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General Assembly Reports
CHURCH OF SCOTLAND GUILD
IN ITS first Assembly report for two years, the Guild acknowledges that it has faced ‘enormous challenges’ over the past year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but states that the report ‘is written with a sense of optimism and determination at its heart’: “Its aim is to look ahead to better times when we can learn from our experiences, take account of our losses (both operational and human) and seek to concentrate on the things we can control and the opportunities that lie before us.”
The losses acknowledged are financial, both general and for the partner projects; and of fellowship through the lack of meetings at every level. The report states that a number of local groups will not be restarting after the pandemic, and ‘that is a loss to the Guild but also the congregations of which they are part’
However, the Guild has responded to the pandemic in innovative ways, including taking the Annual Gathering and Big Sing at Christmas online, with music enhanced by the voices of the Guild’s ‘Virtual Choir’. Other new events include a virtual soup lunch, a virtual afternoon tea, and a Lenten event celebrating the six Project Partnerships as they came to an end. “These events can never replace the ‘real thing’, but they have served to maintain a sense of fellowship and hope amongst many of our members and to provide a platform where the voice of the Guild was heard,” says the report.
The report also gives an overview of the Guild’s twinnings with Presbyterial Guilds in Malawi. The four twinning arrangements began with the visit of a number of Guild members to the African country in August 2019. Among the fruits of the connection with Malawi so far are a project funding the provision of Bibles in two of the twinned areas, the roofing of a new church in Mzuzu, the work of the project partner Malawi Fruits, and new solar powered lighting units for 24 schools. The Guild has also continued its work in Zambia and India.
Looking forward, the Guild introduces its theme for the next three-year cycle, along with its six new partner projects (see page 32). The overarching theme for the three years is ‘Look Forward in Faith’, and the theme for 2021-22 is ‘Lights and Bushels’.
The Guild also reports on a number of operational changes at the national level over the past two years. These include changing the term of office for the Guild’s National Convener, which historically ran from General Assembly to General Assembly, to follow the Guild’s year instead. Conveners’ (and Vice-Conveners’) years will now begin and end at the Guild National Gathering in the autumn.
The National Vice-Conveners have each been paired with a region, which the report says will help the Guild ‘reflect on changes to the Presbytery structures’. It adds that conversations are already underway with the new Presbyteries of Fife and Clyde.
Across the Guild’s four regions, over 4000 people attended various events – including roadshows, the National Gathering and Big Sings – in the 2019-20 session. “We can only guess at the “knockon” effect that the motivation these people found in these events has had within the Guild and within the wider Church of Scotland,” the report says.
PENSION TRUSTEES
The Church of Scotland Pension Trustees report that all six of the schemes under their management are now fully-funded. In particular it recognises that the funding level of the CrossReach section of the Staff Scheme reached 100% last year, which it describes as ‘a major milestone for the members of the Scheme… after significant financial support from CrossReach’.
This year’s statutory increases to pension payments were 0.5% for benefits built up since 1997, and the same increase was applied to benefits accrued prior to 1997. A one-off increase was also applied to the pre-1997 benefits in September 2020, to make up for previous years when there was no funding available for a discretionary increase.
HOUSING AND LOAN FUND
In 2020, the Housing and Loan Fund provided new support to nine people – ministers who were either newly – or already retired, their widow(er)s or spouses. As of the end of the year they had 192 tenants and 11 vacant properties, and 110 borrowers. The Trustees encourage ministers within five years of retirement to contact them if they might need help, and initial approaches from those between five to ten years from retirement. They also give a reminder that the fund can help ministers, their widow(er)s and separated or divorced spouses beyond the point of retirement.
CHURCH HYMNARY TRUSTEES
The Hymnary Trustees state in their report that they would be keen to support a request for funding for a supplement to the Church Hymnary (CH4), and have indicated to the Faith Nurture Forum that money is available for such a project.
They are also keen to encourage more applications for trust funds, particularly for local training projects and which might include helping to fund Scottish Church Organist Training Scheme (SCOTS) training days.
IONA COMMUNITY
The Iona Community Board invites the Assembly to ‘Note with gratitude the completion of the renovation of the living quarters of Iona Abbey as a place of welcome, worship and the renewal of the common life for the whole Church’, and to welcome the appointments of Ruth Harvey as Leader and Sarah Metcalfe as Executive Director.
The Community is ‘engaged in a process of refreshing and renewing our infrastructure and our spaces in order more fully to live out our calling, alone and in community, to respond to the call of God’. As part of the restructuring the Community now has two strategic committees (Community Life and Community Resources) and seven new Common Concern Networks (Environment, Faith and Spirituality, Israel/Palestine, LGBTQ+, Migration and Refugees, Poverty and Inequality and Reconciliation, Peace and Disarmament).
“With these refreshed structures, and the beautifully renovated living space at Iona Abbey, we are ready to respond to the increased call we recognise in society for spiritual renewal rooted in a life of justice and peace,” states the report. ¤
Most of the reports to this year’s General Assembly were not available as we went to press, but will be summarised next month.
The General Assembly takes place online from Saturday May 22 – Thursday May 27 and will be webcast at www.churchofscotland.org.ukwhere you will also find Assembly documents
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Lord High Commissioner to the Assembly Prince William
PRINCE WILLIAM APPOINTED LORD HIGH COMMISSIONER
The Principal Clerk to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland has said that the Church is ‘honoured’ that Prince William has once again been appointed as Lord High Commissioner to the Assembly.
Prince William, known as the Earl of Strathearn in Scotland, was initially appointed to last year’s Assembly, but that was cancelled due to the first Covid-19 lockdown. His reappointment was confirmed in March this year.
The Principal Clerk, the Rev Dr George Whyte, said: “We are honoured that her Majesty has once again appointed Prince William as Lord High Commissioner.
“We look forward to welcoming His Royal Highness to the General Assembly.”
The Lord High Commissioner is the Monarch’s personal representative at the General Assembly, giving speeches at the opening and closing ceremonies and, under normal circumstances, spending the week visiting Church projects up and down the country. This is the first time one of the Queen’s grandchildren has been appointed to the role.
This article appears in the May 2021 Issue of Life and Work
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