24 April 2025

There were two very important lessons which I discovered early on in my work as a parish minister. The first was that I needed to acknowledge that the Church was the people whom God had called together in the parish where I was minister.

I may find this one difficult or that one always in opposition to the decisions of Kirk Session but I couldn’t rub them out of the picture. Everyone gathered together in a worshipping community  has been called by God and constitutes an integral part of the Church in that place.

It is a beautiful concept not replicated in any other organisation nor society. It is the mysterious hand of God who has drawn us all together in a particular place and like the seed planted in the soil we have the opportunity to harvest something beautiful and strong.

The second is like the first but different. It isn’t faithful to wait for young people to appear before thinking about ministering to them. Young people are also a significant part of Christ’s Church for in welcoming them, we welcome him. We must make a start and think imaginatively about what we can do.

This week, I got a copy of a Newsletter from my first charge, a mining community in Lanarkshire. I was there in the 80s during the Miners’ Strike. The Newsletter was full of colour and vitality. They have no minister and are awaiting some sort of readjustment. But they have an active Parish Community Co-ordinator.

She has just organised an Easter event for all the classes in the Primary School. They have come down to the Church to see visual displays  of the events in  Holy Week. She has told the story and with others provided hospitality. She went into the Primary School during Lent and taught all the  children how to make pancakes!

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