Faith Action Programme

“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 1 : 4–6 

Twinning

Lots of our congregations and presbyteries are twinned with congregations or presbyteries across the world. Twinnings are about churches coming together as equals, regardless of size or financial status, and can benefit your faith and congregation in many creative ways.

Helen Taylor, member and organist of Heriot Church, visited Malawi as part of the Presbytery of Melrose and Peebles twinning with the Presbytery of Zomba. An organist for over thirty years, Helen was able to use music to enhance a new link with the schools in Heriot and Luwatala.

“I took donated recorders, and taught the pupils some basic skills – challenging when none of them had ever seen a recorder before – but managing to achieve a recognisable rendering of ‘Hot Cross Buns’. This was the first time our community had tried to make links beyond the established worship partnership.”

Faithshare

The Faithshare Visitor Programme enables Scottish and overseas congregations and presbyteries to pursue a potential twinning, or strengthen and develop an existing twinning. It provides travel grants to enable visits between members of twinned congregations, presbyteries and other groups, to each other’s countries.

Benbecula linked with Carinish has been twinned with Jerusha Kanyua Memorial Church in Chuka, Kenya for over ten years and the island’s congregation and community looks forward to welcoming their Kenyan friends back later this year. This will be a celebration of friendship, a renewing of twinning objectives and an opportunity to expand faith journeys. Over the last decade, the congregations have visited each other several times, and WhatsApp and live streaming services from both groups has enabled them to keep in touch. Despite the pandemic halting plans for the latest visit, a belated celebration will be in full swing when the Kenyan visitors arrive this Autumn.

As the congregation of Benbecula say “It is a joy and a privilege to be involved in these amazing, informative, faith building, and well blessed trips. To God be all the glory.”

To find out more scan the QR code, or contact faithaction@churchofscotland.org.uk to start exploring the possibilities…