Do not be afraid

Jackie Macadam reflects on some of the partnerships – and relationships – with overseas churches.

ACCORDING to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the first use of ‘partner’ was in the 14th century. It meant ‘partaker’, meaning ‘one who shares’.

If that’s not the best description of what the central Church of Scotland along with twinning partnerships involving individual churches and presbyteries across the country, does with churches across the globe, then I don’t know what is.

A partner shares. A partner gives as much as they take. A partner is not a rival. Partners works together.

The Church of Scotland places a great deal of importance on working with others to spread the word and work of Christ, and with a huge variety of churches, this is sometimes achieved in ways that are imaginative and yet always practical.

The Rev Aaron Stevens is minister at St Columba’s in Budapest, Hungary.

“A charge in the International Presbytery, St Columba’s Budapest also belongs to the Reformed Church in Hungary (RCH), so I’ve had an opportunity over the years to observe the Reformed Hungarians”, he says.

“Over the years, Church of Scotland and Hungarian Reformed connections have been made in a variety of areas: from twinning visits focussed on religious education to co-operation in Eco-congregation movement, from conferences about priority areas to collaboration on work with refugees.

“I can think of no better way to illustrate how much they have to offer than by describing the Starpoint Reformed Youth Festival, which took place in Debrecen in July.

“With ‘What Surrounds Us’ as the theme of the event, roughly 3000 young Hungarians from around the Carpathian Basin and 31 international youths from 17 partner churches gathered to reflect on how we are surrounded by the love of God, how the kingdom of God is all around us, and how we can take our part in it. While the target age group for the festival was 14-25, the overall range was wider when including the volunteers and international visitors, two of whom came from Scotland. Those visitors were hosted by the event’s international working group, led by Dia Erdélyi, a Church of Scotland elder who works in the RCH Ecumenical Office.

“Having led the groups before, this time, I arrived in Debrecen wondering what a youth festival might communicate regarding resilience in ministry or public witness against xenophobia. In his talk about how we are made in God’s image, the keynote speaker addressed self-esteem issues and struggles faced even by ministers, encouraging youth to care for and pray for their ministers. The opening worship service involved a Pakistani woman reading scripture in Urdu and for the closing service a Syrian woman read in Arabic. I left inspired.”

Debrecan also features in the partner workings of Kinross Parish Church with their link to the Great Church in the town, a historic church where the Reformation started and the first copy of the Bible in Hungarian is stored.

“We have had a link with the Great Church in Debrecen, Hungary, for the last seven years”, says Kinross minister, the Rev Alan Reid. “We have been sending summer mission teams there each year to help run an English-language holiday club – this year the team from Kinross numbered 19 people ranging in age from 15 to 60.

“In August, we had four members from Debrecen with us in Kinross helping with our holiday club. It’s a great way to share ideas and experience.

The Church of Scotland places a great deal of importance on working with others to spread the word and work of Christ, and with a huge variety of churches, this is sometimes achieved in ways that are imaginative and yet always practical.

“We also hosted two members from Debrecen who run the church’s school for people with disabilities on a visit to our All Friends Together group for people with learning disabilities and they also visited some special needs schools in central Scotland.”

Irene Anderson, World Church viceconvenor in Hamilton presbytery, speaks highly of their links with the Kwahu Presbyterian Church of Ghana.

“We started the process in 2009, and there were many Skype sessions which could be problematic due to the internet there!” she said. “But in September 2010 we arranged to twin at the presbytery meeting. This was fun – the singing was loud at the Kwahu end and it was exciting. The agreement was acknowledged and the twinning started.

“Since 2010 we now have five church and two school links through our partnership. This has worked well only with a few hitches; communication is not easy as quite often their internet is down and presbytery have to find an area where it is working and this can be miles away so we need to remember this and try to find other ways to communicate if needed.

“We have come a long way since our twinning started. We have had two visits from this end to Kwahu and two from Kwahu to Hamilton, which were very successful.

“The presbytery is responsible for 72 churches and for development of new churches throughout their province. Ministers manage at least five to six churches.

“The presbytery are responsible for most things in their area, including healthcare, running the hospital and providing funding, agriculture providing employment and providing opportunities for exporting fruit and vegetables, and all school, colleges, university and an orphanage. This is a large job for the presbytery but they prefer it that way.

“Our visits to the presbytery have always left us fulfilled and optimistic. It is beneficial to share experiences and challenges with other Christian friends; to learn about each other’s cultures; to receive spiritual nourishment from each other; to interact and discover each other’s skills and of course, to share the fellowship of mission.”

Drumchapel in Glasgow has an ongoing and lively relationship with a congregation in Kenya.

“Nothing prepared us for the welcome and kindness we experienced when we arrived in Kenya. Friendships that last a lifetime are the bread and butter of the project TOGETHER FOR A CHANGE. It has created a ripple effect of change across the two church communities”, says the Rev Audrey Jamieson.

“Drumchapel in Glasgow and Yatta in Kenya are both places of poverty. Churches in Drumchapel, along with several community organisations, got together with our partner churches in Yatta, to organise trips between Drumchapel and Kenya. We experienced living in the homes of our friends in Africa. Hosting visitors from Yatta in our own homes was also a great privilege.

“Discussion and questions emerged from living alongside each other. Warmth and understanding blossomed. Everyday habits and lifestyle suddenly came under scrutiny and we started to question how we use resources. We made comparisons about family life, education and the place of churches in our communities.

“Everyone we met in Yatta seemed to have a growth mindset, explaining their hopes for changes they would make in the next few years.

“And the changes are noticeable too. One member, Joe, who for years played truant from school, encountered the children in Kenya, who had high aspirations and valued their education. He came back to Scotland and did an Open University degree in politics.

“Local headteacher Mags, on her visit, noted that in Yatta, everyone has land to grow fresh food. She felt that people in Drumchapel have tiny gardens and are enticed by processed food available in our supermarkets. We came back from Kenya to plant a memorial Orchard in St Mark’s and open a church café offering healthy options.

“And it goes the other way too. Judy from Yatta was impressed by support groups like the Recovery Group she visited, for addicts and decided that she would like to start a similar group in Yatta.

“We are thankful that the deep friendships across the miles have produced long lasting, positive learning in both places.”

Neil Young, Youth Team Leader of the St Paul’s Youth Forum in Provanmill, Glasgow, agrees.

“For St Paul’s Church, a partner church link grew, in 2005, out of ecumenical working with a Zambian Pentacostalist volunteer. We were paired through the Church of Scotland’s World Mission Council with a similar Priority Area style congregation, Chifubu Uniting Church of Zambia in Ndola. It was an instant hit with reciprocal exchanges enabling young people and their leaders to learn how each congregation was tackling poverty in their parish and sharing ideas, prayers and support for each other.

“Through working together, huge financial impacts were discovered. Examples of life changes ranged from improved job prospects, moves away from drugs, right up to a young person stating that the project had most likely kept them out of prison.

“Benefits to the Zambians were also huge. One of the young people, Steward Mwewa, who visited Scotland was so inspired by the youth radio project, Bolt FM, that he went on to study journalism and now produces radio, film and written media for a number of the largest media outlets in Zambia.

“These benefits continue, from young people choosing career paths that help others, through to people wanting to transform the style of worship in their home community, having experienced (and enjoyed), a five hour service which included six choirs, and a one hour sermon simultaneously translated when the visiting preacher recognised that we didn’t speak the local language of Bemba. Our young people wished that church could be so authentic and passionate.

“In 2018/19 two new exchanges focused on Media For Social Good, recognising that both parishes are often portrayed as negative with drugs, alcohol and violence dominating stories, rather than the healing power of the churches and communities, striving to create a place where everyone lives in dignity and is valued as a person made in the image of God.

“Effects of the exchanges have rippled through families and friends and have inspired communities to continue to change and strive to improve their parishes.” The Rev Bob Milne, formerly minister of Upper Tweedale, and a member of Perth Presbytery, is currently facilitating the development of existing partnerships between churches in Zomba, Malawi and the presbytery of Melrose and Peebles. He’s a big supporter of church partnerships.

“Partnerships between churches are exactly that, partnerships, each bringing different qualities, gifts and contributions and through shared values, respect and affection the gifts combine to make mutually beneficial, resilient, combinations.

Do not be afraid. Go for it. Partnerships are rewarding in many, many ways.

“Long gone are the days when partnership consisted of a Scottish church giving donations to a third world church who gratefully received. If one side is ‘the recipient’ it’s patronising and counterproductive. The aim is mutual growth and development, if not the partnership has failed.

“A Council’s Finance Director responding to a Scottish Council’s request for partnership said they did not want money. Money’s often ‘wasted’ because they lack (no fault of theirs) the skills and experience to put it to best use. ‘What we need are your experience, skills, techniques and advice on how to develop’. He cited a partnership with Oslo which devised better refuse collection and implemented a street parking fee system. The revenue provides solar powered street lighting and improved marketplaces, projects achieved by Malawians themselves.

“The same applies to church partnerships. For example a partnership between Melrose and Peebles and Zomba City Presbyteries, provides structures through which individual churches establish contacts with support available to help communication and see congregations are suitably ‘matched’, eg rural and rural. Partnerships are more successful if churches are as similar as possible.

“Partnerships are between Christians, united in love of God, not organisations. Good communication is essential. Malawian ministers are regularly moved every three years which causes continuity problems if members of the congregation do not own the partnership. Some people will be more enthusiastic than others and these should form Partnership Committees to oversee and drive the relationship including Guilds, schools (many Malawian Churches have Schools attached), old folks’ clubs, just about any group can find an equivalent that can strengthen the partnership.

“Do not be afraid. Go for it. Partnerships are rewarding in many, many ways.” 