Christians from throughout the country gathered at the Scottish Police College in Tulliallan, Fife, on 20-22 March for the spring residential meeting of the United Reformed Church National Synod of Scotland.

The theme for the meeting was "Treasures - Gifts from God".Rev John Proctor, General Secretary of the United Reformed Church, pictured below, addressed the synod meeting, with his talk entitled "A view from the centre? Treasures of the URC".

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John compared the United Reformed Church's central office in London to the centre of a bicycle wheel, with the local congregations surrounding it on the rim, coming into contact with the world.Val Brown, Church and Community Manager at Christian Aid Scotland, gave an inspiring speech about "Christian Aid at 70" as the charity marks its major anniversary; she spoke about Christian Aid's origins following the Second World War and about the work it is carrying out today to tackle climate change, gender inequality and tax evasion.

A series of posters on display over the weekend shared stories about what congregations are doing to engage with their local communities.

Topics on the agenda for the synod meeting included the deployment of ministers, lay presidency at communion, and the synod profile, a document that will help with the recruitment of the next Synod Moderator.Augustine United Church in Edinburgh brought a resolution to the synod meeting to call on the congregations that form the synod to join the "Take Action, Change Lives" campaign, part of the See Me Scotland movement.

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Representatives from the 48 congregations that form the National Synod of Scotland also received reports from the synod's committees, which consist of: Children & Youth Ministry; Church & Society; Church Life; Ecumenical & World Church; Finance & Property; Nominations; Pastoral; and Policy, Planning & Strategy.

The Synod Youth Forum for 12-17 year olds and the new Synod Young Adult Forum for those aged 18 to 25 also took place alongside the spring synod meeting.Rounding off a packed weekend, the Scottish United Reformed & Congregational College also held its annual general meeting at the Scottish Police College, in tandem with the synod meeting.