain, the United Reformed Church plays a dynamic and challenging part in the country’s Christian life. It seeks to work with Christians of all traditions believing that all God’s people should be one. It is committed to theological and cultural diversity.

Worldwide, more than 70 million Christians are members of the Reformed family of churches, the largest Protestant tradition, We call ourselves Reformed because our churches began to emerge with reform movements in the sixteenth century.