ACTS at the National Gathering, Ingliston

ACTS had the pleasure of running a stall at the National Gathering, Ingliston, 3-4 May. This was the latest big event in the Church of Scotland’s Church Without Walls initiative. The invitation was extended to other churches and charities to come along and participate fully. It was an impressive occasion, especially for the innovative tented village and the quality of the big worship events.

ACTS had a stall in the Lowland Hall and we enjoyed a gentle stream of visitors over the two days. It was good to see so many ‘kent faces’ and meet so many friends. On display were new ACTS and CAIRS banners, a table-top ACTS ‘map’, and a selection of information leaflets. There was a continuous projection of slides showing the work of ACTS and our networks. This generated a lot of positive comments and can be obtained from ACTS office on request.

The main feature of the ACTS stall was a series of short ‘Conversations’ which happened around the table. Conversations were led by a wide range of people: Nelu Balaj (Racial Justice), Alison Burnley (Mission Network), Marjorie Clark (Christian Aid), Donald McLeod (East Perthshire Action of Churches Together), George McSorley (Unity Enterprise), Graham Monteith (Scottish Churches Disability Agenda Group), Shona Paterson (Network Officer), Jennie Rutte (Church of Scotland Press Office), Andrew Sarle (CAIRS), Stephen Smyth (General Secretary), and Elizabeth Templeton (Faith Studies Network), Each conversation gathered between 4 and 12 participants. The conversations covered a lot of issues, serious and otherwise, with much consensus and lots of laughter. It’s a format that might work well elsewhere.

Congratulations to the organisers who made the event such a success. Thanks to all our many friends, including especially: those who helped prepare the ACTS materials and all those who visited the stall.