Church Leaders / Representatives contribute to the Scottish Government’s National Conversation

Leaders / representatives of twelve of Scotland’s Churches accepted the invitation of the Scottish Government to contribute to a ‘national conversation’ on choosing the future of Scotland. On Thursday 12 June 2008, eleven of the group were able to meet together in the Scottish Parliament.

Relationships among Scotland’s Churches are healthy and the spirit among the group was warm, reflective and prayerful. The welcome given by the Scottish Government was also warm, with the First Minister joining the group for a short time.

The session was organised and facilitated by the officers of the Scottish Churches Parliamentary Office, the Parliamentary Office of the Catholic Church and the General Secretary of ACTS.

The group produced a joint-statement which focussed on three main themes: principles and values; history and tradition; communication. The statement agreed follows below. You can also download a pdf copy of the statement from here.

Churches taking part: Associated Presbyterian Church, Baptist Union, Congregational Federation*, Church of Scotland*, Free Church of Scotland, Methodist Church*, Religious Society of Friends*, Roman Catholic Church*, Salvation Army*, Scottish Episcopal Church*, United Free Church of Scotland*, United Reformed Church*.

* Denotes member of Action of Churches Together in Scotland

CHURCH LEADERS / REPRESENTATIVES MEETING
THE NATIONAL CONVERSATION HOLYROOD, Thu 19 June 2008
STATEMENT

"We recognise that the Church is on a journey as well as our nation; all of us are going to struggle to get to where we need to be. But for the Church, as well as for our nation and our communities, we aspire towards these Christian values characterising our common life in Scotland:

• A nation that is shaped by the principles of love for God and for all human beings;
• A nation that promotes dignity and justice for all;
• A nation that promotes faithfulness in personal and community relationships;
• A nation that demonstrates compassion and care for the weak and the marginalised;
• A society in which the voices of all can be heard;
• A people who are less concerned with their own welfare and more concerned for the well-being of others;
• A nation that strives for excellence and in which all can experience life in all its fullness;
• A nation that welcomes the unique contribution of those who are making the new Scotland;
• A state that promotes the well-being of all its citizens without exceeding its authority.

For us, these values are rooted in Jesus and have distinctively shaped Scotland's story as it has developed over the years; where they are lived and practised, we find they resonate with people of other faiths and of none.
Having shared together in a day of reflection as part of the national conversation on Scotland's future, we will therefore encourage all who are part of our churches to get involved in the conversations about our constitutional future, seeing these aspirations and hopes as the context for the debate."

Comments:

After the meeting, Cardinal Keith O'Brien said : "I appreciated the on-going conversation with many church leaders, bringing us all closer together as we work for Scotland's future".

Rev Ian Galloway, Convener of the Church of Scotland's Church & Society Council, added "Scotland's future needs to emerge around values that inspire and challenge all its people. We have a great country and terrific people who deserve the best form of government to meet their aspirations to play a big part in making the world a better place – perhaps especially for those whose voices are seldom heard".

Pamala McDougall, from the Religious Society of Friends, spoke of how, as a representative of one of the smaller churches, it had been good to meet in such a constructive and fruitful way: "we are encouraged in involving our own communities to contribute to the future shape of our nation through the national conversation".

Br Stephen Smyth who, as General Secretary of Action of Churches Together in Scotland (ACTS), convened the meeting, said "ACTS is please to have helped facilitate this significant encounter of church leaders / representatives sharing together on matters of such importance to our churches, faith communities and wider civic society".


Participants :

Associated Presbyterian Church Rev Archie McPhail, Clerk of Presbytery
Baptist Union of Scotland Rev Bill Slack, Director General
Congregational Federation Rev Malcolm Muir, Chair of the Congregational Federation Scotland
Church of Scotland Rev Ian Galloway, Convener of the Church and Society Council
Methodist Church Dr Bill Reid, Connexional Officer
Religious Society of Friends Pamala McDougall, Representative Friend
Roman Catholic Church His Eminence Keith Patrick O’Brien, Cardinal
Salvation Army Major Robert McIntyre, Scotland Secretary
Scottish Episcopal Church Most Rev Idris Jones, Primus
United Free Church Dr Donald Macdonald, Moderator of the General Assembly 2008
United Reformed Church Rev John Humphreys, Moderator of the Synod of Scotland

Unable to attend due to illness :

Free Church of Scotland Rev David Robertson, Editor ‘Monthly Record’