|Home| General Assembly | Congregations on line| Church Directory| History| Press Releases| Special Features| Statement of Faith| Stedfast Magazine| Email|

2003 Reports Index
 

COMMITTEE ON BUSINESS AND ADMINISTRATION GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2003 INTRODUCTION The varied and wide-ranging nature of the Committee's remit is reflected once again in the details of this report. As the title suggests, much of the Committee's time and energy is, of necessity, devoted to the mundane task of ensuring that the Church as a denomination administers its affairs and conducts its business in a way that is honouring to God and consistent with its high calling as the Body of Christ. To do so effectively calls for a sensitive and finely balanced blend of vision and practical realism, and it is hoped that that fine balance is appropriately reflected in what follows. General Assembly 2003 Details of the arrangements for the 2003 General Assembly are contained in the Outline Order of Business in Appendix 1 of the report. The Committee is most grateful to the Minister and Kirk Session of St. Leonard's-in-the-Fields and Trinity Parish Church for so readily agreeing to make their sanctuary and halls available to the Church both for the sessions of the General Assembly and the Annual Women's Meetings on Wednesday, 4th June. The practice of holding a Leaders' Forum prior to the opening of the General Assembly continues, and will take place in Perth United Free Church on the morning of Wednesday, 4th June. The Forum will be addressed by the Rev. David Currie, Senior Adviser in Evangelism to the Church of Scotland. The Committee on Overseas and Inter Church Affairs has agreed to be responsible for the Open Forum which will follow that Committee's report on the morning of Saturday, 7th June. The theme "The Church in a Violent and Changing World" will be introduced by the Rev. Paul Renshaw, CTBI's Co-ordinating Secretary for International Affairs, assisted by Rev. Canon Kenyon Wright and Ms. Diana Kattan, a Faith-Sharing partner from Palestine. Mr. Renshaw has also agreed to make himself available for a meeting on Friday evening. Although primarily intended for members of the Committees on Overseas and Inter Church Affairs and Ethics and Current Affairs, a limited number of tickets will be available for other Commissioners who may wish to attend. A Youth Night on similar lines to those held in recent years will also take place on the evening of Friday, 6th June when the speaker will be Mr. Neil Pratt of the International Christian College, in Glasgow. Commissioners are welcome to participate but, given the nature of the event, admission will be by ticket only. The closing Praise Service will be addressed by the Rev. Mike Parker, General Secretary, The Evangelical Alliance, Scotland, and formerly of St.Thomas's Episcopal Church, Edinburgh. The need to provide an efficient sound system for the Assembly has been a continuing concern of the Committee, and, in pursuit of that aim, the professional services of Colin McPherson Sound Systems, Blairgowrie, have been employed for the Annual Women's Meetings and the duration of the Assembly. GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2004 The Committee recommends that the General Assembly of 2004 be held in Edinburgh. Further details concerning the date and place of meeting will be contained in a Supplementary Report which will include proposals from the Committee concerning the nature and duration of future meetings of the Assembly. National Development Coordinator The Committee welcomed the decision of last year's General Assembly to appoint the Rev. A. M. Ford to the part-time post of National Development Coordinator. Mr. Ford took up his appointment in August and since December he has been assisted in his task by the three Presbytery Development Coordinators - Rev. C. MacAulay (East), Mr. A. Scott (West) and Rev. S. J. W. Matthews (North). Together they have formed a closely-knit team, and, through regular meetings, have developed an agreed understanding of how their facilitating role may be most effectively fulfilled. Mr. Ford has had encouraging meetings with each of the Presbyteries and the responses received from congregations to the comprehensive questionnaire issued to all Kirk Sessions will serve to inform and shape not only "The Spirit of Life " event at the end of August but the future activities of the team at both Presbytery and Assembly levels. The Committee has welcomed the regular reports it has received from Mr. Ford, and has set up a small Strategy Coordination Group to liaise with Mr. Ford and to provide such support and assistance as may be necessary from time to time. Spirit of Life Plans are now well in hand for this event which will take place in Bannockburn High School on Saturday, 30th August, 2003. After consulting widely it was agreed not to hold a residential event but to follow the one-day pattern established by the Lendrick Muir events of the past two years. A small but energetic planning group under the leadership of the National Development Coordinator is developing a programme which it is hoped will not only reflect the perceived needs of the Church as reflected in the responses received to the questionnaire but also help to create the agenda for future developments. It is anticipated that there will be a range of workshops devoted to such basic aspects of congregational life as worship, mission and evangelism, resources and spiritual growth. A Living Body The 2003 event is designed, in part at least, to carry forward the momentum gained from previous events, and the Committee is most grateful to the Rev. A. M. Marshall and his enthusiastic team for the planning and implementation of its predecessor at Lendrick Muir in 2002. Some 200 participated in a varied programme, and, once again, it was encouraging to see the broad age-range represented by those attending. The Committee is indebted to all those who contributed to the success of the occasion, and, in particular, to the Rev. Peter Neilson not only for his stimulating input on the day but his subsequent contribution to Stedfast. Consultation with the Church of Scotland In fulfilment of an undertaking given to last year's General Assembly, the Committee agreed, as a first step, to seek an informal meeting with the Church of Scotland with a view to exploring how together we might more effectively fulfil our common concern to serve the Christian good of Scotland. Coincidentally, a communication was received from the Church of Scotland informing us of a deliverance passed at its General Assembly "instructing the Ecumenical Relations Committee to make contact with other Presbyterian Churches in Scotland" and inviting us to meet informally with the Convener and Secretary of that Committee to discuss "the things that are currently concerning and enthusing us". The Committee responded to that invitation by appointing the Revs. J. C. Allan, J. 0. Fulton and A. D. Scrimgeour to meet informally with the Revs. Erik Cramb and Sheilagh Kesting. Two such meetings have taken place, and, at the second of these, it was agreed that there were sufficient areas of real co-operation and potential co-operation to seek the agreement of our respective Assemblies to the setting up of a small joint working group to explore these areas. It was further agreed that the setting up of such a group is not an initiative for union but for closer co-operation. The overall purpose should be to seek ways of greater co-operation in witness to Scotland both locally and nationally. Four areas were identified as the basis of the remit for such a group: 1. Areas of local support · There are already good examples of local inter-change between branches of the Church of Scotland Guild and the Women's Association of the United Free Church. These could be built on. · There is a need to look at how the two Churches could be more supportive of each other in relation to youth work. · There is a need to look at how United Free Church ministers can become more involved in chaplaincy, particularly industrial chaplaincy. · There is a willingness to explore the possibility of greater local co-operation between congregations, including the possibility of participation in Local Ecumenical Partnerships, building on what is already happening in some areas. 2. Areas of national support. · Ways should be explored in which there could be closer co-operation between Boards and Committees of the two Churches. This would allow the United Free Church access to a greater human resource for their own work and would complement the co-operation that is already happening within the context of ACTS and CTBI (Churches Together in Britain and Ireland). 3. Questions of identity. · It will be important to explore the emphases and ethos that makes each denomination distinctive and to find ways in which these can be used to enrich the other. 4. Reconciliation of memories and a Common Commitment. · The Group should explore the possibility of drawing up a covenant which would both rejoice in our shared history and deal sensitively and openly with issues that have caused division and hurt before setting out possible commitments for each Church to make to the other as a way forward. The Way Forward Group Since last General Assembly the Group has sought to encourage Presbyteries to review their procedures in the light of the report on Presbytery presented to the Assembly of 2002. The Group wishes to place on record its thanks to Presbyteries for their willingness to make time available to explore and discuss the implications of the report, and to the Rev. A. M. Ford for his informative presentations of the issues involved. In addition, the Group has revisited its Discussion Paper on the General Assembly in the light of the views expressed by commissioners in the discussion which took place at last year's General Assembly. Considerable time has been devoted to a consideration of how the Assembly might be restructured, retimed and relocated in such a way as to make it a more representative and 'user friendly' event, and to encourage greater participation and wider interest and involvement at congregational level and throughout the Church at large. Consideration of the General Assembly has also given rise to a critical review of the existing committee structure of the denomination which seeks to reflect the breadth and variety of the Church's witness but imposes an increasingly heavy burden on an increasingly limited supply of human resource. The final recommendation of the Group concerning the courts of the Church will be presented in a Supplementary Report, and the Assembly will be asked to discharge the Group. Stedfast The Committee is most appreciative of the valuable contribution the Rev. J. A. M. McFie continues to make to the life of the Church in his capacity as editor of Stedfast. He is to be commended for the way in which he has succeeded in mastering the demands of modem technology, and in consistently meeting the stringent deadlines of the printer. The Committee regrets the continuing reduction in the circulation of the magazine (currently standing at 1768 per issue) and the attendant shortfall of income over expenditure of approximately £900 per issue. In an effort to reduce costs the Committee agreed to seek fresh quotations for the printing and distribution of the magazine, and, as a consequence, has succeeded in making a saving of £567 per issue without any obvious loss of quality. The Committee is indebted to all who contribute to the magazine, and to those who accept responsibility for promoting its distribution and sale in the local congregation. Prayer Union Pray 2003, the highly acclaimed publication of the Prayer Union, continues to act as an invaluable stimulus to the prayer life of the Church and reflects great credit on Mrs. Wemyss Billows and her faithful team of able contributors. The Church's appreciation of the quality and usefulness of their work is clearly demonstrated in the generous contributions which are received towards the cost of its publication. The Committee is indebted to Mrs W Billows for the additional information which is provided in Appendix 5 on page 33. Church Handbook The Committee agreed not to publish a new Handbook in 2003 but to issue a list of amendments in respect of changes in personnel and other relevant information contained in the current publication. Youth Assembly The Committee was pleased to learn that this year's Youth Assembly will be held at Carronvale on 2nd - 4th May and that in addition to the main sessions to be led by Mr. Neil Pratt on 'Living for Christ in Today's World', the Rev. A. M. Ford would have an opportunity to speak to the young people on his work as National Development Coordinator. It was agreed to continue the practice of inviting two members of the Assembly to attend the General Assembly and to contribute to the report of the Committee on Evangelism and Youth. Child Protection The Committee continues to take such action as is required to comply with the requirements of the law in respect of Child Protection. Further to the decision of last General Assembly that Criminal Record Checks should be carried out on all volunteers and employed persons who have contact with children and young people, the Committee has drawn up, approved and submitted policy statements relating to the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders and the Secure Handling, Storage and Retention of Disclosure Information. Having fulfilled these conditions, the Church is now in a position to apply for Criminal Record Checks through Volunteer Development Scotland as and when it is required. It is understood that no policy statement is required in respect of Protecting Vulnerable People. Revision of the Church Hymnary The work involved in the revision of the Church Hymnary is now nearing completion. The text and music are in the hands of the printer and it is anticipated that the finished article will be published later this year. As will be seen from the Committee's Report (Appendix 3 - page 29) plans are already in place to introduce the new book to prospective users through exemplar CDs and regional events, and full details of these will be circulated to congregations as and when they become available. As a Church we have been fully involved in what has proved to be a stimulating if lengthy gestation process, and thanks are due to all those who have so faithfully represented us over the years. It is their hope that The Church Hymnary: Fourth Edition will be widely used and become a worthy and enriching vehicle for the praise of God's people. The Church Hymnary Trustees The Trustees' Report for the year ending 31st December 2002 is contained in Appendix 4 on page 31 of this report. It should be noted that the trustees are confident that that they have sufficient funds to meet all costs in connection with the publication of the Fourth Edition of the Hymnary. In addition they are seeking the Assembly's approval to apply some of the funds of the Trust to provide an initial discount on the published price of the new book, and a paragraph to that effect is contained in the Deliverance. Canonbie and Chapelknowe The Committee was advised that the Church of Scotland had expressed interest in meeting representatives of the United Free Church with a view to exploring the possibility of establishing a Local Ecumenical Project involving the congregations of the United Free Church and the Church of Scotland in Canonbie. The Committee appointed the Revs. J. 0. Fulton and J. D. Neil to participate in any future discussions along with the Principal Clerks and representatives from the Presbytery of the East. It is recognised that some such arrangement could be to the mutual benefit of the two congregations concerned and the continuing witness of the Church in that community. In the name of the Committee, A. DOUGLAS SCRIMGEOUR Convener COLIN C BROWN Vice-Convener JOHN A. M. McFIE Vice-Convener JOHN O. FULTON Secretary

Go back to Top