Members of the United Reformed Church travelled to Jamaica in April 2024 as part of an ecumenical pilgrimage to learn about the legacies of slavery. Themed around repairing relationships, the trip focused on spiritual reconciliation, as well as meetings with partner churches, the country’s Prime Minister and other prominent politicians.

The URC on an ecumenical pilgrimage to Jamaica about the legacies of slavery

Those on the trip included the Revd Dr Tessa Henry-Robinson, URC General Assembly Moderator 2023-2024, Karen Campbell, Secretary for Global & Intercultural Ministries, and Tom Hackett, Southern Synod’s Children’s and Youth Development Officer. An apology from the URC was delivered by Dr Henry-Robinson during an ecumenical service themed ‘Reparation, A Journey Towards Repentance, Repair and Reconciliation’ at Webster Memorial Church in the parish of St Andrew, an area of around the country’s capital, Kingston. It was accepted It was accepted by the Revd Gary Harriott, Moderator of The United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands (UCJCI), a partner of the URC through the Council for World Mission. Jamaican government Minister the Hon. Olivia Grange, Jamaica’s Minister for Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, accepted the apology and encouraged other UK churches, along with the UK government, to also apologise.

The URC’s apology was accompanied by a pledge from the UCJCI to give parcels of land it had received from those who profited from slavery to the most vulnerable. During the service, Dr Henry-Robinson said that the apology is rooted in the Gospel that calls on sinners to repent of what has been done in the past and to be reconciled. Read more about our work and watch more videos on the URC website https://urc.org.uk/legacies-of-slavery/