News

Celebrate Together: the first Local Ecumenical Partnership Gathering in Scotland takes place next week

November 17, 2005

On Saturday 26 November over 120 people with gather in the Lanthorn Centre, Livingston for the first Gathering for people from Local Ecumenical Partnerships across Scotland.

Dr Mary Cotes, the keynote speaker, is a Baptist and is Ecumenical Moderator in Milton Keynes. She has a particular costly commitment to reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians and it is her concern for peace and justice which is the basis for her work with local churches. Meeting her and hearing her will be an inspiration in itself.

From Rannoch to the Orkneys, from Aberdeen to Paisley and from Edinburgh to Oban, indeed from east and west, north and south, people will be gathering in Livingston to share the joys and sorrows, successes and failures, high moments and frustrations of being churches together in their local communities. Hopefully this will enable us to re-kindle our vision, to strengthen our commitment and to inspire each other to follow Jesus in witness and service in the local communities in which we live.

We hope that people will bring with them banners, magazines, photographs, covenant documents, ecumenical orders of worship and much more so that we will gain a real picture of churches working together in various parts of Scotland. By being in Livingston, as churches there prepare to celebrate 40 years of working together, we will be able to rejoice with sisters and brothers in that corner of the vineyard.

Finally our ultimate hope is that a time will come, sooner rather than later, when people in every town and village in Scotland will look at the churches and say: ‘Wow! Look how these Christians love one another.’

There is still just time to register for ‘Celebrate Together’ for further information contact Lindsey Sanderson at ACTS on 01786 826381 or e-mail ecumenical@acts-scotland.org.