Changes Plea
It is always both interesting and helpful to read in Life and Work details of changes in the ministry and of the appointment of elders.
In the light of the increasing numbers of church unions and the closure of buildings (and indeed of the merger of Presbyteries), could we please have a month-by-month record of such chages? As many people in the Church of Scotland no doubt have had multiple connections with different church buildings, both personally and through family and friends, I am sure that such an information service would be greatly and generally appreciated. It would also have a long term significance.
We should all remember that church buildings are not just for their congregations, but for everyone, as physical evidence of the love of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and of one another. Losing a church building is like losing a loved family member or friend – eventually inevitable, but nonetheless to be regretted.
These were places where the Word of God was read and preached, psalms and hymns sung, Communion celebrated and rites of passage marked – baptisms, ‘Joining the Church’, marriages and funerals.
In these events it is not only important what happens and who are present but also where they take place, coming together to create a set of experiences which we carry with us for the rest of our lives and quite possibly into the life which will come after our earthly deaths.
Please, please can we have the relevant information published regularly in the magazine of the Church?
John R Hume, Glasgow
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