Scottish Episcopal Church News for January 2015

01/01/2015
Scottish Episcopal Church News

The following post contains news from around and within the Scottish Episcopal Church for January 2015.

George Square Tragedy in Glasgow

The Rt Rev Gregor Duncan, the Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway was in George Square just after the recent tragedy involving a bin lorry. The accident took place just yards from the Glasgow and Galloway Diocesan Office.

Speaking after the tragedy, Bishop Gregor said:

We give thanks for the response of our emergency services.

The disaster occurred very near to the Diocesan office and I saw with my own eyes the awful aftermath. I shall not forget what I saw.

Bishop Gregor also engaged in a public dialogue about how Christians can respond to such events on 28 December 2014, the Feast of the Holy Innocents in St Mary’s Cathedral, Glasgow. This can be seen here:

Dialogue between Kelvin Holdsworth and Gregor Duncan in Glasgow on 28 December 2014 from Kelvin Holdsworth on Vimeo.

Video Message from the Primus

The Primus, the Most Rev David Chillingworth released a Christmas Message in video format this year.

The message, which some have noted doesn’t mention God or Jesus, can be seen here:

Changes to Marriage Law

The College of Bishops has issued guidelines relating to recent changes in marriage law. These have not been universally welcomed, with 50 clergy and lay readers writing a letter to the bishops in response with the Herald newspaper reporting: “Church leaders are facing an unprecedented insurrection amongst their own ministry over their gay marriage ban, with signals some clergy will not carry out any weddings until the matter is resolved.”

More information:

The Guidelines

The letter from 50 clergy and lay readers.

There is extensive coverage of other reaction on Changing Attitude Scotland’s website.

The Guidelines do not yet appear on the Scottish Episcopal Church website.

People
- The Rev Terry Taggart is the be the new priest for St Peter’s Stornoway and St Moluag’s Eoropaidh.
- The Rev Canon James Milne is to leave St Bride’s Hyndland in the new year to become Minor Canon and Sacrist at St Paul’s Cathedral, London.
- The Rev Andrew Richardson is to leave the East End Congregations in Glasgow
- The Rev Canon Jonathan Mason has left All Saints’, St Andrews
- Donald Shell of St John’s Cathedral in Oban has been appointed as Warden of Lay Readers for that diocese.
- The Rev Prebendary Bob King has been installed as Rector of St Andrew’s Kelso.
- The Rev Liz O’Ryan has been licensed as Associate Priest at Alexandria and Dumbarton since 25 October 2014.
- The Rev Kenneth Gibson was licensed as Priest in Charge of Holy Trinity, Monifieth on 21 December 2014.
- The Rev Canon Ian Pallett will be installed as Priest in Charge of St Ninian’s, Invergordon and St Mary’s, Alness on 15 January 2014
- The Rev Thomas Brauer has been appointed as Diocesan Missioner for the Diocese of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane.
- The Rev Shona Boardman has been instituted as Rector of St Mary’s Burnam and St Columba’s Stanley.
- The Rev Graham Taylor has been instituted as Rector of St John the Baptist, Perth.
- The Rev Pam Skelton died on 7 December 2014
- The Rt Rev Michael Hare Duke died in December – obituary from the Rt Rev Bob Gillies here: http://www.scotland.anglican.org/bishop-michael-hare-duke-rip/
The Buzz
- Bishop David was at the launch of the Smith Commission findings about Scotland’s Future.
- Sam Ferguson writes about a boy she fell in love with.
- Kelvin Holdsworth has been making his New Year Predictions for 2015.
- Ruth Innes has been making New Year Resolutions.
- Christine McIntosh realises she is older than any of the bishops.
- Malcolm Round advises anyone wanting to improve their prayer life to get a dog.
- Rosemary Hannah writes about an uncle who was “staggeringly normal”.
- John McLuckie thinks it is time to get back to Traditional [Episcopal] Values.
- Beth Routledge thinks it is time to build a cairn.
Sabbatical Funding – The Alastair Haggart Bursary Fund

In memory of Bishop Alastair Haggart a bursary fund was established by his family.
The fund exists to help the financing of sabbaticals or other similar leave of absence for clergy and full-time ministers of the Scottish Episcopal Church.
A committee will convene in January 2015 to make th e next award. Awards totalling up to £4,156 will be made. Individual circumstances, financial resources, and the nature of the sabbatical and its usefulness to the wider church, are taken into consideration when making the award.
Closing date: 6 January 2015

Vacancies
- Grangemouth and Bo’ness – advertised on the Edinburgh Diocesan website on 26 November 2014. No closing date listed. See profile for more details.
- Secretary and Administrator, General Synod Office – still advertised on the SEC website but closing date is passed.
Roof Repair Fund

A new fund is available to help with urgent repairs to Listed Places of Worship. More details on their website: http://www.lpowroof.org.uk/ Note that the closing date is coming up in early January.

ACTS Trustee Needed

The Faith and Order Board of the Scottish Episcopal Church is seeking for someone to be the SEC’s nominated Trustee of ACTS – Action for Christians Together in Scotland. “A strong interest in ecumenism is essential, previous experience as a charity trustee would be helpful.” More details from churchrelations@scotland.anglican.org.uk

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January 2015, news, Scottish Episcopal Church

6 responses to “Hillhead By Election”

Zebadee

19/11/2011

It would seem that the Lib Dems are a ‘busted flush’ with no plan to make any meaningful comeback which is very sad. The SNP were in a similar position in the 1980s but did have a plan which has been successful. Is there not a case for the revival of The Liberal Party? There is certainly a need for such a political party for the whole of the UK not just Hillhead. The Liberal Party could possibly unite the whole of the UK and not just Scotland.

Reply
1. kelvin
  
  19/11/2011
  
  Well, the Liberal Party has never gone away – it still exists and has some councillors. No doubt they feel that their time might still come.
  
  I’ve a feeling that there probably needs to be a clear attempt to do something new though. A New Liberal Party could be formed by a significant breakaway of disaffected liberal democrats but would probably need some significant hitters in order to get going. Given that part of the problem is some very unimpressive leadership in the parliamentary party, it makes it hard to see that happening.
  
  Reply
Zebadee

19/11/2011

Yes I know that the Liberal party still exists and understand that they have little or nothing to do with the Lib Dems. They too have no big names or ‘big hitters’ which is a pity. As you yourself will know out there in the real world there is a need for a centre party not right or left. I suspect that there is a large number of thinking people who would at least listen to a political message from the ‘centre’ and they are worried and concerned at the polarisation of the right and the perceived ineptitude of the left in todays political parties.

Reply
Caron

20/11/2011

Kelvin, a few weeks ago, we had a by-election win in Inverness. The evidence suggests that the Liberal Democrats have not become toxic, but where we work, knocking on lots of doors, having strong campaign messages and get our vote out, we get good results.

We had a first class candidate in Hillhead, but I agree that we need to look at how we get our message across.

I’m not for the Murdo method of abolishing the party just to set up a new one. We have good, liberal ideas, with good, liberal values, and an energetic leader who is so genuine, so likeable and very good at explaining what they are. Yes, we have a mountain to climb, but we have our ropes and crampons ready and we’re already ahead of where we were a few months ago.

Reply
1. kelvin
  
  20/11/2011
  
  Yes, I know Caron – I agree with a lot of what you have said. However, the big question is whether the party can get people out there working again.
  
  The win in Inverness was good though it was a pretty narrow thing. Still a win is a win in anyone’s book.
  
  However, whether the party can get doors knocked on etc now is the big question. I know I’m not the only person who has offered a lot to the party in the past who is questioning where the liberal tradition lies.
  
  I know Willie Rennie is likeable and I do believe he stands for lots of good policy ideas that I believe in, but he’s not even making a good job of running his own office at the moment. And his team are not responding online to criticism of him very well either.
  
  I’d love to feel I wanted to support the party – I believe in liberal values, understand liberal values and can articulate liberal values along with the best of them. However, so much of what good people worked for has been squandered so quickly that I just find it too difficult. (By the way, I say that as one of the 307, so I’m still hanging in there in the polling booth).
  
  And the problem is not primarily that the electorate feels betrayed by the Lib Dem brand. That is serious but summountable. The problem is that the activists feel betrayed. That is much, much more serious.
  
  307 votes out of 23243 on leafy home ground and placed fifth is terrible whatever way one looks at it.
  
  The Greens were trumpeting their result on twitter so much I thought they must have won, but they only had 120 or so more votes which doesn’t strike me as a particularly exciting ship to jump to, even if one were looking to leap. I’m not really interested in a party which thinks that getting 435 votes out of an electorate of 23243 is anything to crow about.
  
  Reply
James

20/11/2011

Hi Kelvin, I agree about the democratic disengagement – properly alarming. But the Lib Dems as they currently exist aren’t a Liberal party of the sort I think you want. They’re fundamentalist economic liberals, Orange Bookers determined to remove the social safety net. It’s not liberal as I understand it to make education the province of the rich, to cut benefits for the disabled to appease the Jeremy Clarksons of this world, to hike up regressive taxes like VAT, etcetc.

The really small-l liberal party in Hillhead did a lot better than the Lib Dems. The Greens.

Reply

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