Year: 2023

Welcoming Refugees

Scottish Faiths Action for Refugees (SFAR) and Faith in Community Scotland have produced some short videos, Journeys of Faith and Welcome, to celebrate the stories of New Scots and faith communities, and the role faith has played in their journeys of seeking, finding and offering sanctuary.  SFAR are always keen to encourage faith groups to get involved in or start similar projects and would be delighted to work alongside and equip any group that might be interested.

Any faith communities wanting to get involved in welcoming and supporting asylum seekers can find further information here or contact Sabine Chalmers, Co-ordinator for SFAR at schalmers@churchofscotland.org.uk.

Working out Worship

The Learning Network in Scotland is offering a series on ‘Working out Worship’ and the first of those begins with Local Arrangements on Tuesday 18th April from 7-9pm.

This session is designed for church stewards and worship leaders, as well as anyone else who currently or would like to contribute to worship. This will be a very accessible session and will be a great opportunity for churches to explore different ways of worshipping together. It will look at the steps of planning a service, different aspects and approaches to keep in mind, and how to plan ahead. The session will also signpost participants to useful resources.

Sign up here:  Working out Worship Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite

This link is the same to register for the other events which will be helpful for all involved in worship and preaching. They are:

  • 2nd May Creative Worship 7-9pm on zoom
  • 16th May Intergenerational Worship 7-9pm on zoom
  • 20th May Practice what you preach 10.30-3pm onsite – venue to be confirmed

Volunteer at the Solas Festival

Hope and Anchor from the Methodist Church will be at the Solas Festival at Errol Park 16th to 19th June 2023. We have a fantastic venue with dry bar and an amazing programme of speakers, conversationalists and artists and lots of activities in the venue for all ages.

If you’d like to be on the volunteer team, more details are here and you can complete an application form https://r1.dotdigital-pages.com/p/BVI-13Y4/volunteer-with-us-at-festivals-and-events

You will receive a complementary ticket for the whole event, assistance with travel and accommodation, and food and refreshments vouchers for the sessions you cover.

If you’d be interested in attending, we do have some additional complementary tickets as well as discounted tickets. So please get in touch with Holly Adams if you would like to reserve tickets and receive more details. Also, feel free to speak to any of the planning team for further information:

Holly Adams (Connexional Evangelism & Growth Team)

Rev Nick Baker (Angus, Dundee & Perth Circuit)

Tim Baker (All We Can)

Kathryn Campbell (Connexional Learning Network)

Emergency alert testing and phones only you know about

On Sunday 23rd April, at 3pm, the government will send a test alert for possible future emergencies. This will go out to all 4G and 5G phones that are switched on at the time, and will sound an audible alarm.

If you have a phone that an abusive partner does not know about, this  alarm could alert them to its existence. You should decide whether to switch off the phone, or change the settings so that you do not receive such alerts. The alert will still sound if you have your phone on, but switched to ‘silent’.

To opt out:

  1. Search your settings for ‘emergency alerts’.
  2. Turn off ‘severe alerts’ and ‘extreme alerts’.

Pastoral letter Lent 2023

Dear Friends

“Overdose at Christmas and give it up at Lent” sang Robbie Williams in his hit “Millennium” released in 1998.  In my memory it still seems a relatively recent song, but it is 25 years old – time flies!  For children and young people, it is ancient history.

The lyric captures a sense of feasting in the Christmas period and giving up something in the period of Lent, but to view Lent simply through this lens (of giving something up) is to miss the richness of the season.  The idea of giving something up comes from the notion of self-denial.  The purpose of self-denial is to help us recall our relationship with the Creator through Jesus Christ.  Lent is an opportunity to deliberately spend time in the presence of God.  When we are busy consumers, Lent challenges us to make the time to think again.

During this period of Lent, let us take time to remember who we are in the presence of God.  Some questions we might reflect upon:

  • How did we end up in church?
  • Why do we want to be part of a church?
  • What does Jesus mean to me?
  • Do we see ourselves as disciples of Jesus?
  • What does that even mean!?
  • How do we talk to each other about these things?

Change happens quickly in our communities and such questions can help us navigate the way and may even bring some revelation.  Actually, May will bring Revelation in the form of Bible Month and by way of preparation we are invited to share in the District online Lent groups.

With love

Nick

Kindle a Flame

The latest edition of the Connexion magazine is now published.

connexion magazine 29 front cover

The theme of issue 29, Kindle a Flame, challenges us to see God’s flame and discern God’s spark.

The Revd Dr Jonathan Hustler reminds us of a Palestinian Jew who kindled a spark to lighten our darkness.  And we can kindle that spark into a flame in so many different contexts: the Revd Heather Leake Date describes nurturing the flame of care in her work with HIV patients, Richard Oppong-Boateng ignites fires in young people’s hearts, and Youth President James Carver says it’s when the fire of inclusion burns in our churches that we fully affirm and welcome those with neurodiverse conditions.

And we must be ever watchful not to let the fire go out, say Abi Jarvis and Andy Fishburne.

We believe this edition will inspire you to keep the fire burning, so that God’s flame may warm your heart, light your church and community and enable us all to share God’s eternal love.

Traidcraft

Traidcraft

Traidcraft was founded as a faith organisation in 1979, and has promoted fair trade ever since. In January 2023, it went into administration.

They are encouraging their customers to support the many fair trade suppliers with whom they worked.

Transform Trade is a completely separate organisation to Traidcraft PLC and they are not affected by the administration. Their work will continue at www.transform-trade.org

Revelation through Lent

Specifically for those in the Scotland and Shetland region, these 90 minute sessions through lent offer two short series running fortnightly on Wednesday and Thursday evenings (on alternate weeks), from 7.30-9pm on zoom, beginning Thursday 23rd February and finishing on Wednesday 29th March.

Each evening will focus on a different theme from the Book of Revelation and associated texts or theological ideas.

Thursday Evening Series:

  • 23rd Feb Revelation in Context
  • 9th Mar The Now and Not Yet
  • 23rd Mar The Sheep and the Goats

Wednesday Evening Series:

  • 1st Mar Revelation as Fuel for Worship
  • 15th Mar Revelation as Pastoral Guide Book
  • 29th Mar Revelation as a Manifesto for Mission

Attend as an individual OR gather your small group in your home or church and join the zoom from wherever you have gathered!

Come to your chosen sessions, a mini series or all six sessions – whether for personal study or to help you in your role as you prepare for Bible Month in your Circuit.

This is an opportunity to connect with others across the Scotland & Shetland region around the Bible Month theme for this year and is led by Kathryn Campbell, Lorraine Darlow and Michael Wadsworth from the Connexional Learning Network.

Free registration through Eventbrite.