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Convener's Report to Presbytery
April 2005Moderator, as Convener of the
Presbyterial Council of Aberdeen, I bring the report of the Guild and the
greetings of the members.
This Session has been the second in the Guild’s three year strategy under
the overall title “Dare to Care”.
The annual theme for 2004-5 is “Dare to Care with Compassion” and
this was launched at the Annual Meeting “Connect 2004” in the Royal
Concert Hall, Glasgow last August. A whole busload of representatives from
this presbytery were among 2000 or so members who heard inspiring talks on
the theme from Prof. Geoff Palmer, Rev. Albert Bogle and Moderator, Dr
Alison Elliot. There was amusement too, as the members thought of, and
demonstrated 101 different uses for surplus Guild Tea Towels!
Many Guilds have focused on the Discussion Topic for the session
which has been “Include me in”- This looked at the many different
forms of social exclusion which exist in our communities and at the
challenge to the church family to widen its circle to include those on the
fringes who may be finding it difficult to make connections.
The issue of violence continues to be on the Guild’s agenda and this
session the Guild contributed to the World Council of Churches’ “On the
Wings of a Dove” initiative by producing a prayer resource leaflet for the
sixteen days of Action on Violence Against Women beginning on the 25
November. Members were invited to “pray for a change” at the 16th hour of
each of the 16 days.
Along with the Theme and Discussion Topic, Guilds have continued their
support of a range of Projects under the “Dare to Care” theme. They are:
1) Building Community – with L’arche – rebuilding workshops and renewing
Braerannoch house where people with learning difficulties live in the
community.
2) Together for a Change – Boards of National and World Mission – bringing
together poor communities from home and abroad.
3) Changing Lives – Prison Fellowship – taking Christ to men and women
prisoners and their families.
4) Walking with the Disabled – World Mission – working in Cairo with the
Joint Relief Ministry to refugees from Sudan.
5) Growing with Care – Social Responsibility – supporting children living
in drug misuse families through various therapies.
6) Silent Hunger – Tear Fund – working in remote villages in Guatemala to
combat the threat of malnutrition.
Guilds within this presbytery have been using the resource material
provided to plan events in support of these projects. Throughout Scotland
last summer Guilds were growing sunflowers – all in good natured
competition in support of Social Responsibilities “Growing with Care”
project – St Stephen’s Guild here in Aberdeen were the North Regional
winners!
Presbytery will be interested to learn that the total donations for the
“Dare to Care” projects, has now risen to £311,076.12.
Several Guilds chose to highlight the projects during the first ever Guild
Week, which ran from 21-28 November. This initiative to raise the profile
of the Guild in our communities was very successful and had the useful
by-product of enriching the fellowship among all those involved. Here in
Aberdeen we had a wonderful “Songs of Praise” evening featuring the Guild
past, present and future. We also had a very successful Coffee Morning and
Exhibition.
The Guild continues to be a member organisation of the Women’s National
Commission, which is an advisory body to government on women’s issues. It
is also part of the Network of Ecumenical Women in Scotland, through which
it works with other Christian organisations on issues like Trade Justice
and the campaign to end the of trafficking in people. Membership of wider
bodies both within and beyond the Church, enriches the life of the Guild
and offers many opportunities to contribute a distinctively Christian
voice to debate. The Guild is particularly pleased that its representative
was elected first Chairperson of the Steering Group of the Scottish
Women’s Convention. The Convention has been set up by the Scottish
Executive as its main means of communicating with Women throughout
Scotland and the Guild has had the opportunity to contribute to
consultations on issues like Women and Policing and Women and Work.
In this Presbyterial Council we have enjoyed fellowship together through
our Rallies and Guild Week. We continue to support Ekwendeni Hospital in
Malawi- providing children’s jumpers, blankets and Teddy Bears. The Guild
also provides knee rugs, shrugs and bed socks for A.R.I. as well as many
beautifully knitted and sewn blankets and quilts for Project Linus UK.
This year too, we had great pleasure in presenting new Communion Elements
to the new Roxburgh House.
As the Session comes to an end we look forward to our summer activities
and to the beginning of a whole new programme in September.
Moderator, I am grateful to you for inviting me to speak and I now present
this report to the Presbytery.
Alison Collie
Convener
Reports from Other years
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