Here’s a video of what I saw yesterday afternoon at the Glasgow School of Art.
Despite news reports today which are playing down the damage, the Mackintosh interiors, particularly the library, were very obviously completely gutted.
5 responses to “Diocesan Synod”
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I fight this every stinkin’ time I’m in church. The average age of our Vestry is 47, the eldest is 69 and the youngest is 28 (*waves*).
However, all I hear about is how we are a ‘grey’ church in fear of dying.
I think it’s too much trust in statistics and not enough in the power of the Holy Spirit. And I will beat that through their heads if it KILLS ME.
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Conversations about mission that assume the Church is dying are bad enough, but at least the subject is being talked about. It’s worse when the mere idea of having a conversation about mission causes consternation and retreat behind the brocaded curtains.
If such a conversation is to get going at all, however, we need to be prepared to rethink radically our ecclesiology. It may not be strictly inevitable that decline will continue, but we need to be realistic about the prospects (such as they are) for future provision of ordained ministers and stipends to sustain them. All churches are facing a decline in these areas.
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P.S. – I’m not leaving the Holy Spirit out of the reckoning, simply saying that sober and realistic thinking is one of the less trumpeted gifts of the Spirit.
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I was feeling much the same Kelvin, I was starting to believe all the doom and gloom merchants and wasn’t looking forward to another 3 days of it. I didn’t really think it was the case but when the dripping tap just keeps on going eventually you start to wonder. LYCIG gave me the kick up the backside I was needing to stop listening to the negative and concentrate on the positive and there is lots of that about. If we keep talking about decline we will talk ourselves into it, we need to stop it now!
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Mary Sue,
Perhaps some parts of our church are glad to be grey.
But seriously, while I applaud the resistance to ‘sociological determinism’ (i.e. decline is inevitable), I think we can also think creatively about our demographics before we chuck out the baby, or the bathwater. It’s time to recycle the grey water.
Some recent thoughts I had are here:
http://www.dunc.info/?p=94(I don’t know how to do that clever trackback thing…)
Previous Posts
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The Mothers
I was exhorted today to encourage the starting of a Mothers’ Union branch. I won’t be offering any such encouragement. Like some other clergy I know, I’ve no great enthusiasm for the MU. The odd thing is that one never gets asked why. I know the reasons that I’m not really into the MU, but…
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Sites that have been linking here
Here is a quick round up of sites that have linked here recently. The Church Times – Noting the story about Pip in the Pub. (Which reminds me, I never picked up my copy today) Blazing Indiscretions – picking up the Prop 8 video Mimanifesto – a committed edublog (and I can’t work it out…
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Four quick theatre reviews
I’ve been out quite a lot recently. Here are some quick reviews. Sunset Song at the Kings, Glasgow – excellent production which could perhaps have been improved with surtitles. The Doric became no easier as the night went on. Although I enjoyed this, I left the theatre delighted that the National Theatre of Scotland was…
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Excellent story in the Current Bun
Fr Pip had a good story in the Scottish Sun this morning. I noticed it whilst leafing through the pages. Take a look here.
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