FAITH IN ACTION

Rev Dr Scott JS Shackleton Head: Faith Action Staff – Ministries & Mission Support

We all know that life can throw up challenges to us – personally, as a society and as a Church. During these times it is easy to be critical of one another and at times unkind. Stress seems to be the main factor in the breakdown of good behaviour between people. We are human. It is important in these times of change to give thanks for one another, staying positive and hopeful, and being encouragers, like Barnabas. A letter in the August issue of Life & Work thanked the Faith Action Programme staff who update the Church through these pages. Thanks to Robert McQuistan for his encouragement, it put a smile on my face. I hope you all enjoy this month’s articles.

Rev Dr Alan Hamilton Vice Convener: Faith Nurture Forum

The Church cannot remain unchanged. Without Spirit-inspired transformation, there will be no Church. And no-one and nothing is exempt! In the final months of its existence, the Faith Nurture Forum continues to grapple with changes big and small, including terms and living conditions for ministers, as well as recruitment and training, preparing our elders to be the best local church leaders they can be and, of course, Presbytery Mission Planning. This year’s Assembly recognised the deep fears and anxieties felt across the Church but also restated our complete dependence on God. As you pray for the future wellbeing, peace and revival of the Church, please remember before God the Forum and its Presbytery Mission Planning Implementation Group, all of whose members are experiencing change in their own local churches and ministries. And please pray that every Presbytery Mission Plan will release our people and our resources for Christ’s mission.

“This year’s Assembly recognised the deep fears and anxieties felt across the Church but also restated our complete dependence on God.”

Kay Cathcart Education and Training Secretary

Every autumn, new candidates begin training for each of our recognised ministries (Full Time Ministry of Word & Sacrament, Ordained Local Ministry, Diaconate and Readership). Every single year we hear this kind of reflection being shared…

“I should have been doing something about this years ago, but if I’m really honest, I’ve been trying to avoid it.”

And then, not so very much further in to the year, we hear something like…

“I don’t know what I was worried about. Giving God my “Yes” is something I want to be doing as much as I can.”

Saying “Yes” to God is the language of a Christian. When we learn to do this in the ordinary and everyday things of life, saying “Yes” to the bigger things is not quite as daunting.

What might God be speaking to us about at the moment? Sharing our faith at work? Leading that group? Praying that prayer? Taking a step of faith towards a new opportunity or adventure?

Let’s dare to say “Yes” to God today, not delaying for a time when we think we will have it all together. As we’ve heard it said, it’s our availability, not our ability, that God asks for.

Oh, and if you wonder if your “Yes” might one day lead you towards training for one of our ministries, please do get in touch for a chat via faithnurture@churchofscotland.org.uk

Clare Flenley Policy and Public Affairs Research Officer

Pathway to Net Zero

The new “Pathway to Net Zero” will be available from this Autumn. This practical online resource aims to help congregations understand more about how our day-to-day activities contribute to the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, how we can begin to measure the emissions that we produce, and how to make changes that can reduce them. Tackling our carbon emissions is a huge issue and it can be hard to know where to start. We hope the Pathway will encourage congregations to go step by step, looking at different topics – starting with easier actions that can make a difference, building up over time. We’ll be keen to know how readers get on with the Pathway, and to hear your views on how we could improve it, so do look for the Pathway to Net Zero on the Church of Scotland website.

Suzi Farrant Young People and Young Adult’s Development Worker

Intergenerational Church Task Group (ICTG)

How do we become an intergenerational Church when it involves a massive cultural shift rather than just an extra programme or initiative? That is the question uppermost in the minds of the ICTG members. We are asking, how can the national Church and presbyteries help local congregations become more intergenerational? How can we change some of our national structures to prioritise younger generations? How can we encourage Under 40s to find their identity, belonging and purpose in Christ?

“How can we change some of our national structures to prioritise younger generations?”

Established in Autumn 2021, the Under 40s task group wrestled with these questions and more, as it tried to develop a strategy for engagement with Under 40s. We recognised that now was the time to do the hard work needed of becoming the Church God has called us to be, changing our culture and structures in the process. Having discerned the calling to be an intergenerational Church, we decided to change our name to better reflect what we are about – engaging with Under 40s is about the whole Church, not just initiatives for Under 40s (although those are important too) – and so the ICTG was born. So far, we’ve identified 13 complex strands of work that need attention and are prioritising which ones to work on first. One of our first outputs will be a series of workshops around the country on Intergenerational Church.

If you have questions, thoughts or stories to share or would like a conversation to explore this further, I’d love to hear from you. sfarrant@churchofscotland.org.uk

Dr Murdo Macdonald Society, Religion and Technology Policy Officer

Society, Religion and Technology (SRT): Artificial Intelligence

Most of us don’t give much thought to the ways in which artificial intelligence (AI) is affecting our lives yet, despite this, it is there in the background much of the time.

AI is there, from the algorithms which suggest “you might like…” following our online purchases, to our phones’ ability to focus on the people in frame when we are taking a photo. We are increasingly allowing AI to take control of our cars, as we move towards driverless vehicles. In the medical field, the pattern recognition ability of AI is being used to screen medical images for signs of abnormalities and does so much more efficiently than even the most highly trained human expert.

There are clearly many positive uses of AI but, as is often the case with novel technologies, these also present some ethical dilemmas. The development of facial recognition technology, for example, is useful in many situations, but has been deployed in some countries to facilitate the persecution of ethnic minorities or those who oppose the state. There is also concern about the military’s development of autonomous weapons, which may be able to make decisions about who to target, with minimal human control. There have even been recent suggestions that advanced AI systems may have a degree of self-awareness, prompting philosophical and theological reflection on their status.

Following the SRT report on AI to the General Assembly, we have now developed a new series of resources which aims to engage congregations in conversation, discussion and prayer points around some of the issues raised in the report. These resources can be found on the Church of Scotland website: www.churchofscotland.org.uk/about-us/our-views/ science-and-technology/srt-topics/technology. They are free to download, so please publicise them in your networks.

Rev Dr Rory Macleod Minister Of Strath And Sleat

For our Gaelic readers

Dè an rud as fheàrr leat le tionndadh nan seusan? An ann a bhith a’ coimhead air ais agus a’ beachdachadh air na ionnsaich thu? No a bhith a’ coimhead air adhart gu cothrom leasanan ùra ionnsachadh. Their am Bìoball gur ann a tha Ìosa “ceudna an-dè, agus an-diugh agus gu sìorraidh…” (Eabhraidhich 13.8). Aig an aon àm, tha e air a ràdh mu thròcairean an Tighearna: “Tha iad nuadh gach aon mhadainn…” (Tuireadh Ieremiah 3.23). Tha seo a’ ciallachadh gun urrainn dhuinn ar n-aghaidh a chur ris an àm ri teachd, leis a’ mhisneachd gu bheil Dia còmhla rinn agus air ar son.