Messy Church success

RESEARCH commissioned by the Church of England has found that the Messy Church movement is reaching a large number of people who would otherwise not attend church.

More than 250 Church of Scotland congregations run a Messy Church, a family-friendly (but not solely for children) exploration of biblical themes through creativity and fun, usually followed by a sit-down meal. Organisers stress that it is very much an expression of church in its own right, rather than a craft group or a club, and that it is primarily for people who don’t belong to or attend any other form of church.

Founded 15 years ago at a church near Portsmouth, it has spread worldwide, with Scottish churches among the earliest to try the approach.

The report, Playfully Serious, was produced by the Church Army’s Research Unit and launched at the Church of England’s General Synod in February. Among its findings was that six out of 10 families who attend would not otherwise be part of a church.

The researchers concluded that while some Messy Churches see themselves as outreach initiatives, a way to reconnect families to the traditional Church, many others see themselves as fresh expressions of church offering families a different style of church congregation.

Overall almost four in 10 Messy Churches are engaging in sacraments such as baptism, but that rises to five in 10 for Messy Churches that intend to be new church congregations. The report recommends that Messy Churches are encouraged to see themselves as fresh expressions of church if they hope to help families to follow Jesus and grow in faith, when this is not included elsewhere in the life of the parish.

It also states that Messy Churches appear to work equally well in rural and urban settings and their unique style of worship and focus on bringing different generations together is making a significant difference to the lives of people who attend.

The report’s other findings include:

• 100% of Messy Churches are engaging with the Bible

• 40% of families had no connection to a church before attending Messy Church

• 21% of families had left a previous church and returned through Messy Church

• 90% say they host informal conversations about spirituality

• 40% of Messy Churches are involved in sacraments

• 81% of people taking part say they have seen lives being changed through Messy Church

• 95% were teaching worship and prayer

• 21% held baptisms within their Messy Church

Most of the families who attend have young children and tend to leave when those children arrive at secondary school age. However leavers told the report that they had achieved their goal of introducing their children to Christianity and many families stayed connected to the Church.

The Rev Dr Fiona Tweedie, the Church of Scotland’s mission statistics co-ordinator, was part of the team that produced the report. She says: “It was a privilege to trace God at work in so many different places through the data analysis.

“Messy Church can have a profound effect on the lives of those who attend, and those who lead. We should do what we can to support this way of being church together.” The Rev Norman Smith, convener of the Mission and Discipleship Council said: “This research shows clearly that Messy Church connects with people who would not otherwise attend traditional services.

“If your church is not connecting with families we encourage you to think about initiatives like Messy Church. It might be different but it’s still church!”

STREET PASTORS TO HAND OUT CHURCH INVITATION

Street Pastors in Scotland are seeking partner churches for a new scheme which will signpost people to local congregations. The Street Pastors are a familiar sight in Scotland’s towns and cities on Friday and Saturday nights, where they offer practical help and a listening ear to anyone who needs it, from the homeless to people on a night out.

The pastors, trained volunteers from churches of various denominations, report that they often have conversations with people who are interested in exploring the Christian faith.

The new scheme, funded by the threeyear partnership with the Church of Scotland Guild which finished last year, will see pastors hand out cards inviting such people to local churches.

They are asking that churches of all denominations display signs on their noticeboards, showing that they support the initiative (the recipients of the cards will be told to look out for churches displaying the sign); and that their welcome teams are aware that someone may approach with one of the cards.

Sandy Scrimgeour, the Chief Executive of Ascension Trust (Scotland) – the umbrella organisation for all Street Pastor groups in Scotland – said: “We are all individuals. The welcome we need is also individual. The welcome we get in church may be too much for us – resulting in a feeling of suff ocation – or it may actually be an ‘unwelcome’ – because we sat in ‘someone’s seat’. The aim of this initiative, which is the suggestion of Helen Wynd, a Street Pastor in Stirling, is to overcome this mismatch.”

Interested churches can contact the Ascension Trust on 01738 248143 or admin@ascensiontrust.co.uk

INTERNATIONAL YOUTH PRESBYTERY MEETS IN ROTTERDAM

Young people from as far afield as Sri Lanka and all over Europe congregated in Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, in February for the International Youth Presbytery. Representing Church of Scotland congregations from Colombo, Bochum, Paris, Budapest, Rome and Rotterdam, the young people had a weekend of discussion and socialising.

Topics for discussion included ‘you and faith’ (how would you describe your faith, when there’s a discussion about faith do you stand up to be counted, how can we communicate our faith without preaching), ‘you and the world’ (what do you see as the greatest challenges facing the world, what can we do to make the world we inhabit more like the kingdom of God?), ‘faith and culture’ (how does the variety of cultures in most countries impact upon society, what separates and what unites us in a Christian context?) and ‘the church and the future’ (is the church fit for God’s mission in the 21st century, what are the church’s greatest problems and its greatest resources).

There was also time to enjoy a guided tour of Rotterdam and a game of bowling, as well as cooking and eating together, and sharing worship at the Scots Church in the city.

MODERATOR’S CLIMATE CALL TO MEPS

The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland has challenged Scottish legislators to deliver a zero carbon emissions economy by 2050 ‘at the very latest’. The Rt Rev Susan Brown, speaking at a climate justice coffee morning at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh, said the nation must be at the forefront of the ethical and political fight to tackle climate change. She said climate justice was one of the defining challenges of the age and the greatest impact of rising temperatures is felt by the poorest people in the world.

Mrs Brown said: “Since the Climate Change Bill was introduced to the Scottish Parliament in May 2018, there has been a growing awareness that we are no longer just facing climate change but are facing a climate emergency.

“We have heard this from scientists around the world, and from speakers young and old.

“The report on a world warmed by 1.5 Celsius produced for the United Nations late last year shocked us by spelling out the damage that will result and has caused many of us to think how we can respond more quickly.”

STAMP APPEAL REACHES HALF CENTURY

The Church of Scotland World Mission Stamp Appeal celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and is supporting a Malawian organisation reaching the same milestone. The 2019 appeal is in aid of the Chigodi Women Training Centre in Blantyre. Run by the Blantyre Synod of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian, this is the only residential training centre for women and girls in southern Malawi.

The centre works with disadvantaged and unemployed girls and women, and has previously run programmes in knitting and embroidery, fashion design and tailoring, leadership, gender advocacy and healthcare. Established 50 years ago, it was registered as a women’s rights organisation in 1997.

The project being supported by the stamp appeal will identify 40 vulnerable girls and women and deliver 12 months of hands-on training in tailoring and fashion design. The clothes made will be sold to help generate income for the project and make it sustainable. They will also be taught poultry farming.

The Stamp Appeal was first run in 1969. Since 2003, it has supported a separate project each year, starting with the then-new HIV/AIDS Project. Last year’s appeal, for a day care centre for disabled children in the Ukraine, raised nearly £2500.

To mark the 50th anniversary, this year, participants are being challenged to collect 50 stamps in a post van-shaped collection box.

For more information and to download posters and resources, visit www.churchofscotland.org.uk/serve/world_mission/get_involved/campaigns/stamp_appeal

CYCLONE APPEALS

Aid agencies have launched emergency appeals to help the victims of the widespread death and destruction caused by Cyclone Idai in south east Africa.

Both Tearfund and Christian Aid announced the release of emergency reserves to help with the immediate relief effort following the storm in March, which made landfall in Mozambique and moved eastward across Malawi and Zimbabwe over several days.

At the time of writing the full extent of the damage is still being assessed, but the President of Mozambique has warned that the number killed could exceed 1,000, and thousands more have been displaced and left homeless. Nearly 1.6m people live in areas potentially impacted by high winds and rainfall.

Nicholas Shamano, Christian Aid Country Director for Zimbabwe, said: “The situation is already dire. Lives, livelihoods, infrastructure and property have been lost. The priority now must be on addressing the immediate needs of the affected communities. But we also need to focus on addressing the effects of natural disasters and improve disaster preparedness for communities at risk to ensure resilience to extreme weather systems.”

Tearfund announced that it had released £53,000 immediately to provide food and temporary shelter, and also planned to distribute seeds to mitigate the risk of food shortages in the medium term as the cyclone and floods destroyed mature crops that were ready for harvesting.

Tearfund’s Country Director for Mozambique, Edgar Jone, said: “This is a catastrophe. It’s a huge setback for the work we are doing to support people to overcome poverty in Mozambique. Our priority now is to reach those people who have lost so much and support them to get back on their feet. Cyclone Idai has destroyed so much in an instant, and it will take years for people to recover what they have lost.”

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PARTNERSHIP WITH ADVICE SERVICE

Dumfries and Galloway Citizens Advice Service (DGCAS) have entered into a new collaboration with Castle Douglas Parish Church to deliver advice services from the church halls.

The partnership came about after the church’s new minister, the Rev Alison Burnside, dropped into the local library just before Christmas, to be told that the advice service were using it. They had lost their premises in November and were looking for permanent premises.

Alison said: “We were saddened to hear of the closure of our local bureau and the congregation were delighted to offer our assistance in providing the use of our church halls to ensure that advice services could be still be delivered.”

SANDS PRESENTATION

A cheque for £380 was presented during a Sunday morning service at Banff Parish Church to the Banff and Buchan branch of SANDS, the still-born and neonatal death charity.

The cheque was handed over by Casey Burgess (left) and George Lorimer and accepted by SANDS representative Wendy Angus (standing left).

The money had been donated by the congregation as an extra retiring collection following the baptism of Isaac, the son of the Rev David and Marie Locke at a service on January 27.

LONG SERVICE

On Sunday March 3 the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Rev Susan Brown, took part in worship at Ness Bank Church, Inverness. During the service the Moderator presented Long Service Certificates to Wym Simpson and Andrew Bremner, both of whom have served as elders for 50 years. Mr Simpson is also Session Clerk.

FOUR CENTENARIANS

Dollar Parish Church held a tea party on Saturday March 4 to celebrate the 100th birthdays of Elspeth Campbell and Katie Macaulay.

This is the second double-hundredth party held at the church in less than a year – and last year’s two centenarians, Ruet Roe and Dorothy Baird, were also at the party.

The four ladies are pictured, from left: Ruet, Dorothy, Elspeth, Katie.

MISSION PARTNER VISIT

West Lothian Presbytery welcomed Dr Arie Glas, the new Medical Director of Mulanje Mission Hospital, during his visit to Scotland last week. He takes up this position on April 1, succeeding Dr Ruth Shakespeare, who was West Lothian’s mission partner.

Dr Glas spoke to meetings in Bathgate, Linlithgow and Uphall about the work of the Mission Hospital in combating illness and its causes in southern Malawi. Picture: Dr Glas speaking in Linlithgow.

RUNNER DROPS IN

Ultra-runner Mark Calder, who is running Scotland’s pilgrim routes in aid of Embrace the Middle East, stopped for a lunch break at Bervie Church Centre in Aberdeenshire, where minister the Rev Andrew Morrison presented him with a cheque for £500 from the Arbuthnott Bervie and Kinneff Church World Mission Team. Mark’s latest run was the 95 miles from Aberdeen to St Andrews.

It was one of Andrew’s first official duties as minister, having been inducted to his first charge the night before.

FAIRTRADE CELEBRATION

Carrick Knowe Parish Church, a Fairtrade congregation, celebrated the 40th birthday of Traidcraft on Sunday March 10 as part of their Fairtrade Fortnight activities.

Suzie Stevenson (Fairtrade co-ordinator) and the Rev Douglas Nicol (locum minister) cut a cake decorated with the Traidcraft logo and made from at least some Fairtrade products. A quiz and a bake sale after the service raised £143 for Traidcraft Exchange, who provide the ‘premium’ for the producers to use in community projects.

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