Bulletins

Blue Christmas

William Boyle shares his experience of the value of offering a Christmas service for the bereaved. I first came across a Blue Christmas service during my time as a student minister. I liked it very much and felt it really supported those who attended. It gives time, place and space to remember loved ones we …

Lament – Colin Sinclair

Lament, in and for the Church The largest group of Psalms are Laments, (both individual and corporate), because there is so much to lament about! During my year as Moderator, Ruth and I received both a sanitised view of the Church and also real and deep insights. It was sanitised because the Moderator was usually …

Lament – Martin Fair

This coming January, I’ll be recognising the thirtieth anniversary of my ordination to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament. I’m thankful to God for the opportunity that has been mine to serve in one parish for the whole of that time. Did I imagine that I’d be in the same place throughout those years? Not …

Lament – Gordon Palmer

In July 2020, Karen, my wife, had a book published, “Jennifer: A Life Precious to God”; a series of recollections, reflections, diary entries through the pregnancy and short life (five hours) of our eldest daughter.  Many people have made contact as a result. Two all too common features have recurred.  One is the pain of …

Lament – Fiona Gardener

Cries of distress There is a raw expression of grief, which bubbles up from the deepest places of the heart, and erupts in a howl of lament. It is the kind of cry of distress that once heard is never forgotten. It pierces the heart and the soul of all who hear. It is the …

Lament – Lynn McChlery

Good Grief: Towards a Theology of Lament I once heard the story of a child who came home with the solemn news that her friend’s doll had been broken that day. “That’s awful”, said her mother, “Did you help her to fix it?” “No”, the little girl replied, “but I helped her to cry.” It’s …

One Big Idea: Developing a theology and practice of lament

Fred Drummond, shares his thoughts on the theology of lament One of the most significant and important things that all communities of faith are going to have to think about, and put in place, over the next few months, is a clear theology of lament. Why do I think that? I think we will be faced …

ANTI-RACIST IN CHRIST?

Ecumenical Christian Repentance, Reflection and Action on Racial Discrimination and Xenophobia 14-17 June 2021 E-CONFERENCE REPORT Background The Council for World Mission (CWM) and World Council of Churches (WCC) – through its Mission from the Margins and its Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA), co-organised the above-mentioned joint ecumenical online event from 14 to …

Faraday Institute Bursaries

The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion is a Cambridge-based interdisciplinary research institute improving public understanding of science and religion. Its main focus is on the relationship between science and the Christian faith, but it also engages with those of any faith or none. In a recent survey, 30% of non-Christians and 10% of Christians …

Climate Change, the Church and COP26.

This November, leaders from around the world will gather in Glasgow at COP26 to chart a new course towards a safe and sustainable future. The climate and biodiversity crisis are collectively pushing many of the world’s ecosystems to the brink of collapse, and with it, many of the support systems that billions of people depend …

MTh Ministry, Theology & Practice with the Dr Williams’s Trust and the University of Glasgow

The MTh degree in Ministry, Theology and Practice is a part-time Masters degree intended for pastoral professionals to develop and enhance their abilities, and help to open up new directions for faith and mission. This is a unique programme, developed as part of a long standing collaboration between the Dr Williams’s Trust, London and the University of Glasgow, …

Celebrate Life and Work Sunday on 29 August and support the magazine of our church

Join us as we celebrate the past, present and future of the Church’s magazine Life and Work has been informing, uplifting, moving, connecting and occasionally enraging the Church of Scotland for over 140 years. This summer, we are offering churches the chance to celebrate that. Life and Work Sunday will be marked on August 29 with …

To make us smile – Reflection

To make us smile: There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. …

Working with our volunteers

Douglas Hamilton, Probationer Minister in Lothian Presbytery and previous Head of Scotland for Save the Children UK, reflects on some of the privileges and complexities of working with volunteers.   Ending the recruitment of ‘volunteers’ in the church A few years ago, I was chatting to a recruitment consultant interested in hearing about my sense …

Wonderfully made

Wonderfully Made I am…I know in trust and faith, but it’s not always so easy to believe. You inspire confidence in me, but always rooted in your wisdom. Wonderful – are you sure? But it’s a sign of maturity to accept a complement…. someone told me that long ago! Help me, in knowing the love …

Benefits of Personality Tests

There is a whole raft of personality profiles available these days. Can engaging with their help our emotional intelligence to grow?   We can be helped to identify our likes and dislikes, strengths & weaknesses. Learning more about why we prefer certain things and dislike others can be so helpful when making important life decisions. …

John Finch – EQI testimony

Curiosity killed the cat they say – but we keep being curious. We are constantly asking questions about our practices, successes and failures, and the trends we see all around us. Often our curiosity brings us to a place of discovering a new tool, a new book, a new practise.   Our curiosity is often …

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence Just over three years ago, the Pastoral Team of the then Ministries Council suggested that two of the Ascend coaching team be trained to use a personal development inventory that would help people understand and think through the implications for themselves of emotional intelligence.  The inventory is called EQ-I 2.0 and is produced …

Royal Army Chaplains’ Department Theological Students’ and Potential Chaplains’ Course 2021.

Royal Army Chaplains’ Department Theological Students’ and Potential Chaplains’ Course 2021. This is an annual residential course offered to theological students and junior clergy by the Royal Army Chaplains’ Department to stimulate awareness of the unique opportunities and challenges of Army chaplaincy.   The 2021 course will take place from Monday 6 September to Friday …