United Reformed Church Re-dedicated On June 27th 2010, Cockermouth URC, which was damaged in last November's floods, was rededicated by the Rev John Marsh in one of his final duties as Moderator before the 2010 General Assembly. A packed church listened to testimonies from a church member and Guide leader affected by the flooding that devastated parts of the Cumbrian town and killed a police officer. They spoke of how the church and its groups coped with the loss of the building. Work to redecorate the church on the first floor has been completed and work to restore the halls on the ground floor is nearing completion. The church hall is named after the late Rev Dr John Marsh, a former URC Moderator but not related to the present Moderator. His son, also called John, redesigned the church 21 years ago. Rev Marsh gave a moving address responding to the testimonies and how the members of the church, local residents and workers had coped with so much in the past eight months, using the story of Jesus having nowhere to lay his head from the Gospel of Luke. On behalf of the URC he thanked, and gave gifts to, local ecumenical partners, Tony Cunningham MP, the present and former mayors of the town, police officers and members of the Mountain Rescue, church members and the Rev Smeaton and his wife, Nancy, all of whom did so much for the church during and after the floods. Pictured are Elizabeth Silman, Church Secretary of Cockermouth URC, the Rev Alistair Smeaton, Minister of Cockermouth URC, the Rev John Marsh, Moderator of the General Assembly, and the Rev Rachel Poolman, URC District President, Cumbria Area. More about the church. To Cockermouth's website /