Minister’s Message 8 February
Dear Friends,
We are about to turn a corner in the Christian year and begin to turn our eyes again upon the Cross in the weeks leading up to Easter. Many people find it helpful to mark the season of Lent in some way perhaps by consciously giving something up, or by taking up something new. Here is a suggestion for you.
On Thursday evenings from 19th February, Alex and I will be offering a series of studies and inviting members from right across Kinross-shire to meet together and to get to know one another better in the course of fellowship and discussion. The study material we are planning to use is based on Tearfund's experience of Church and Community Mobilisation around the world. Based on a number of well-known Bible passages and time for exploring questions that arise, the process helps the local church work with its community, sharing a vision to address local needs using the resources they already have.
Each evening will be held in a different place around our united parish, beginning with a cuppa and a chat from 7pm the study time starting at 7.30pm for around an hour.
Could you commit yourself to a six week journey with others from around the parish as we seek to serve our community in the most fruitful way possible in the years ahead? Around the world, Church and Community Mobilisation is an approach that has brought remarkable transformation to local churches and their communities – I myself saw this first hand when I visited Ethiopia in 2014 and I note that this week the moderator designate of the General Assembly, Rev Gordon Kennedy, is on a similar trip to Burundi. We have a lot to learn from the worldwide Church and perhaps it is time for us to look for transformation in our united church and in our Kinross-shire community.
How might God lead you as an individual and us together as a congregation in following Jesus this Lent?
With all prayerful good wishes,
Alan
Revd A D Reid