Ian Boa
Hope in the Rural Church Conference 2019
The Scottish Churches Rural Group is hosting a one day conference entitled "Hope in the Rural Church".
It will take place on Wednesday 1st May 2019 at St Matthew's Church of Scotland, Perth.
The keynote speaker will be Revd Claire Maxim, CEO of Germinate Arthur Rank Centre.
Hope in the Rural Church - Reflections on the Scottish Church Census
The Scottish Churches Rural Group (SCRG), which brings together churches within ACTS with rural interests, has attempted to tease out from the Census figures a rural orientated analysis.
Our report on the Census has a dual focus. We have looked at the church as it is now and assessed what we think are its ramifications for the future. We ask, what are the trends we currently see in the rural church? What conclusions can we draw? And what action needs to be taken to ensure a thriving future for rural ministry?
The information from the Census is not the only information which has recently become available. In 2016 Steve Aisthorpe published the results of a study he had undertaken into why some Christians no longer go to church, under the title 'The Invisible Church: Learning from the Experiences of Churchless Christians'.
In our report we have also tried to make use of this information in order to come to conclusions as to the way ahead, using all the information which has recently become available.
To download a copy of Hope in the Rural Church please click here
Chaplains Handbook
The Church of Scotland Church & Society, Education Committee have developed a new resource entitled,
"Guidance for School Chaplains"
"More Slaves Today than at any Time in History" Conference
'More Slaves Today than at any Time in Human History'
Exchanging Scottish and International Perspectives on Human Trafficking
We have an exciting programme that will allow us to explore current issues related to human trafficking from different contexts and perspectives. Speakers will include Ash Denham, MSP, Detective Superintendent Stuart Houston of Police Scotland and the investigative journalist Sam Poling whose BBC programme cast a spotlight on the trafficking of women to Scotland from eastern Europe.
We will also hear research reports from postgraduate students, academic staff, practitioners and theologians who will present papers on work undertaken in countries in Asia, Africa and Russia as well as closer to home in Ireland and here in Scotland.
The conference will conclude with a panel discussion from a range of different Christian denominations.
Further information about the programme and how to apply for your place at this free conference can be found at:
Please join us on what promises to be a fascinating and thought provoking day.
Stories from the edge? Faith communities action
Faith communities in post-industrial towns across Scotland are delivering social action to tackle the effects of poverty and to try to create a Good Society.
Many of these projects are dealing with ever-growing need and are stretched thin. Everyone is aware of the effects of poverty in big cities, but less attention is paid to the towns which were the heartlands of manufacturing industry.
This conference creates a space where 'faith-inspired social activists' from those towns can come together:
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- Sharing stories
- Critical reflection
- Exploring existing aspects of what makes a Good Society locally and nationally
- Sharing visions of a Good Society in Scotland from the perspective of post-industrial towns
- Identifying the support required from the wider church, civil and civic society to make these visions real
- Shifting the thinking about what constitutes 'the edge' and what a Good Society looks like from that perspective
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To download a flier for the "Stories from the edge?" Conference please click here.
To download a booking form for the "Stories from the edge?" Conference please click here.
If you prefer, you can book online at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stories-from-the-edge-tickets-36305399427?aff=eac2
UPDATE: A Christian Vision for Education in Scottish Schools
Jesus said "I have come that you may have life in all its fullness" (John 10:10). Education is integral to the ability to live life in all its fullness; Scotland's churches therefore have a deep and long term interest in education.
"A Christian Vision for Education in Scottish Schools" is an update of a document approved by the nine Member Churches of Action of Churches Together in Scotland in 2008, drawing on work initially developed in 2000. Writing in 2016, much has changed during this period. The challenges of globalisation, rapidly changing information technology and economic uncertainty mean that the debate will never be static; against this the call to live a "life in all its fullness" remains unchanging and just as relevant.
ACTS Advent Material 2016
The 2016 ACTS Advent material is now available for download.
Please click on this link to download a copy of the 2016 ACTS Advent resources
CCTV and Electronic Monitoring - new forms of community justice?
Faith group interest in criminal justice has traditionally been very prison-focused. Imprisonment will always be an important concern but there is much more to contemporary "community justice" on which faith groups could usefully ponder and speak. The Joint Faiths Board on Community Justice commends the following papers to you. We hope you will disseminate and discuss them at all levels of your organisation; the distribution is up to you. Neither are the final word on their subject - they are simply intended to invite reflection by people of faith on current ways of addressing crime in Scotland with which they may not be familiar. If your organisation wants more information in order to take discussion further, or to give us feedback, please contact Miriam Weibye
To download "CCTV and Community Safety in Glasgow", click here
To download "Electronically Monitoring Offenders in Scotland", click here
AHT - Resources
In this section of the website you will find resources that have been developed by a range of different Christian denominations to be used in prayer, contemplation and worship to help us to understand God's plan for us in addressing this affront to the dignity of all. They include materials for private worship, group discussion or church services. While the resources can be used at any time, they may be particularly suitable for use around the time of International Antislavery Day which takes place each year on 18th October.
To be silent is to be unfaithful
European Baptists anti-trafficking Resource Book
CAIRing for Scotland - Digital copy available for download
CAIRing for Scotland - the Churches contribution to Interfaith relations in Scotland is now available for digital downlad.
Sister Elizabeth Smyth writes "For 14 years the Churches in Scotland had a committee specifically dedicated to developing the work of interfaith relations among Christians. It was called CAIRS, the Churches Agency for Interfaith Relations . . . This is a story that tells of the many Christians who have made a significant contribution to the work of interfaith relations in Scotland. It is a memory that should be kept alive, honoured and celebrated."
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What is Action of Churches Together in Scotland?
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.
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Who we are: Member Churches
There are nine member churches of ACTS. They are listed below:
Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
United Free Church of Scotland
Each of our member churches is also a member of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. Five of our member churches are present in the three nations of Scotland, England and Wales and therefore bring to ACTS not only the perspective of being churches in Scotland but also in the wider United Kingdom.
ACTS welcomes opportunities to work with churches which are not in membership of the organisation.
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Who we are: ACTS Officebearers
The principal officebearer of ACTS is the Convener of the Trustee Body and Members' Meeting. This post is held for two years, in turn, by a member of: the Church of Scotland, the Roman Catholic Church, Scottish Episcopal Church and a representative elected by the other member churches. The current Convener is Miss Carole Hope, from the Church of Scotland, who took up post in June 2019.
In addition to the Convener there is a Vice Convener, who also serves for a two year period. Currently the Vice Convener is Mr Paul Goldfinch from theScottish Episcopal Church.
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How we work: Being Churches Together
Core to all our activity in ACTS is the principle of being Churches Together.
This is summarised in the Lund Principle adopted by the churches at the third world conference on Faith and Order (August 1952), which states that:
'the churches should act together in all matters....except those in which deep difference of conviction compel them to act separately'.
Local, national and international ecumenical bodies therefore are not intended to become 'superchurches' but places where churches from the wide diversity of Christian experience, meet, engage, reflect and share in common action. This model of 'being churches together', is found throughout all ACTS structures.
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How we work: ACTS Members' Meeting
The ACTS Member Churches meet three times a year at the Members' Meeting. One of these meetings incorporates the Annual General Meeting of the Company.
Convener: Miss Carole Hope
Vice-Convener: Mr Paul Goldfinch
Each Member Church has one Voting Representative at the Meeting. The number of delegates from each Member Church is allocated according to the membership of each Member Church.
The Church of Scotland and Roman Catholic Church each have four representatives at the Members' Meeting, the Scottish Episcopal Church has three and the other Members have two representatives each.
The Trustees of ACTS also attend the Members' Meeting and the Convener of the Trustee body is also Convener of the Members' Meeting.
The Convenership is held for two years and rotates between the Church of Scotland, Roman Catholic, Scottish Episcopal Church and other member churches.The purpose of this meeting is
- To be a meeting place for the Members so that they may engage with the furtherance of God's mission and to work towards realising the unity of the Church Universal, which form the charitable purposes of ACTS.
- To provide an opportunity for the Members to worship together.
- To provide a mechanism for inter-church counsel, education and action.
- To provide an opportunity for Full Members to promote, participate in, implement and engage with actions, projects, programmes and initiatives in the fulfilment of ACTS charitable purposes.
- To engage with the Trustees in discussion leading to the setting of ACTS strategy and policy.
- To receive reports on the implementation of ACTS strategy and policy.
- To receive regular reports from the Trustees concerning finance, personnel, governance and day to day management of the company.
- To engage with wider ecumenical fora in Britain and Ireland, Europe and the World.
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How we work: ACTS Trustee Body
There are currently seven trustees, one each from the Church of Scotland, Roman Catholic Church and Scottish Episcopal Church (the appointing members) and three others representing the other six Member Churches of ACTS (the electing members).
There is also a Treasurer and the trustee body may co-opt a further three people to be Trustee body if desired. The Convener and Vice Convenership of the Trustee body are selected by the appointing and electing members on a rotational basis.
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How we work: ACTS Policies
In consultation with the Members, the ACTS Trustees have formulated a number of policies for the organisation. These are reviewed on a regular basis. Copies of the policies are available to download below. For any further enquiries concerning the policies please contact the General Secretary.
Please find below the ACTS Policies as agreed by the ACTS Trustees:
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How we work: British & Irish Links
ACTS is one of the four national ecumenical instruments which, along with Churches Together in England (CTE), Cytun (Churches Together in Wales) and the Irish Council of Churches, comprise Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI).
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How we work: Beyond Britain & Ireland
ACTS is also in membership of the World Council of Churches and the Conference of European Churches.