Here’s what Tearfund have to say about it:

The Carbon Fast provides  daily actions and prayers for Lent to help you and your church protect poor people from the changing climate and care for God’s good creation.

This year we’re excited that the Carbon Fast has gone global, with churches in Australia, the Netherlands, Brazil, the United States and many more joining in!

Look out for the weekly actions and reflections, each based on a different theme, to get a flavour of how the Carbon Fast is happening around the world and to help you along too.

Our day-to-day lives may not be impacted severely by the changing climate – yet.

But what about people who struggle to feed their families or find a home that won’t get washed away, or who can’t work because the fields have been destroyed by droughts and storms?

And here in the UK, as many people struggle with heating bills we can see how even predictable weather can push us to the edge.

It’s our job to bring hope.

What cost do our energy-intensive lifestyles have…on us…on poor communities…on God’s creation?

Join us in the Carbon Fast this Lent to respond to this challenge, remembering how God has called us to respect and look after his good creation and to protect poor people who we know are suffering the most.

For more details about this campaign, and other Tearfund campaigns, follow this link: http://www.tearfund.org/en/get_involved/campaign/

Will you join me?

Peace Out!

Tonight was such a contrast to last night (we’ll blog about today’s experiences on the World Mission Council blog later). We (Sandy, Fiona and myself) went out for dinner with 2 friends we’ve made here in Pakistan. Two incredible women: Ayra Inderyas and Alice Garrick, women whose determination, faith, strength and passion you can read about on the Council blog soon.

They took us to a highly recomended resturant called “Cooco’s Den” (number 2 in Lonely Planet’s list of places to eat in Lahore, number 8 in Pakistan). It truly was an incredible cultural experience. Firstly, it’s sits in the middle of the red light district, although this being Pakistan everything is much less obvious than in UK red light districts. The resturant itself is hosted in a Haveli, a traditional Mansion in this part of the world (often based on Middle East Islamic architecture or Mughal architecture). The owner of the Haveli, Iqbal Hussain, is an artist renowned for portraits of some of the women in the area. Some of his art is very graphic, some is very tasteful, some is very wierd. But it was kept alongside various other Asian art pieces – beautifully carved wood, incredibly vivid cermaic tiling, statues etc A very interesting exhibition to walk through to get to the Resturant.

The whole place had a very…rustic…atmosphere. And I mean that in the most positive way possible! I was enamored by the quaint sight out of the back of the building – an incredible weaving network of building, cables, streets and homes. I was wondering if the night could get any better. Was I in for a pleasant surprise! I was the last to reach the top of the stairs, having stopped to take numerous photos (shocked?). When I reached the top, I was greeted by one of the most magnificent, man-made, sights I’ve ever seen:

Badshahi Mosque

Tonight is the first time since we arrived here that I really wished I’d brought my tripod. I spent the first half an hour of being on the roof terrace finding places to steady my camera – chairs, random bits of wall, notebooks,bags, railings. I was captivated. To add to the stunning view and atmosphere, the food was amazing as well! Good food, good chat, great people and that view. What a night! Fiona kept saying that she expected it to disappear at any moment as if it wasn’t real. I had a very surreal moment thinking “Am I really here? How is this happening to me?”. It all felt so unreal, so incredible.

We were all struck by that contrast tonight. The contrast of 1 night breaking our hearts with a beautiful, but melancholy family, the next night experiencing the direct opposite end of the spectrum in Pakistan. We all felt that it was good to get a bit of a lift after last night, which is great for us, but what about that family? I’m sure their food and their view wasn’t as esquisite as ours. Is it right for us to enjoy such things on this kind of trip? I don’t know. On one hand, it would be a shame to travel this far and not take note of some of the finer, positive, rich parts of the culture (if we make sure to remember the context in which we are experiencing them). On the other hand, there is so much need, so much want, so much injustice, so much inhumanity in this land. It is a dilemma, with no easy answer. Because these cultural experiences do help to enrich our understanding of the whole culture. How? What connection does a 400 year Mosque have to anything else we’ve done? Everything! Set aside the biggest connection – the tension between different faiths – and you have the fact that this is a land with thousands of years of history, rich history, diverse history. The Christian community in Pakistan is a vital part of that history, but to truly start to understand the current context, we must be aware of what went before.

Now I know that what I’ve written sounds an awful lot like I’m trying to over-reason our experience, but it is more than that. Perhaps I am trying to assuage some feeling of guilt for enjoying the experience, not perhaps, I am. I do have some guilt that I can enjoy these beautiful places and experiences whilst others cannot. Is that wrong? One of my great passions is to travel, to explore different cultures, to experience a few of the incredible things this World, this life has to offer. Is that wrong? I am here for a specific purpose, to take pictures, gather stories and encourage council use of social media. I have done that, I think well, is it ok to, when there are no projects to visit, people to meet, that I (we) take advantage of the amazingness of where we are? The official part of the trip is THE most important part of the trip, it is the part that we put most focus on, most effort into. And yes, it is draining, we’re generally on the go from 7/8am until, well now (1am). I don’t know what to think :-/ I know that I have been incredibly fortunate to be able to travel to places like and hear such moving stories directly from the people involved. I am blessed for that, and I pray I have blessed through that.

I’m not sure how to view, to judge,  this evenings experience (ethically). It was an amazing experience, one that a few years ago I would never have dreamed would come to me. One thing that I do know for sure is that it once more brought to mind the beauty and brokenness that exists in Pakistan (in so many countries). So many of our experiences here have been a mixture of beauty and brokenness, some have been pure beauty, some pure brokenness. There is so much that needs done in this World, so much that we have to pray for, to praise for, to persevere through, to have faith for/ through. But prayer is where we must start.

Peace Out

Flights over were fine, the 8 hour wait at Dubai provided time for some uncomfortable sleeping and the security staff at Karachi Airport seemed to be very interested in the fact that I shave my head!

Once we got out if the airport, we were picked up by Johnson – a driver that the Church World Service (CWS) have provided for us here in Karachi. Who then took us to the CWS offices in Karachi, here we met Jennie, Audrey, Shama and many more, who’s names I have already forgotten :-/ At the offices we were given a brief rundown of what they do here, and worldwide. We were also treated to a gorgeous chicken curry and Dahl lunch, after enjoying some sweet chai tea. CWS gave us a brief security briefing for our trip – where to avoid/ what to avoid doing/ what to do in the unlikely event something does happen. In reality it put us, well, me at the least, at ease and confirmed suspicions that Pakistan isn’t as dangerous and unstable as Western media often makes it out to be (thats not to say that some areas aren’t dangerous and unstable or that there is not an inherent fragility about the country). This security briefing also allowed time for questions and some cultural do’s and don’ts!

The people here are all very friendly, which is good given that, being 3 very white westerners in a sea of Asian faces does mean we stick out a wee bit in a crowd! We went to a market this afternoon to get Fiona some culturally appropriate clothes for visiting various projects over the next few days. That was an experience! Jennie, a CWS staffer, came along to help (with what to buy as well as to make sure Fiona wasn’t fleeced!) was amazing! Guiding Fiona away from what were (apparently) Westernised version of the traditional dress, and making sure it was all done at a good price!

I haven’t taken many photos yet – it’s not a great idea for me to walk around the streets with it, advertising my expensive camera as a tempting target for any opportunists around! I have taken a few in the compound we are staying in, but I won’t really get going with it until we start visiting projects.

We were meant to meet the local Bishop tomorrow, unfortunately the volume of work he is dealing with has meant our meeting has been postponed until Friday, not sure what we’ll be doing yet, possibly some cultural learning!

There is so much here that reminds me of Nepal – the sounds, the smells, some of the sights. Its a very colourful place, the buses have to be seen to be believed! Just driving and walking around reminded me of why I love to travel – the new sights, smells, people to listen to and learn from, the new way of life to watch and learn from. Awesome.

I’m looking forward to what else we’ll see and experience on this trip. It’s guaranteed to be a mind altering trip!

Peace Out! (salam-o-alekum: which means “Peace be with You”)

One of the things that always strikes me is the bravery that so many showed that day: firefighters who selflessly ran into the burning towers to save people, civilians in the towers who risked their own lives to make sure fellow office workers made it out, police officers who risked everything to help people onnthe sites, the crew and passengers of flight 93 who refused to allow the hijackers on their plane complete their mission, the military personal at thr Pentagon who ran into the flames and confusion of what had happened those the could from there.

I’ve never been to any of the locations where people were killed that day, perhaps one day I will. I would be interested in especially visiting Ground Zero one day, I don’t think I would enjoy the experience and I’m not sure what draws me there; some peculiar sense of the macabre, or some weird voyeurism perhaps. It just seems like an important place to visit. I didn’t personally know anyone who was lost or who lost a loved one that day, but it the most visible site of an act, an event, a day that has shaped the decade since.

I know that some people don’t understand why we should make a bigger deal about this, the 10th anniversary, than any other anniversary or why we should remember this one day above all the other days when people have died in terrorist attacks. I think it’s because no (that I can think of) other terrorist attack has shaped the World so much. The last decade would have been very, very different if 9/11 had not happened. Would there have been so much war? Would we live in such a security conscious society? It is important to commemorate such events, to remind ourselves of what people have gone through and of what people are capable of – acts of evil and acts of incredible goodness. How many of the people who died that day died in thr act of trying to save others? The firefighters, the police officers, civilians. It is right that we remember them especially, to remember the lengths that people can and will go too to try and save people they have never met. So many people who witnessed the events of that day, whether in person or on TV have commented that they knew that nothing would ever be the same again.

A question we often hear on TV programs commemorating the event is “can you remember where you were when you heard about the attacks on 9/11?”. Most people I’ve spoken to can. I can still remember it as if it was yesterday. I was standing in my parents living room with 2/3 friends; we were about to go out for the day. Just as we were about to leave one of our other friends, Andy Simpson, phoned and told us that a plane had crashed into the twin towers and that we should turn on the news. We immediatley assumed that he was talking about a light aircraft, I remember theorising out loud that it must have been a Cessna. We then watched in disbelief for the next few hours and the tragedy of that day played out before our eyes and was then repeated over and over of the news. I remember watching the live film of the second plane hitting the towers, feeling scared and sad for those caught up in all of the terror. I remember one of my friends, Colin, turning to me and wondering out loud if we would be called up by the army to fight in the war we knew was about to start. I’ve seen those images replayed in TV time and time again, everytime it takes me back to that day watching in disbelief in my parents living room.

Watching that kind of event happen and watching all the programs that come after exploring some of the individual stories from the day makes you wonder about how you would react under the circumstances. I’ve often wondered if I would have had the courage that so many showed that day, or if I would have lost hope or frozen and let the events of the day happen to me. I pray I’ll never know! One thing I do know is that we should never forget that day, the people who suffered because of it, the atrocities committed, the acts of bravery and heroism shown by so many. It has influenced so much in the world, so many lives have been touched by what happened that day. It was a hugely emotional event that displayed, live on TV, the worst that people will do to each other and the best that people will do for each other.

Peace Out

The theme of the Assembly this year was “Love life”, with John Bell being the main speaker. From all accounts John spoke very well – passionate and challenging, over the weekend. When I was there on Monday he was speaking about the importance of recieving blessings from other people alongside the importancd of giving blessings to them. He illustrated this with stories about people he has met over his life that have enriched his life, even when he initially thought they had nothing to give. Now, usually I don’t find myself in agreement with some of John’s approach to Theology, but on Monday I found myself agreeing with him, more than that, I found myself really resonating with what he was saying. It started me thinking about my time at the Youth Assembly over the last 11 years and how it has blessed me through the people that I was often there to serve; about the times when I took part in summer mission and how they people I met more often than not blessed me more than I felt I blessed them; about the hospitality I was shown when I visited an unrecognised Arab village in Israel, visiting a community who had very little, were severely oppressed, yet still gave everything they had to the 11 white people who were visiting them.

There was only one debate on Monday at the assembly, a debate talking about marriage. It was really interesting to listen to the groups as I was walking around taking photos, hearing how each group had picked up on different aspects if the material. Some were delving deeply into Theology of marrisge and looking at what the New Testament had to say about it; some were exploring current cultural approaches to marriage, asking questions such as “Is more emphasis
put on the wedding than on the actual marriage?” and “Is marriage as important to society as it used to be?”; other groups were exploring issues around divorce and remarriage, during the ‘blether’ where they had recieved some background information about the subject they were also asked some specific questions about Marriage and how the Church relates to it, one of the questions being “should the Church develop a liturgy of divorce?” The reasoning behind this being that an earlier survey of young people had brought back the suggestion that a service marking a divorce may help children and young people (and the adults) to cope with thr break up a marrige better. It was a really interesting debate, I’m sure the final deliverance will appear on the COSY blog soon!

One of the things I loved about visiting this assembly was the number of people I recognised, it really wasn’t that big a percentage of the number of people there. I thought that was awesome! Yeah, it was great to see old friends, people I haven’t seen in ages when I went, but it was just as awesome to see more youth and young adults engaging with the wider Church, the more diverse the attendance at the NYA is, the better for the wider Church!

My role on Monday was to take some photos of the day, capturing some of the moments that could be used for publicity for the event. I was able to get a number of good photos, which will be appearing on here, the COSY blog, the COSY flickr page and a few other places soon, I was very aware that I was starting my visual story telling of the weekend at the end of the event. They may be good photos, the may provide a visual narrative to some of Mondays goings on, but they are missing the wider narrative and context of the entire weekend, so I can’t wait to see the photos appearing from others who were there for the whole weekend, or perhaps just for small parts of te weekend.

I’m going to leave my ramblings there for the time being, save to provide some links for you to better explore things around the Church of Scotland National Youth assembly:
For the COSY blog visit: www.cosyblog.wordpress.com
For the COSY Twitter account: www.twitter.com/#!/cosy_nya
For the COSY Flickr page: www.flickr.com/photos/cosyblog

Enjoy exploring these pages!

Peace Out

I’m really looking forward to the day, I haven’t been to the Youth Assembly since 2009, after which I became too old to go as a delegate. I do miss the asembly, it’s been a huge part of my life for the last 11 years. My first experience at the assembly was in April 2000, when I was 16. It was at this assembly that I decided that I wanted to follow Jesus and gave my life to him. Since then I have seen many changes in the structure, focus and feel of the assembly. I’ve met more people than I can remember, made some amazing friends, experienced things I could never had imagined, had so many incredible experiences it would take ages to list the all, let alone describe them!

I’m glad that I can use my skills and now my business to give back to the assembly. Although most, if not all, of the people who were involved when I first went are no longer involved, the event still means a lot to me. I know firsthand what involvement in the event and this community can be, can mean when you become a part of it.

One thing I love each time I go back to the assembly, whether for a weekend or a day, is the number of people I don’t know. Although the assembly has a group of dedicated attendees, it also has a healthy rate of turnover. It needs to, if it didn’t, the assemblym the community, would soon stagnate and wither.

Once I’m back in Aberdeen, I’ll post a few sample pictures up here from the day, along with a few links to other blogs etc that are talking about the assembly.

Peace Out

I’ve been very, very inactive on here over the last wee while, something I”m not happy at all about!

I’m not sure why I have been inactive, I’m certainly not short of things to write about – CLAN Gathering, Tearfund, World Mission Council, Canada, Cyprus, Hoskins Gallery, Starting a business, Pakistan…..if these things don’t make sense, that’s because I’ve not been keeping this up-to-date!

I’m hoping to remedy this over the next while, if I am fighting against writers block then the only way to deal with that is to write!!

Anytime I write on here, I’m a wee bit nervous about how it will be recieved, so it’s definitely not fear of how I write or what I say being the issue! Although, at some point, I do want to have the courage/ strength to blog about my experiences over the last few years!

I’ll leave it there just now, other than to say, one of the things that’s been keeping my so busy recently is that my wife, Linda, and I have started our own photography and art business, Hoskins Gallery, you can check it out at www.hoskinsgallery.com

Suffice to say, we’re very excited about it!!!

Peace Out

I’ve been interested in the work of this council since I first became aware of its existence in 2000. I suppose it all boils down to the fact that, when I was younger my mind was captured by adventure, explorers like Marco Polo, Livingstone, Captain Scott, Amundsen, Alexander MacKenzie, James Cook, Shackleton, Edmund Hillary, George Vancouver, to name but a few. When I first heard of World Mission, I still had this romanticised idea of exploration and adventure in my head, and World Mission slotted perfectly into that notion of mine beginning 11 years of interest. I’ve since been able to move past that romanticised notion and recognise the work of World Mission for the great, real, work that it is. The Remit of the council is as follows:

The World Mission Council is the channel through which the Church of Scotland responds to the command of Jesus: “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (Mark 16:15). We work in countries around the world, usually on the basis of partnership with local churches and institutions, and always with a view to involving church members in Scotland. The cultivation of two-way partnerships between congregations overseas and congregations in Scotland not only creates friendships but expands horizons.

Taking the first steps towards connecting with people in different countries can be the beginning of an exciting and life-changing relationship. Discover challenges people face every day; experience their heart and resilience; share in the joy of giving and receiving.

The Council report is available for download here. I’ll let you read it for yourself, it makes for interesting reading, but I will share with you here the proposed deliverance:

1. Receive the report.
2. Give thanks for the life and witness of Mission Partners who have died, acknowledge with gratitude those who have
completed their period of service overseas, and uphold in prayer all who continue to serve.
3. Urge members of the Church to visit, meet and support the Christian community in the Middle East.
4. Encourage members to pray for the Presbyterian and other churches in Egypt and the work of the Coptic Evangelical
Organisation for Social Services (CEOSS) amongst the least in the society.
5. Encourage members to pray for the witness of the Presbyterian and other Churches in Lebanon and Syria.
6. Commend the Kairos Palestine document to the whole church.
7. Give thanks for Jewish, Christian and Muslim cooperation in upholding the rights of the poor and oppressed in the
Middle East and beyond.
8. Appreciate the work of the Council in developing its Centres to support the Council’s work in the pursuit of justice,
peace and reconciliation.
9. Commend the Council for seeking to engage every member of the Church of Scotland in support of peacemaking
in Israel and Palestine.
10. Give thanks for the renewed co-operation between the Council and congregations of the Church of Scotland with
Christian Aid, and urge all members to support Christian Aid in expressing solidarity with the world church.
11. Thank the Guild for their keen interest and support for the Council’s work around the world.
12. Encourage congregations to join in twinning relationships.
13. Encourage members to offer for service as Mission Partners.
14. Encourage members to volunteer as Ecumenical Accompaniers.
15. Give thanks for the peaceful emergence of South Sudan as a new country and encourage the Council to continue
to support the Christian communities in North and South Sudan.
16. Urge the Government of Pakistan to release and pardon Ms. Asia Bibi and to ensure that she and her family are
protected.
17. Urge the Government of Pakistan to repeal the Blasphemy Law.
18. Urge congregations to be involved in advocacy activities in support of minority Christian communities.
19. Give thanks for the HIV Programme and the work of our partners at home and overseas, and re-commit the Church
of Scotland to playing its part in response to the pandemic.
20. Thank congregations for their enthusiastic support for Souper Sunday and encourage them to continue to support
the HIV Programme in prayer, action and giving.

I don’t want to preempt the debate this afternoon, but I am especially interested to see what might be said on the floor about sections 3, 12, 13 and 17.

My interest in the Council was boosted over the last few years due to 2 trips I was privileged to participate in. In 2008 I was part of a trip to the holy Land with the Mission and Discipleship council, you can read more about it here. Last year I was part of a faithshare visit to Nepal to spend time with the South Asia Christian Youth Network, you can read more about that here. These trips did more than I can vocalise to re-ignite my interest and passion for the work of World Mission. The people I met and the things I saw galvanised something in me, a desire to get more involved and see if I can’t help in someway, to see if i have something worthwhile to offer in this area. I’ve been nominated to join the Council this year, which I’m very excited about, which means I’ll be blogging more about World Mission.

In the meantime, here are 6 blogs from World Mission mission partners around the world:

• Joel Githinji in Nepal http://joelgithinji.blogspot.com
• Colin Johnston in Israel / Palestine http://colinintiberias.blogspot.com
• David & Rebecca Morton in Malawi davidrebeccamorton.wordpress.com
• George Shand in Israel / Palestine http://georgeshand.wordpress.com
• Ida and Keith Waddell in Zambia http://idaandkeith.blogspot.com
• Tabeetha School in Jaffa has a blog at: http://tabeethaschool.blogspot.com

Enjoy the Debate!

Peace Out

I attended the General Assembly 6 times as a youth rep: 2001, 2002, 2o03, 2005, 2008, 2009 and this issue came up every year! It was rarely brought up by a Youth Rep, it was more often brought up by a commissioner to the assembly who appreciated the input of the Youth Reps and wanted to see that input given further weight. The argument against has been consistent since I first attended, Youth Reps are not allowed to vote because of 2 reasons: There is the issue of ordination, most Youth Reps are not ordained; The other issue is that Youth Reps, ordained or not, are not commissioned to assembly. For Youth Reps to be allowed to vote would require, in my opinion, fulfillment across the board on both of these issues, which would then of course require an overhaul of how Youth Reps are chosen to attend the assembly and an overhaul of who/ how the Church of Scotland Ordains people.

I have not always been against the vote, when I first attended the General Assembly I couldn’t understand why the Church wouldn’t just let Youth Reps vote. It made no sense to me, it seemed to me that they were just being awkward, mean perhaps! I blame that on the fire of youth (I was 17 with a full head of hair after all!). I’m now 10 years older and able to better channel my passion into avenues that have an opportunity to bear fruit. I understand the nuances better than I did when I was an inexperienced, naive 17 year old. Now, before you all get mad that I’m labeling all youth Reps (and others) who support Youth Reps getting the vote as naive, inexperienced, young, stupid or anything like that, I’m not. I’m only pointing out that when I was 17 I often spoke/ acted before I thought, I didn’t always understand what I was talking about (i’m not sure that last point has moved on much TBH!).

Youth Reps at the assembly are an incredible force, they speak with passion, with power with pride, with emotion, with eloquence (ok, that last one isn’t always true, some Youth reps have been known to mumble or even inform the assembly that they possess “mind-boggling expertise”). The pint is, Youth Reps are always a welcomed part of the assembly, a celebrated part of the assembly. They are not scared to speak (30-40 people having your back tends to boost you confidence!), they are not scared to challenge, to ask questions (even awkward or stupid ones!). So is it really that big a deal if Youth Reps never get to vote? Youth Reps still make a valued input, still do and say enough to change the assemblies mind and influence them.

I’ll leave you with a quote from my friend Lynsey on twitter: “Hoping the youth that don’t think we have a vote were represented. We don’t all think the same. We’re all pals though….beautiful”

They disagree, but they love each other anyway…….

Peace Out

The General Assembly has been a big part of my Christian journey, I’ve had the privilege of attending 6 times, representing Falkirk Presbytery, The Church of Scotland National Youth Assembly and Kincardine and Deeside Presbytery twice each. some people hate the event, some people find it incredibly dull, others irrelevant. I love it. I love the feeling of being a part of something that matters, something that is so much bigger than the individual, something so big that is seeking to guide a nationwide community of believers, something seeking to discern God’s will for a nation.

I’ve seen many great things said and done at the assembly, been party to some awesome people doing everything they can to further God’s Kingdom. Sure, I’ve seen and heard some daft things done and said there (I’m sure I’ve been a perpetrator of that!).

I could ramble on and on about the General Assembly and how much I’ve enjoyed being a part of the event, the process, the excitement (hidden as it may be!). But I’d rather focus on what it has taught me. Everytime I’ve attended the Assembly as a Youth representative, we’ve stayed together as a group. Imagine that, 30-40 young, passionate Christians living together as a tight-knit group for a week. Frankly, I’m amazed I’ve seen as few arguments in my 6 General Assemblies as I have (and when I say arguments, I mean minor disagreements). Each year there is a group of Youth Reps who have different backgrounds, different outlooks on life, Theology and God, different perspectives on the happenings of the General Assembly. Imagine that multiplied up to almost 1000 people. Thats one of the beautiful aspects of the General Assembly. So many individuals meeting together, sharing a similar goal, a similar prayer, all with different backgrounds, theological stances, perspectives, ideas. It’s taught me well. As with most people, I firmly believe that my way of seeing things is right, that my interpretation is correct. I’ve been humbled(not humiliated) many times through listening to others and discussing things with those I disagree with. I’m not saying that the General Assembly has taught me to change my mind and be wishy washy, it’s taught me to be open to what others think and believe. It’s taught me that, while I hold fast to my beliefs and interpretations, it’s not absurd to be willing to listen to others, to not dismiss those that I disagree with, to listen to them and when necessary, respectfully disagree.

Why am I saying all this? Partly because I’m a nostalgic fool , partly because I want to say something about the General Assembly and I have nothing more substantial to say! But mostly, it’s because I value the General Assembly and the Church of Scotland, despite their many obvious flaws. Today is going to be a difficult day for this years General Assembly, today is the Report of the Special Commission on Same Sex Relationships and the Ministry. Today a very long, difficult discussion will be held in the assembly rooms, people will have a lot to say, some will be scared to voice their opinions, some will not hold back. The last time this issue came up (2009) the actual debate in the Assembly hall was conducted with graciousness, with sensitivity, with class. I pray it is again today. We also proved two years ago (as a Church) that we are not very good at conducting ourselves civilly in public when it comes to this issue. we proved that, as a Church, we are fallible, we are flawed, we are human. It was painful, it was hard, but I think it was perhaps a lesson we had to learn. I’m praying that we have learned that lesson, that when the opportunity comes this year for that public debate to re-open via blogs, twitter, newspapers and other media, that we will treat each other with respect, dignity, sensitivity and graciousness. Last time, the call came from both extremes of the Theological spectrum that the other end was close-minded. I pray that we don’t have that again. Christians so often get a bad press in this world, no more so than when we are at each others throats. I pray that this does not come again after today. I won’t call for the Church to be perfect, that would be stupid. But we have to show the world that we can follow Jesus’ commands, that we can put aside our differences, our disagreements and love each other as neighbours.

We’re people, we’re fallible, we’re imperfect, we’re Christians. Let’s listen to each other, let’s try and understand each other, let’s not be afraid to disagree. But let’s find a way to disagree whilst still being a good witness for Christ to the world. Let’s remember that the most important thing is not who is right and who is wrong, it’s not who wins and who loses. The most important thing is that God’s will is sought. That God is placed in the centre, that we seek God’s guidance, God’s wisdom. If we don’t do that, whats the point? If we do not focus on God, on His desires, His will, why bother?

Let’s pray for the General Assembly today, for those who will partake in this well publicised, difficult discussion. Let’s also pray for how we deal with the decisions made today.

Peace Out