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Convener's Report to Presbytery
April 2006Moderator, 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 final one in the Guild’s three year strategy
under the overall title “Dare to Care”.
The annual theme for 2005 – 2006 is “Dare to Care with commitment”, and
this was launched at the Annual Meeting “guild Alive 2005”, in the Caird
Hall, Dundee last September. Once again, around 60 or 70 representatives
from this Presbytery were among the 2000 or so members who heard inspiring
talks on the theme from Elish Angiolini QC, Mr Bob Holman and the
Moderator, Rt Rev David Lacy. Elspeth Kerr gave a report on how we in
Aberdeen celebrated the first evern Guild Week, in 2004.
Many guilds have focused on the Discussion Topic for the session which has
been “Lets Talk About HIV/AIDS”. This challenging subject was addressed
with the help of resource material which included starters for discussion,
prayers and meditations, in addition to factual information about the
pandemic. The aim was to break the silence surrounding the issue which can
itself be a source of pain.
The issue of violence continues to be on the Guild’s agenda and this
session we again contributed to the 16 days of Action on Violence Against
Women beginning on 25th November. A resource leaflet was produced which
invited members to “pray for a change” at the 16th hour on 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:-
a) Building Community – with L’arche – rebuilding workshops and renewing
Braerannoch house where people with learning difficulties live in
community.
b) Together for a Change – Ministries and World Mission Councils –
bringing together poor communities from home and abroad.
c) Changing Lives – Prison Fellowship – taking Christ to men and women
prisoners and their families.
d) Walking with the Displaced – World Mission – working in Cairo with the
Joint Relief Ministry to refugees from Sudan.
e) Growing with Care – Social Care Council – supporting children living in
drug misuse families through various therapies.
f) Silent Hunter – Tearfund – 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. Presbytery will be
interested to learn that the total donations for the “Dare to Care”
projects have now risen to £572,240.
Several guilds chose to highlight the projects during Guild Week, which
ram from 20th to 27th November. This initiative to raise the profile of
the Guild in our communities has proved very successful and is set to
continue in 2006.
In Aberdeen several of our Guilds held events to mark guild Week and they
ranged from Songs of Praise, a Ceilidh, a Soup and Sweet Lunch to taking
part in Church Services. All very successful.
The Guild continues to participate in the Scottish Women’s Convention,
which 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 Work
and Women and the Justice system. The Guild is also a member organisation
of the Women’s National Commission, which is an advisory body to the
Westminster 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 trafficking in people. Memberships 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.
In this Presbyterial Council we have enjoyed fellowship together through
our Council Meetings, our Rallies, Project partner Meetings and through
hosing one of the National Theme Days.
We continue to support Ekwendeni, sending children’s woollies, blankets
and teddies. Shrugs and bed socks are given to ARI and quilts and blankets
are given to Linus UK. This year we added woolly hats to our repertoire as
requested by the port Mission Chaplain.
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 Presbytery.
Mrs Allison Collie
Convener
Presbyterial Council of Aberdeen
Church of Scotland Guild
Reports from Other years
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