Today was the end of What Do You Think? (WDYT?) and the beginning of General Assembly.  At WDYT? this morning we had a look through the report of the Youth And Children’s Work Committee and had a mock debate to see how the General Assembly works.  A coat stand was employed as the microphone and it was amazing to see how quickly people started treating it like a real mic, standing close and holding on to it as a comfort blanket!

After lunch we had a ‘break’ until General Assembly started at 3.30pm.  The break included creating a display of youth and children’s work and making sure everyone got checked back in and registered and stuff.

I decided it was my duty to make sure JB and LR got some well deserved time off so they were dragged kicking and screaming to the nearest golf course for 18 holes.  We played at Silveknowes on the banks of the River Forth and somehow managed to escape the rain which was falling all around us.  A good time was had by all I think.

Tomorrow sees the Assembly start in earnest with Youth & Children’s Work tomorrow morning.  I’m not allowed in the hall so I’ll be hanging out in the foyer watching the live feed on TV.  The most important thing for consideration tomorrow is my job title so check back to see it we get something shorter than Youth And Children’s Work Development Officer.  I do hope so.  That one doesn’t fit on forms!

T in the Park (Scotland’s amazing music festival) is also on this weekend so I’ll be watching/listening/wishing I was there too.  It’s online and on TV & Radio.  Feeder are on now rocking up a storm.

Tomorrow sees the start of the URC General Assembly.  This year’s venue is nice and close for me!  It’s Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh so I get to come home and night and sleep on my own bed which is always a bonus.

Assembly will debate 45 resolutions including a chance on Saturday morning to affirm the existence of the Youth & Children’s Work Training and Development Team, of which I’m a member, and with any luck shorten our job title!  The YCWT team (as we’re known) has been reviewed recently and this Assembly will discuss some of the recommendations of that review alongside a proposed ‘Vision for Youth & Children’s Work’ which I really like.

The early part of this week has seen What Do You Think? gather almost 40 young people from around the UK.  They come together to get to know each other before the General Assembly, read, study and discuss the reports and explore some of the big issues around the church and the world.  The FURY (Fellowship of United Reformed Youth) reps are usually the best prepared of all the delegates and this year is no exception.  They take their presence very seriously and I think show the church a great example.

You can download the book of reports from the URC website.

There is free wi-fi at the conference centre so I’ll try to keep you up to date with the highlights but I’m not a member of Assembly so won’t be allowed into the Assembly itself.  I, and all the other hangers on, get to watch on the overflow screen.

Maybe I’ll hang out with the Children’s Assembly instead.  It’s bound to be much more fun!!!

The URC is about to enter into the first year of its Vision 4 Life project.  When I say ‘about to’ that’s obviously church speak for in 6 months.

So hear’s my tuppence worth on V4L…

I like the idea.  I think that encouraging our congregations to engage with ‘The Bible’, ‘Prayer’ and ‘Evangelism’ is a good thing but it has to go beyond that to make any difference because I’m sure if this is seen as just another bible study programme or house group then the people who usually take part in these things will take part in this and nothing much will change.

Change is the goal.  Transformation.

OK.  That sounds great.  If the bible and prayer and evangelism are anything then transforming should be at the top of the list.  If not I think we have missed the point.

I got to have a look at some of the draft ‘bible’ material the other day.  ‘The Bible’ is the first theme.  My honest opinion?  Disappointing.  Very disappointing.

For me (and that’s the only opinion I can give) the materials look far too much like every other bible study I’ve ever seen.  And the bit that’s missing is the ‘transformation’.

The questions that never seem to make it into bible studies ar ‘So what?’ and ‘How will this change my life?’.  ‘What do YOU think this means?’ and ‘How does it help you understand your life and faith?’.

Those for me are the transforming questions.  I guess you might call it ‘contextual’.  I’m a big fan of contextual bible study because it is about you, your understanding, your insight, your life.  Academic theology is important but only if it informs how people understand their faith.

Jesus did contextual all the time.  He pointed to sheep, goats, mustard seeds, water, trees, wine, bread and said the Kindgdom of God is like this.  People understood because they recognised the context of the stories.  We don’t live in the Galilee of 2000 years ago so our context is different.  OUR faith has to make sense in OUR context.  That’s why churches are empty, that’s why fresh expressions of church appear.  People need to make sense of their faith in their life or else is makes no sense at all.  Faith stops being transforming and becomes an academic exercise.

So, if V4L is going to be Visionary and For LIFE then it has to help people make the connection.

I’m about to head off to Carberry Tower near Edinburgh for 24 hours to our Synod Programme Committees.

On the agenda for me are Children and Communion and Safeguarding as well as working with the Children and Youth Ministry Committee on our future plans for the Synod Youth Forum and some other stuff in the pipeline that I’ll tell you more about later!

iChurch is, in my humble opinion, the best idea I’ve seen in ages.

If you are a URC congregation who either wants a website but think it is too hard to set up and run

or

are paying for web hosting, trying to design and update your site and all that

then ichurch is the answer!  For a one off fee of £100 you get your own website with a yourchurch.urc.org.uk address, a site that is already set up and really simple for anyone to update.  It runs from the URC server so no web hosting costs or any of that website hassle.

It’s a brilliant idea and one I think every congregation should take up.

Tonight I’ve been invited to be on the panel for an open community discussion at Shawlands URC in Glasgow (map).

The topic is ‘What role can the Church play in the community?’ and I’ve been asked to speak about the church and young people.  There are another two speakers and the local MP was to have been on the panel but has been called away.

The event starts at 7.00pm and you would be most welcome to join us.

I’ve has a busy weekend and in between preaching at Dunfermline (thanks for the tie!) and visiting parents (thanks for a lovely meal!) I rediscovered some things forgotten.

I watched the Masters Golf. I’m not sure I’ve watched it so much as I did this year for ages. For me the Masters seems to hold more appeal than other golf tournaments (except the Ryder Cup where we get to beat the Yanks - in a sporting and fun fashion of course). Perhaps because it is played at the same course each year. Perhaps because the course is Augusta National, perhaps the most beautiful course in the world. Perhaps it is because it never fails to surprise. Well done to Trevor Immelman on winning and to fellow South African Gary Player on his two rounds under 80! Not bad for a 72 year old!

The second thing rediscovered was a musical treat. I found an old CD.

Hats by The Blue Nile. I bought this album when I was at school I think. It is a beautiful collection of angst, hurt and hope. I love it. Perhaps the perfect album for listening to in the dark. The Blue Nile are playing in their hometown of Glasgow soon. I wonder if we could stretch to the tickets. They almost NEVER play and have only produced a handful of albums in 20 years.

… after a busy Saturday.

I spent this morning with the lovely people of Righead URC in east Kilbride leading worship and talking about the Child Friendly Church Award that the URC operate.  It helps churches to think about how they include children and young people in all aspects to the life of the church.

At the moment I’m watching Chelsea V Middlesburgh while trying hard not to fall asleep.  What is daylight saving all about?  I want my hour in bed back!

Later we’re heading off to Edinburgh for Together @ MCT.  More on that later!

This is today’s sermon, preached at Barrhead United Reformed Church:

Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!  Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.

For the next few minutes I would like you all to hold the Palm cross you were given as you arrived this morning.  Feel it in your hand.  Look at it.

I have to admit that I find Palm Sunday to be one of the strangest days in the Christian calendar.  Preparation for today has occupied my thoughts for a few weeks because I wasn’t very sure how to approach today’s service.

You see today is the day when we remember Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem.  The crowds are cheering, the hymns of praise rise up to meet him and there is a party atmosphere.  Perhaps, despite all of Jesus’ hints and predictions, everything will be alright in the end.  Perhaps the people will accept Jesus.  Perhaps there will be no need for him to make that final journey to the cross.  And in my experience that is the way we have tended to treat Palm Sunday.  As a child I remember processions through the church waving paper palm leaves and singing joyful songs like the ones we have sung together this morning.

I spent the weekend at our first URC Scotland Youth Forum and made it through the whole weekend!  (I’m not getting any younger you know!)

We had a great time talking, learning and thinking about climate change and apart from some of the boring Synod bits had fun playing games, watching movies, writing hymns and plays, getting to know each other and generally having a laugh.

There were young people there from as far aways as Thurso.  They traveled 8 hours each way to be there.  I think that’s remarkable and I’m glad they came and that they have such great leaders who would give up a weekend to bring them!

There are some pictures on the Youth Forum Blog.