Mission & Discipleship 69 – June 2012

The June 2012 edition of the newsletter from the Church of Scotland’s Mission & Discipleship Council contains details of over 20 events and resources of interest to church people throughout Scotland.
The events include a series of retreats that will take place at various venues throughout the Highlands and Islands during 2012 and Mission Shaped Ministry, described as a “one-year, part-time course designed to help people develop practical knowledge and skills which will help them engage their community with the Gospel.” There is news of this year’s National Youth Assembly taking place in Dundee in August and details about a one-day conference on ‘Sharing Faith in a Post-modern Age’ in Glasgow in October.
Among the many and varied resources available is Different Voices, an online magazine about church music in Scotland, produced by the Mission & Discipleship Council. It is for all those who sing in choirs, congregations and praise groups, play organs or other instruments, and all who plan, lead and choose music and hymns for worship. Also mentioned is Pray It Forward. This popular initiative features an attractive collection of high quality credit-card sized cards carrying a range of blessings inspired from scripture, for churches and individuals to give away free to others. The aim of the cards is to encourage and bless the recipient, and to encourage them to pray for, and bless, someone else in turn, ie to focus outward, and not just on what God can do for ME!
Read the full newsletter from Mission & Discipleship 69 – June 2012

Church and Society News – June 2012

The June 2012 edition of the Church of Scotland’s Church and Society Council newsletter has a look back at the report the Council presented to the kirk’s General Assembly in May. Church members were reminded that the Council has spoken out in their name on a large number of issues, ranging from climate change to bio-ethics, sustainable food supplies to sectarianism, nuclear disarmament to human trafficking, homelessness and poverty to the need for a just and lasting peace for Israel and Palestine. The report can be downloaded from the Church of Scotland website (links are provided in the newsletter).
In addition to reporting on the General Assembly the newsletter reports that the Presbyteries of Hamilton and Lanark have come together with other faith communities in the region to tackle the stigma and discrimination of mental ill-health. There is news of a series of discussion leaflets on the topic ‘Food is a Gift from God’ available from the Council, and a series of poems written by pupils at Parkhill Secondary School in Glasgow to challenge the issue of sectarianism. The school encourages congregations and individuals to use these to reflect on problems and solutions surrounding this issue.
Read the newsletter at Church and Society News – June 2012