6 mins
Churches’ Christmas
Gourock and Ashton Parish Church angels
Rosyth Parish Church stars
Freuchie Parish Church tree decorating
IT was a very different Christmas 2020 for churches throughout Scotland, with limited numbers attending worship, special services such as nativity and Christingle cancelled or moving online and no singing allowed. Despite that, churches around the country managed to find novel ways to share the joy of Christ’s birth in their communities.
An elder at St Bryce Kirk, Kirkcaldy came up with a novel way to share some Christmas cheer with members of the congregation who were feeling isolated over the festive season. George Luke invited members and friends to email him photos of their own Christmas tree, Christmas activities or nativity scene and compiled a lovely montage which was shared on YouTube. So many people took part that he had to make two videos.
The minister of Gourock and Ashton Parish Church in Inverclyde, the Rev David Burt, organised a competition for the pupils in each class at the local primary school to colour in an angel outline so that each child could be represented in church even though they were unable to be present in person. 232 selection boxes were distributed as well as a prize for the best effort in each class. The church also raised £2800 through a collection for four local charities that would normally have used its halls for fundraising events.
Freuchie Parish Church in Fife worked with the local Parent Council on lots of ‘Festive Freuchie’ events. One highlight was when the young people and their families came to the church (staggered over a time interval of a couple of hours and all socially distanced) to help decorate the village tree – bringing decorations that they had made at home. When they arrived through the darkness, they found the stained-glass windows of the church brightly illuminated and (electric) tealights lighting their path.
Inverleith St Serf’s Church, Edinburgh invited people to hang a wooden heart with a message in memory of a loved one on a Memory Tree in the church garden. The initiative was launched as the church was unable to welcome people into the usual remembrance service this year. A recorded service remembering loved ones was uploaded to the church’s Facebook page.
The knitters and sewers from Rosyth Parish Church and the community produced more than 1600 stars which were gifted to children in local primary schools. Each one also included a scroll with a message. Morag Crawford, a Deacon based with the church, writes that producing the stars gave a sense of purpose to people who were unable to go out. She adds: “All of the stars are symbols of love and concern and a thank you to all who have been stars in our community at this time.”
WORLD NEWS
CAPITOL VIOLENCE CONDEMNED
The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) joined the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), its national member body in the United States, in denouncing the violence in Washington DC on January 6. In a statement issued the following day, the NAE said “the insurrection epitomizes the rancour and polarisation present in our country” and that the NAE “denounces the violence at the US Capitol as well as the nation’s longstanding vices that led to this chaos”.
“Followers of Jesus are peacemakers.
Some images from the protests demonstrate a disturbing conflation of Christianity and a nationalist ideology that is far from the way of Jesus. Christians are commanded to seek the peace of the cities where they live, to love their enemies, to seek unity and to proclaim a message of peace (Jeremiah 29:5–11; Romans 12:9–18),” the NAE stated.
WEA Secretary General Bp Efraim Tendero said: “We have been following the recent events with great concern and join our brothers and sisters in Christ in the United States in unequivocally condemning the violence. The developments in the United States have great influence on other parts of the world, so we pray for God to bring healing to a divided nation that has suffered for too long under the polarized atmosphere in politics, society and even the Church.
“We encourage believers around the world to express our solidarity in this time of need and join the NAE in prayer and fasting. We especially pray for the pastors and church leaders that they will have the strength and wisdom to serve at the forefront of building bridges within divided communities and encourage ‘a Christ-like approach to politics and public life’ as the NAE states.” The week after the violence, in which five people died after supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building in an attempt to stop the counting of electoral college votes, the National Council of the Churches (USA) and Washington Interfaith Staff community held a special online prayer service ‘in which to reflect, lament and hope for transformation in a troubled nation’.
Jim Winkler, president and general secretary of the National Council of Churches, reflected that the violence was shocking, adding that many are grateful to members of Congress, their staff, and all who work at and protect the US Capitol.
“We offer this service as a time for all of us to pause and give thanks to you,” said Winkler. “We are concerned for you, your families, for our nation, and for the days ahead.”
(WEA/WCC)
BB SYMPATHY AFTER NIGERIA ATTACK
The Boys’ Brigade in Nigeria has confirmed that, following an attack on a Church in Borno State on Christmas Eve, three young people who were part of the BB and the Pastor of the Church were among those who were killed.
The Chair of the Brigade Executive, Drew Buchanan MBE, has sent this message to the BB family in Nigeria: “The Boys’ Brigade UK and Republic of Ireland is deeply saddened by this attack which has tragically taken the lives of young people.
The BB is a global family: although we live thousands of miles away from you in Nigeria, we stand beside you. We will be asking our members across the UK and Republic of Ireland to hold you all in their prayers at this difficult time. Please convey our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives.” (Boys’ Brigade UK)
COVID EXACERBATES PERSECUTION
The global coronavirus pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated underlying systemic discrimination, unequal treatment and persecution experienced by at least 340 million Christians around the world. That’s the conclusion of the 2021 World Watch List, the survey of countries around the world to monitor how difficult it is to live as a Christian, produced by the global charity Open Doors International.
The report found that in several countries minority Christians had been denied aid, that in some places they were blamed for spreading the virus, and in others the virus was a pretext for harassment of Christians.
The CEO of Open Doors International, Dan Ole Shani, said: “In a world where the persecution of Christians is relentlessly increasing, not least due to coronavirus restrictions, the good news for such Christians is that they are never alone because of God’s presence with them, prayers for them globally and the heightened advocacy for them by churches, organisations and others who believe in religious freedom”.
(World Watch Monitor)
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This article appears in the March 2021 Issue of Life and Work
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