The Record - June/July 2022 by Free Church of Scotland

THE

RECORD

MONTHLY MAGAZINE OF THE FREE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND JUNE/JULY 2022 • £2.00

Editor • John Macdonald The Editor, Free Church Offices, 15 North Bank Street, The Mound, Edinburgh, EH1 2LS editor@freechurch.org

Missions News • Mairi MacPherson Free Church Offices, 15 North Bank Street, Edinburgh, EH1 2LS mairi@freechurch.org WfM Editor • Fiona Macaskill 8 Campsie Drive, Glasgow, G61 3HY rfmacaskill@me.com Gaelic Editor • Janet MacPhail 24 North Bragar, Isle of Lewis, HS2 9DA 01851 710354 Seminary News • William Mackenzie Edinburgh Theological Seminary, 15 North Bank Street, Edinburgh EH1 2LS offices@ets.ac.uk Prayer Diary • Shona McGuire seonaid1954@hotmail.co.uk Design & Layout • Fin Macrae @DUFI Art www.dufi-art.com The Record • ISSN 2042-2970 Published • The Record is produced by The Free Church of Scotland, Free Church Offices, 15 North Bank Street, The Mound, Edinburgh, EH1 2LS 0131 226 5286 offices@freechurch.org

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Cover: Photo by Takahiro Taguchi on Unsplash

Advertising • Anyone wishing to advertise in The Record should contact the editor.

CONTENTS

WELCOME TO THE JUNE/JULY RECORD

his month’s magazine features a report from the

04 REPORT FROM THE 2022 GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE FREE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND Moderators Sermons, Report of the Mission Board, Report of the Edinburgh Theological Seminary, Report of the Board of Trustees, Report of the Board of Ministry

2022 general assembly of the free church. For the

first time since 2019, the Assembly was back in St Columba’s, Edinburgh, and the feeling of joy at meeting in person to share fellowship and renew friendships was apparent throughout proceedings. Many Commissioners commented on the unity of purpose and the harmonious atmosphere, which made for an effective Assembly, as you will read. The Free Church’s vision for healthy gospel churches was a prominent theme and Commissioners were encouraged to hear of church planting, revitalised congregations, global mission and ministers-in-training. Among the first of the 21st century’s wave of church plants in our denomination is Govan Free Church. Coinciding with his retirement from Govan, the Rev Norman Mackay has written a challenging and inspiring article about the kind of work others across the Free Church are now seeking to emulate. I’m grateful to Norman for granting us the benefit of his experience, and I hope it will draw us all to pray for the ongoing work in Govan, especially as the congregation seeks a new minister. I hand over the editorship of The Record after this edition, and so would like to take the opportunity to thank the readers who have corresponded with me, and especially those who were kind enough to allow their letters to appear in print. As we have sought to apply our Reformed theology to matters of public policy and culture — matters upon which we often have biblical liberty to disagree — it has been both encouraging and enlightening to share differing views in these pages. I am grateful and indebted to the regular contributors to The Record who have volunteered their time and faithfully supported the work with excellent, thoughtful and illuminating articles. Thank you to Janet MacPhail, Catriona Murray, David Meredith, Miriam Montgomery, Fiona Macaskill, Dayspring MacLeod, Dr Adam, Sarah Cumming, Shona McGuire, Willie Mackenzie, Thomas Davis, and Megan Gray. Particular thanks to Fin Macrae, without whom The Record would never make it to print. Finally, I greatly appreciate the support of regular readers. Please pray for the Free Church Board of Trustees and Communications Group as they seek a new editor for the magazine. • Yours in Christ John

PHOTOS FROM THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2022

FREE CHURCH NEWS

WfM UPDATE Fiona Macaskill

A HEALTHY GOSPEL CHURCH IS... INCARNATIONAL AND RELATIONAL Colin L Macleod

WORLD NEWS U.S., Poland, Nigeria, Australia

REFLECTIONS Sean Ankers

FOOD FOR FELLOWSHIP

THE PROVIDENTIAL BLESSING OF NEW CHRISTIANS Norman & Alison Mackay

THE REVIVAL OF EVANGELICALISM Dr.Andrew M Jones

BOOK REVIEWS

OBITUARIES: CHARLES BAPTIE, GRAHAM MOLLER

MISSION MATTERS David Meredith

POETRY PAGE James Drummond Burns

PAGES FROM ADAM'S DIARY: AFGHAN SISTERS

PRAYER DIARY

CURAIDH BUADHACH Janet MacPhail

40 POST TENEBRAS LUX Catriona Murray

That in all things he might have the pre-eminence Colossians 1:18 2022

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REPORT FROM THE 2022 GENERAL ASSEMBLY

After two years on Zoom, the General Assembly of the Free Church constituted in person at St Columba’s Free Church, Edinburgh, on Monday, 23rd May.

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“If the culture of our local church is set in the concrete of tradition then the outsider will not be able to find their way in.”

Retiring Moderator, Rev. Neil MacMillan

COMFORT AND CALLING

refugees, asylum seekers and people who had been trafficked. He said that we have so much to learn from the church around the world, but also so much to give. The Retiring Moderator concluded: ‘We bear witness to the one who is changing the world. Like the psalmist we point to him and say: he has done it. ‘Let’s have a General Assembly that bears fruit for eternity in good decisions made out of love for Christ, his fame and his name. And let us especially pray that the nations will be blessed by what we do and decide this week.’ Following the Moderator’s retiring address, the Rev Jonathan de Groot thanked Mr MacMillan for his excellent work as Moderator. Mr de Groot particularly noted that the Retiring Moderator has been a great friend and support in the work of planting Christ Church Glasgow.

Retiring Moderator, the Rev. Neil MacMillan, gave a sermon on Psalm 22. He reflected on the turmoil that we have experienced, personally and as a church, over the past two years, and the instability that we confront now in the shadow of war and economic shocks. In the face of all of this, Mr MacMillan said, Psalm 22 speaks to us in two clear and helpful ways. It speaks of God’s comfort. He is a God who bears our scars and shares our suffering. It also speaks of God’s call. He is still the God who is building his church, and he is going to continue using his church on his mission, for his glory. While a psalm of lament, Psalm 22 teaches us to call on God to make himself present in the midst of pain. The Retiring Moderator challenged those gathered to recognise our call to mission. Mission in the 21st century has been described as ‘from everywhere, to everywhere’ given the extent to which people move around the globe. We must therefore be ready to welcome people from other cultures as part of our calling to make disciples. ‘If the culture of our local church is set in the concrete of tradition’, Mr MacMillan said, ‘then the outsider will not be able to find their way in. Similarly, he argued, ‘we need humility to learn from other Christians, in other cultures, from other nations. We need an openness to receive them and to be blessed by them.’ Citing Paul’s example (1 Corinthians 9:22), Neil exhorted the Free Church to be inflexible in the Gospel, but flexible in other things, so that we will win many for Jesus Christ. We must also have concern for global mission. Today, our emphasis has shifted from sending people to sending resources to support indigenous churches. Though we may feel like a small church, from the perspective of many European countries, Christianity in Scotland is strong and vibrant. Mr MacMillan spoke of his visit to Athens, where he met with the Moderator of the Greek Evangelical Church — the first Protestant denomination in Greece. They are a tiny minority in Greek culture and so long for the fellowship and resources that we have. Despite their size, Neil saw extraordinary church planting work in Athens among

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MOVING INTELLIGENTLY FORWARD In handing over the Chair of the General Assembly to Principal Iver Martin, the Retiring Moderator noted that Mr Martin has very often been trusted with leadership in our denomination. He has led some of our strongest and largest congregations and has been entrusted with the leadership of Edinburgh Theological Seminary. Mr MacMillan was therefore very happy to hand over the leadership of the General Assembly to him. In his address to the Assembly, Mr Martin encouraged Commissioners, and the denomination as a whole, to ‘move intelligently forward by looking backward’. He noted the upheaval wrought by the global pandemic and pointed out that it has left ‘long-term scars on the church. It has left many ministers dazed — some to the point of mental exhaustion. But it has also undermined the very place that church had in our estimation.’ The importance placed upon worshipping together has been eroded by the practice of accessing preaching online. These are enormous challenges which we need to meet. While the Moderator cautioned against ‘hiding in a past utopia’, he suggested to the Assembly that ‘it is sometimes necessary to go back to a place of origin in

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Second, the Moderator said, the teaching we hold to is set out in the Bible and explained in the Westminster Confession of Faith. Warning against the impulse to set aside the wisdom of our spiritual forebears for the novelty of each person’s own impression of the Bible, Mr Martin said that ‘what seekers are looking for is the kind of clarity that can only be found in a thorough historic understanding of what we believe. We owe it to them and to young churches to make the teaching of scripture as robust as possible.’ The Confession is an explanation of the Bible’s core doctrines, and we would do well to ‘rediscover it, treasure it and unashamedly incorporate its teaching into our sermons and Bible studies and regular church life. ‘We are doing our flocks a great disservice when we reduce the content of our preaching to what is accessible, or worse still what is palatable, and fail to take our people into the doctrinal depths which alone will satisfy their questions. ‘It is because we believe that God saves that we can confidently plant churches and share the gospel… If we believe that all whom the Father gives to Jesus will come to him, then we can confidently go out with the gospel against all of the odds, knowing that the most determined, rampant secularism in the world cannot resist the power of God’s Spirit at work in the message of the crucified and risen Jesus. So confessionalism informs our evangelism and gives us the confidence to continue persevering, in the knowledge that our work — your work — is not in vain.’ The Moderator’s final landmark was Presbyterianism itself. Looking to the past, he reminded the Assembly that Presbyterianism is rooted in the New Testament, where multiple elders were established in each new church. It is a system which requires trusted, wise leaders to be elected to represent the interests of congregations. But it is also a collective system which insists upon parity and plurality. With this landmark as a guide, Mr Martin argued that one of the greatest challenges the Free Church faces is ensuring that everyone feels that they belong to the denomination. ‘In some places, there is a perceived disconnect between local congregations and the Free Church as a wider body,’ he said, ‘and as long as that exists we will be failing in our Presbyterianism.’ He encouraged Commissioners to foster enthusiasm and excitement for the mission work the Free Church is doing, training ministers and planting new churches, for ‘What greater work can any denomination be engaged in? Such ambitions can only be met by a corporate church and we are in a wonderful position to do it.’ ‘Having then set out three historic, doctrinal and presbyterial landmarks which give direction to the future, I hope we care deeply about the Free Church, not for what it stood for and did in the past, or as a bygone happy place where some of us can hide in our nostalgia, but as a present dynamic force which, under the power of the Holy Spirit in the gospel, can truly bring about the Christian good of Scotland.’ •

“what seekers are looking for is the kind of clarity that can only be found in a thorough historic understanding of what we believe. We owe it to them and to young churches to make the teaching of scripture as robust as possible.”

Principal Iver Martin, new Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland

order to reset.’ The prominent scholar and Free Church missionary of the early 20th century, John A. Mackay, observed, ‘there are times in the history of persons and peoples, particularly times of crisis, when a rediscovery of yesterday opens a new pathway to tomorrow, when the awakening of the sense of heritage becomes a potent determinant of destiny.’ In light of this, the Moderator said, ‘my task is to determine some landmarks behind us, the principles that make us, as the Free Church of Scotland, what we are, so that as we rise out of these last days, we can intelligently find our way into an uncertain future.’ The first landmark Mr Martin highlighted was the origin of the Free Church, the Disruption of 1843. At the Disruption, the Free Church was founded as a denomination — one national church and not a loose association of congregations. It was also founded on the principle that the church is independent in spiritual matters and will not be told what to teach by the government. Reflecting on this landmark reminds us that ‘we can act as a collective unit, make corporate, binding decisions via our leadership and raise a coherent voice which we hope, as we have opportunity, will proclaim gospel truth, not just to our communities, but to our nation.’

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REPORT OF THE MISSION BOARD CHURCH PLANTING

The Rev David Macleod, Chair of the Mission Board, introduced the Board’s report with John 15:5: ‘I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.’ Mr Macleod told the Assembly that the task of the Mission Board is the same as the task, and privilege, of every believer: to stay close to Jesus. As churches are planted, as churches are developed and revitalised and as mission is carried out globally, people are hearing the good news about Jesus. A healthy church is one that is full of Jesus, and seeing more churches like this is the ambition and prayer of the Mission Board.

Church Planting Director, the Rev Neil MacMillan, gave an update on the Free Church’s vision — adopted by the 2017 Assembly — to plant 30 new churches by 2030. He told the Assembly that ‘we plant churches because we are Confessional, Reformed Christians. We believe that mission is a covenantal obligation that God has given to his church. We live for his glory, and his glory alone.’ Mr MacMillan expressed the Board’s gratitude to funders from the USA who are currently making our church planting work possible, but stressed that we don’t want to be dependent on them in the long term. Our prayer is that our new churches will produce new leaders and new resources to strengthen the denomination nationally, allowing us to bless the wider church in Scotland and to begin planting new churches internationally. Mr MacMillan also thanked established congregations in the Western Isles, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and elsewhere who have ‘adopted’ and are supporting a church plant. He highlighted the retirement of the Rev Norman Mackay from the church plant in Govan and the need for a new minster there. The Assembly applauded the service that Norman and Alison Mackay have given to Govan. Mr MacMillan also spoke of the need for people to serve the replant of Wick Free Church. Under the 30 x 30 programme, 11 churches have been planted so far. Logic may tell the Scottish Church to retreat. Secularism is on the rise, the percentage of the church-going population of Scotland is in dramatic decline. We believe that these signs point us towards greater effort, not less. As a denomination we are moving into towns like Galashiels and Montrose. We are looking to establish churches in new locations like Tornagrain (Inverness) and old areas like Leven in Fife. God has given us a vision of people who are lost and hopeless and in need of the Lord who is the shepherd.

CHURCH DEVELOPMENT Free Church Mission Director, the Rev David Meredith, told the Assembly about the Board’s Revitalisation work, which aims to see life coming back to where it once was. Mr Meredith described the ‘Development Track’ which is run for congregations like Pairc on the Isle of Lewis which once witnessed revival. Now, as a result of massive depopulation and social change the picture is very different. The congregation sense that God could move again and are meeting to train and encourage each other in personal evangelism. Campbeltown was once on the verge of closing, but new people have recently joined the congregation with a sense that God can move again. Mr Meredith encouraged congregations to consider joining the Development Track. The Board is clear that we cannot abandon these congregations. Where there is life there is hope. But leaders are needed, so the Board also asked Commissioners to consider a call to a congregation being revitalised. The Board has also been tasked with supporting rural ministry as we seek a healthy gospel church for every community in Scotland. This work has begun with two ‘In a Big Country’ conferences to raise awareness of the importance of rural ministry, as well as its particular challenges.

GLOBAL MISSION Global Mission Adviser, the Rev Martin Paterson, spoke about the opportunities we have to work with our brothers and sisters in gospel churches throughout the world as we support global mission. ‘Part of our growth in gospel health in the 21st century will be measured by our willingness to partner with, and to learn from, these like-minded believers. ‘We need help. We have much to offer the global church, but we also have much to learn.’ Mr Paterson observed the geopolitical scenarios in our day which cause people to move around the

Rev. David Meredith, Mission Director

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world, and commented that this presents an amazing opportunity for sharing the good news of Jesus with people who we would have been unable to reach using traditional missionary models. ‘The need remains for the church globally to inspire, to identify, to equip and to send some of our best people out for the sake of the name of Jesus Christ. And that is a wonderful opportunity for us to grow in gospel health.’ Mr Paterson challenged the Free Church to be bold enough to ‘release and resource some of our best people for the eternal wellbeing of many.’ Mr Paterson and his family will shortly move overseas as missionaries with OMF International. The General Assembly commends the Paterson’s to the prayers of the Church as they serve God in this way.

also sympathetic to a Christian worldview, particularly in the area of Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood. The Board is also preparing guidance in this area for parents and teachers, as well as considering the feasibility of establishing Christian schools. The Board formed a partnership with Christian Values in Education to produce resources based on a Christian worldview, and a project plan has been drawn up which requires the employment of one person for a year to achieve its delivery. The Assembly endorsed this approach and instructed the Board of Trustees to make budgetary provision to hire a full-time worker for twelve months. Following the Board’s report, the Assembly approved a permanent ministry for the North Uist, Grimsay and Berneray congregation; a brief extension to the ministry of the Rev Colin Morison at Elgin and Forres due to his forthcoming retirement; and the appointment of Assistant Minister to the congregation of St Peter’s, Dundee. The Assembly instructed the Board to bring reports to the October 2022 Commission of Assembly regarding the appointment of an Assistant Minister for Cornerstone, Edinburgh and a recommendation on the future ministry for Govan Free Church, Glasgow. •

CHURCH EQUIPPING Sarah Johnson, Mission Coordinator, gave an update on the work of the Church Equipping Group. She told the Assembly that resource packs for congregations on one-to-one discipleship and on youth fellowship will be made available in autumn this year. Further resource packs on partnering with parents and women’s ministry will be available the following year. The Rev Billy Graham’s ‘Walk with Me’ devotional will soon be published as a book. And, in response to interest among women across the denomination, a Biblical Theology Workshop for Women led by Nancy Guthrie will be held on Saturday 2nd September 2023 in Inverness. The Board continue to support the work of Youth Camps and the Big Free Rally, and to provide resources for the church’s national day of prayer which will take place this year on 30th November. The 2021 General Assembly had instructed the Board to work in partnership to develop resources for schools which are in line with the Curriculum for Excellence but

Sarah Johnson, Mission Coordinator

REPORT OF THE EDINBURGH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY BOARD The Rev Dr Malcolm Maclean, Chair of the ETS Board, told the Assembly that the ‘point’ of ETS is Providing Orthodox, Innovative, Necessary Training. He commended the staff for their success in achieving this purpose. 354 students were enrolled at ETS for the 2021-22 academic year, across the range of full-time and part-time courses. It was with sadness that Dr Maclean remarked on the imminent retirement of Professor John Angus Macleod, after 23 years at ETS as Professor of New Testament and Greek, and Postgraduate Supervisor. He told the Assembly that students appreciated

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Professor Macleod’s warm, pastoral manner. In addition to teaching and mentoring students, Professor Macleod was involved in the administrative work of ETS, and played a key role in the seminary’s development – including in establishing the Centre for Mission and introducing IT which allows more students to benefit from the seminary’s teaching. The Board report commends his ‘colossal contribution to the life and witness of the Seminary and of the Free Church of Scotland. ‘His lecturing, like his preaching, was warmly relational, characterised by a deep desire that his

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students might become hearers and doers of the Word as well as preachers of it.’ Professor Macleod will be succeeded by the Rev Ben Castaneda. Mr Castaneda will graduate with a PhD in New Testament from the University of St Andrews in 2022. He is currently an elder in St. Andrews Free Church. The ETS Board’s report outlines their five-year plan to support the Free Church’s vision, ‘A Healthy Gospel Church for Every Community in Scotland’. ETS intend to contribute to this vision by enrolling at least 400 students by 2027, including at least

20 students per year being trained for ministry; by having in place a programme for the training of office bearers; by providing a programme of education for church members and by offering theological supervision to five existing ministers per year as a means of continuing professional development. Reflecting on the ETS report, Professor George Coghill told the Assembly, ‘Pray regularly for ETS. We will have an ongoing, long-lasting theological educational institution, and I hope the Church will benefit from it for many years to come.’ •

REPORT OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES VISION AND STRATEGY

on mission, ministry and training in 2022. A new training model for ministers, new church plants, and developments at Edinburgh Theological Seminary can be funded because we have started the year in a good financial position. The Board also approved a £500 increase in ministers’ stipends, and intimated that — given current cost of living pressures — that they want to consider an increase in excess of £500 per annum from 1st January 2023. The Trustees give thanks to God for his provision of these financial resources, and look to him to supply all that is needed in our congregations and as a denomination in 2022.

Andrew Giffen, Chief Executive Officer of the Free Church, gave an update on the Church’s vision for ‘A Healthy Gospel Church for every Community in Scotland’. The vision statement for our denomination was adopted at last year’s General Assembly. Mr Giffen told the Assembly that the vision ‘requires us to pray and humbly express our total dependence on God and the work of the Holy Spirit. For it is only God who grows a healthy church.’ Mr Giffen said that the vision also requires us to give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord. As such, the Board of Trustees has been working with the other Boards and central Committees to see how they might best support the presbyteries, congregations, and individual members to make the vision a reality. The Board commissioned a video and booklet to share the vision with the denomination at the start of 2022. They encourage presbyteries and congregations to start a conversation asking, ‘What would it mean for us to grow in health?’ The Trustees want to see healthy growing gospel congregations throughout Scotland (and beyond), that are a blessing to the communities around them.

FINANCE Donald Forsyth, Chair of the Board of Trustees, thanked congregations and individual members for their efforts to maintain remittance levels and mission donations during 2021. Income received in the year was slightly higher than in 2020. Expenditure was considerably lower than expected and there was therefore a small surplus. Mr Forsyth described the Free Church’s vision as ‘the most ambitious growth project for the Church in our lifetimes’, and acknowledged that this work required investment. Therefore, in pursuing the vision of a Healthy Gospel Church for Every Community in Scotland, the Board has agreed to use some of the surplus from 2021 to cover additional spending

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Donald Forsyth, Chair of the Board of Trustees

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PROPERTY, LEGAL AND COMPLIANCE

has resulted in greater coordination, for example in the sharing of items for prayer, and more effective external communication, including more frequent news stories being published on the Free Church website. Andrew Giffen told the Assembly that, ‘We look forward to hearing more stories of what God is doing among us as he grows his church.’ The Public Engagement Group has been active in responding to Scottish Government consultations on various proposed pieces of policy and legislation. Donald Forsyth concluded, ‘we have an ambitious plan, and we have the resources to implement it. So, let us rejoice in the situation, working together to realise our vision of A Healthy Gospel Church for every Community in Scotland. May we all work together effectively for God’s glory.’ •

The Board sought some increased flexibility in relation to the ownership of property. While the preferred arrangement is that a minister should live in a manse, the Board recognised there are exceptional circumstances which call for alternative arrangements to be made. The Compliance Sub-Group is working on a handbook for congregations. The first section, on Safeguarding, is currently being trialled by a number of congregations. The Project Management Group is revising the Church’s disciplinary procedure, and brought a Supplementary Report to outline the new process. This was discussed by the Assembly, and work by the Project Management Group is ongoing.

COMMUNICATIONS A Communications Group has been established and a Communications Manager appointed. This

REPORT OF THE BOARD OF MINISTRY

The Rev Paul Clarke, Chair of the Board of Ministry addresses The Assembly

The Rev Paul Clarke, Chair of the Board of Ministry, introduced the Board’s report by reflecting on ‘the great privilege we share as ministers and elders in God’s church to proclaim his life-giving word to the world.’ ‘It is our privilege’, Mr Clarke said, ‘to walk with people through life, in sorrows and in joys, and to see God strengthening them and readying them for eternity.’ He described the role of the Board of Ministry as helping the Free Church to ‘recruit, select and train new workers for God’s harvest field’, and to ‘equip,

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support and care for those workers and their families throughout a lifetime of ministry.’ ‘We are very aware’, he continued, ‘of how much remains to be done in order to fulfil the various remits that the Assembly has entrusted to us…in one sense the real work starts now.’

STUDENT TEAM The Rev Thomas Davis, who leads the Board of Ministry’s Student Team, told the Assembly that ‘Jesus needs to be at the heart of everything we are

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doing.’ The Student Team want training for ministry to be a time when candidates and their families ‘grow in their love for Jesus,’ said Mr Davis, and which is ‘one of the most enriching experiences for them as they seek to follow Jesus in the calling he has placed in their lives.’ With Jesus as the focus, Mr Davis said that the goal of the Student Team is to ‘build a training model that is biblical, that is realistic and is effective. But also one that is ambitious, recognising that Jesus can do far more abundantly than we can ask or think…From him, through him and to him are all things.’ The Board of Ministry’s Student Team is involved in an array of work to this end. Among the tasks the Team was set by the 2021 Assembly was an instruction to develop a new model for training. The Student Team has provided this in the document, Training for Ministry: Expectations for Candidates, Congregations and Presbyteries. The model had been refined in consultation with Boards and Presbyteries, and was ultimately approved by the 2022 General Assembly. Mr Davis presented a key aspect of the model to Commissioners: the process of becoming a ‘training church’ — in other words, a congregation that supports a minister-in-training. Mr Davis emphasised that the Board want everyone to get involved in this, it is in no way limited to a ‘select few’ congregations. Whether a congregation is big, small, urban or rural, it can become a training church. What is required is that the congregation is willing, is not vacant, and is able to make a financial contribution of at least £3000 per year towards the trainee minister’s salary. Any congregation who can meet these requirements should let the Board of Ministry know. ‘In all of these things’, Mr Davis concluded, ‘this is our goal: to be united around the person and mission of our Saviour, Jesus. And if we can train up more men to go out with his gospel to our nation, to a generation yet unborn, then we will have much to give thanks to God for.’

with one another, cry with one another, pray with one another and learn from one another.’ He went on to thank the Rev Colin Macleod (Gairloch) for his support in producing guidelines on pastoral care, mentoring and coaching for the Board of Ministry webpage. Mr Lamont reminded the Assembly that, as Christians, we believe in lifelong learning — we are disciples. The Continuous Professional Development and in-service training that is offered by the Board will focus on three areas: Character (personal holiness), Competence (professional skills), and Conviction (theology; contemporary thought and culture). Mr Lamont encouraged ministers not to overlook opportunities for fellowship and learning. The Board’s report was very well received by the Assembly. James Fraser thanked the Board for the ‘colossal’ amount of work that has gone into the plans, and told the Assembly that training is the ‘lifeblood of our church’. The Rev Tom Muir summed up the feeling of the Assembly by telling Commissioners he is encouraged by the Board’s report. ‘There is a plan’, he said, ‘It is good, it’s personable and it’s deeply interested in those who are entering training. And, of course, it’s all about Jesus.’ The Rev Paul Clarke encouraged the Assembly to continue in prayer for more candidates to enter the ministry, concluding, ‘May the Lord raise up workers for his harvest field.’

UNITY AND FELLOWSHIP As the Assembly drew to a close, Commissioners remarked on the unity, friendship and fellowship that had defined the meeting. It was with a sense of excitement about what is possible with God that the Assembly looked ahead and made plans for the work of the Free Church into the future. The Rev Alasdair Macaulay told those gathered that, having attended many Assemblies over the years, ‘this has been the best, ever. It has been hugely encouraging, the praise has been uplifting…it has just been all good. ‘We feel at home with one another and there is an increased unity.’ The Rev Roddie Rankin gave thanks to God for everyone who had helped to make this year’s Assembly possible. He said: ‘I have loved this week. It’s been in person. There has been great fellowship. Friendships have been renewed and made. It’s been forward looking. There is a sense that the church of Jesus, the part of that of which we are, is in the hands of good people, by the grace of Jesus. It’s been harmonious. ‘I cherish our present unity of heart and purpose, our mutual respect, our love for each other. As Paul says: “let us strive to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace”.’ •

MINISTRY TEAM The Rev Derek Lamont leads the Board’s Ministry Team, which is concerned with ensuring that ministers and their families receive care, support, professional development and training so that they thrive in the work they are called to. ‘We’re just servants’, Mr Lamont told the Assembly. ‘We’re just servants of the church. And what we want is to help the church do what they are doing. ‘We want to encourage you all to be collegiate, and to be godly together, to support one another.’ Mr Lamont encouraged Commissioners to build on pastoral care teams within Presbyteries. ‘We have to move Presbyteries from being just business meetings to being opportunities for fellowship with one another’, he said. ‘Eat with one another, laugh

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PHOTOS FROM THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2022 All Photos here and in Assembly Article courtesy of Alexander Morrow, Sarah Robinson and Simon Kennedy.

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FREE CHURCH NEWS NORMAN MACKAY RETIRES FROM GOVAN BY JIM BOYD

aster sunday 17th april was a significant day in the life of govan free church.

We had gathered, along with the whole church, to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we also came to give thanks for the ministry of our pastor Rev. Norman Mackay and his wife Alison. This retirement service was to acknowledge, with deep gratitude, eight years of service, and 70 folks came together to hear Norman preach powerfully from John chapter 20 on Mary Magdalene at the tomb. This was a reminder that the Lord is not finished with Norman, and he and Alison will have much to offer in their future service for the Lord. Following the service, the ladies had provided a lovely spread, then presentations were made: flowers, a monetary gift and a photobook with photos and comments from folks, past and present, associated with the congregation. An opportunity was then given for anyone to say a few words, and several expressed their indebtedness to Norman and Alison for their impact on their lives. It was an emotional day. Norman was born and brought up in Govan. He was converted at the Tent Hall in Glasgow. Alison, an Airdrie girl, was converted aged 16 years on a visit to California. They met at a prayer meeting, when Norman used the famous chat up line, ‘Do you want to come and see my books?’ Both had a passion for Central Asia. They married in 1988 and, after a period of training in the USA, they set off for Kyrgyzstan as pioneer missionaries. Norman, in his inimitable style, has some hilarious and hair-raising stories from their time there. A period in Latvia followed, then they returned home, Norman to pastor a church in Cumnock and Alison to give birth to their two sons, Nathan and Peter. They were eventually drawn to the Free Church, and Norman was called to Falkirk where they spent six years in fruitful service, before the Lord laid on Norman’s heart a burden for the people of Govan. Starting a church plant in Govan, a place of multiple deprivations, unemployment, addiction, crime, broken homes and poverty takes faith, commitment, patience and a love for people. Norman and Alison have it in bucketloads. They sought to build up relationships and establish trust, allowing folks to tell their stories, then gently bringing the gospel truths to bear on each situation. The work began on the streets of Govan, using the Pearce Institute as a central hub where Bible Study and Christianity Explored groups proved very useful. The Govan Voice, a quarterly magazine was a joint venture between Norman and Bethany Christian Trust to produce a publication ‘by the people of Govan for the people of Govan’. It was very well received. Services commenced in the P.I. and a weekly cafe was started partnering with Street Connect, a Christian charity working with vulnerable and marginalised people. The cafe was again instrumental in building relationships and gaining trust. Many folks came to know Jesus through this ministry. Eventually a church magazine Free in Govan was produced, highlighting the work of the church. A building was purchased, thanks in part to a generous donation, and

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Norman continued to preach the gospel powerfully until a period of ill health necessitated time off work. Having given their all to this pioneer work for eight years, Norman and Alison decided to stand down from the work in January 2022. So, a chapter closes in Norman and Alison’s ministry. We are convinced that the Lord will continue to use them mightily in the future, and we are equally convinced that the Lord is not finished with Govan Free Church. Please pray for them, and us, that the light will continue to shine in the darkness and many more men, women, boys and girls will come to know the Saviour in Govan and throughout Scotland (Philippians 1:3). • Read Alison and Norman’s reflections on the work in Govan on page 26

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CHURCH PLANTER INDUCTED

concluded, saying: ‘Ciarán, by God’s grace, the fruit of your ministry, we pray, will be men and women who are drawn irresistibly to Christ through you as you proclaim that Jesus is Lord, and who ultimately inherit eternal life because they believe in the message that you proclaim to them. It makes the ministry to which you are being ordained a ministry of incredible glory.’ The plans for Grace Church Montrose are gathering pace. God has been at work and the church has been growing in number over several years. They have been eagerly seeking a pastor/planter who can provide stability and direction, and who would equip them for works of ministry in their local communities. Currently, the congregation are meeting in the new Montrose Playhouse on Sunday mornings. This newly opened cinema is a community-financed project in the old swimming pool. The congregation will continue to seek their own building but, for now, this provides a good and prominent location in the town as they endeavour, by God’s grace, to establish a healthy gospel church in Montrose. •

move to establish a free church in montrose has taken a huge step forward with the induction of a church planter, the rev. ciarán kelleher.

A team of elders is already in place and, following several interviews with Ciarán, they invited him to lead the church plant with them. It is an exciting time as Grace Church Montrose moves into its next chapter. Ciarán was licensed in the Free Church of Scotland last June, having served as a Leader-in-Training and Elder at St Andrews and Broughty Ferry. He is married to Sarah and they have one son, Tadhg. At the induction service last month, the Rev. Paul Clarke, from St Andrews Free Church, described the twists and turns of the family’s journey in ministry and how plans have come together for this next venture. ‘They say it takes a village to raise a child. We are seeing increasingly in Scotland that it takes lots of churches and training institutions, working in partnership together, to train a minister of the gospel for effective service. ‘For me, personally, it’s a bit like watching two good friends get married. As well as having been walking alongside Ciarán and Sarah for the last number of years, many of us have been doing what we can to support our dear friends in Grace Church Montrose as they have waited so patiently for over five years now for the right time, the right circumstances, and the right man to call as their minister and church planter. We had no idea that their story and the Kellehers’ would combine in this way, but it’s been a great source of joy to us that it has. ‘We want to promise you both our prayers and our support, not only today but for all that the Lord has for you in the years to come.’ Paul preached from 2 Corinthians 4:1-18. He

2022 YOUTH CONFERENCE

seminars put on by a range of speakers covering topics such as Living with Loss, Rural Ministry, Christians in Public Life, and Loving Others Well. Additionally, we were privileged to be joined by Joe Barnard on Sunday morning, speaking to us from Romans 6 about discipleship, sanctification and what it means to be fighting sin. Over the weekend, delegates were both equipped to serve Christ personally and as part of the body of believers. Our committee was ably led by Sheona Forbes, with attendees joining from across the country. We were encouraged to see delegates attending from beyond the Free Church as well. Overall, the weekend was a roaring success, but we don’t want it to end there. Our

he annual free church youth conference was hosted at lendrick muir in march.

The weekend saw over 100 young people, between 18 and 30 years of age, join together for three days of highquality teaching, joyful worship and fellowship. The main talks this year were delivered by Andy Robertson, minister of Charleston Community Church in Dundee. Over the course of the weekend, Andy took the delegates through the book of Habakkuk. His three main sessions, entitled ‘How Long, Oh Lord’, ‘Waiting for God in Hard Times’ and ‘Joyful, Confident Praise’, encouraged the delegates to remain secure in the promises of our eternal Father. During the weekend, delegates also had the opportunity to attend various

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prayer is that delegates will return to their local churches ready to serve, encouraged in their faith and strengthened in the joy of the Lord. Please encourage them to use their gifts and serve as valued members of the church. And of course, we’re looking forward to next year! Please pray for next year’s convener, Euan MacDonald, along with the rest of the committee, as the preparations for the 2023 conference begin. • ‘One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.’ (Psalm 145:4)

FELLOWSHIP AND FUNDRAISING AT BACK FC

Best of all, a large monetary gift has been sent to this year’s Women for Mission project, Hope for the Hurting, because everyone gave generously. It was a great community event on so many levels. Some of our menfolk gallantly looked after the dessert table towards the end. Mind you, there may have been mixed motives involved! A ‘sweet get together’ has more than one meaning. •

t has been a long 2 years of restrictions on community gatherings. So

it was especially sweet to get together in April for a Saturday lunch at Back Free Church. Over a couple of hours, there was a steady stream of folk enjoying the fundraiser. Organisers were delighted to see the church hall full of friends catching up. A hearty bowl of soup on a wet day was welcome, followed by a huge array of puddings, with everyone’s favourite on offer!

PLANS FOR A NEW FREE CHURCH IN GALASHIELS

Craig said: ‘We really are in the very early stages of the church plant. There hasn’t been a Free Church in Gala, or I believe the Borders, for around 120 years, so the Free Church is an unknown entity, but there is great scope to set up a church within the town and be part of the community. ‘We want to be rooted in Gala – to have a healthy gospel

lans are coming together for a new free church of scotland in galashiels.

The church plant is in very early stages, with lead church planter, the Rev. Craig Anderson, and his family planning to move to the town this summer. A launch team will be formed to build a sense of church community and gospel culture.

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church here — and to reach out to other places within the Borders, seeking, in time, to plant more churches.’ The venture is a church plant from Buccleuch Free Church in Edinburgh. Craig has spent several years preparing for gospel ministry. He has previously been a Ministry Associate with Chalmers Church, Edinburgh, where he also studied at Cornhill Scotland. Following this, Craig worked as a Staff Worker with UCCF and has served at St Peter’s Free Church and Charleston Community Church during his time studying at Edinburgh Theological Seminary. Most recently, Craig has worked as a ‘Church Planter in Training’ at Charleston Community Church. He has had a desire to plant a church in the Scottish Borders for several years and to be part of the reevangelisation of that area. A proposal was put forward last year for the church plant, and since last August Craig has been visiting Galashiels once a fortnight to get to know the area and the community. The Anderson family — Craig, his wife Amy and their three children, Tabitha, 5, and twins Charis and Peter, 3 — are set to move to Gala in July. They are currently looking for a house. ‘For six months to a year we’ll be gathering a launch team,’ said Craig. ‘As a team we’ll be meeting together to have an informal service in the morning and having

everyone round to the manse in the evening for people to get to know each other and pray together.’ Craig said that he is looking forward to what’s in store as there is a very strong sense of community in the area already. ‘Within the Borders, each town and village have their own personal identities,’ he said. ‘With the regeneration in Gala, the train line and tapestry museum, there is a buzz about the town which adds to the strong sense of community that already existed.’ He is also due to formally take up the role of chaplain for Gala Rugby at the start of the next season, a venture that he is looking forward to. As the plans for the church plant continue, there are three main prayer points. Craig said: ‘We pray that the Lord would be working in the lives of people who are not saved. There are around 115,000 people in the Borders, across a large area, with Galashiels the central town. There are very few gospel churches across the Borders and we want to change that. We want to reach the lost with the good news of Jesus Christ, beginning with being rooted in Gala but still reaching the Borders. ‘Pray for wisdom and for people willing to join the launch team. Pray also for the practicalities of planting a church: a meeting place, a manse and money.’ •

EDINBURGH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY AWARDS CEREMONY

he first in-person ets awards ceremony for

and esteem in which John Angus is held by students and colleagues. He will be greatly missed at ETS. The principal spoke on the theme of the courage of the disciples in Acts 4. The closing ceremony was a huge encouragement and an appropriate end to a difficult post-COVID year. •

three years took place on friday 13th may,

with staff, students, family members and friends all gathering in St Columba’s Free Church to mark the end of the 2021-22 academic year. After Principal Iver Martin welcomed everyone, expressing his own thankfulness at being back together, awards were presented to graduating students from the many programmes offered at ETS. A large number were present to be congratulated for their achievements. Iver Martin paid tribute to Prof. John Angus Macleod, who is retiring as Professor of Greek and New Testament. His many gifts — academic, technical and administrative — have been applied with huge personal commitment to the life and ministry of ETS. Mr Martin made mention specifically of Prof. Macleod’s time as Vice Principal, without which ETS could not have functioned. For his part, Prof. Macleod spoke of the sense of fellowship that there is at ETS, the friendship of his colleagues and the support that his wife, Liz, had been to him over the 23 years of his tenure. The duration of the applause was a striking testimony to the affection

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Prof John Angus Macleod and his wife Liz with Principal Iver Martin

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NEW CENTRAL STAFF APPOINTMENTS

bank with their operations and incident management. Robert took early retirement a few years ago and has been enjoying life in the Scottish Borders since then, working for an organic box delivery company. He is an Elder in a church in Peebles. Andrew Giffen (CEO) said, ‘These are key roles for the Central Office and roles that will hopefully also bring significant benefit to the wider denomination. I am very much looking forward to Robert and Fiona starting with us. Do please remember them in your prayers as they make this transition.’ Please also join us in praying for God’s leading in the appointment of a Mission Coordinator (Job Share). •

new executive assistant and an operations manager have been appointed to the free church’s central office team.

Fiona MacKenzie will be joining us part-time as Executive Assistant to the CEO. She is currently working as the Finance and Administration Officer for a small charity. Before that she was the Administrator for Chalmers Church in Edinburgh, where she and her husband are still actively involved. Robert Wilson will be working with us three days a week as Operations Manager. Robert worked for many years in senior management roles with a major UK bank. He was particularly involved in helping the

WfM UPDATE

BY FIONA MACASKILL

s i write, the sun is splitting the sky and there is a

people for inpatient treatment. Perhaps a little more time is required until people realise the services we offer and start trusting us some more. ‘We have not yet started obstetric and surgical services. The theatre is almost ready, with some minor adjustments getting done and awaiting delivery of few essential drugs. But we should be able to start offering surgical services any day now. ‘With regard to the palliative care project, as of now, because of a lack of finances as well as a hospital vehicle (it is still in the workshop), the project is on hold. We should be able to restart it in May or June this year if funds become available. Otherwise, things are looking better. We have had a few new nurses join us and we are awaiting a few more staff in the coming months. ‘Two of our staff nurses are also pregnant and we request you to keep their and their child’s health in your prayers.’

forecast of warm weather for the days to come.

Life is slowly but surely feeling more normal and we are looking forward to meeting in person for our AGM and then our conference in September. It has been a difficult couple of years and we are more than ever aware of the amazing blessings that we enjoy in the West. Each Spring, as we decide which groups to support in our new project, we are challenged by the stories of lives around the world, and closer to home, that are left deeply affected by a sinful world. It is our privilege to raise funds to support those in need, and this year we have been delighted to help Lakhnadon Christian Hospital in India, which the denomination has had a long-standing relationship with. The hospital, which is situated in central India, was founded one hundred years ago and now caters for a range of healthcare needs. The funds we are raising will go towards the palliative care team and providing PPE equipment for staff. We are pleased to share a short update on the work there from Dr Sumit Singh:

By the time this has gone to print, we will have finished fundraising for the palliative care team in the hospital, so pray that the project will no longer be on hold. Please remember this work in your prayers, and if you would like to know more about helping support them financially then please do get in touch through our website. Keep an eye out for booking details for our conference on the 17th of September this year in Inverness. We are hoping that we will be able to take pre-orders for the relaunch of the cookbook. Yes, it is going to be one cookbook! We are combining books one and two and it will hopefully be ready for Christmas! It’s never too early for some Christmas shopping… •

‘Things in Lakhnadon are starting to look up. Our OPD [outpatient department] numbers are starting to go up and patients are getting healed by his grace and healing touch. ‘We have had three patients over the last one month who had miraculously survived when they were near their deathbed (including one who had asystole and required CPR). It is all a testament to God’s faithfulness and his healing, for which we are mere instruments. ‘We have also admitted a few inpatients over the last month but, in general, I’m noticing a hesitancy in

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A Healthy Gospel Church is...Incarnational and Relational BY REV. COLIN L MACLEOD

‘I

n the beginning was the word and the word was with god and the word was god….and the word became flesh and dwelt among us.’

(John 1:1, 14) And as the incarnational Son of God lived amongst people, so his body, the church, is called to walk in his shoes and follow in his ways. I think of Paul’s words in Romans 12:1, ‘Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.’ Every day, we live our lives as a sacrificial offering to God in whatever we do and with whoever we are. Jesus got his hands and feet dirty without getting his heart dirty. ‘Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.’ (James 1:27) It’s being in the world but not of the world. As part of Gairloch, Kinlochewe and Torridon Free Church, we live in a small, rural setting. That helps us to put incarnational and relational ministry into practice. As a congregation, and within the leadership, including myself as the minister, we encourage each other to be involved in the life of the community in every way. And that is what I preach and seek to practice: Involvement in the life of the community and the lives of the people in ordinary ways, sharing an extraordinary Saviour as we do so. So we do not wait for people to come to the church. But, as the church, we go into the many groups, clubs, activities and amenities that make up the warp and woof of this culture and community, and we minister in grace and love in the name of Jesus. Whether it’s the local newspaper, radio station, litter picking group, Gaelic speaking group, youth club, community council or museum, we view the whole of life as belonging to Christ and enter every area with him and for him. ‘In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.’ (Matthew 5. 16) We are not escapologists. We think, ‘How can I get into this?’, rather than, ‘How can I get out of this?’ To keep being a healthy church, we of course need to come together to worship and share and encourage one another on the Lord’s Day. Fellowship together in the Word and in worship is crucial. We need feeding and the re-fuelling of grace and the gospel in order to keep healthy. So, gathering to worship incarnationally and relationally is as important as scattering to worship incarnationally and relationally. We meet as friends and family and warmly welcome everyone who comes along. Freely we have received and so freely we give. • Rev. Colin L. Macleod is minister of Gairloch, Kinlochewe and Torridon Free Church

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WORLD NEWS

AMERICAS AFRICA EUROPE ASIA AUSTRALASIA SHOOTING SURVIVOR ON ‘THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS’ Politicians offering ‘thoughts and prayers’ to victims of violence has become both a cliché and a punchline in American politics. And US lawmakers’ reactions to gun violence, in particular, are back in the headlines following more deadly shootings. The congregation of Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church, California; customers at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York; and pupils and staff at Robb elementary school, Uvalde, Texas were all attacked by assailants with guns in May 2022. 32 people were killed. Taylor Schumann was wounded by a gunman who attacked the community college where she worked in 2013. Through the slow process of healing, she has been reflecting on God’s goodness and the church’s role in addressing the issue. Schumann’s book When Thoughts and Prayers Aren’t Enough: A Shooting Survivor’s Journey into the Realities of Gun Violence was published last year by InterVarsity Press. Schumann spoke to Religion News Service in the wake of the recent shootings. ‘I believe in the power of prayer deeply, and that’s why it offends me so much when it’s used as simply a soundbite,’ she says. ‘I think when we pray about gun violence, we are not always open to hearing what God has to say. Are we really willing to be used to reduce gun violence? If God’s answer to our prayers requires personal sacrifice, are we willing to hear that? I’m not so sure we are. ‘Prayer should be where we start, not where we finish. If we were praying genuine prayers about gun violence, we would see a lot more genuine action.’ •

POLISH ARCHBISHOP TAKES AIM AT VATICAN’S RUSSIA DIPLOMACY Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki of Poznan, President of the Roman Catholic Polish Bishops’ Conference, has strongly criticised the Vatican’s current approach to relations with Russia. ‘The Holy See is always neutral in its diplomatic activity and tries to be impartial towards warring parties — it knows Christians are often fighting on both sides; so it doesn’t identify the aggressor,’ he told the international press after a visit to Ukraine. ‘[But] it’s crucially important the Holy See supports Ukraine at all levels, and isn’t guided by utopian thoughts drawn from liberation theology. ‘The Vatican’s attitude to Russia should change and show greater maturity, since the former and present approach seems extremely naïve and utopian.’ The archbishop said that he had asked Pope Francis to adopt a different stance, and feared that the Vatican was prioritising ties to Russia over Central and Eastern Europe. The Pope’s position on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has come in for criticism, including from Ukraine’s foreign ministry, since an interview he gave in early May to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. In the interview, the pontiff suggested that NATO bore some responsibility for the war as it had been ‘barking at Russia’s door’. He also questioned whether Western governments are right to supply weapons to Ukraine. The Polish delegation’s tour of Ukraine coincided with a visit from Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Vatican Secretary for Relations with States. Archbishop Gallagher told a press conference that the Holy See is ‘completely committed’ to Ukraine’s territorial integrity, but that Pope Francis also must ‘take into consideration all peoples at all times’ due to his ‘universal mission’. Archbishop Gallagher reiterated the Vatican’s offer to assist in peace talks. •

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CHRISTIANS CONTINUE TO SUFFER VIOLENCE IN NIGERIA Nigerian churches led a mass protest on 22nd May to demand an end to sectarian killings. The situation was brought to a head by mob violence which saw Deborah Samuel beaten to death by fellow students at Shehu Shagari College of Education, in Sokoto state in the north-west of the country. Samuel had been accused of blasphemy after she had posted an online message asking another student to remove Islamic material which had been posted on an exam-prep social media group. Two students were arrested following Deborah Samuel’s death, but a crowd calling for their release destroyed 11 buildings, targeted Christian-owned shops and besieged the palace of the sultan of Sokoto, who had condemned the killing, The Guardian reports. ‘Gathering together, we condemned this gruesome act and demanded the government identify, arrest, and prosecute the culprits,’ Testimony Onifade of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) told Christianity Today. ‘The overwhelming majority of our churches in the south participated, many going to the streets in peaceful protest.’ In the majority-Muslim north of Nigeria, where Deborah Samuel was killed, the demonstration was more muted. Local authorities initiated a ban on protests because some Muslim groups had threatened counter-protests. As a result, 120 Christian leaders representing northern denominations gathered in a Kaduna city church for a time of prayer. The same week as Deborah Samuel’s murder, Islamic State West Africa Province broadcast a video showing the execution of 20 Christians. Morocco’s Foreign Minister, Nasser Bourita, hosted a conference of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in May. He told those gathered that Islamic State affiliates in sub-Saharan Africa are engaging in deadly attacks at a level which is surpassing their parent organisation in Iraq and Syria. Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for half of the worldwide deaths attributed to Islamic State in 2021. Open Doors now ranks Nigeria seventh on its World Watch List of countries where it is hardest to be a Christian. •

THE FUTURE OF THE CHURCH IS FEMALE AND AFRICAN Gina Zurlo, Co-Director of the Centre for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, is spearheading a new research project aiming to ‘provide the first-ever global, quantitative analysis of women in world Christianity.’ Via The Conversation, Zurlo writes that, ‘compared to Christian men, Christian women are more likely to attend weekly church services (53% versus 46%), pray daily (61% versus 51%), and say religion is important in their lives (68% versus 61%).’ Yet, ‘what researchers don’t have is comprehensive data on women’s activities in churches, their influence, their leadership or their service. Nor are there comprehensive analyses of Christians’ attitudes around the world about women’s and men’s roles in churches.’ Despite the lack of data which Zurlo is seeking to fill, what is already clear to her is the demographic shift in modern Christianity. ‘Women are the majority of the church nearly everywhere in the world,’ according to Zurlo. ‘[The church’s] future is poised to be shaped by African women, in particular. ‘Christianity continues its demographic shift to the global south. In 1900, 18% of the world’s Christians lived in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Oceania, according to my research. Today that figure is 67%, and by 2050, it is projected to be 77%. Africa is home to 27% of the world’s Christians, the largest share in the world, and by 2050, that figure will likely be 39%. For comparison, the United States and Canada were home to just 11% of all Christians in the world in 2020 and will likely drop to 8% by 2050. Furthermore, the median age of Christians in sub-Saharan Africa is just 19.’ •

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AUSTRALIAN ANGLICANS ENTER SAME-SEX MARRIAGE DEBATE The Anglican Church of Australia’s General Synod debated several motions related to same-sex marriage when it met in May. This was the first national meeting since an Appellate Tribunal decided in 2020 that blessing same-sex unions was not contrary to the denomination’s constitution. The 2022 Synod did not reach a conclusive position on the subject. A motion which described same-sex marriage as ‘a moral good and a gift to be celebrated’ was defeated by 145 votes to 95. However, another motion declaring both samesex marriage and same-sex marriage blessings to be contrary ‘to the teaching of Christ and the faith, ritual, ceremonial and/or discipline of this Church’ was also defeated, albeit narrowly. The motion was supported in the Houses of Clergy and Laity, but failed by two votes in the House of Bishops, according to Church Times. A further motion, brought by the Sydney diocese, which declared that the Synod ‘continues to hold the historic view that unchastity means sexual activity outside a marriage relationship, defined in the Book of Common Prayer as the union of one man and one woman,’ passed in all three houses. In light of the Synod’s debate, the Anglican Primate of Australia, Geoffrey Smith asked dioceses not to conduct same-sex marriage blessings, noting that such a course would weaken the General Synod and risk departures from the denomination. Archbishop Smith conceded, however, that it is likely some will follow the diocese of Wangaratta, which approved a blessing rite in 2019. •

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And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3

FOR THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM What comes to mind when you think of joy? Celebrating with people, perhaps? Or receiving some good news? Maybe it’s the relationship you have with your spouse, or seeing your children growing up in the faith? All sorts of circumstances can be joyful, but Christian joy is something that we hold on to even when circumstances are not joyful. The writer to the Hebrews knew his dear readers were not experiencing joyful circumstances. They were despondent and discouraged and on the verge of tossing in the Christian towel, returning to the Jewish faith and community they had left in loyalty to Jesus. They were growing weary and losing heart. So how does our writer encourage his hearers to endure? By reflecting on why Jesus endured. He did so because he could see the joy that was ahead of him. It’s something we’ve not yet covered in these verses, and so I invite you to return to them with me this June, and think about Jesus’ joy. What do you think the joy was that Jesus aimed at as he ran his race? As I read on through this chapter, I find this picture in verses 22–24: ‘You have come… to the city of the living God… to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven… to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus…’ This sounds to me like an arrival, like what awaits at the end of the race of faith we considered in February. I believe this is the joy Jesus pictured as he endured desertion, denial and execution. Jesus knew, far better than we do now, all that lay in store when he returned to the Father, and the new heavens and earth that he would one day bring. And he rejoiced even as he went to Gethsemane, Jerusalem and Golgotha. Something that has really struck me this week, looking at this passage, is that the picture in the above verses includes the church – we, and our Christian brothers and sisters who have already fallen asleep, are an integral part of the joyful future Jesus aimed at in his darkest moments. In your prayers today, wonder in Jesus’ presence that your presence with him was his motivation. The joy Jesus held in front of him is the very same joy that we as a church can hold, too. Jesus is our forerunner, and what is true for him is true for us. The writer reminds the church they had indeed lived in this joy before. In chapter 10, verse 34, he says: ‘You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.’ They had joy in unhappy situations because they could see ahead the reward of faith that could not be taken away. It makes me think of having tickets to a sport or music event you know is going to be fantastic. You haven’t experienced the event itself, but even holding those tickets guarantees what’s to come. You are filled with excitement though nothing has actually happened yet. What are you facing right now that is painful or discouraging or frustrating? How can you hold this joy in front of you? Reflect this month that those things you endure now are temporary. But the joy to come, that Jesus and his departed saints enjoy, is his and ours for ever. This is a joy so assured it can fill us even now.. • The Rev. Sean Ankers is minister of Loch Ness Free Church (Glenurquhart & Fort Augustus)

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REFLECTIONS REFLECTIO ©Wayhome Studio- stock.adobe.com

BY REV. SEAN ANKERS

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FOOD FOR FELLOWSHIP Hi! I’m Joan MacDonald. My husband served as a surgeon in Lakhnadon Christian Hospital from 1973 ’til 1988. For him, it was a 24/7 commitment, his wholehearted service to God. We both come from a heritage of open-hearted Highland hospitality. Hospitality bubbles up from thankfulness for what we have and a generosity of spirit that gets a real kick out of sharing. My widowed Granny Marvig had very little, but she had hot boiled potatoes ready to warm the hands and stomachs of school children trudging home to the next village on a cold winter’s afternoon. My father, her son, after an evening’s fishing, would gut the fish, get on his bike and give fish to some of his parishioners, even as late as eleven o’clock on a Skye summer evening! My mother and mother-in-law constantly fed locum preachers and visitors. As students in Edinburgh, we both enjoyed open homes in Buccleuch Free Church, so we were well prepared for the hospitality culture of India. We received and gave hospitality and deepened friendships over many meals (some simple, some lavish) with student placements, unexpected arrivals (hungry, tired, unwell OM teams, world travellers, and so on), our local Christian fellowship and hospital staff. The years have slipped away. It’s been a wonderful privilege to provide comfort and warm friendship through sharing of food, in India and Scotland. We’re now retired and living in a retirement block of flats. A shared cup of coffee, or a donation of soup (even though mine are maybe not entirely traditional) are still an opportunity for food and fellowship. King David inspires me: ‘I will not sacrifice to the Lord that which has cost me nothing.’ (2 Samuel 24:24) Thank you WfM for highlighting the reopening of Lakhnadon Christian Hospital. Please support Dr Samit Mishra and his team who are redeveloping the hospital and giving committed Christian service to meet 21st century health needs, including palliative care. Dr Anne M. Urquhart’s Book Near India’s Heart gives an excellent background to the hospital’s work and history. This recipe is my story. And here is the scene: It’s January. The red sun slipping into the edge of the Deccan Plateau is matched by the red-hot coals of three wood-fuelled cooking fires. Oxcarts are trundling home, wooden wheels squeaking in harmony with the bong-bongs of wooden oxbells, draped round the oxen’s necks. The last of the egrets are flying home to settle for the night, and the rhythmic whoosh of their wings is oddly soothing.

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A group of women are preparing a special meal to thank and honour the medical team who have seen over 500 patients and operated on well over one hundred in the last seven days. It’s been a highpressured eye camp. And there are more cooking fires in the hospital grounds. The local Lion’s Club have taken on the task of feeding the patients, cooking big pots of easily eaten and digested vegetables, rice, dhal, and breakfast porridge. It’s a big commitment and hard work, gladly given. But now the medics are exhausted, and the patients are enjoying their evening meal and eagerly anticipating improved eyesight. This is my memory of the Mutton Curry these ladies made. The recipe is maybe enough for six, but who cooks a special meal for only six? By the way, all cooking in India is ‘andaaz se apne apne’ – cooking by instinct and judgement. I’ve inserted suggestions for Scotland but it’s ok for you to do your own ‘andaaz se’ – only, please, not bland! •

MUTTON

CURRY

FROM LAKHNADON MADHYA PRADESH

INDIA 24

JUNE/JULY

Ingredients: 1 kg lean mutton, cut into one-inch cubes. Unless you have worries about your heart, keep the fat; it adds to the flavour. And anyway, you’re only going to make this when you are honouring guests. Goat meat is preferable if you can get it (it’s available online, but don’t try during festivals as it will be already snapped up); if not, moorraised Lewis mutton is best; it can hold its spices.

• •

For frying: • 5 or 6 large tomatoes, chopped • 2 large, strong flavoured (not Egyptian) brown onions, cut into thin slices. (There is some disagreement here, but I find red onions too sweet.) • 5 large ‘Pahari’ potatoes cut up into four or six portions, depending on size (Literally mountain potatoes – any flavoursome Scottish potato will do.) • Ghee, about 2 tablespoons or more. (Clarified butter, available in tins, unless your granny makes it, or rapeseed oil. Avoid palm oil for environmental reasons.)

The paste: Note: If you don’t have two stone grinders and the strength to manipulate them, an electric blender will suffice; but there’s a difference between crushed fresh ingredients and those merely chopped. • 6 green chillies, finely chopped (Depending on how much heat you can take. Whole, little finger chillies pack a punch!) • A good puckle of coriander leaves washed, and leaves picked off the stalks (a granny’s job!) but keep the stalks for when flavouring dhal, whenever you make it. • 3 tsp chopped fresh garlic (Peeled, of course. Don’t use the bottled stuff, it’s horrible, but frozen is ok) • 1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger (Remember to scrape the skin off with a wee sharp knife – a potato peeler is too wasteful. And yes, avoid the bottled stuff!)

Method: • Heat the ghee. • Fry the onions, stirring continuously, till golden brown. • Add the paste (as much as you can scrape off the meat and fry gently till it separates out.) • Add the blended spices and gently fry until you get a wonderful aroma. • Now add the meat and toss in spice mixture until well covered. (Do not add water at this stage as it’s really important that the spices penetrate the meat.) • Chopped tomatoes can now be added. And possibly a little water. • Cook slowly for half an hour or much longer. (Depends on the age of your goat/sheep.) • Add potatoes and wait till cooked. (There’s some controversy as to when the potatoes should be added. Some think that if added too soon after the tomatoes, they won’t soften.) • Serve garnished with fresh coriander with other accompaniments, e.g. boiled basmati rice, dhal, vegetables, pickles and freshly made chutney and freshly made flatbreads.

Rub the meat in the above paste and leave for a few hours. Meanwhile there’s plenty more to get on with. Spices: • 4 tbsp ground turmeric • 2 tbsp fresh grated coconut (Can be bought frozen if you don’t have a coconut scraper. Dry desiccated will do – just – if pushed.) • 1 tsp fennel seeds (dry roasted before adding to grinder/blender) • 2 tsp 'chabilla'. This is an aromatic lichen, also known as 'stone-flower' but the best variety grows on the shady side of trees in the jungle. I keep a supply brought over by guests from India. It’s available from some South Indian grocery shops. (I’m going to do research to see if it’s the same as ‘crotal’. If so, it’s going to be bonanza for someone!) You can do without it, but you lose some authenticity. Although only the discerning palate will appreciate this. • 1 tsp white poppy seeds (Careful where you source them from!) • 1 tbsp coriander powder (I use more. I’m rather fond of the stuff.) • 1 tbsp cumin powder (Usually, coriander and cumin are used in equal amounts)

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A wee sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg (This is not vital; it’s just a wee bit of spice blending show-off.) Blend all these together with a little water.

I leave you to imagine the work, camaraderie, and arguments this recipe engendered on the evening described. But now to confess that I cheat, by preparing in stages and freezing, ready to use for the final cooking. For example, the onions can be fried to perfection (takes time) and frozen, garlic and ginger can be ground and frozen, the meat cubed, (but not marinated) and frozen. Spices are best cooked fresh, if only for the experience of the alchemy of spicing.

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THE PROVIDENTIAL BLESSING OF NEW CHRISTIANS

-REFLECTIONS ON CHURCH PLANTING IN GOVAN. On Easter morning Govan Free Church was full as people gathered to give thanks to God for the ministry and testimony of Norman and Alison Mackay, whose vision and endeavours saw this new congregation come into being. Here are some reflections from Norman and Alison on their ministry in Govan. ‘… some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root...’ Romans 11:17 ROMANS - PAUL’S MAGNUM OPUS

glory of what has gone before is manifest in individual human lives transformed by the Gospel and grafted into the Church of Christ. These are one people embracing one faith, yet individually coming from a multitude of different lived experiences when outside of that faith. So, Paul can celebrate the life and testimony of Epenetus in the Christian family: ‘Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.’ Romans 16:5 Recently I was reflecting on the invigorating impact of new believers and enquirers on the life of the church plant in Govan. It is the same dynamic that Paul sees at work in the Romans 11:17 text above. When an olive tree had lost its vigour, the remedy Paul alludes to, it seems, was the cutting away of the failing branches

The Latin term magnum opus (great work) refers to a work of art, music, or literature that is regarded as the most important or best work that an artist, composer, or writer has produced. Very often Paul’s epistle to the Romans is regarded in this way, primarily because of its exposition of the universal theme of ‘righteousness’. Often a writer’s commentary on the book of Romans is itself regarded as the expositor’s magnum opus. What is at times underdeveloped in the thinking of some commentators is the huge spiritual significance of Romans chapter 16. These ‘personal greetings’, often viewed as a sort of ‘signing off’ to the great themes that have gone before, are in fact so much more than that. They serve as an inspirational reminder that all the

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while grafting in some wild olive shoots. The result was said to be the revitalisation and strengthening of the failing tree.

greatly blessed by mature Christians willing to invest their time, energy and emotions in making disciples of those whose lived experience outside of Christ has been impoverished, chaotic and traumatic.

NEW CONVERTS ARE FUNDAMENTAL TO STRATEGY NEW CONVERTS SHAPE OUR IDENTITY

2012 saw the initial conversation begun that would lead to church planting in the Govan area of the city. From the outset there were non-negotiables. First, the importance of converts. In the 1980s and 90s, in the context of WEC International, we served as tentmaking missionaries in Central Asia. Our first task was to gather other workers around us. Eventually we had an international outreach team. That group did not constitute a new church. That excitement could only be experienced once some of the indigenous people we had come to reach with the Gospel were themselves converted or in attendance. This principle was also incorporated into our outreach strategy within Govan. Before new believers had come to Christ, a new church had not yet been planted. This kept our focus on outreach and mission, our purpose for being there.

The confessional side of church life is fixed. The relational side is modelled for us in the Bible. Nonetheless, at a local level, there is a flexible social and behavioural matrix. It incorporates everything from how we shake hands, to what we find humorous, and what to do or not do in someone’s home. All too often, existing church culture has been ethnocentric. This means we evaluate other cultures according to our own preconceptions, which are based on the standards and customs of our own culture. Once again, we are not speaking of confessional standards here, which are unchanging, but ways of relating, which are fluid. Local people have been imbibing local culture from birth, relating intuitively and instinctively on the basis of it. In the last analysis, Govan Free Church is a place where people from Govan feel at home because it reflects the familiar social norms of home. For example, the prevalence of ‘recovery groups’ inspired us to replicate this local model, where we all gathered seated around a table while acknowledging that our common bond was a need of God’s grace. Within a very short period everyone was praying, reading, asking questions and sharing, despite being introduced to the faith only weeks or months before.

NEW CONVERTS INJECT FRESH VITALITY When a baby is born, there is a buzz of excitement, and also a recognition that the family dynamic has changed forever. Many reading this will know the experience. This is true also in the spiritual realm. After two years of sowing God blessed us with two local people professing faith. It is hard to describe the impact of these first new lives on our spirits. It was something of Thomas Chalmers’ ‘expulsive power of a new affection’ as things seemed brighter and burdens so much lighter. Issues that had assumed undue levels of importance now became secondary. Critical remarks seemed to be neutralised as our thoughts soared constantly to local people, with names, whom God was now bringing to himself. There is nothing quite like new converts to revitalise and energise our Christian experience.

NEW CONVERTS ENGAGE OUR THEOLOGY People would often ask if such-and-such a person’s profession of faith was to be taken as genuine. What frequently lies behind such a question is the observation that lots of new folk within church still struggle with old habits, sins, thought patterns and ways of relating. We found a number of guidelines helpful here. First, in order to evaluate a person’s spiritual growth, we need to know a great deal about the background they are struggling against and being renewed from. For example, an individual’s lifestyle that is becoming less chaotic might manifest itself in the seemingly mundane change of gradually attending meetings consistently and on time. To some this may appear pretty ordinary and unworthy of note. However, a person becoming strong in an area where previously they have been weak is in fact very significant. It testifies to an increasing measure of self-control, which is a mark of the Spirit’s fruit. Secondly, the key issue is not how well at every point a person is doing in the struggle for change, but whether they are engaging with the struggle at all. Thirdly, the providential catalyst of spiritual growth is not the same in every case. The Apostle Peter grew through a series of God-appointed crises, whereas others such as Timothy had a different growth pattern. Very often,

NEW CONVERTS CONFER GREATER RESPONSIBILITY I am sure many have noticed a lamentable trend in church life. There is a desire for new additions to our fellowship, but not the problems or baggage that make up their lives. We prefer ‘sanitised’ people with no chaotic or messy backgrounds. This impatience brings to light a spirit of self-absorption that has infected so much of western evangelicalism. We have had enthusiasts come to join the work here energised by perhaps romanticised notions of reaching ‘the people of Govan’, only to disappear when entrusted with the minimum care of one such person. It is one thing to preach or listen to sermons about Mary Magdalene but quite another to be a spiritual mentor to someone out of whom seven demons were cast. This is costly at every level, and consistently intrudes into so much of the time and space we happily allocate for ourselves. However, in Govan we have also been

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when confronted with a great deal of inconsistency in someone’s life, it is all too easy to look in the wrong place. Focusing on the persistence of habits from an old life can easily blind us to the tiny shoots of new life growing by the grace of God in other areas.

Taking Jesus as our model, it becomes clear that he found a way into the hearts of others with whom he had little in common. For example, the Samaritan woman at the well could not have been any more different from Jesus, yet in the providence of God a powerful spiritual encounter took place. The key credentials required for reaching others reside within our hearts – relating to others with love, authenticity and transparency. This should establish a relational bridge regardless of the great social and cultural differences that separate us one from the other. Over the last nine years, it has been inspirational to witness folks brought up in Christian homes being used by God like the cultivated olive tree to nourish and enrich the wild olive shoots grafted in. It should also inspire church planters to go to areas of deprivation knowing that, although there is much to learn, God has equipped us for that task.

NEW CONVERTS EXPEND US EMOTIONALLY There is only one blueprint set forth in God’s Word as a model for service: the servant who suffers vicariously. Emotional expenditure is simply part of the price we are called to pay. In Govan, a person’s absence from fellowship serves as a catalyst for concerned conversations, texts and phone calls. If someone struggles to keep up their commitment to following Jesus, then knowing this causes us terrible vexation. Conversely, when we discover that all is well, a great sense of relief sweeps over us. If a church is functioning as a spiritual family then this should surely be the case. When someone realises that they matter to you to the extent that your happiness and wellbeing are bound up with theirs, something happens inside of them that makes Christianity not only true, but real and vital.

NEW CONVERTS HONOUR OUR HISTORY All congregations should know something of the joyous experience of new converts. The simple reason is that this was not an exception but part and parcel of the life of the New Testament Church. Indeed, in the halcyon days of the Free Church of Scotland after 1843 we saw the new denomination quickly setting to work building churches, manses, schools and seminaries. By the end of their first year, 470 churches had been built. A genuine church-planting emphasis should not be viewed as something out of step with our history, but very much in keeping with it, and a vision to be embraced, by the grace of God. •

NEW CONVERTS EXPOSE A FALLACY There is an idea circulating which suggests that, in order to reach people in an area of deprivation like Govan, you must have a great deal in common with them in terms of personal history and life experience. What makes this assertion even more disturbing is that it is found frequently on the lips of those who have been within the church for many years.

THE REVIVAL OF EVANGELICALISM

DR ANDREW M. JONES shares some of the insights from his new book, The Revival of Evangelicalism: Mission and Piety in the Victorian Church of Scotland DISRUPTION AND REVIVAL

or church-adjacent publications. The first minister was a man named William Muir. As many Record readers are probably aware, the Church of Scotland was divided prior to the Disruption between the Moderates and the Evangelicals. Muir represents a group of Evangelicals called the Middle Party, who shared the spiritual and theological emphases of most Evangelical ministers, but sought a more conciliatory approach and eventually remained inside the Church when Disruption finally arrived in May of 1843. Muir and the Middle Party represent continuity

At the broadest level, my book explores the nature of the evangelical movement within the Church of Scotland between the Disruption of 1843 (which resulted, of course, in the formation of the Free Church) and the year 1900. The overarching thesis is that the evangelical movement continued, broadened, and exerted significant influence or impact on the Church of Scotland during the nearly six decades in question. To tell that story, I focus on three of the leading evangelical ministers and three Church of Scotland

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between the evangelical movement as it had existed in Scotland since the 18th century. The core features of evangelicalism that were championed by men like Muir included heartfelt, personal faith in the cross of Christ as the key to salvation and eternal life, an emphasis on personal conversion experiences, a focus on the Bible as both the ultimate arbiter of truth and the foundation of a rich devotional life, a keenness to support missionary movements abroad and revival movements at home, and the maintenance of transatlantic and international connections with other evangelicals in the Anglophone world. The two other ministers I write about both maintained these emphases and expanded upon them as the century progressed. Norman MacLeod was a liberal evangelical whose whole mindscape was influenced by the Romantic spirit of the age. He thus helped to broaden evangelicalism within the Church of Scotland, encouraging his congregants and ministerial colleagues to adapt rather than react to cultural paradigm shifts. In practice, this meant accepting a more progressive view of the atonement that departed from the Westminster Confession’s view on penal substitution. A.H. Charteris, the final minister, represents the influence or impact of evangelicalism in the ‘Auld Kirk’ during the latter decades of the century. His main contribution, I argue, was the democratisation of evangelicalism – he and his Life and Work Committee created many new programs to get the laity involved in missions, revival, and evangelism.

view: ‘When the children of God are by His grace and Holy Spirit wholly consecrated and yielded unto Him, by the very law of their new and full life they become missionaries. They simply cannot help it.’ For ‘established evangelicals’, mission and piety were two sides of the same spiritual coin.

EVANGELICAL LIFE TODAY As a former member of St. Columba’s Free Church in Edinburgh, I know my brothers and sisters in the Free Church are also committed to Jesus in ways that lead to rich spiritual lives and support for missions at home and abroad. I suppose if there’s any key lesson to be learned from the evangelicals in the Victorian Church of Scotland, it’s that we – as believers in 2022 – should cultivate a faith in Jesus whereby our personal glorification and enjoyment of God continues to overflow to those around us. That may mean becoming a missionary in Nepal, or it may mean volunteering with 20schemes in Niddrie. And thanks be to God that the Free Church has a rich legacy of embodying this dynamic. It was actually a Free Churchman, the Rev. William Arnot of Edinburgh, writing in Norman MacLeod’s periodical Good Words, who wrote perhaps my favorite quote that I was able to dig up over the years of research for the book: ‘Love to the Redeemer cannot lie hid in the breast of a redeemed man; it will and must break forth, a blessing to every needy creature that lies within its reach.’ • Dr Andrew Jones (PhD, University of Edinburgh) is a teacher and historian based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He and his wife attended St Columba’s Free Church between 2014 and 2017 while he completed his PhD at New College.

MISSION AND PIETY Something that became clear as I was researching and writing on these ‘established evangelicals’ was the connection between mission and piety – hence the subtitle of the book! The missionary emphasis of nineteenth-century evangelicalism, which involved both social action at home and evangelisation abroad, was driven by the personal and communal enthusiasm to spread the gospel in word and in deed. That enthusiasm often reached increased levels following local, regional, or national revival movements like the ones that impacted Scotland in the second half of the century. Thus, support for missions, both in terms of fundraising and personnel, was often seen as a metric by which to judge the spiritual temperature of the national Church. One Henry Rice of Madras, India didn’t mince words on this subject in an 1889 article in Charteris’ Life and Work magazine: ‘The church or congregation that does not cultivate the missionary spirit, and take part in the extension of Christ’s kingdom on earth, will soon be more or less marked by symptoms of spiritual deadness and decay.’ A few years later, another leading evangelical minister named George Wilson highlighted the same dynamic from a more optimistic point of

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The Revival of Evangelicalism: Mission and Piety in the Victorian Church of Scotland is published by University of Edinburgh Press.

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BOOK REVIEWS Free Church Books is entering a new chapter of our work, and we’d love to tell you about it. We are merging with the wider output of the Free Church, rather than existing independently, but we will still continue to review new books from a range of Christian publishers every month. The existing Free Church Books website will remain live for browsing but will no longer be updated. You will find all of our reviews from the last four years there, so it's a great place to go if you're looking for inspiration. Our new reviews will be published here in The Record and on the Free Church of Scotland website. The Free Church Books online shop has also closed. Our partnership with 10ofthose.com has been fruitful, but from now on we have decided not to partner with one particular bookseller. There are many excellent Christian bookshops and publishers. Find whichever one works for you, and do support local and biblical ones as far as you can. We are still keen to welcome new reviewers to our team. If you would be interested, you can sign up at thefree.church/books-reviewers. If you have any questions, do drop us a line at books@freechurch.org. Many thanks for your support, your love of reading and your love of Jesus. BOOK OF THE MONTH I FORGIVE YOU WENDY ALSUP (2022) This is an absolute ‘must read’ for every pastoral care team member, counsellor, minister, church worker – in fact every person, Christian or otherwise, who is involved in life as we know it. Wendy Alsup weaves a theology of forgiveness around the story of Joseph and his brothers, to whom he learns to extend the hand of forgiveness in a remarkable way. Throughout Joseph’s story we find that he weeps four times and each time he does so he exposes another area of vulnerability that resonates with each one of us. As we are led through each room of heightened emotions that always accompany the possibility of forgiveness, so we are brought to the foot of the cross. This is where forgiveness meets us personally. While the author writes as a Christian, there is the deepest and richest concept of forgiveness that lies at the heart of every human being who wants to transform a relationship that has gone wrong. We all want reconciliation when the gulf between seems too wide to cross. Yet in the most sensitive way, Alsup gently tells us that it is possible when we allow God to change our hearts in a deep and lasting way. This book is available from The Good Book Company. • Ruth Aird, Bruntsfield Evangelical Church, Edinburgh

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KNOW YOUR ENEMY GRAHAM BEYNON (2021) Know Your Enemy will help to equip and enable you to tackle the sin within your life. Satan’s desire is to captivate you with the fleeting riches of this world, yet Graham Beynon helps to provide useful answers, illuminated by Scripture, to battle against the destruction Satan seeks to bring to your life. Sin is something that each and every one of us must battle and contend with. We cannot endure and run the race set before us without ever needing to deal with temptation in our lives. The Lord himself was tempted, yet did not fall or succumb to it. If we are to lead lives that glorify him, then we need to discipline ourselves in a way that avoids the entanglement of Satan’s schemes. This book will help you to see how God’s love is far more valuable to us than the temporary pleasures the world offers. The book is not long and is structured in six readable chapters, with helpful reference to those well exercised in the battle against sin. Above all the useful tools the book provides, it is evident that the author does well to remember where the strength to battle sin comes from. As the great theologian John Owen once said: ‘If we do not abide in prayer, we will abide in temptation. Let this be one aspect of our daily intercession: “God, preserve my soul, and keep my heart and all its ways so that I will not be entangled.” When this is true in our lives, a passing temptation will not overcome us. We will remain free while others lie in bondage.’ Apart from God we can do nothing, yet we would do well to read books such as this to remind ourselves afresh each day to discipline ourselves in battling against sin. • This book is available from 10ofthose.com Stuart King, North Harris Free Church

TEACHING 2 PETER & JUDE ANGUS MACLEAY (2020) This volume is a very welcome addition to the outstandingly useful Teaching the Bible series, produced conjointly between Christian Focus Publications and Proclamation Trust Resources. This is the sixth volume in the series from the pen of Angus MacLeay, Rector of St Nicholas, Sevenoaks. Angus MacLeay draws on many years’ experience of exemplary Bible exposition, pastoral ministry and denominational leadership. He knows, therefore, how to write for preachers concerned to communicate the meaning of the New Testament to contemporary congregations with intelligence, warmth, straightforward understandability and practical application. Indeed, reading the outlines of the expositions offered here takes me back to happy days in the late 1990s when my family and I were members of the St Nicholas church family and ‘chewed the fat’ of Angus’s invariably helpful sermons over Sunday lunch. Second Peter and Jude are not the most often preached-upon books of the New Testament, which is a pity as they both have hugely important things to say about the ultimate triumph of Christ despite the onslaught of insidious opposition, such as the church faces in Britain today. As MacLeay points out, it is knowledge of the invincibility of Christ and his church that puts backbone into Christians and enables them, despite all, to remain loyal to Scripture, stable in the struggle for the true faith and, at the end, to enter their promised inheritance in the new heavens and the new earth. Labouring under the pressures of modern ministry, perhaps with more talks to prepare each week than might be wise, and with less time available for study than my generation enjoyed, not many may have an appetite to contend for the faith. That would be a mistake. MacLeay encourages us not only to accept the challenge of stemming the momentum of heterodox teaching flooding into the church, but to do so with good effect by putting

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Christ and his gospel at the heart and centre of our ministry. These two brief expositions are invaluable introductions and provide a sound basis for preparing a series of expositions on Second Peter and the intriguing little book of Jude. • This book is available from 10ofthose.com John S. Ross, Glenurquhart & Fort Augustus Free Church

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CHARLES BAPTIE (1943-2020) BY REV. DONALD G MACDONALD

‘O

knew him to be someone that was measured and thoughtful in all his interactions. He was supportive and dependable. Mr Baptie was described by former Head Teacher, Jim Rodgers, as being, ‘up there with the best of them’. However good and committed a teacher Charlie Baptie was, his teaching was not what defined him. For him, the two things that were more important than anything else were his family and his faith. He and Janet were blessed with five children: Alasdair, Fiona, Donald, Shona and David. To them, he was a father who was wise, patient and understanding, but above all loving and prayerful. He was also blessed with nine grandchildren, on whom he doted and of whom he was so proud. His love for them was only equalled by their love for him. At the centre of all that Charlie was and did, was his Christian faith. His faith was sincere, warm, and non-judgemental. During his teaching career he was often selected to give the Christmas message to the High School pupils. His message was always well presented, clear and thought provoking. After his retirement, in particular, Charlie would preach in various churches throughout the island with a winsomeness and clarity that was appreciated by so many. For Charlie, his faith moulded his whole life, and his faith enabled him to die just as he lived, quietly, peacefully, unassumingly, beautifully. Those who were taught by him remember Mr Baptie with such fondness as a dedicated and inspirational teacher. Those who worked with him remember a humble and very able colleague. For those who shared faith and fellowship with him, we remember Charlie as good and loyal friend, an encourager who was ever willing to help. We grieve his passing, knowing that our lives are the poorer without him, yet giving thanks for every memory of him, assured that he is now before the throne of God, but ever mindful that those who miss him most are those who loved him most, his family, whom we commit to the God of all comfort and grace. •

ur community can ill afford to lose a man of his calibre.’

So said a former colleague of Charlie Baptie, who sadly passed away on Saturday 28th March 2020 after a very short illness. Charlie was best known to many as Mr Baptie, Hut 41 — Modern Studies teacher extraordinaire. He was a much loved and respected figure throughout the Isle of Skye. To Portree and Bracadale Free Church, he was a precious brother in Christ, a faithful elder and a winsome preacher of the Word. So much could be said about him; however, Charlie was a very private and modest individual, and in keeping with his character, this tribute will be concise and understated. Charles Baptie was born on 21st July 1943 in Prestonpans. He was educated at the local primary school there, and then also at Lasswade High School. Each summer, however, would be spent on Skye, the island of his mother’s birth. She had claim to the finest of pedigrees, being a MacDonald from Staffin. After leaving school, Charlie worked in industry doing accounting, but in 1971 he left to start higher education at Edinburgh University where he studied History and Geography, combining this with teacher training at Moray House. It was while at Edinburgh that he met, and subsequently married, Janet MacInnes, also from Skye. In 1975, Charlie came to Portree to do his two probationary years as a teacher of Modern Studies, and he didn’t leave until June 2004. During his twenty-nine years, he taught thousands of pupils, and remarkably he seemed to remember each one. Those who knew him well were very familiar with his phrase, ‘I taught them’. As a teacher he was inspirational. He was always firm but fair. Without raising his voice, he controlled a class with apparent ease. He had a gentle demeanour and yet a powerful presence in the classroom. As a teacher, he was not only loved by pupils but highly valued by his colleagues. Lifelong friendships were developed over the years, and his fellow teachers

QUOTATIONS: A man of a right spirit is not a man of narrow and private views, but is greatly interested and concerned for the good of the community, to which he belongs, and particularly of the city or village in which he resides, and for the true welfare of the society of which he is a member. Jonathan Edwards

'To gather with God's people in united adoration of the Father is as necessary to the Christian life as prayer.' Martin Luther

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GRAHAM MOLLER (1943-2021) BY CALUM FERGUSON

raham moller was born in bristol in 1943,

Sunday, that was exactly what happened when the Moller family and the Galbraith family, who had also been worshipping in Muasdale, joined the service in Campbeltown. That was the start of a 24-year association with the Free Church, during which time Graham and Leonie became real mainstays of the work. Graham could turn his hand to almost any practical job around the church. Just a few months before he died, when he was already quite unwell, he was climbing ladders to plaster and paint in the church vestibule. Over the last 10 years, Graham was the main precentor in the congregation and also played a significant part in the reviving of the Sunday School. Although it was only in November 2020 that Graham was ordained as an elder, he was always held in the highest regard by all in the congregation, for the faithful, consistent, and Christ-like example he displayed and for his deep knowledge of Scripture. The secret of his life was his close walk with the Lord. He loved the place of prayer, he had a love for the people of God and he loved the Word of God – it was his practice to read through the whole of Scripture every year. Moments after we heard that Graham had gone to be with the Lord, we happened to read these words from 2 Chronicles 31 verse 20, referring to King Hezekiah. These words seemed to describe well the life of Graham Moller: ‘This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.’ We extend our deepest sympathy to his wife Leonie and to his children, Zoe, Gareth, Daniel and Peter, and to their children. • ‘For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.’

the eldest child of edgar and charlotte rosa

moller. Graham’s heritage on his father’s side was Norwegian, his great-grandfather having been born in Oslo. Both his parents were believers and, when the family moved from Bristol to Newquay when Graham was three, they worshipped in the Elim Pentecostal Church. Graham and his brother Kelvin were regular attenders at both the Brethren Assembly Sunday School and the Strict Baptist Sunday School run by Mrs Burstyn, who made the lessons memorable for the children. Graham’s father, Edgar, was a Methodist local preacher and was a regular preacher at many of the Wesleyan Chapels in Cornwall. Their mother, Charlotte Rosa, was a huge influence spiritually in the lives of both her boys. In 1957, at the age of 14, Graham was converted under the godly ministry of Rev. Eldin Corsie. It was regarded as an era of keen spirituality that we can only hope and pray for again. Graham and Kelvin had a great love for the sea, and when Graham was 20, they started fishing out of Newquay. This was to become their main occupation for most of their working lives. Graham met his future wife, Leonie, at church in Newquay. They were married in 1968 and then moved to Truro where their children Zoe, Gareth, Daniel and Peter were born. Kelvin had moved to Kintyre in 1970, and in 1978 Graham and Leonie and the family followed him, settling in Clachan. From then until retiring in 2003, Graham and Kelvin worked together at fishing off the Kintyre coast. Initially the family worshipped in Lochgilphead Baptist Church, then moved to join a fellowship much closer to home in Muasdale. During these years, Graham was involved in leading Sunday Schools in Tayinloan and Muasdale and, like his old teacher, Mrs Burstyn, he made the teaching memorable for the children. To help them remember some of the truths, he would teach them simple verses such as: Joshua, the son of Nun and Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, Were the only two who made it through to the land of milk and honey. At that time, Rev. Angus Howat was the minister in Campbeltown Free Church and, although the cause was quite low at the time, he and his wife, Irene, remained faithful and positive. When someone suggested to Irene that perhaps this would be the last year the church would be there, she told them you could never tell – perhaps next week the Lord will bring some families through the door. The next

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MISSION MATTERS A monthly take on some of the mission work the Free Church is involved in by our Mission Director, DAVID MEREDITH

he free church is growing.

Good news? Absolutely. Recent research has revealed that the Free Church of Scotland is a statistical outlier. It is one of only two UK denominations founded before 1900 recording growth. The bad news is that it is not seeing a significant amount of conversion growth from people who are totally secular and even pagan. When did you last witness an adult baptism within your congregation? This is neither a good nor a normal situation. The early church recorded conversion growth as a natural outcome of mission. You cannot turn a page of the Acts without reading a phrase like, ‘the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.’ Even — or perhaps especially — in Thomas Brown’s classic account of the early days of the Free Church, Annals of the Disruption, there are frequent references to conversions. In St Kilda for example, where ‘the whole community were as firmly attached to the Free Church as ever’, after a communion, three out of seven applicants were admitted to membership. The people ‘have universally a deep reverence for the truth, and many of them have felt its power.’ Our response to this should have at least two elements: holy discontent and intentional mission. Discontent and churches are often found together. Unfortunately, my observation is that people are discontent about the wrong things. Is it really all that important if the pews have been removed? Is it worth getting worked up about what your minister wears around his neck? Even Londonderry Air for four weeks in a row is not a foretaste of the apocalypse. Congregational fights can easily descend to the level of the Wagatha Christie saga. What a culture change it would be if folk were in deep mourning, almost despair that no one is being saved. The fact that new faces are never seen stirs within us a holy longing to see God move in power.

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We have become so used to prayer meetings which rarely rise above the superficial. No tears, no pleading with God for the lost. These types of prayer meetings are infectious. We don’t want drama queens or kings, but the early church was marked by people who wept. Paul preached, warning people ‘night and day with tears.’ Jesus wept over the many at Jerusalem and the one man, Lazarus. As I reflect on intentional mission, I think that this is what we need to learn as a denomination. There is a shyness and reticence among us which results in disobedience to the Great Commission. We are well on the way to mission when we talk about our faith just as naturally as we chat about our football, recipes, children or cars. You can fill in the gaps with the things that you are passionate about. And everyone knows exactly what that passion is. There is a way in which this can be natural. It must be tempered, too, with an understanding of when not to speak. In speaking about our Christianity, less is more. Churches generally go in the direction that their people want them to go. That direction is not always expressed outwardly. Nobody would ever say that they don’t want their church to grow. It is more often the hidden desire of the heart which is to stay comfortable and keep the context of our worship as contained as possible. It is at that point when we begin to secretly, then more openly, despise the ‘outsider’. We all come with issues. I wonder if the smell of death was still on Lazarus’s clothes after his resurrection. At the end of the day, the church will grow and the kingdom will come. Isaiah spoke of the kingdom being like a small stump in the ground but he also revealed that the stump was ‘the holy seed’. That’s some stump: Jesus. Just as the roots of a tree push through tons of concrete and tarmac to emerge as a growing, verdant and fruitful tree, so the Church will grow. God will do this. Will we be participants or observers? •

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POETRY PAGE Not always, Lord, in pastures green The sheep at noon Thou feedest, Where in the shade they lie Within Thy watchful eye: Not always under skies serene The white-fleeced flock Thou leadest.

Their track is worn on Sorrow’s shore, Where windy storms beat ever— Their troubled course they keep, Where deep calls unto deep; So going till they hear the roar Of the dark-flowing river.

On rugged ways, with bleeding feet, They leave their painful traces; Through deserts drear they go, Where wounding briers grow, And through dark valleys, where they meet No quiet resting-places.

But wheresoe’er their steps may be, So Thou their path be guiding, O be their portion mine! Show me the secret sign, That I may trace their way to Thee, In Thee find rest abiding.

Not always by the waters still, Or lonely wells palm-hidden, Do they find happy rest, And, in Thy presence blest, Delight themselves, and drink their fill Of pleasures unforbidden.

Slowly they gather to the fold, Upon Thy holy mountain,— There, resting round Thy feet, They dread no storm nor heat, And slake their thirst where Thou hast rolled The stone from Life’s full fountain.

James Drummond Burns (1823–1864) was born in Edinburgh and, after attending George Heriot’s school, studied divinity at Edinburgh University under Thomas Chalmers and David Welsh. Following the Disruption, he followed them to the Free Church’s divinity school at New College. Burns struggled with ill-health throughout his life. In line with medical advice, he joined the Free Church’s missionary work in Madeira, being appointed to the congregation at Funchal. He moved to England as minister of the Presbyterian Church of Hampstead in 1855, and remained there until shortly before his death, aged 41. Burns’ intelligence, scholarship and love of nature made him ‘a poet of more than common genius’. ‘His poems are distinguished by vivid colouring and poetic imagination…characterised by reverence, beauty, simplicity, and pathos,’ according to Julian’s Dictionary of Hymnology •

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THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE FLOCK BY JAMES DRUMMOND BURNS

PAGES FROM ADAM’S DIARY Afghan Sisters

A brother, known to some of us as Dr Adam, has served the Lord among his suffering church for many years. Dr Adam has also ministered in various parts of the world among refugees. We have asked his permission to print some of the stories of his life and service for the encouragement of readers of The Record. For well understood reasons, some of the names of people and places have been changed or omitted.

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GO WASH IN THE POOL OF SILOAM

children, and Islamic permission. Over the years, I have confronted men about this monstruous wickedness, but they tend to brush it off and say that the prophet (referring to prophet Muhammad) also took as a wife a 6-year-old girl, Aisha. The situation of children and women in Afghanistan is wretched.

Some years back, I was serving our Lord among the refugees in southern Europe. During this period, I spent time in Greece where I was involved primarily in evangelism among the large refugee community in and around Athens, but I was also serving our Lord in a medical and humanitarian-relief capacity. Two young Afghan sisters were brought to one of our meetings. The older of the two could not have been more than sixteen and her sister a year or two younger. They both looked scrawny, frail and ailing. They asked if we had ladies’ clothing for them. However, I felt their reason for being there was not so much for clothing; rather they were seeking a safe place, a shelter, refuge, like little children seeking the protection, safety, and peace of their mother’s arms. I asked one of the ladies in our gathering to take them to a store and buy whatever they needed. They came to all the Bible studies and prayer meetings. The older child had blisters all over her hands and arms and obsessively washed herself. It was as though, if she could, she would have pulled her entire skin off and washed it. When she was not washing, she was crying. I learned that she and her sister were sold by their father to a 60-year-old man when they were only 11 and 12 years old. He had sexually and emotionally abused these children. However, the two of them had ultimately found a way to flee and had joined an Afghan caravan walking to Turkey and then, providentially, they had made their way to Greece. Upon hearing their story, I was overwhelmed with pain and grief. I spoke to them about the Lord Jesus and read to both of them Revelation 7:9-17 and John 9:7, the story of the pool of Siloam. I explained to them that the true cleansing water of Siloam was the fountain of the Living Water, the Lord Jesus. The pool of Siloam is an allusion to him and it speaks to us of being washed and cleansed by his Holy Spirit. ‘The Lord Jesus is able to wash us completely clean of all our defilements and make us as white as snow,’ I assured them. (Isaiah 1:18; Psalm 51:7; John 1:29; 1 John 1:7) Both of them readily made a profession of faith and embraced the Saviour. They immediately and insistently asked me to baptise them, which I did.

Going back to these two precious Afghan children, I did everything I could to help to heal the injury they had suffered to their bodies, emotions and the very core of their beings. But that could not be done by a man. The Holy Spirit alone could do that. I had to leave Greece. In subsequent weeks, when I inquired about them, I was told that soon after my departure, they had disappeared. Since that time, I have often wondered what might have happened to them. Then, in God’s marvellous and amazing providence, I saw both of them last October in northern Germany. They were both at a Christian gathering which a friend of mine had organized. At first, I did not recognize them as they both had put on weight, were taller, and looked so healthy. They were laughing and happy. I noticed the older girl’s obsession with washing was no more and the blisters had disappeared from her arms. I could have fallen on my face before our Lord in joy and gratitude for his inexpressible goodness. It was like discovering a lost needle in a haystack, and such a miraculous healing! They both had matured in their faith and turned into wonderful Christian women. They had been taken into care by a godly German family. The oldest of the two girls has met a handsome, most gracious Christian young man her own age, and they are planning to marry. They have asked me to officiate when they do. Sometimes we are confronted by situations we find ourselves helpless to address. They seem to be hopeless impossibilities. However, as those who have received the gift of faith and spiritual sight, we know a God who is the God of impossibilities. He asked Abraham, ‘Is anything too hard for the Lord?’ (Genesis 18:14) The correct answer is, ‘No!’ When there is no way, he makes a way. He brings salvation and healing into the lives of people who are so badly scarred that they appear to be ruined forever. These two Afghan girls were graphic illustrations of that. However, they were also equally vivid pictures of a wonderful miracle of healing and restitution. As with the blind man two thousand years ago, they too were directed to wash in the pool of Siloam, which is none other than the cleansing fountain of the blood of the Lamb of God, the Saviour of the world. All those who can hear that call and obey the invitation and wash their souls in his pool are healed of all their defilements and infirmities and are dressed in robes of his righteousness! •

As an excursus, I need to clarify that the selling of young girls by poor families is commonplace in Afghanistan, as is paedophilia. The physical and sexual abuse of children is widespread and well documented. Abuse of children is one of the telltale signs of significant demonic activity in a person, in a society, and in a nation. These evils are also indicative of the depth of this present darkness over our world. In Afghanistan, there are a number of reasons for this horror: extreme poverty, ignorance, fanaticism, the social structure, the bleak status of women and

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JUN-JUL 2022 PRAYER DIARY ‘I do not and cannot understand the full context of events that occur in an infinite and eternal universe. It’s as if, within my finite lifetime, I glimpse a second of a three-hour movie and try to understand the entire plot.’ Russell Brand Let us pray this month for God’s plan. Please send any prayer requests to Mrs Shona McGuire at seonaid1954@hotmail.co.uk Thu 16th – Sun 19th The world was made for us. God created this amazing planet specifically for humans. It seems hard to believe when we try and comprehend the size of the universe that He tailor-made this corner just for mankind. Pray that more people would come to understand the significance it gives us. We have nothing to offer but our praise, so praise Him.

pray continually for our family and friends, for people in our workplace and in our church, and for chance encounters with strangers on buses. I once asked a friend about a boy who had a difficult upbringing and lived in a hostile community, asking how he had been saved. She replied simply and said he was a much prayed-for boy. Pray for patience to keep on even if we think it is pointless.

Mon 20th – Wed 22nd God made us fit for purpose. Pray that we would acknowledge that we have a purpose and that God wants to use us. ‘Practise any art, music, singing, dancing, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.’ Kurt Vonnegut. Pray that everything we do is for God’s glory.

Mon 4th – Wed 6th His plan involves suffering and trials. You just have to read Paul’s letters to get a glimpse of what early Christians went through, and today is no different. Christians are losing their jobs for speaking the truth from scripture. Pray daily for freedom of speech and freedom of belief. ‘For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.’ (Rom 15:4) Pray that we would be uplifted by our daily readings.

Thu 23rd – Sun 26th God had a plan from all eternity. He knows everything we have done, are doing and will do. He has left us with the free will to make decisions but already knows what we will decide. He teaches us to see the hand of God in everything that happens. ‘The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favour to the learned, but time and chance happen to them all.’ Ecc 9:11. Pray for acceptance of His plan for us. We don’t know why some people get it easy and others struggle. Thank God for our blessings and pray for help for those struggling. Mon 27th – Wed 29th God’s plan is to rebuild you. ‘God addresses us through the people we meet and the work we do, through our hopes and fears, through our moods and dreams, through the good He sends and the evil He permits.' (Christopher Bryant, The River Within) Pray for the humility required to accept reconstruction. Pray for the will to welcome change. I find that one hard, but over time it happens anyway. Thu 30th – Sun 3rd We were taught patience is a virtue but, with everything available at the touch of a button, I am not sure it still exists. God doesn’t want anyone to perish, so let us

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Thu 7th – Sun 10th God’s plan is for our souls to survive and flourish. If our souls are the essence of us that lives on, I wonder if we will be recognised or recognise others. Would we even recognise ourselves? Is our visible personality the same as our innermost self? Pray for our souls to be revitalised by loving our neighbours as ourselves. Another hard one. Mon 11th – Wed 13th God is working out his purposes. Pray that we are available to play our part, however small; perhaps just a word of encouragement, or a book lent, or a coffee shared. In the famous film It’s a Wonderful Life, the angel tells George Bailey, when he is about to take his own life, that a man’s life touches so many lives, but we don’t see how. Pray for acceptance even when facing the dark side of life. It is all for a reason. We are His plan. ‘Nothing was ever lost and nothing was ever wasted because always, when the work was finally completed, every particle of the creative process, everything was justified, glorified and redeemed.’ Susan Howatch •

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Curaidh buadhach (A victorious hero) LE JANET NICPHÀIL

ha gach là sàbaid a'cur nar cuimhne gun tug

dubh dorch 'sa bhiodh saoghal gun Bhìoball, gun deagh naidheachd an t-Soisgeil 's gun buaidh an Spioraid a' beothachadh nam marbh. An-dèidh do Chriosd an obair ghlòrmhor a chrìochnachadh air thalamh, dh' àrdaich Dia E gu ro-àrd os cionn gach uile ainm a dh'ainmichear air nèamh agus air thalamh. Tha E a-nis air deaslàimh na Mòrachd a' dèanamh sìor eadar-ghuidhe às ar leth. Tha àite glòrmhor air a thoirt Dha, agus ceartas an Athar air a riarachadh leis an obair a choimhlion E. Gu dearbh dh' fhaodadh na facail a chualas aig A bhaisteadh a bhith air an cleachdadh, 'Mo Mhac gràdhach anns am bheil mo mhòr thlachd.' Dh' fhàg E sìth aig A dheisciobail agus tiodhlac an Spioraid. B'e seo an Comhfhurtair a chuireadh nan cuimhne na nithean a thuirt Criosd riutha. Bha làn fhios Aige-san dè na feuman a bhiodh orra, agus cha do dh' fhàg E iad nan dìlleachdain. B'e Maighstir caomh, coibhneil a bh'ann, agus a-nis, 'Ma pheacaicheas neach air bith, tha Feartagraidh againn maille ris an Athair, Iosa Criosd am Fìrean.' Ma bhruidhinn sinn air Saothair-Gràidh o chionn mìos, nach fhaic sinn fìor eisimpleir ann am beatha agus ann am bàs Iosa Criosd? 'Ann an seo tha gràdh, chan e gun do ghràdhaich sinne Dia, ach gun do ghràdhaich Esan sinne.' •

criosd buaidh air uaigh agus air a' bhàs.

Is e mar sin là gu math sònraicht' a th' ann, a tha a' comharrachadh toiseach gach seachdain. Is e là le dòchas a tha seo, oir b'e seo an naidheachd a b' fheàrr a b'urrainn sliochd Adhaimh a chluinntinn. Tha iomadh adhbhar againn a bhith taingeil, toilicht', oir tha sinn air talamh tròcair, ged a mhill ar ciad pàrantan a' chiad dachaigh a bh'aca le eas -ùmhlachd. 'Dh' èirich E'. Nach àlainn na facail sin, agus an lìon aodach na laighe? Cha robh feum air tuilleadh. Bha cridheachan A luchd-leanmhainn cho taingeil, agus an naidheachd sin cho binn nan cluasan. Chan e sin a-mhàin, ach E a' labhairt an ainm. Nach bi E a' labhairt a-rithist ag ràdh,' Thigibh a shluagh beannaichte m' athar-sa, sealbhaichibh mar oighreachd an rìoghachd a dh'ullaicheadh dhuibh ro thoiseach an t-saoghail.' Is e là sònraicht' a bhios an seo do gach Crìosdaidh, nuair a bhios iad air am fàilteachadh dhachaigh. Cha tàinig e a chridhe duine na nithean a dh'ullaich Dia dhaibhsan a ghràdhaich E. Ged a tha iomadh freastal duilich anns an t-saoghalsa, chan urrainn dhaibh a bhith air an coimeas ris na nithean prìseil a tha air thoiseach oirnn'. Bidh ceòl-molaidh aig gach aon 's iad a' seinn, 'Dhàsan a ghràdhaich sinn, 's a dh'ionnlaid sinn o ar peacaidhean, Dhà-san gu robh glòir gu saoghal nan saoghal.' Cha bhiodh gach bruthach cho cas, nam biodh an ceann-uidhe na bu tric fa chomhair ar sùil. Mar a tha an Dotair Dòmhnallach ag ràdh na bhàrdachd, 'Thugadh buaidh air Sàtan leis, air peacadh, bàs is uaigh: 'S a thaobh an t-sluaigh a ghràdhaich E am bàs do shluig E suas.'

Nach E as fhiach a mholadh agus a ghràdhachadh airson na dh' fhuiling E às leth A shluaigh? Feumaidh sinn an-còmhnaidh a bhith a' cuimhneachadh gu bheil gach ùrnaigh dhùrachdach a' crìochnachadh leis na facail, 'air sgàth Chriosd.' Mur biodh gun tàinig Criosd 's gun deach slighe ullachadh dha shluagh, cha bhiodh dòchas ann dhuinn, agus is e saoghal glè dhorch a bhiodh an seo. Ma bhios daoine a' gearain, agus doras dòchais air fhosgladh dhuinn le Slànaighear buadhach, chan urrainn dhuinn a bhith a' smaoineachadh air cho

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BY CATRIONA MURRAY

POST TENEBRAS LUX T

owards the end of the summer term , i drove

companion (don’t ask). Poor, guileless Gold-tree was not poisoned by an apple either, but by a thorn embedded in her finger. One of the ways in which Christianity is compared favourably to other faiths is for its cultural adaptability. Wherever you go in the world, Islam is the same — but Christianity adapts to the society into which it has been implanted. That is not to say that believing people ought to be conformed to worldliness, but your local branch of the church of Christ always manifests as just that: local. And the reason, I suppose, is because it’s made up of people. This is probably why the Free Church in Lewis isn’t quite the same as the Edinburgh variant. Or the Inverness branch, for that matter. Some of our celebrated Lewis atheists have labelled the Gospel itself as a collection of legends. When Derick Thompson wrote of Calvin’s legacy being ‘tales from the Middle East and fragments of the philosophy of Geneva’, he meant to reduce the free offer of salvation to the level of fantasy, of myth. Less imaginative unbelievers still trot out the same ideas, believing themselves to be original; believing they can destroy the unshakeable truth of God with a few well-chosen words. The thing is, comparing the message of the Bible to a folktale is not a bad analogy. Perhaps we as a church should reflect on it ourselves more often. These tales have fanned out across the world and embedded themselves in the consciousness of every people. Whether we call the girl Snow White, or Craobh-òir, or Gold-tree, it doesn’t matter. Nor does the place in which her story unfolds, and it couldn’t matter less if the truth comes via a magic mirror, or a chatty trout. All the essentials remain. It doesn’t matter whether we call ourselves the ‘Free Church’, or any one of the embarrassing variety of names that have been used over the centuries. As with the fairy tales of old, the essentials are all that matter and, as long as these remain, it is of very little importance which superficial add-ons evolve and fall away. As long as Christ is still the author and finisher of our faith, we will all live happily ever after. •

to tarbert with a pile of ladybird books on

my passenger seat . Do you remember their ‘Well-Loved Tales’ series? These were mostly traditional stories, collected by the likes of the Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault, and Hans Christian Andersen. As a child, I revelled in them, and as an adult have begun collecting them again for their folksy charm and lovely illustrations. If I had to select a favourite, it might have to be Puss in Boots, a popular story adapted from an Italian fable. It follows the classic theme of the youngest son who inherits nothing of value — just a seemingly ordinary cat. Of course, it turns out that Puss in Boots is anything but ordinary. This remarkable feline turns out to be the best bargain of all, securing wealth and happiness for his master. I also loved Dick Whittington, the story of an impoverished young man whose fortune is made by a talented...cat. Yes, I discern a pattern. But I appreciated them all: Rumpelstiltskin, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Beauty and the Beast, Little Red Riding Hood, Chicken Licken, The Magic Porridge Pot, The Elves and the Shoemaker, Jack and the Beanstalk... Each story has its own charm. The children in Tarbert were familiar with the stories, of course. They were able to tell me the gist of all the most popular ones. They were intrigued, however, when I told them the tale of Gold-tree and Silver-tree. The latter was stepmother to the former. Silver-tree had recurrent conversations with a little trout in a well, who — with disarming honesty — told her each time that she most certainly wasn’t the bonniest woman in the land. The children immediately recognised it for what it was: a Gaelic version of Snow White. But why, they wondered, should it be so much the same and yet so different? These tales travelled all over the world. Their essential motifs did not change, but the superficial elements often did — location, given names, the gender or age of characters and other minor details. Silver-tree did not have a talking mirror, but a chatty trout; Gold-tree did not have seven dwarfs, but the prince’s second wife as her boon

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