FAITH IN ACTION

1. Proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom.

Rev Dr Scott JS Shackleton

2. Teaching, baptising and nurturing believers.

3. Responding to human need in loving service.

Head: Faith Action Staff - Ministries & Mission Support

4. Transforming unjust structures of society and challenging violence of every kind, while pursuing peace and reconciliation

Welcome to our first Faith Action communication to the Church from those of us who have been charged by the General Assembly to help implement and support this new movement of reformation for the Church in this time. The purpose of our double page articles in magazine format will be to try and ensure that those who are involved in being and doing Faith Action where it matters most at congregational level feel involved and supported by the Trustees, Forums and staff of both the National Office and Presbyteries. ‘Now is the Time’ is our catch phrase to relaunch our Church through the fulfilment of the Five Marks of Mission and intentional efforts in developing our work with the future generation of church members and leaders.

5. As well as striving to safeguard the integrity of creation.

God is calling us into a brave new future for the Kirk in terms of simplicity, humility and boldness and those of us in our Faith Action team look forward to being part of that story in support of you all.

Very Rev Dr John Chalmers

Convener Assembly Trustees

The Church of Scotland has serious work to do at home and abroad, so the resources we have for sharing, in word and in action, the Good News of Jesus must be used wisely and well. Every penny and every person have to count, every imagination and every talent has to be put to good use and every part of the Church, local, regional and national, has to be committed to our renewal and reform. That takes ‘joined up thinking’ and, for me, that is what the Faith Action Plan is all about. I’ve been around the Church of Scotland for more years than I care to remember, but this is the first time in my living memory that we have made such a concerted effort to bring all the work streams of the Church under one Action Plan. This allows us to be clear about our priorities and it ensures that every part of our life meets the benchmark set by the Five Marks of Mission. The General Assembly has agreed a programme of reform which is full of challenge, but our prayer is that through the Faith Action Plan we will set the sails of the Church to catch afresh the wind of God’s Spirit.

“Every penny and every person have to count, every imagination and every talent has to be put to good use...”

Very Rev Dr Susan Brown

Convener Faith Impact Forum

The Church’s job description can be summed up in just three words: to follow Jesus.

It sounds simple enough, but those three words carry so much hope, promise, challenge and opportunity that they need to be unpacked to help us to be faithful in our following.

The Five Marks of Mission identify five distinct and yet completely interwoven strands to following Jesus, that when allowed to shape a Church’s life and work and witness, offer a framework for a healthy Church – in the parish, in Presbytery and nationally.

The Church’s, Faith Action Plan is about bringing these things into the heart of what we do as God’s people, in Jesus’ name, in this 21st century world. Deliberately. And prayerfully.

The work of implementing the Plan, lies with the Faith Nurture and the Faith Impact Forums and is shaped by all Five Marks, both bodies are responding to Jesus’ call to go into all the world and make disciples.

We are excited about sharing the Good News with everyone.

We want to resource, nurture and inspire congregations.

We are passionate about the need to serve others and to listen to and stand with, the poorest and the most marginalised – wherever in the world they are.

And every bit as importantly, we have a heart for God’s creation and recognise the need to cherish it.

We have a vision for all, with all, in Christ’s name!

Rev Dr Karen Campbell

Vice Convener Faith Nurture Forum & Convener Presbytery Mission Planning Implementation Group

Evangelism

The General Assembly of 2021 approved a new Presbytery Mission Plan Act, grounding its future Presbytery Planning on Mission. Mission comes from the Latin missio – to send off. The missio dei asks us to wonder where God is, and what God is doing and join in. “There is mission” says David Bosch, because God loves people.” “To participate in mission is to participate in the movement of God’s love toward people, since God is a fountain of sending love.”

For different congregations in a wide range of settings around Scotland and firth of our country, the answer to how we join in is many faceted and layered. What will work in an innercity context, will be completely alien to the outer isles and similarly a congregation in Lausanne may be called to mission differently from Carluke.

The Presbytery Mission Plan asks each Presbytery to address this challenge. It is essential that these important questions are not only asked but engaged with and answered. The Presbytery Mission Plan Implementation Group has been called out to accompany Presbyteries as they ask the hard questions so that together we will find the answers. A task that goes alongside the re-structuring of our Presbyteries.

Evangelism comes from the Latin evangelium or from the Greek euangelion which means Good News. Evangelism is also integral to mission and our Mission Plans. What is the Good News which we want to share with our parishes in these challenging times?

Presbytery Plans, Presbytery Reform and the Pandemic seem to have all gone hand in hand. Our worship, engagement, fellowship and attitudes to so many other things have all been disordered and rearranged in the past 18 months, and we are nowhere near “getting back to normal”. We have had to ask ourselves, what Good News do we have to share and how are we going to share it? Like Mission, Evangelism will be worked out differently in each and every parish.

We all know that the way we have communicated and continue to do so has changed and changed again during the pandemic, and perhaps rather than seeing this as a step too far, we need to see it as where God needs us to be at this time?

We are called to share the Good News of Jesus and for so many people the unchangeable, breath-taking generosity of God’s love is exactly what people need to hear, right here and right now. Even in the most challenging of times, God is with us.

Isaiah 43 was written for a time like the one we are living through, when we hear:

thus says the Lord,

he who created you, O Jacob,

he who formed you, O Israel:

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name, you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

and the flame shall not consume you.

Rev Dr Rory MacLeod

Minister of Strath & Sleat

For our Gaelic readers

A rèir Achd Planadh a’ Mhisein 2021, ’s e misean Chriosd a th’ ann am misean na h-Eaglaise. ’S e sin ri ràdh:

1. Deagh sgeul na Rìoghachd a chur an cèill;

2. A bhith a’ teagasg, a’ bàisteadh agus a’ leasachadh luchdcrèideimh ùra;

3. A’ freagairt feumalachdan daonda le seirbheis ghràdhach;

4. A’ feuchainn ri structaran mì-cheart ath-leasachadh, agus bacadh a chur air a h-uile seòrsa fòirneirt agus a’ leantainn sìth agus rèite;

5. A’ feuchainn ri slànachd a’ chruthachaidh a dhìon agus beatha an t-saoghail a dhaingeachadh agus athnuathachadh.

Am measg nan cothroman a tha far comhair bu chòir dhuinn tòiseachadh le bhith a’ mìneachadh dè cho dlùth agus a bha an ceangal eadar Gàidhlig agus Crìostaidheachd anns na linntean a dh’fhalbh.

Facilitators assisting the Presbytery Planning process

Rev Dr Karen Katrina Campbell – Convener Presbytery

Mission Planning Implementation Group (PMPIG)

Rev Robin McAlpine – Vice Convener PMPIG

Very Rev Dr Martin Fair

Mrs Barbara Finlayson

Rev Mike Goss

Rev Alan Hamilton

Richard Lloyd

Murdo Macmillan

Anne Mulligan DCS

Rev Neil Urquhart

Rev Fred Vincent