Gratitude for Guild

THE Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland paid a warm tribute to the work of the Church of Scotland Guild and spoke of his personal gratitude for their work at the Annual Gathering in Dundee.

Addressing the Gathering which took place at the Caird Hall on September 7, the Rt Rev Colin Sinclair said: “I am so grateful for the partnership with Guild in the Churches I have served in.”

Outlining the key role the Guild has to play, he said: “One of the great things the Guild offers is company on the road of life, sharing friendship around a common faith and shared values.”

Paying tribute to the Guild as it continues to move forward and change, he said: “As you meet in your Guild branches, as you introduce the programme, never forget in your prayers that Jesus might somehow be present in your meeting.”

He called for the Guilds to look out in particular “for those on the edges of your branches – help them to feel included, make sure there is always a welcome and leave time for them to talk and for you to listen but in that companionship bring Jesus – that is what makes us the Church of Scotland Guild. We know whose we are and whom we serve and in the midst of that He will be your companion in joy and sorrow.”

Earlier, outgoing National Convener Patricia Robertson reflected on her year of office, which included trips to Eastern Europe and South Africa.

She said: “I left Johannesburg feeling humbled but challenged to speak out, just as the Guild has done for the last 132 years – to speak out against discrimination, against climate change, against poverty, against gender based violence. These are issues in Scotland but are much more profound for our African sisters.”

She was thanked for her work during the year in office and presented with her former National Convener badge by incoming National Convener Marian Macintyre, who also introduced the Guild to its new annual theme ‘Companions on the Road’.

In a day which also gave voice to the creative community engagement of Guilds across the country, around 2000 men and women, who were gathered at the Caird Hall, heard about the work of Carolyn Boyd Tomasovic, who is rooted in the Church of Scotland, but has lived in Croatia with her husband and three children for over 25 years. She described her early work as war broke out in the Balkans and described the journey which led her to her current role as managing director of the Ecumenical Women’s Initiative.

During her address, she offered harrowing statistics which showed the communities of eastern Europe still felt the impact of war, more than 20 years on. Echoing the Guild’s annual theme ‘Companions on the Road’, she said the roads she walked had not always been in straight lines, but emphasised: “Unknown roads are not to be feared. There is a purpose to all the small things that we do although it may not be clear to us…know that your actions here today will have far reaching consequences far beyond the boundaries of our faith traditions.”

Musical accompaniment for a day embedded in worship was provided by the City of Dundee Organist, Stuart Muir, and a welcome interlude was provided in the afternoon by the Dundee Gospel Choir.

The Gathering also saw the launch of Guild Week, which has moved from its traditional week in November to September and included the introduction of new gift cards for fundraising for the Guild’s six partner projects – enabling gift donations to be made in £5, £10, £25 and £50 values, which can be ordered via the Guild Office (tel 0131-240 2217).