musings on ministry
St Ninian’s in Stonehouse is a Local Ecumenical Parish. That means our church is a partnership between the Church of Scotland and the United Reformed Church bringing the traditions and resources of both denominations to serve the people of Stonehouse. Nestling in the north-west of the Clyde Valley, Stonehouse lies on the fringes of urban central Scotland in the Read More ...
“Stewart has a passion for getting people engaged with their faith, because he wants to make a difference and he wants others to make a difference through that engaged passion… Stewart challenges much of our established thoughts, much of our way of doing things.” I like questions. I think they are important, sometimes more Read More ...
find out more about Stewart's work
Worship We have a range of ways you can both watch and hear weekly worship from St Ninian’s. Video You can join in our worship on YouTube , Facebook and on St Ninian’s Website Podcast St Ninian’s Sermons is a weekly podcast of our sermons. You can find it on all the usual podcast providers Read More ...
How do you know what you do works? Can you prove it? In November 2010 I graduated with a Masters in Social Research from Glasgow Caledonian University. My disseration is an expoloration of the stakeholders perceptions of the youth work of Linwood Parish Church. You can download the dissertation version, the report for the Read More ...
“Stewart has a passion for getting people engaged with their faith, because he wants to make a difference and he wants others to make a difference through that engaged passion… Stewart challenges much of our established thoughts, much of our way of doing things.” I like questions. I think they are important, sometimes more Read More ...
I haven’t published a sermon for a long time. They’re available on the St Ninian’s website but it felt like following the events of the last weeks and months this was something that needed said. You can listen and the text is below. [podbean resource=”episode=ss7dk-93db5f” type=”audio-rectangle” height=”100″ skin=”1″ btn-skin=”107″ share=”1″ fonts=”Helvetica” auto=”0″ download=”0″ rtl=”0″] A Read More …
I’m running the Men’s 10k on Sunday in Glasgow in support of SAMH. I’m almost at my £500 target!!! Thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far. Your contributions with help SAMH to do some much needed work with children. Their Going to Be campaign is highlighting the lack of support for Read More …
Why? How? What? Why do we do the things we do in the way we do them? I wonder what the most important part of the question is? Is it the things that we do? Is it the way that we do them? Or is it the why? For me the ‘why’ is the most Read More …
I wonder how often we say ‘Thanks’? I wonder how often we say it to the people we are really thankful for? The practice of gratitude is a simple way to completely change your outlook on life. It’s the start of that radical life-change we talked about last week. Thankfulness. Gratitude. Whatever you want to Read More …
We come to the end of our journey through the Gospel of John this Sunday as we tackle john 20:19-31. It’s evening on Easter Day, the disciples are scared and locked in a room. Apart from Thomas. He’s somewhere else. And Jesus appears. A whole load of stuff is happening in this short passage. Jesus Read More …
The Gospel of John is about revelation. Who is Jesus? Who are we? All the encounters we have witnessed as we journeyed through this Gospel tell us the truth about Jesus, the people he met, and about ourselves. The trial before Pilate lays bare humanity. Our humanity. It shows us just where power really lies Read More …
Several years ago I began a chapter in a book about the state of the Church of Scotland with these words, “This isn’t working!”. I was talking then in particular about how as adults we don’t take learning very seriously in the church, but I think the statement applies more widely to the general malaise Read More …