The SRTP 40th Anniversary

This was a fringe event at the General Assembly. The Society, Religion and Technology Project, of the Church of Scotland reached 40 years of operation. Since its start, this office has sought to reach an intersection between science, religion and society. Its work has been visionary in presenting an ethical approach with which to tackle difficult issues such as GM crops, in-vitro- fertilization, end of life issues and now, synthetic biology. Christians need informed and spiritually based information on these controversial subjects in order to live and make decisions within our technology rich times.

.A large audience was treated to an address by Dr. Murdo Macdonald, the Policy Officer of the project. They also heard Dr. Sinclair Scott, speak of his experience in serving in one of the groups of the project. Participants had the opportunity of picking up documentation on the history of the project and a booklet on the development of the project, written by Dr. John Francis. The 40th Anniversary cake was truly memorable. Happy Birthday

Report of the National Youth Assembly

The Moderator of the Youth Assembly, Mr. Ian Mclarty presented to the General Assembly with the proceedings of last year’s Youth Assembly. The Youth Assembly meets in order to offer 16-25 year olds the opportunity to debate issues and have a voice within the Church. Last year’s Youth Assembly took place for the first time in Stirling and there was plenty of opportunity for worship, music and debate. Particularly inspiring was the presence of the Emmanuel Gospel choir who uplifted everyone’s spirits.

The topics discussed during the Youth Assembly were:
- identity
- wealth
- spirituality and
- interfaith

Mr. Mclarty ended his address by thanking the work of Dr. Marjorie MacLean who during her years in the Church of Scotland worked very hard to get the voices of young people heard within the Church. He then thanked Steve Mallin for the theological nurturance with which he encouraged regularly members of the Youth Assembly.

Report of the Committee of Chaplains to HM Forces

“Being a Chaplain in Her Majesty’s forces is a privilege”. This was the clear sentiment of the address given Rev. James Gibson, Convener of the Committee to the General Assembly. He spoke eloquently of the care and dedication and pride that chaplains have for “their units” and of the ways when they deliver a full ministry within the forces even to the peril of their lives. He remembered the address given by Angus MacLellan to the General Assembly some years ago on the nature of his ministry in Iraq and pointed out how in a characteristically self-effacing manner, had “failed to mention the occasions when his life had been in danger”. “This is a full ministry, Moderator, not a ‘sector ministry’; chaplains deliver parish ministry in the fullest sense of the word. The difference is that this is ministry is performed in a different and often dangerous environment” he stated.


Rev. Gibson reported on recruiting statistics to the different services and stated with pride that successful recruitment had been achieved for the Royal Air force which traditionally has been difficult to fill from the Church of Scotland. "This might be, because the footprints of the Royal Air force is not as deep in the culture of Scotland as that of the army” he stated.


Journalist Jackie Bird spoke of her experiences during the development of a documentary series on the lives of the armed forces in Afghanistan and of the crucial role that the Padres fulfilled in the provision of spiritual and emotional support to those brave men and women. She spoke vividly of the commitment of the soldiers to their community and of the shared camaraderie that enabled them to risk their lives as an everyday ‘normal’ experience. Her comments were echoed in the address of Vice Admiral Dr. Richard Ibbotson.

The Vice Admiral is a hugely respected leader within the navy having been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross after the Gulf conflict and the NATO meritorious service medal. Vice Admiral Ibbotson spoke very warmly of his personal experience of seeing chaplains at work, providing “food for the soul” and attending a wide array of pastoral matters ranging from supporting a bereaved soldier deal with the loss of a cherished friend, or the difficulties of families suffering difficulties of prolonged absences from home. "The email and the mobile phones might be a blessing, but they also bring the problems of home into the theatre of war and this needs to be managed in order to have emotionally and morally fit soldiers” he said. The role of the Padre is probably even more important now than ever before, as war increasingly becomes depersonalised. The moral and ethical approach, combined with friendship and trust are skills that Padres offer at every turn and they are badly needed in the armed forces of today.

Church and Society Report

Rev. Ian Galloway presented an overview of the work of the council during the past year. He illustrated his address by presenting specific activities that represent the council’s remit. This remit is to present the voice of the church within civic society, as well as within the Scottish Parliament and the Parliament in Westminster. That voice however can only be authentic if it is reflected and rooted in a living Christian community.

Rev. Galloway spoke of the involvement of the council together with the Scottish Churches Parliamentary Office during the recently passed General Election and noted the development of informational materials for churches on how to conduct hustings.

The convener then addressed the commitment of the council to address ethical issues within the market economy. To this effect, the council was engaged in a series of conferences where academics and experts in economics and finance examined the causes for the current financial situation and presented options for ethical investment to be considered by men and women of faith.

Rev. Galloway then made reference to the work of the Society, Religion and Technology Project, which presented to the General Assembly a report on very recent scientific developments in the field of Synthetic Biology. The Church of Scotland is therefore the first church addressing such a complex and controversial issue from a Christian perspective.

The work in support of awareness for climate change issues and leading towards a review of progress on the implementation of the deliverance passed on the 2009 General Assembly regarding the reduction of church building’s carbon footprint was addressed. It was clear that the work of the council did not just involve developing awareness of climate change issues but also involved political activity through the council’s involvement in Parliamentary debates and the participation in support of climate change marches and debates.

Political involvement and activism were also expressed in the council’s involvement in the anti-nuclear movement through an ecumenically driven campaign involving postcards and the signing of a joint petition against Trident by a number of religious leaders. Direct political involvement was evident through the council’s participation in debate against the Assisted Suicide Bill in Scotland.

Finally, the Convener spoke of the work of the council in working with organisations that facilitate making the voices of the poor in Scotland known and heard. The Convener specifically mentioned the work of the Truth and Poverty Commission, where individuals that fight poverty and its discriminatory effects were given the opportunity to tell their stories directly to decision makers and parliamentarians. The work of the churches in priority areas was also highlighted.

The report was illustrated by the presentation of three videos which are also available in the Church and Society Youtube page.

Stevenson's Prize

Rev. Ian Galloway Convener of the Church and Society Council made the presentation of the Stevenson’s Prize in religious observance to one primary school and a secondary school. The prize is in honour of John Stevenson and is awarded every year to one primary school, one secondary school and one special needs school. The prize consists of £500 per school and the children that were involved in the religious observance winning projects will have a say in the way the monies will be used within their schools. The children, teachers and parents of Dunbar Grammar School, and Baljaffray Primary School received a warm round of applause by everyone in the General Assembly. Well done!

The Guild presents its report

The Guild presented a report on the actions undertaken following their strategy for the years 2009-2012. Mrs. Elizabeth Dunn, National Convener of The Guild started by stating “how much out of silence we women have become”. She then presented the work that The Guild is doing in conjunction with a variety of partners amongst which are The International Justice Mission who provides a safe place for children who have been sold into sex slavery. She spoke passionately of the Guild's firm conviction to fight human trafficking. She also mentioned the work of OtherSide who works with children in Scotland who are affected by their parents being in prison. She mentioned that there are more children in Scotland affected by this problem than by divorce.

Mrs. Dunn proceeded to speak of the work done in conjunction for A Place for Hope, in dealing with conflict resolution techniques. She spoke of the need to spread mediation skills amongst congregations.

The work of The Guild in support of the HIV/AIDS project, known from now on as the HIV/AIDS Programme was also highlighted and it became evident that the fundraising efforts and commitment of Guild members across Scotland to help those afflicted by HIV/AIDS and in need of nutrition was very successful. However their involvement is not only financial, Guild members launched an appeal for plastic gloves and school stationary for Zimbabwe and were able to chart 3 plane-loads of materials to that country.

Ms Dunn spoke warmly of the ecumenical work done in conjunction with Interfaith Action in Israel and Palestine, where Christian accompany Palestinians through their daily lives by simply living with them, and bearing witness to their trials and tribulations. She also made reference to the work done by Rabbis for Human Rights and their work in strengthening the links between Palestinian and Israeli women.

On a more administrative aspect of the report Mrs Dunn reported that the new constitution of The Guild had been revised, circulated and accepted by its members and sought the General Assembly’s approval of this new constitution.

All deliverances were approved and Mrs Dunn was thanked for work as National Convener.

HIV/AIDS Project

The Convener of the HIV/AIDS project group, Dr Robin Hill presented the report. Since 2001 The Church of Scotland has been actively involved in the fight against the spread of AIDS/HIV by offering practical support to local partner churches in geographical areas across African where the pandemic is strongest. The purpose of the HIV/AIDS project is to (1) break the silence on HIV/AIDS (2) stand together with partner churches (3) offer practical support 94) speak up for the voiceless and (5) involve every member of the church. Mr. Hill stated that the global HIV pandemic is at a critical point today and that the current picture differs significantly from the picture 26 years ago. There seems to be a stabilisation of the incidence of HIV infections and there are now more than 33 million people living with HIV according to UNAIDS 2008 data.

Different speakers who had gone to visit HIV projects in Malawi spoke enthusiastically about the incredible generosity of volunteers in that country who not only walk many miles to take care of HIV/AIDS patients, but share money and funds. It was seen that through the work of the project and its partners in Zambia, Sri Lanka and Ghana, that much more awareness about the problems of stigmatizing people with the virus is evident. Mrs Carol Finlay spoke eloquently of the willingness of HIV/AIDS sufferers to speak out and share their experience for the camera. Mrs. Finlay mentioned that this openness however is not universal across Africa and what seems to be the norm in Malawi is not the norm everywhere. She also spoke of the patients’ surprise upon learning that HIV/AISD sufferers in Scotland are not so open about their experience and often feel stigmatised by Scottish society.

Robin Hill spoke about the project’s work in cooperation with The Guild and thanked it for its fundraising efforts on behalf of the project. Finally, Mr. Hill mentioned that on an extremely cold January 10th, when Scotland was facing almost freezing conditions, over 10,000 people braved the weather to attend a Souper Sunday, sharing bread, soup and fellowship in their congregation, all in benefit of the HIV/AIDS project.