Hello everyone,
You may be aware we as a Presbytery receive an allocation of 44 ministry posts that we can distribute. Planning legislation has in it a mechanism where additional posts can be applied for in exceptional circumstances. There are 10 posts available across the whole of the church like this. We used this mechanism to apply for an extra post for Hawick Burnfoot as they are the only Priority Area charge in Lothian and Borders. We are very glad to report both PMPIG and the Assembly Trustees agreed and we can now appoint an additional post in Burnfoot on a 5 year reviewable charge basis. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Burnfoot as they now prepare to embark on the search for the right person to fill that post.
Last week there was no update because Presbytery met just a couple of days previously. Since then a few things have happened.
Presbytery Prayer Calendar
Kelso Old & Sprouston
We remember in prayer this week the leadership and all involved in the life of this community.
Garvald and Morham are currently linked with Haddington West. Thank linkage is due to be broken with G&M entering a union with Lammermuir Parish and Haddington West entering a union with Haddington St Mary’s. The Haddington churches are expected to unite next summer, Lammermuir and G&M in just a couple of months time. In preparation for the G&M and Lammermuir union permission was sought to allow G&M not to hold Sunday services from now till the union but to join with Lammermuir as part of their worshipping community. Presbytery Council considered this and agreed.
Planning Committee recently met and you can see what they were discussing in the attached agenda.
At the Presbytery in December we will be considering items where we have to submit responses. One of those is the Draft Presbytery Review Act. The remit is on page 9 of the Remits booklet and the draft Act is from page 23; the booklet can be found here.
The other is the second bite at the Confessions overture where the church decides what it wants for its book of confessions. The instructions to consider it as passed by GA2024 was:
Transmit again the Overture, as amended, to the Presbyteries for their consideration under the provisions of Article VIII of the Articles Declaratory in Matters Spiritual (1921), directing that returns be sent to the Principal Clerk not later than 31 December 2024, and noting for the avoidance of doubt that the Book of Confessions referred to in the Overture will contain the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, The Scots Confession, The Westminster Confession of Faith and the 1992 Statement of Faith.
The Confession Overture is an attached file for you to reacquaint yourself with it.
Please could you discuss both of these documents at any Kirk Session you have between now and our December meeting. We will then collate all responses and send them out with the Presbytery papers so we can have a more informed discussion come December. The date of that meeting is Tuesday December 3rd at 7pm on Zoom.
Caroline is currently collating all the responses to what we do about needing so many Interim Moderators with possible minister retirements. Once these are done they will be sent out for further consideration. Just so you are aware we currently need 7 Interim Moderators!
Upcoming Presbytery Services
Presbytery Meets this Thursday at 7pm for the linking of Jedburgh and Oxnam with Ale and Teviot. Presbytery will meet in Ancrum church at 6.50pm. Then on Sunday 22nd September: St Mary's & Old Parish Church, Teviot and Roberton and Trinity Parish Church, all Hawick shall be united to form Hawick South. That service will take place as part of the morning worship at 10.30am. Check their website for further info.
Lastly, tonight there is a chance to meet Rev Neil Glover who wrote Finding our Voice. See details below.
Meet the Author Sept 16th
To conclude our summer book group all are invited to join with us online as we are joined by Neil Glover the author of the book ‘Finding our voice -searching for renewal in the mainline church.’
Monday Sept 16th at 7pm Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86138769019?pwd=yWLLpjnkFQdUMbU4RB7aAPaA9AdMzO.1
Meeting ID 861 3876 9019 Passcode 705425
See you then. Peter
There is a lot happening and it is easy to see all this as the endpoint of what we do, however it is not. We look for the fulfilment of the command Jesus gave to his disciples to go to all nations baptising in the name of the Father, Son and Spirit and seeing people come to the faith that we treasure so well.
God Bless
Norman Smith
Presbytery Clerk