Free Church woos rebel Edinburgh congregations in Kirk gay row
Three Church of Scotland congregations in Edinburgh are being wooed by the Free Church after they announced plans to quit the Kirk over gay ministers. The Free Church, which takes a strong traditionalist stance, has set up a special working group to hold talks with congregations and ministers across the country who are unhappy with [...]
Dundee church considers leaving Kirk in gay ministers protest
A Dundee church is considering leaving the Kirk over its decision to allow the appointment of openly gay ministers. Logie and St John’s Cross in Blackness Avenue is set to be the fourth church to leave after a meeting of its congregation. The Church of Scotland told The Courier: “We can confirm that the Kirk [...]
Church of Scotland Presbytery of Lewis statement on gay ministers in civil partnerships
Last night, the Lewis Church of Scotland Presbytery issued a statement which is to be sent to congregations within the Church of Scotland Presbytery of Lewis. The statement reads: “The Church of Scotland Presbytery of Lewis states its total opposition to the selection, training and ordination for the Ministry of Word and Sacrament and the [...]
The Kirk rejects move over ‘gracious dismissal’ policy
The Church of Scotland has rejected a call for a “gracious dismissal” policy to allow congregations who want to quit because of gay ordination rights to take their buildings with them. The policy that is similar to that used by the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America is being discussed among Scots traditionalists, [...]
£250,000 charity godsend for Dunfermline church
Dunfermline’s Gillespie Memorial Church are celebrating a godsend of nearly £250,000 towards developing a community hub. The cash was from the Big Lottery Fund’s Community Spaces Scotland scheme, which helps rejuvenate local areas and provide somewhere for people to come together and shape their neighbourhood. The funds will go towards refurbishing the Gillespie Centre, a [...]
Edinburgh congregation quits the Kirk over decision to allow gay ministers
The first full parish in the Church of Scotland’s financial heartland is to quit the Kirk over its decision to allow openly gay ministers. Holyrood Abbey Church, which began life as a mission for the poor, is the first Edinburgh congregation to publicly express anger and division over last month’s decision at the General Assembly. [...]
Dunbar minister’s tribute to ‘wonderful wife’ – Kirk Guild secretary Alison Twaddle
A long-serving minister has paid tribute to his “wonderfully well-loved” wife – who was General Secretary of the the Church of Scotland Guild for 13 years until 2011 – after she lost her fight against cancer. Alison Twaddle passed away last Thursday, aged 63, having lived with cancer for four years. Mrs Twaddle, whose husband [...]
Archbishop Tartaglia speaks on injustice of benefit reforms
Archbishop Tartaglia has written to Iain Duncan Smith to ask him to rethink Government tactics on health benefit reform. The Archbishop wrote: Dear Mr Duncan Smith I am writing to you to express my concern at the impact on very many vulnerable people in this Archdiocese and beyond, of the assessment system currently being operated [...]
Bishops and Church leaders call on Government ministers to apologise to the poor
An alliance of Churches representing Christians from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland has written to the Prime Minister asking for an apology on behalf of the Government for misrepresenting the poor. Church leaders, including the Church of Scotland’s Rev Sally Foster-Fulton and the Very Rev Ian Barcroft of the Scottish Episcopal Church, pointed out that [...]
Coronation service rich in symbol recalls crowning of ‘history’s bride’
St Edward’s Crown sat sparkling in the centre of the high altar of Westminster Abbey as the visual focus of a service to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s coronation, on Tuesday. Away from the Tower of London for the first time since 1953, and joined by the Ampulla – the ornamental gold eagle [...]
