​To Session Clerks
 
Dear Colleagues,
 
The General Assembly of 2017 issued a call to the Church of Scotland to come together in prayer, and this call was reissued by the 2018 Assembly. Together We Pray is a national initiative to support the Church in responding to that call to prayer. The intention is that people will join together in praying for each other, our communities and for the future of the Church of Scotland within the changing spiritual, political and cultural landscapes of Scotland and beyond.
 
As part of this initiative, a National Day of Prayer is planned for 3 November and downloadable resources are available online at Together We Pray including:
 

• a Themes and Prayers booklet with easy-print handout;
• a Prayer for the Church prepared by the Moderator, the Rt Rev Susan Brown;
• a publicity poster to advertise your local prayer events; and
• a Prayer Diary for use at any time of year.

 
Over the next few weeks further material to help you will be posted online that aims to encourage Conversations in Prayer and includes extracts from the forthcoming Pray Now – Together We Pray book.  This book will be launched on 3 November and one copy will be distributed to every minister (and to Session Clerks in vacant congregations) by that date, along with a selection of printed resource material to back up that which is online.
 
If you are planning a special event around the National Day of Prayer, we would appreciate hearing from you – so that we might share your creative ideas with others. This way we can encourage each other to try different things. Furthermore, please let us know if any themes emerge from your prayers together so that, together, we might discern God's voice and leading for the Church of Scotland.
 
Sally Bonnar
Convener
Council of Assembly
The Church of Scotland - Scottish Charity Number SC011353 This email transmission is privileged, confidential and intended solely for the person or organisation to whom it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, you must delete the message immediately without processing it further and you are asked to notify us of the error by email to the sender. All messages passing through this gateway are checked for viruses but you are strongly recommended to check for viruses using your own virus scanner as the Church of Scotland will not take responsibility for any damage caused as a result of virus infection. 

RINGING OUT FOR PEACE
 
Appeal for bell ringers to join unique WW1 Centenary Commemoration
 
An appeal has gone out to church bell ringers around Britain to join in a major event this year to commemorate the centenary of the end of World War 1.
 
The organisers of Battle’s Over, a national and international event marking the Armistice, wants to see more than 1,000 churches and cathedrals participate by ringing their bells simultaneously at 7.05pm on the night of November 11th 2018.
 
Pageantmaster Bruno Peek LVO OBE OPR is encouraging bell ringers to take part in Ringing Out for Peace. “We want this to be the most widespread ringing of church bells since the first world war,” he said. “It would be a fitting and moving tribute to the 1400 or so bell ringers that we understand lost their lives during World War One.
 
“I have no doubt that dedicated campanologists in Britain and around the world will want to join in this once-in-a-lifetime tribute to everyone who served on the battlefields, the high seas and the home front.”
 
Ringing Out for Peace is part of Battle’s Over, a unique day-long commemoration of the end of the first world war taking place throughout the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, and at scores of locations overseas, including Australia, Canada, Denmark, Somaliland, the United States and Germany.
 
It begins at 6am on November 11th 2018 with lone pipers playing Battle’s O'er, a traditional tune played after a battle, outside every cathedral in the country. At the same time, pipers everywhere will be playing the same tune in their local communities around the world. The tribute is being organised with the assistance of the Glasgow-based College of Piping, local pipe bands around the world, the Air Training Corps and the Army Cadet Force.
 
At 6.55pm buglers will sound the Last Post at more than 1,000 locations, where at 7pm WW1 Beacons of Light will be lit, signifying the light of peace that emerged from the darkness of war.
 
Then at 7.05pm church and cathedral bells will be Ringing Out for Peace, organised with the assistance of the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers, the representative body for groups who ring bells in the English tradition with rope and wheel. It was founded in 1891 and represents 65 affiliated societies of local ringers from all over the British Isles and in Australia, Canada, the USA, South Africa and Italy.
 
 
Mr Peek said: “The stirring sound of church and cathedral bells will provide a fitting conclusion to a day of contemplation, commemoration and, ultimately, celebration as the United Kingdom and other nations reflect on events a century ago, on the battlefields of Europe and at home in our factories and farms.
 
“I hope as many people as possible will join us in the Battle’s Over events to mark the conclusion of the first world war and pay tribute to the loved ones who played their part.”
 
The event is supported by the Society of Editors in the UK. The Society’s executive director Ian Murray said: “As a Society we strive to protect freedom of speech and expression which is integral to our way of life. However, no matter how important our part in this struggle, the role played by those brave men and women who fought to preserve our freedoms on the battlefields and the home front in the Great War and those that have followed towers over us. I am delighted that the Society is able to support Battle’s Over this year and will be urging our members and the media as a whole to follow suit.”
 
Churches can register their involvement by completing the Ringing out for Peace entry form found at – www.brunopeek.co.uk
 
The event has four charities linked to it – The Royal Naval Association, Army Benevolent Fund – the Soldiers Charity, RAF Benevolent Fund and the Merchant Navy Association.
 
More information on Battle’s Over – A Nation's Tribute 11th November 2018, and how to take part, can be found at www.brunopeek.co.uk
 
Ends
 
For further information or interviews please contact
Bruno Peek LVO OBE OPR, Pageantmaster
on 44 (0)7737 262913 or brunopeek@mac.com
 
o edit.

There have been several emails from the Church of Scotland regarding conferences or other things and these can be found in four separate posts on this website on this NEWS page.  Scroll down until you find the (4) items that have been posted on 18th September.

The St Vigeans Church order of service for the 23rd September is now on the St Vigeans Website.
​Visit the WORSHIP page

A MESSAGE FROM THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND
​
At the start of a new academic year I thought it timely to make you aware of a few conferences we have coming up around the area of children and youth ministry.  Our Faith Formation in a Secular Age Conference on Thursday October 4th is for Church Leaders (Ministers, MDS, Children/Youth/Family Workers, Elders, Readers, Deacons etc.), our Relational Ministry Re-imagined Conference on Saturday October 6th is for children/youth ministry practioners (Sunday School Teachers, Messy Church Leaders, Uniformed Organisation helpers etc.) and our Community of Faith Conference for Paid Workers in February 2019 is specifically for Children/Youth/Family Workers.  Details of all of these conferences are below with links to where to book.  As you can see there is something for everyone so please encourage all those in your congregations to attend as appropriate.  It would be particularly great to have a team of folk from your congregation attend the Faith Formation in a Secular Age Conference together.
 
 
 
 
 
Faith Formation in a Secular Age
 
A conference for church leaders
 
Thursday 4th October 2018, 10am-4pm
 
Wellington Church, Glasgow
 
£20pp including lunch
 
https://faithformationinasecularage.eventbrite.co.uk
 
Booking closes on September 16th.

This key conference for church leaders will explore the theological thinking behind faith formation and discipleship for all.  There will be reflections on the theology relating to the church's ministry with children and young people, learning from the work in this area across the reformed tradition.
 
Professor Andy Root from Luther Seminary in the USA will deliver the keynote sessions and the day will be chaired by the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
 
This conference is for all church leaders; Ministers, MDS, Children/Youth/Family workers, Elders, Readers, Deacons.  The conference is eligible for Ministers Study Leave and FFY CMD Allowance.  Those from other denominations are very welcome. 
 
 
Keynote 1 - What is a theological turn in ministry?
 
What exactly does it mean to make a theological turn in ministry?  It is turning away from a technological perspective that sees ministry providing solutions or as a means to a goal, but it doesn't necessarily mean turning to ‘theology'.  Rather, the theological turn in ministry turns to the ‘theological'.  It seeks for the act of God in the lives and concrete experience of people.  We will explore why and how this ‘turn' matters immensely, particularly with regard to the young.
 
Keynote 2 - Ministry, the church and the melting of identity
 
One of the greatest pursuits for people in today's secular age (especially those of younger generations) is to construct an identity for themselves.  But as we have seen recently, the fluidity of our culture does not allow for our identities to be carved in stone.  Instead our identities are always transitioning.  This makes a faith commitment made in high school for instance, always open to being reconsidered.  This fluidity of identity makes a ‘theological turn' in ministry all the more necessary, especially in our ministry with children and young people.
 
Keynote 3 - Examining the changes impacting ministry
 
How does the church and the minister's role change with our secular age?  Ministers and church leaders are regularly told, "The world is changing".  This comment usually refers to either technological changes like a digital landscape, or philosophical changes like postmodernity.  While these perspectives have their place, this session will make a different assertion; that our most fundamental challenge is that God is no longer an assumed reality.  Following historical transitions, we will explore how ministry, the church, and the role of leaders shift when belief in God and transcendence is optional.  What is this new age we are in? And what does this means for the practice of ministry and future of Christianity?
 
For more information contact Suzi Farrant.
 
Relational Ministry Re-Imagined
For all involved in with ministry with children and young people, especially volunteers
 
Saturday 6th October 2018, 9.30am-4pm
Live streamed from Motherwell to Ayr, Arbroath, Dalkeith,  Dingwall, Dunblane, Dumfries, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Eskdale, Gorebridge, Largs, Livingston, Orkney, Peebles, Shetland and others
£10pp including lunch
 
All of us engaged in ministry with children and young people (Sunday School teachers, Messy Church helpers, BB / GB Officers, paid workers etc.) are engaged in relational ministry. At its most simple, all ministry is about relationship. Over the last few decades our culture and approach to relationships has changed. What does this mean for us?
 
During this conference Andy Root will lead 3 sessions guiding us through:

• The importance and cultural shifts around relationships
• The focus and purpose of our relationships with children and young people
• Developing relational and incarnational ministry

 
After each session, participants will have an opportunity to explore these ideas further through discussion with others gathered in your local venue.
 
Andy Root is a sought-after speaker at conferences, colleges, and churches. He is known for an engaging style that laces together stories, theological thinking, and humour, in a very accessible way.
 
All venues can be booked at https://relationalministryreimagined.eventbrite.co.uk
Closing date September 27th.
 
For more information contact Isobel Booth-Clibborn
 
 
Community of Faith Conference for Paid Workers 2019
A brilliant opportunity to connect, be resourced and inspired - designed specifically for those who are paid to work with and minister to children and young people in the church. 
 
Over the course of 48 hours we will consider our theme of Discipleship, with time set aside to share good practice in small learning communities. In particular we will think about partnering with families, engaging with the Bible, gender, sharing resources, and our aspirations for ministry with children and young people.  There will also be time set aside to enjoy the hotel facilities and to worship together. 
 
Book a place now at https://coffpaidworkers2019.eventbrite.co.uk
 
Theme: Discipleship
Dates: 2pm on Wednesday 20th to 2pm on Friday 22nd February 2019
Venue: Green Hotel Golf & Leisure Resort, Kinross, KY13 8AS
Cost: £140 before 7th October 2018; £170 thereafter. Concessions: £90 for Priority Areas workers. 
This includes single en-suite accommodation, full board, use of the hotel leisure facilities and all conference programming.
Ticket numbers are limited and available on a first come first served basis.
 
Closing date for bookings: Friday 7th December 2018.  Places are non-refundable after 7th October but are transferable.
 
For more information contact Suzi Farrant.
 
Many thanks,
Suzi Farrant 

MESSAGE FROM CHURCH OF SCOTLAND
​
​We just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your prayer for our upcoming Pastoral Care Conference 2018 - ‘Nurturing Pastoral Care Together' scheduled on Saturday 10 November 2018 in Dunfermline, and to encourage you to forward the details below on to others in your congregation and parish.
 
Booking closes on 25 October 2018. We'd be very grateful if you could keep praying for this conference so that it would equip many people in local congregations to acknowledge the significance of pastoral care, and provide a good understanding of the roles within this branch.
 
If you have any questions about this conference, please contact the project manager, Hongsuk Um.
 
With every blessing
 
The Learn Team