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Scottish Churches ForumConvener: Rev Mary Buchanan ACTS' agenda is set at a national level by the denominations through their representatives on the Scottish Churches’ Forum. The Church of Scotland and Roman Catholic Church each have four representatives on the Forum with the other members having two representatives each. The Forum has a Convener and two Vice Conveners. These posts are held for a three year period and rotate between the Church of Scotland, Roman Catholic and other member churches. The Forum meets three times a year, one of these meetings being residential to allow for an input on a broader ecumenical theme than the business of the Forum. Core items on the Forum’s agenda include opportunities for the churches to share items of denominational and ecumenical significance and to raise issues of concern from their particular understanding of the Gospel. Often these concerns are connected with public life and in recent months the Forum has written to the First Minister of the Scottish Executive giving support but also highlighting concerns about proposed changes to gambling legislation. The Forum also receives reports from ACTS Standing Committees and the four ACTS Networks on Church Life, Church and Society, Faith Studies and Mission. The Networks are the vehicle through which project funding applications come to the Forum. Proposals for pieces of joint work must be approved by the Forum and the Forum has an ongoing role in overseeing the work. Ideas for pieces of work may come from individual member churches, Associated Ecumenical Groups and Bodies in Association. These are brought to the relevant Network for discussion and scrutiny and if supported by the Network are forwarded to the Forum for final decision. Churches may opt out of particular pieces of work if they so wish or may give additional commitment to a project through additional finance or other resourcing. This model of working attempts to take seriously the principle of Being Churches Together and indicates the level of trust and flexibility that has emerged within ACTS during its fifteen years of partnership. |
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Action of Churches Together in Scotland is a Scottish Guarantee Company (Company No SC348236)
Registered as a Scottish Charity No SC000295
Registered Office: 7 Forrester Lodge, Inglewood House, Alloa. FK10 2HU