The Methodist Church has welcomed tomorrow's accession of 10 new member states to the European Union. Colin Ride, the Church's Secretary for Europe, said: "We pray for a smooth accession, and look forward to a strengthened European society."
Source: Methodist Church News.
at 7:57 PM

The fifth Provincial Conference of the Scottish Episcopal Church will be held from 2-5 September 2004 at Heriot Watt Campus, Riccarton, Edinburgh. Its format will be a combination of sharing in groups with trained facilitators and reflecting on the contribution of three key speakers - the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams; the Very Rev John Miller, former Moderator of the Church of Scotland; and the Rev Kathy Galloway, Leader of the Iona Community. Time will also be spent worshipping and praying, using the overall theme of the miracle of the loaves and fishes.
Source: Scottish Episcopal Church news release.
at 7:54 PM

The question of how Church of Scotland membership might be measured accurately is explored in the Panel on Doctrine's report to this year's General Assembly, published today.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.
at 7:46 PM

"We need a new message about the church urgently," the Rev Joel Edwards, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance, has told the opening session of the Baptist Assembly in England. He said the church should refuse to react badly to negative views and statistics. "The problem with us Protestants is that we have the tendency to protest. We should be people of hope. Our primary task is that through us the knowledge of the fragrance of God is spread everywhere."
Source: Evangelical Alliance news release.
at 7:44 PM

Christians in Britain need to change their thinking radically if they are going to make an impact on today's society. That is the key message of a new book edited by Dr David Hilborn and published today by the Evangelical Alliance UK. Featuring essays by Lord Carey, Bishop James Jones, Professor David Bebbington, Jim Wallis, and other leading evangelical Christians, 'Movement for Change: Evangelical Perspectives on Social Transformation' calls on Christians to engage in changing society not only through local church congregations, but also through their workplaces, schools and colleges, homes and leisure activities. In doing so, it draws inspiration from past evangelical attempts at 'world-changing', but warns against the historic tendency of Evangelicals towards 'censoriousness' and 'clamour'.
Source: Evangelical Alliance news release.
at 7:43 PM

A woman who claims she suffered abuse at the hands of nuns is suing the order for £50,000. Elizabeth Abernethy's action is the first of more than 400 claims to reach a hearing at the Court of Session in Edinburgh. A judge was told that five or six cases have been chosen for legal debate in actions raised against the Poor Sisters of Nazareth order. Mrs Abernethy, 55, claims she suffered physical and psychological damage after being subjected to systematic assaults and abuse at Nazareth House in Paisley Road West, Glasgow.
Source: Evening Times, Glasgow.
at 7:39 PM

First Minister Jack McConnell has declined to get involved in controversial Sunday ferry services to Raasay, opposed by islanders. The Lord's Day Observance Society branch in Skye supports the island's community council's opposition to the Sabbath day service, which begins this weekend. Local MSP John Farquhar Munro called on Mr McConnell to intervene during question time in the Scottish Parliament yesterday.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.
at 7:34 PM

Thousands of people from around the world will congregate in Fraserburgh this weekend for the town's sixth annual Gospel Music Convention. A line-up of international acts will play concerts at the town's 1,500-capacity leisure centre over the next three days. It will also host prayer sessions and seminars. And many of the performers will take part in Sunday morning services at churches in the Broch, Peterhead, Cairnbulg and St Combs. Meanwhile, teenagers from throughout the north-east are expected to take part in Revolution in Fraserburgh tomorrow. The two-day mixture of rock bands, dance and drama, which will be held in the port's fishmarket, attracted about 800 people last year and organisers hope this year's attendance will be even bigger.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.
at 7:32 PM

Obituary of Alex Biggar (Alexander Robertson Biggar), an elder of the Church of Scotland for more than 50 years and former chairman and managing director of the family business Alexander Biggar Ltd, "music merchants" of Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow; born in Glasgow on February 4, 1916; died on board ship in the Indian Ocean on March 30, 2004, aged 88.
Source: The Herald.
at 7:25 PM

First Minister Jack McConnell has ruled out direct Executive funding for Muslim schools in Scotland in the wake of the highly critical report on the Imam Muhammad Zakariya school in Dundee. The privately-run school has been given six months to comply with a series of recommendations or face closure.
Source: Dundee Courier quoted at The Muslim News.
at 7:15 PM

Jack Seaton, pastor of the Reformed Baptist Church of Inverness for 32 years, is speaking this weekend at Providence Church and Rapid Valley Baptist church, South Dakota.
Source: Rapid City Journal.
at 7:09 PM

The Scottish Executive has been accused of "running scared of religious interests" over apparent plans to disregard key advice from a review group set up to modernise religious observance in schools. The National Secular Society yesterday attacked ministers over plans to retain the Lord's Prayer in schools, despite recommendations in the review group's report. Meanwhile Councillor Ewan Aitken, a Church of Scotland minister and convener of education at Edinburgh City Council, said he was disappointed the executive had delayed publishing the report - which has been with ministers for more than seven months. He said he believed it would create an opportunity for all faiths and none to be part of spiritual reflection of the school community.
Source: The Herald.
at 7:03 PM

This weekend, another part of Sabbatarian tradition in the Hebrides will end when the first Sunday Caledonian MacBrayne ferry travels between Skye and Raasay. Opinion is fiercely divided about the move on the smaller island, where the Sabbath tradition has been dearly held for decades.
Source: The Herald.
at 7:01 PM

The civil servant in charge of construction of the Holyrood headquarters for the Scottish Parliament is to leave her job at the end of June, three months before the £431m building is due to open. Sarah Davidson announced that she was stepping down as project director and taking six months' unpaid leave in order to travel the world with her husband, Rev James Aitken of St Andrew's & St George's Church of Scotland in Edinburgh, where she is an elder and he was assistant minister.
Source: The Herald.
at 6:58 PM

A new report highlights the membership difficulties facing the Church of Scotland, now at its lowest point at 571,000. Although nearly two million people claim their "current religion" as Church of Scotland, only about 240,000 of the membership worship regularly.
Source: The Herald.
at 6:51 PM

The Scottish Executive is preparing to defy a recommendation from its own review group to drop Christian religious observance at school assemblies and replace it with broader spiritual development. Instead, ministers, in their most explicit endorsement of Christian worship since devolution in 1999, said that the Lord's Prayer would continue to be heard in schools and that "other cultures, faiths and beliefs will be recognised within the context of a broadly Christian society". The review into religious observance in Scotland was set up in 2002 after HM Inspectorate of Education found that non-denominational secondary schools were failing to provide time for religious observance in accordance with ministerial guidance. A Herald leader piece says: "If, as is strongly hinted at, the executive insists that religious observance must continue in non-denominational schools to be within a broadly Christian context, it will be flying in the face of moves in England to recognise the increasingly secular nature of British society."
Source: The Herald.
at 6:49 PM

The Kirk's Board of Stewardship & Finance will tell the General Assembly that offerings rose by 3.7 per cent in 2003 compared with less than one per cent in 2002. Fewer members are giving more generously, it says. However, in the past four years central expenditure has exceeded income by £19 million.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.
at 9:56 PM

The Iona Community will use next month's General Assembly to launch the Growing Hope Appeal, which will raise funds for improving facilities at Iona Abbey and on the Ross of Mull.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.
at 9:53 PM

At this year's General Assembly the Church & Nation Committee will ask the Kirk's representatives to call on the Scottish Executive to provide adequate resources for the children's hearing system and upholding the decisions of Children's Panels, and to support to the police response to anti-social behaviour.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.
at 9:51 PM

Failure to find non-military means of tackling terrorism has made the world an even more dangerous place, says a report to next month's General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. "Those who argue that violence only begets violence are often labelled naïve and foolhardy," says a supplementary report by the Kirk's Church and Nation Committee. "However, it has been our political leaders who have shown naivety in key aspects of their response to international terrorism."
Source: Church of Scotland news release.

at 9:47 PM

Obituary of Rev David Henderson, a former padre to the Desert Rats who arrived at Glamis Kirk in the early 1970s and became an integral part of the close-knit community. Born 30 May, 1913, in Coleraine. Died 16 April, 2004, in Glenisla, aged 90.
Source: The Scotsman.
at 9:44 PM

The A-listed St Aloysius Church in Glasgow's Garnethill is in line for a £500,000 facelift. Parishioners have raised £260,000 towards the cost of full refurbishment, Glasgow City Council is expected to donate around £70,000 this week and a further £100,000 has been pledged by the Society of Jesus.
Source: Evening Times, Glasgow.
at 9:41 PM

A privately-run Muslim school in Scotland has been given six months to comply with a series of recommendations or face closure. School inspectors have issued a highly critical report on the Imam Muhammad Zakariya school in Dundee. The Campaign for State Muslim Schools in Scotland - a coalition of Muslim organisations, mosques, parents and teachers - said the report strengthened its argument for state-funded Muslim schools.
Source: BBC Scotland News.
at 9:38 PM

The Church of Scotland is being urged to cut more than £800,000 from its budget, with overseas missionary work targeted to safeguard domestic priorities such as ministers' stipends and pensions, and its child protection unit.
Source: The Herald.

at 9:09 PM

A charity run by Lin Berwick, who has suffered from cerebral palsy since birth, is to open a cottage on the Duke of Hamilton's estate at Dirleton, East Lothian, to give severely disabled people and their families the chance to have a holiday. It will be named the Denis Duncan cottage, after a Church of Scotland minister who is a close friend of Ms Berwick.
Source: The Herald.
at 9:05 PM

Church leaders expressed outrage today over plans to show a pornographic film featuring a bestiality scene at Edinburgh cinemas. The Good Old Naughty Days is a collection of 12 black-and-white short films shot in France between 1905 and the late 1920s. It's the first movie to be given the R-18 rating by the British Board of Film Classification and then go on commercial release in the UK. Reverend John Tait of Pilrig St Paul's Church said the film sounded "disgusting".
Source: The Scotsman.
at 10:12 PM

Moulin Kirk in Perthshire is to be sold despite claims that a local fund could have kept the building in church ownership. Rev Malcolm Ramsay, minister of Pitlochry Church of Scotland, said: "Christian stewardship requires that we use money well that has been entrusted to us by the faithfulness and generosity of generations that have gone before. The overwhelming view has been that the repair and maintenance of a church building that has been standing empty and closed for worship for 15 years is not a good use of the congregation's funds."
Source: Dundee Courier.
at 10:01 PM

Obituary of surgeon Archie Wright Thomson, an elder in the Church of Scotland for 67 years; born June 4, 1910, died February 9, 2004.
Source: The Herald.
at 9:56 PM

A new book written by leading Celtic supporters claims that sectarian tensions have been fuelled, rather than defused, by attempts to strip the club and its fans of their Irish roots. A series of hard-hitting essays argues that Celtic and its traditions, including flying the Irish tricolour at matches, are a legitimate focus for the large Irish immigrant community that settled in the Glasgow area in the 19th century. 'Celtic Minded' has been compiled by Dr Joseph Bradley, a lecturer in sports studies at the University of Stirling. Contributors include former Celtic full back Tommy Gemmell, composer James MacMillan, former Rangers vice-chairman Donald Finlay, and Willy Maley, professor of English literature at Glasgow University.
Source: Scotland on Sunday.
at 9:06 PM

A church where young victims were abused by a paedophile has been put up for sale for £2million. John Porteous was branded The Beast of the Belltower after luring children to the church to molest them. He took them to the Mount Zion Church at Quarrier's charity village in Renfrewshire where he was meant to be helping care for orphans. But the children's charity is now trying to sell the church to developers drafting plans for 12 luxury flats, worth £500,000 each.
Source: Sunday Mail.
at 8:59 PM

Three Iranian Kurds who sewed their lips shut in protest at being refused asylum have been served eviction notices by Glasgow City Council and will become homeless on Monday. Bishop John Mone said: "The hope seems to be that by making these three destitute that they will leave the UK." Rev Alan McDonald, convener of the Church of Scotland's Church and Nation committee, also condemned the move. "After all these men have gone through it seems extraordinary that they might end up sleeping rough."
Source: Sunday Herald.
at 8:56 PM

Tribute to former Hibernian and Celtic goalkeeper Ronnie Simpson, who died last week. "Simpson was the son of a Rangers captain, yet he became a Celtic hero. He was a Church of Scotland man who would happily accompany his team-mates to Mass, making a mockery of those who would attempt to bring a religious divide into football."
Source: Sunday Herald.
at 8:53 PM

A historic church bell is at the centre of an Elgin Marbles-style ownership row between Scotland and Belgium. For more than 300 years, parishioners of Kettins Parish Church near Dunkeld in Perthshire, have believed the 16th century bell, which proudly sits in the church graveyard within a stone turret, is their rightful property. However, representatives from the Our Lady of Troon monastery in Grobbendonk, near Antwerp, claim the bell originally belonged to their abbey and was stolen in 1572 by mercenaries.
Source: Scotland on Sunday.
at 8:48 PM

Just as Gregorian chants took the charts by storm in the 1990s, the producer of a new CD of Gaelic psalm singing is hoping to touch the public's heart. The music of more than 500 Gaelic speakers at Back Free Church on the Isle of Lewis was recorded last October and is being released this week by Runrig's label, Ridge Records. Calum Martin, an elder at Back, organised the event, which was recorded by one of Scotland's leading sound engineers, Calum Malcolm, who has worked with Capercaillie. Martin said: "I knew there were a lot of good precentors in the Hebrides and I wanted the opportunity to record them. When I heard the quality of the CD I realised that it was good enough to tap into that market that was captured by the Gregorian chants CD some years ago." 'Precenting the line', the form of praise featured on the CD, was practised all over Britain following the Reformation. Today metrical psalms, sung slowly, ornamentally and with precenting, are used only in Gaelic services in Presbyterian churches, and only in the Western Isles on a regular basis.
Source: Scotland on Sunday.
at 8:44 PM

Two teenagers found guilty of breaking into a tomb in Edinburgh's Greyfriars Kirkyard have escaped jail. Sonny Devlin, 17, was given three years probation with strict conditions and an unnamed 15-year-old boy was given two years probation. They were the first people in more than 100 years to go on trial accused of "violation of sepulchre". The law, which was often used when grave-robbing was at its height in the 18th and 19th centuries, is related to being disrespectful to the remains of the dead and the feelings of their relatives. The pair are accused of violating the tomb in Greyfriars cemetery of one of Scotland's most brutal historical figures, Sir George 'Bloody' Mackenzie, a former Lord Advocate during the reign of King Charles II who earned his nickname for his prosecution of the Scottish Presbyterian Covenanters which lasted between 1684 and 1688 and saw many sent to their deaths.
Source: BBC Scotland News.
at 10:32 AM

Cardinal Keith O'Brien has challenged lay people to promote and defend the Catholic Church and its teaching, and called for greater organisation and involvement on the part of the laity.
Source: Scottish Catholic Media Office news release.
at 8:13 PM

Peterhead's Salvation Army captains David and Jane Alton will bid a fond farewell to the Blue Toon on May 23 when they head for Aberdeen's Citadel. During their stay they have overseen the construction of the new Salvation Army Hall. The Altons will be replaced by Captains Martin and Leanne Cordiner, who will take part in a welcome weekend on Saturday, June 12 and Sunday, June 13. The Cordiners are moving with their eight-month old son from Stockport, where they have worked for the past two years.
Source: Buchan Observer.
at 8:03 PM

Opposition to the new Sunday ferry service to Raasay intensified this week after it emerged that over half of the island's adult population had signed a petition opposing the new sailings. A total of 74 out of 146 island residents - 51 per cent of the population - have signed the petition organised by the Rev James Tallach, minister of the Raasay Free Presbyterian Church. This week, Mr Tallach compared CalMac's attitude to that of colonialists in Africa. "The people are being told that they don't know what's good for them, and that it's for their own benefit, of course. That is really a bit of an insult to the people of Raasay," he said.
Source: West Highland Free Press.
at 7:58 PM

A £50,000 refurbishment has been completed at Kirkurd and Newlands Church in Peeblesshire. The inaugural service was conducted by the Rev Tom Burt, whose charges also include West Linton and Carlops.
Source: Peeblesshire News.
at 7:47 PM

The Rev Neil Urquhart of Fullarton Parish Church in Irvine has accused artist Ryan Mutter of "attention seeking" over a controversial painting portraying Osama bin Laden as Christ on the Cross in a display of paintings on terrorism at the town's Vennel Gallery.
Source: icAyrshire - Irvine Herald.
at 7:41 PM

Vandals who smashed precious stained glass windows at St Columba's church in Stirling have caused around £10,000 worth of damage.
Source: icStirlingshire - Stirling Observer.
at 7:36 PM

Muthill Village Museum committee has organised a 'Churches & Churchyards' evening as a launch for the graveyard survey project which will get underway in May.
Source: icPerthshire - Strathearn Herald.
at 7:30 PM

Members of Strathaven East Church have decided that work on completing of the exterior refurbishment of the building should be started as soon as funds are available.
Source: icLanarkshire - Hamilton Advertiser.
at 7:27 PM

Hundreds of mourners have paid their last respects to the Right Reverend Monsignor Alexander Devanny, who was for 25 years parish priest at St Mary's Church in Cadzow Street, Hamilton, and who lost his fight against cancer at his parish home on Sunday.
Source: icLanarkshire - Hamilton Advertiser.
at 7:20 PM

Glasgow and Edinburgh joined forces yesterday to follow in the footsteps of Scots missionary David Livingstone by creating a partnership to aid Malawi, which ranks as the seventh poorest state in the world. They launched the Scotland Malawi Partnership with the support of Ibrahim Milazi, the High Commissioner of Malawi, along with representatives from Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities, the Church of Scotland and the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF).
Source: The Scotsman.
at 7:00 PM

Measures taken by Holyrood and Westminster to help people experiencing poverty do not go far enough, an influential Church of Scotland committee has warned. In a report to next month's General Assembly, the church and nation committee said the value of many benefits had fallen in real terms over the past 20 years and this had to be reversed. It said it was convinced of the need for "a radical simplification" of benefits and for a rise in payment levels.
Source: The Herald.
at 6:53 PM

A 'candidate pack' is now available for applicants for the post of Secretary General of the Anglican Consultative Council.
Source: Anglican Communion News Service.
at 11:31 PM

Obituary of Rev John Johnston, retired parish minister and hospital chaplain; born April 12, 1934, died April 15, 2004.
Source: The Herald.
at 11:12 PM

Scotland is not a sectarian country and claims of significant conflict between Protestants and Catholics are simply "scaremongering", according to Professor Steve Bruce of Aberdeen University in a new book, Sectarianism in Scotland. He claims that the rate of sectarian murders has been grossly exaggerated and discrimination against Catholics in the workplace has all but disappeared. He said that he and the other academics decided to write the book because they got "fed up with people like James MacMillan, who is a great composer but a crap social scientist, going on about this based on their own limited experience and anecdotal evidence".
Source: The Scotsman.
at 11:08 PM

Church of Scotland leaders have joined the fight against Edinburgh's road toll plans by calling for a fundamental review of the controversial scheme. They say the £2-a-day charge would "severely hamper" the work of the clergy in visiting the sick and elderly and attending funerals.
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.
at 9:48 PM

Aileen Forrest plans to follow the example of her mother, Sandra, who has become one of the first people to be interred at Scotland's first countryside burial setting, Craufurdland Woods, where bodies are wrapped in simple cotton shrouds, or cardboard "coffins" and woven-bamboo caskets. She said: "A recent visit to a normal cemetery confirmed my resolve. The tombstones had been removed by the local authority for safety reasons and the whole place had a very distressed air. It made me want to buried somewhere, where I could be part of something living and not just as part of something dead. I'm a member of the Church of Scotland so my passing would be celebrated in a religious way." [Published Monday April 19]
Source: The Scotsman.
at 9:44 PM

Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ has been savaged for basic errors in its use of Latin and Aramaic by Edinburgh-based author Peter Burnett, who studied Hebrew and Aramaic at Glasgow University. He said: "It's very Life of Brian to have the Romans speaking in Latin, and it's just downright absurd to have the Jewish people talking in Latin. Think of the letters of Paul and of the gospels - all written in Greek, the common tongue of the day and of the empire. The Latin is creative to say the least, and is given a strong Italian accent to draw it away from the Latin reading contests we remember from school. Jesus speaking Latin is also a joke as he doubtless didn't even know Greek, unlike his educated advocate, Paul." He added: "The most outrageous part of the movie... is the very bizarre claim that Jesus invented the table. It comes in a flashback to when he was a carpenter, where he is shown with this modern table. It looks like it has come from Ikea. Back then, tables would have been very low, in a Japanese style, but Jesus shows people how to use his invention." [Published Sunday April 18.]
Source: Scotland on Sunday.
at 9:35 PM

The Church of Scotland has provoked protests from its own ministers over plans to sell advertising on its official website. But Peter Graham, convenor of the church's board of communication, which is examining the proposals, said: "It would certainly help to reduce the costs. It would be advertising appropriate to the nature of the site and appropriate even to the pages. I see no difference in advertising on a website and advertising in a church publication." [Published Sunday April 18.]
Source: Scotland on Sunday.
at 9:31 PM

The Church of Scotland's new female Moderator has turned down the luxurious official residence in Edinburgh's West End which normally goes with the job. Dr Alison Elliot says she does not want to live in the plush £365,000 townhouse in Rothesay Terrace during her year in office. Instead, she will stay at the family home in Morningside with her merchant banker husband. And the residence could be rented out, bringing the Kirk some much-needed extra income - possibly £2000 a month or more, according to one property expert. [Published Saturday April 17.]
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.
at 9:26 PM

The Reverend Charles Greig, clerk to the Presbytery of Shetland, has written to Home Secretary David Blunkett to express concern about the proposed deportation to Burma of Hazel Theingi Minn and her sons and Tanya Koolmatrie and her son.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.
at 7:29 PM

Dr Donald Bruce, director of the Society Religion and Technology Project of the Church of Scotland, claimed it was "unwise" for Roslin scientist Ian Wilmut to seek permission to carry out cloned embryo research until a United Nations agreement to ban reproductive human cloning was in place. "It could unfortunately fuel the fire for maverick scientists who attempt to perform cloning for their personal notoriety, to attract members to their cult, or just to make money," he said.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.
at 7:27 PM

The Church of Scotland has written to Home Secretary David Blunkett to express concern at plans to deport a Burmese family living in Shetland. Hazel Theingi Minn and her adopted two sons have been told by the Home Office they must return to Burma. The order has led to protests in Shetland from local people and politicians who say the family are an integral part of the community. Reverend Charles Greig, of the Shetland Presbytery, said they should stay.
Source: BBC Scotland News.
at 7:14 PM

In its report to this year's General Assembly, the Board of Communication has highlighted the work of the Kirk's magazine, Life & Work, which celebrated its 125th anniversary in January 2004. The board is seeking to encourage all those who are part of the Church of Scotland - especially elders - to subscribe to the magazine. The report also discusses Saint Andrew Press's 50th anniversary and the success of the Church's website.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.
at 9:22 PM

A report to this year's General Assembly of the Church of Scotland says there is an underlying feeling that the Kirk "may have lost its way" and it offers some solutions to redressing what it calls this "confidence deficit". Under the theme Re:Claim the Board of Parish Education report says the Church has always placed a high value on Christian education.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.
at 9:20 PM

War with Iraq showed how highly valued military chaplaincy is by the UK's three armed forces, says a report to next month's General Assembly of the Church of Scotland by the Kirk's Committee on Chaplains to HM Forces.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.
at 9:19 PM

Bishop Peter Moran of the Diocese of Aberdeen has joined colleagues from Catholic dioceses throughout the European Union area on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain to "underline the responsibility of Christians for building a united Europe".
Source: Scottish Catholic Media Office news release.
at 9:18 PM

Hope Church in Glasgow is spending £5000 to give away 500 free curries at the city's Creme de la Creme restaurant. Diners will be offered a three-course meal and then hear a presentation urging them to embark on the Alpha Course, a 10-week introduction to the Christian faith, with regular dinner date discussion groups.
Source: Evening Times, Glasgow.
at 9:14 PM

Detectives are investigating a fire at the home of a priest amid fears it may be linked to a number of death threats sent to several priests last week. Father Steven Mulholland had only started at St Serf's church in Valleyfield, Dunfermline, last Saturday, and also serves a second parish in Kinross. The church's former priest had just moved out of the house after eight years at the parish. It is understood he was frequently the victim of vandalism and had windows smashed by local youths on several occasions. However, a spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland said: "Father Mulholland was not one of the priests who received threats and neither was the previous occupier. We do not believe there is a link to the threats. It appears to be an independent act of vandalism."
Source: The Herald, Daily Record.
at 6:25 PM

The Church of England's 300-year-old 3.9 billion-pound ($7.1 billion) investment fund is the best-performing UK fund of its kind in the past 10 years. The church's balanced fund, which invests in stocks, bonds and real estate, an average annual return of 10 percent in the past decade compared with 6.4 percent for 300 similarly managed funds.
Source: Bloomberg.com.
at 6:22 PM

The 2004 Jim Angell Award for the best first book by a Presbyterian has been won by a novel featuring a Scottish Presbyterian doctor and a 6-year-old African boy. Washington writer Ruth Linnea Whitney's book, Slim, tells how the characters are affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic and their community's response to it.
Source: Presbyterian Church (USA).
at 6:18 PM

Not one Church of Scotland minister has signed up to be an army chaplain in the past year, a new report says. The Kirk's report, published ahead of next month's General Assembly, said the shortage was due to fewer ministers carrying a greater workload. The armed forces have 33 Church of Scotland chaplains.
Source: BBC Scotland News.
at 6:09 PM

The Church of Scotland and Argyll & Bute Council have met to discuss the future provision of drugs and alcohol support services at Ronachan House, Kintyre.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.
at 6:33 PM

The Church of Scotland's Committee on Ecumenical Relations is to ask the General Assembly to recognise that the concerns of disabled people have not been fully considered by the Kirk in the past. In addition, the committee is to recommend that the document 'A Church of All and for All' be circulated and widely studied.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.
at 6:31 PM

Obituary of Reverend Ronnie Samuel, who had lectured alongside Desmond Tutu and included Steve Biko among his many students before spending 30 years ministering to his flock at Trinity Church in Rothesay.
Source: The Herald.
at 6:22 PM

Partick Baptist Church in Glasgow's west end will next month celebrate the 100th anniversary of its foundation as an outreach of the Hillhead Church.
Source: Baptist Union of Scotland.
at 7:55 PM

The congregation of St Andrew's Church in Moffat face a £500,000 bill to repair serious structural faults in its roof.
Source: icDumfries - Dumfries & Galloway Standard.
at 7:09 PM

Our Holy Redeemer Church in Elderslie, spiritual home to the village's Catholic population for more than 30 years, will be demolished within the next few weeks. The church closed last November because of dwindling attendances. Parishioners now attend St Aidan's Church in Johnstone.
Source: icRenfrewshire - Paisley Daily Express.
at 6:59 PM

Reverend David McLachlan is leaving Elderslie Kirk after 10 years to become minister of Langside Parish Church in Glasgow.
Source: icRenfrewshire - Paisley Daily Express.
at 6:56 PM

Buckfast tonic wine distributors J Chandler & Co have donated £100,000 to St Andrew's Hospice in Airdrie.
Source: icLanarkshire - Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser.
at 6:48 PM

More than 1,000 visitors spent £4,000 between them when they visited the annual art exhibition in St Andrew Blackadder Church, North Berwick, over the Easter weekend.
Source: East Lothian Courier.
at 6:40 PM

Rev Bob Philip of Avonbridge United Reform Church, near Falkirk, has gone to meet Israeli and Palestinian peace and human rights workers in a visit organised by Christian Peacemaker Teams.
Source: Falkirk Today - Falkirk Herald.
at 6:38 PM

The long delayed restoration of St Columba's church in Glenrothes is set to get under way. Its hall will be refurbished as the first phase of the estimated half a million pound project. Built at a cost of £41,000 and opened in April, 1961, the church contains one of only two murals ever completed by the noted artist Alberto Morrocco, depicting scenes from Christ's trial and crucifixion.
Source: Fife Now - Glenrothes Gazette.
at 6:33 PM

The Church of Scotland Parish Development Fund is to inform the General Assembly that it has awarded grants worth more than £444,000 over the last three years, benefiting projects aimed at improving the lives of people in greatest need throughout Scotland and, in one case, in the Netherlands.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.
at 6:27 PM

Flexible tenure for ministers will be presented as "an alternative to rigid structure" in a report from the Board of National Mission to the Church of Scotland's General Assembly. The Board will ask for "all necessary steps" to be taken to ensure adequate funding for outreach work.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.
at 6:26 PM

The Church of Scotland's HIV/AIDS Project is to report on progress at this year's Assembly, claiming that the Kirk as a whole is contributing meaningfully to the struggle against the "HIV/AIDS pandemic" both domestically and international level.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.

at 6:22 PM

St Fergus church in Paisley has become the first Catholic church in Britain to win an Eco-Congregation Award - organised by the Keep Scotland Beautiful charity and the Society, Religion and Technology Project of the Church of Scotland - for caring for the countryside and its wildlife in a Christian context.
Source: icRenfrewshire - Paisley Daily Express.
at 6:08 PM

Civil funerals conducted by council registrars will take place in Scotland from next month. South Lanarkshire Council is the first local authority to make the non-religious service available in a move designed to bring funerals into line with civil marriages and baby-naming ceremonies. Week-day civil funerals will cost £178, while Saturday ones will be £253, but council bosses say the fees are to cover staffing and administration costs only. Non-religious ceremonies for the parents of stillborn babies are also being introduced free of charge.
Source: Evening Times, Glasgow.
at 5:56 PM

Mary Tannahill, a member of Dennistoun Central Church of Scotland, has been nominated for the 2004 Scotswoman of the Year award. As well as looking after her family - including son Graeme, who has cerebral palsy - Mary works as a dinner lady, is captain of her local Girls Brigade company and carries out other voluntary work.
Source: Evening Times, Glasgow.
at 5:50 PM

Dundee's Gilfillan Memorial Church is commemorating its 125th anniversary with a calendar of special events.
Source: Dundee Evening Telegraph.
at 5:46 PM

A painting showing Jesus nailed to the cross and bearing Osama bin Laden's face goes on public display tonight at the Vennel Gallery in Irvine, Ayrshire. Kilmarnock artist Ryan Mutter said: "It is looking at how bin Laden was playing God on September 11. I wanted to highlight that Bin Laden has become a martyr figure in the same way Jesus was considered a renegade figure in his time." He added: "It's quite subtle."
Source: Daily Record.
posted at 5:41 PM