published 16 April 2024
7 minutes of reading
News of good things happening in Kirk – and advice on how to make them happen – will be shared as a new series of roadshows arrive in Glasgow and Edinburgh in May.
Led by Rev Neil Glover, Convener of the Church of Scotland’s Seeds for Growth Fund, and Rev Tommy McNeill, Convener of the Faith Action Program Leadership Team (FAPLT), these will take place at Langside Parish Church in Glasgow on Wednesday 8.m May, and Thursday 9 Palmerston Place Church in Edinburghm May
A similar roadshow has already been held in Aberdeen, with future events planned for each new presbytery area in Scotland over the coming year.
These events will allow Mr. Glover and Mr. McNeil to talk about the role of Seed for Growth and FAPLT, but also to learn about what is happening in the local presbytery area and share positive news about what is happening within the church.
Sharing good things
“We want to tell a story about the Church of Scotland that is hopeful and about people coming together and encouraging each other,” Mr Glover said.
“In Aberdeen, people told us all kinds of stories about where really good things are happening, like where church attendance has grown.”
Sharing these positive experiences meant that those who attended the roadshow were re-energized and positive about the future.
“That was definitely the response we got,” Mr. Glover said.
“People told us how encouraged they were and it was what they needed to hear. Tommy and I were really encouraged by what we heard.”
The positive impact was confirmed by the Rev Joanne Thorne, an ordained local minister at Dyce and New Machar Parish Church in Aberdeen.
He said: “I came into the session feeling quite depressed and tired but left feeling uplifted and optimistic about our future.”
However, roadshows also give people a place to share their concerns about the church, and Mr Glover thinks it’s important to address those feelings.
“People are feeling the pain, they’re feeling the loss of numbers, they’re feeling the loss of the building and they need to be able to voice that expression,” he said.
“I think it’s important that more difficult stories are acknowledged. When you do that, it enables you to look forward with more hope.”
The Rev Sue Edwards of Foveran Parish Church agreed, commenting: “I found it very refreshing. I loved being able to feel free to say what saddened or angered you about the situation in your congregation, the community and the church in general.”
A positive focus
However, the main focus of the roadshows is to look ahead to how Kirk can rebuild and grow.
FAPLT can help with missionary activity and new forms of worship, and the development of new worship communities, by training and supporting congregation members, while Seed for Growth has seen its available funding increase from £650,000 to £1.5 million in the current year. Four levels of grants are available from £1,000 as a one-off grant up to £100,000 per year for three years with the possibility to reapply for a further two years.
“With Seeds for Growth, we’re really about church growth and we really want to encourage applications,” Mr. Glover said.
“We hope that as people come out of the presbytery mission planning process, we will get more applications and see it as a fresh start and an opportunity to do new things.
“We’ve had a lot of interest from churches that work with young people to create some pre-existing faith-based work. There are projects that want to use the garden as a way to connect with outdoor worship and a group of us want to use it. A repair shed. As a basis for a worship community.
“Some of the most exciting applications we have are from former New Charge developments. They were built about 20 to 30 years ago and now these new churches are coming to us wanting to plant new churches themselves, so this is a good example of how planting three decades ago The seed sown is now bearing fruit.”
He and Mr McNeill, their colleague Hannah Sanderson, who now works as part of the Seed for Growth team, previously part of the Faith Action team, and David Williams, Grants Manager, look forward to hearing about the initiative which will bear fruit in the future for the church.
“We’re really excited to come out and meet people,” Mr Glover said.
“We really want to engage with local people and hear what’s happening in their area and learn how we can partner with you to realize your vision of the future.”
A priest of the faithful
As convener of FAPLT, Rev Tommy McNeil is keen to engage and listen to the wider church.
“There is an awareness that we are living in challenging and painful days, and it is important to make space to navigate through such difficulties,” he said.
“In January we met as a FAPLT team for a Big Picture Vision Day in Glasgow. The focus was on looking to a better and brighter future for our church. It quickly became clear that we were not there yet in terms of waiting, that our break The button needs to be pushed and some time taken to mourn and grieve.
“We were still navigating out of Covid when presbytery restructuring and mission planning came up on the agenda. It was not desirable at any level to tackle all these issues at once, but the reduction in finances and the number of ministries gave us no choice. Given that this was our vision we strongly expressed during the day. That we need to be given a part of the Presbytery’s roadshow to listen to what is there, while sharing it, that we may receive God’s grace and comfort, healing and strength before we take the next step.”
Mr. McNeil’s ambition is to turn the church upside down and instead of people looking to the center for ideas, vision or resources, he wants to connect with new presbyteries and ministers, elders and congregations through FAPLT to help them understand what God is saying and listen to where they are. There is doing there. By doing so, Mr. McNeil believes the Church will restore one of its core Reformation principles, the priesthood of all believers.
He elaborated: “We don’t have all the answers as FAPLT, and we don’t believe that one person or group in the church has them, but if we listen for what God is saying and we listen to each other, then together we can avoid falling away.” Can shift the focus, which has been the mindset for the past 10-15 years, to a renewed sense of vision, purpose and hope to move forward.
“Although we have faced deep challenges and have yet to overcome the difficulties associated with them, we believe Christ will be faithful to his promise to build his church.
“Although Christ can do so however He chooses and even in a sovereign way, we believe that the Bible teaches us that God loves to work in partnership with His people to achieve His purposes on earth. So we issue a call to everyone. Our church, that Time to share our feelings of hurt, pain and even confusion that if we make the right choice in seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness, we will not only know God’s mercy and healing, but He will know our need for His purposes for the Church of Scotland. Lead to a new day, which in turn will positively affect the nation of Scotland.”
- The Glasgow Roadshow will take place on Wednesday at 8 p.mm May at Langside Parish Church, 167 Ledard Road, with worship beginning at 2pm and workshop led by Rev Neil Glover and Rev Tommy McNeill. The session is open to members of the presbytery and local leaders of congregational life.
After a break for dinner at 5pm, with a light meal option at Finn’s Place Wellbeing Project in Langside, the program will continue at 7pm with worship, prayer and praise where all are welcome.
To register for the event and hot supper please email: events@presbyteryofglasgow.org.uk
- The Edinburgh event runs on Thursday 9m May 7pm to 8.30pm Palmerston Place Church, 10 Palmerston Place, Edinburgh, EH12 5AA. The meeting is open to all, but places can be booked in advance by emailing: EdinburghWestLothian@churchofscotland.org.uk
