Action of Churches Together in Scotland (ACTS)

Welcome to the ACTS Website

Formed in 1990, as Scotland’s national ecumenical instrument, Action of Churches Together in Scotland (ACTS) brings together nine denominations in Scotland who share a desire for:

Greater oneness between churches, as Jesus prayed, ’that they all may be one’ (John 17.21)
A growth of understanding and common life between churches
Unified action in proclaiming and responding to the gospel in the whole of life.

In its work ACTS seeks to enable the Scottish churches in their common life.

It encourages and resources encounters between them in which each participant learns from the other, where difference is explored and respected and where division is healed.

ACTS - enabling and resourcing churches in Scotland in their pilgrimage together

Acts

Responding to Copenhagen

During the Copenhagen climate change summit, Rev Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterberry, said, ‘"We meet as people of faith in the context of this critical moment in human history.....[and] to take "the right decisions for our global future".

Several months on, Cardinal Keith Patrick O’Brien, Archbishop of Edinburgh and St. Andrews, Dr Guillermo Kerber, World Council of Churches, and Margaret Warnock, Eco-Congregation Scotland will reflect on the Copenhagen event from moral, global and local perspectives at an ACTS hosted event, taking place during the Edinburgh International Science Festival.

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Project News

‘We need to be a befriending church, not just a friendly church’.

Back to Church Sunday is an opportunity for worshippers to invite a friend to come with them to church on a particular Sunday. This year Back to Church Sunday falls on the 26th September and as in previous years material is available to help congregations plan for and invite people to join them on that day.

Earlier this month, Michael Harvey, Back to Church Sunday developer, spent two days in Scotland introducing material for 2010 and reflecting on Back to Church Sunday 2009, the first year Back to Church Sunday had been widely marked throughout the country. Last year 383 congregations from denominations across Scotland participated in Back to Church Sunday and evaluation forms revealed that 5952 people accepted an invitation to come back to church. Of those 12% or 714 people, are now regular weekly attenders in congregations. Back to Church hopes to build on these successes in future years.

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Racial Justice News

Scottish Churches appoint new Racial Justice Officer

Revd Francis Babatunde Alao was recently appointed as the new Scottish Churches Racial Justice Officer. Until recently Francis, an ordained minister, worked with 'Heart for the City', a project based at Maryhill, North Glasgow which has links with the Scottish Episcopal Church.

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Edinburgh 2010

Welcome to Edinburgh 2010

This year the world church celebrates the Centenary of the World Missionary Conference, held in Edinburgh in 1910. Christians from all over the world will join in unity and explore different ways of 'Witnessing to Christ today'.

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Latest from Edinburgh 2010

Prayer for Today

A prayer for the journey.

Spirit of unity, reconcile your people.
Give us the wisdom to hold on to what we need to be your church.
Give us the grace to lay down those things we can do without.
Give us a vision of your breadth and length and height which will challenge our smallness of heart and bring us humbly together. Amen.

Source: World Council of Churches 1985