From The Editor

MAY – and the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland – seems to come around even more quickly as the years go by.

Yet within 12 months the world we live in has, once again, changed beyond recognition.

After two years of living with a global pandemic, there was hope that there could be a return to a degree of normality – but the world – not just Scotland, nor the UK – is living in a time of troubles.

The invasion of Ukraine in late February by Russian forces has brought the world to the brink of a dangerous global crisis – and a crossroads to peace.

This has also taken place against a backdrop of an energy crisis – fuelled further by rising inflation and costs, impacting on everyone, but particularly on the poorest and hardest pressed in our society.

As the Church meets in General Assembly in Edinburgh this month as a hybrid event, these global events and their massive ripples – including the displacement of millions of Ukrainian people in a matter of days – are likely to (rightly) overshadow the Church’s agenda of change.

For the Church is at its brilliant best when it offers the caring hand of compassion to those most in need – those forced to flee their homes with nothing, seeking sanctuary and safety in a foreign land, but also those facing crisis as living day to day becomes nothing short of unaffordable with a double whammy of spiralling energy costs and inflation and those cared for with love and compassion in the longstanding tradition of CrossReach, the Church’s Social Care Council.

“For the Church is at its brilliant best when it offers the caring hand of compassion to those most in need.

The Church is also at its most effective when it speaks truth to power – and still has a place at the table with those in authority. Indeed, although priority is being given to the first three marks of mission, the fourth (featured on page 30 of this issue) – to seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation – is surely an immediate guiding principle for the Church in the months ahead. This is not to underestimate or set aside the challenges of radical internal change currently taking place, but to recognise that there is a very real and much more immediate and urgent crisis in the world at present.

As the 2022 General Assembly approaches, my hope is that it will not lose focus and forget what it does best – caring for those most in need at times of crisis and reflecting the love and light of Jesus Christ through those actions. ¤ Lynne McNeil Editor