The Catholic Church has launched a charter for its schools in Scotland to highlight the benefits of education at faith schools. Scotland currently has 428 Roman Catholic schools, both primary and secondary.
Source: BBC Scotland News.
posted at 4:19 PM

Communities are to be given the chance to ban or divert sectarian parades in a new effort to reduce bigotry. The Scottish Executive will appoint an outside expert adviser later this month to review the current licensing system. A source close to First Minister Jack McConnell said: "While many of these marches pass off peacefully, there is no doubt in the minds of ministers that some organisations use them to fuel religious hatred and bigotry." Tom Buchan, president of the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents, said: "Local communities have to have more of a say in this. Currently unless the police object in the strongest terms the march will go ahead ... Why is it not more about what the public want?" Ian Wilson, grand master of the Orange Lodge in Scotland, believes the move is an over-reaction. He said: "I think political correctness has gone haywire. I don't have any great fears about this proposal because we try not to be unreasonable. Parading is a right under freedom of expression but we cannot exercise that right without being responsible and we have to take into account other people's sensitivities."
Source: The Herald.
posted at 4:17 PM

In the week when researchers named Glasgow one of the world's most expensive cities - containing some of Scotland's most deprived areas - the fourth 'Jesus in the City' urban mission congress which opens there on Thursday will discuss how the Churches can be challenged to work more effectively.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.
posted at 4:10 PM

Glasgow's Lodging House Mission has organised a family cycling event on July 17 to raise funds for its day centre facility.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.
posted at 4:04 PM

Dr Alison Elliott, Moderator of the Church of Scotland's General Assembly, has made an accusation of selfishness against those who are dissatisfied with the European Union or oppose it. Speaking in Zurich at an event to mark the 500th anniversary of Swiss reformer Heinrich Bullinger, she said: "I fully understand that people in Switzerland have their own reasons for keeping out of the European Union. But in Britain, an important element in the disaffection with the EU is that people look at Europe only for what they can get out of it. They have a very weak sense of identity with their European brothers and sisters."
Source: Church of Scotland news release.
posted at 4:02 PM

Bishop Ian Murray, Bishop of Argyll & The Isles, has been named Episcopal Secretary to the Catholic Bishops Conference of Scotland following the retirement of Bishop Maurice Taylor.
Source: Scottish Catholic Media Office news release.
posted at 3:52 PM

The Church of Scotland's Presbytery of Dumbarton has elected its first woman moderator. The Rev Margaret Yule, 49, of has been minister of Radnor Park Church in Clydebank for 11 years.
Source: Evening Times, Glasgow.
posted at 3:49 PM

Obituary of Rev Murdo Ewen Macdonald, "one of Scotland's greatest preachers, often drawing on the wartime experience which influenced him so profoundly and never shrinking from reaching practical political or social conclusions, however unpopular these might be." He was a close friend of John Brown, the father of Gordon Brown, the Chancellor, and one of his last public ceremonies was the christening of the Chancellor's son, John. lain Crichton Smith once wrote of him: "By their fruits ye shall know them. And, because we respect Murdo Ewen, we respect his God also." Born 28 August 1914 on Harris, died 6 June 2004 in Glasgow, aged 89.
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 1:56 PM

The great-great-great uncle of Princess Diana could be made a saint. Father Ignatius Spencer worked with the poor in Scotland and died in Carstairs, Lanarkshire, in 1864.
posted at 1:42 PM

A Kirk minister is set to hurl abuse at Jesus as the son of God is led to the cross. The dramatic role reversal is part of a spectacular open-air production being staged on the Dundas Castle Estate this week. The four-and-a-half-hour epic, 'The Life of Jesus Christ', features a cast of more than 100 amateur actors and traces the life of Jesus from his birth through to his crucifixion, resurrection and ascension into heaven. The Rev Tom Campbell, of St Cuthbert's in Edinburgh, has admitted the experience of playing a Roman soldier will test his beliefs to the extreme.
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.
posted at 1:38 PM

The glory of all God's animals was celebrated at a pet-blessing ceremony in Aberdeen yesterday. Craigiebuckler Church hall was filled with barking, cheeping and miaowing as the unusual ceremony unfolded, led by Reverend Kenneth Petrie.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.
posted at 1:27 PM

The leadership of the Roman Catholic Church in the west of Scotland has made an unprecedented attack on Orange marchers, complaining of their "bile, bigotry and boorishness". Monsignor Peter Smith, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Glasgow, called for an outright ban on the parades, describing them as a symptom of the cancer of sectarianism. Ian Wilson, grand master of the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland, said: "I will not have my entire organisation judged and condemned by the antics of a few idiots." Read Mgr Smith's article here. The Herald opines: "The Orange Order, whether you agree with their beliefs or not, represent a still significant branch of authentic, working-class Protestantism [but] Mgr Smith and his parishioners should not be forced to spend the summer months breathing "the stench of hatred", as he puts it. It is up to the Orange Order to show him that it will not take a complete ban to take that stench away." In a separate development, two protesters and one supporter of a Republican march in Wishaw, Lanarkshire march were arrested yesterday.
Source: The Herald.
posted at 1:20 PM

An exhibition of ecclesiastical silver from churches and synagogues in Charleston includes communion tokens - silver for members of the congregation, pewter if you were a slave - from the First Scots Presbyterian Church.
Source: Myrtle Beach Online, South Carolina.
posted at 1:08 PM

John Blundell, director general of the Institute of Economic Affairs, writes: "The good-hearted outfits such as Oxfam and Christian Aid are not going to rescue Africa. What Africa needs is capitalism - and its first cousin - the rule of law."
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 1:02 PM

There have been three Scottish Archbishops of Canterbury since 1868. In 'How the Scots took over London', David Stenhouse chooses to see this as a token of Scottish drive and of the permeability of the English establishment. But was not at least one of those appointments a sign of failure of nerve or at least political hesitation within the Church of England? Was it not safer to appoint an outsider?
Source: Sunday Herald.
posted at 4:28 PM

Profile of Glasgow rabbi Ernest Levy, 79, who survived seven concentration camps including Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen. It is likely that he dragged the body of Anne Frank, one of many thousands, to a mass grave for the nameless at Belsen. This year is the 75th anniversary of her birth, and she remains as famous now as she was when her Diary was published in 1947. "Anne Frank's story was typical, and not dissimilar to my own," said Rabbi Levy. "For a long time, she had refused to despair, but, like so many others, she eventually succumbed. I can relate to that. I, too, would give up only to be saved at the last minute by the British Army ... When the camp was liberated, I was among the dead, still aware, but very close to death. Faith is not something you think of then. It is a rock you climb on to later and realise that every new day is in itself a miracle."
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 1:28 PM

Opening this year's General Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church, Bishop Bruce Cameron said it was a "nuts and bolts" Synod taking place in the context of an Anglican Communion "seeking to discover the Gospel response to the changing social and cultural framework, and in a world that in this past year has seemed to become a more dangerous place to live".
Source: Scottish Episcopal Church news release.
posted at 7:28 PM

Islanders were saddened this week to learn of the death of Revd Professor Murdo Ewen Macdonald. Revd Macdonald, who was 89, was probably best known as 'Padre Mac', due to his autobiographical account of the same name, and was originally from Drinishader in Harris. He was welterweight boxing champion at St Andrews University while graduating working towards graduating in Divinity. His first call was to Portree in 1939. Drafted into the forces as a chaplain a year later, he subsequently volunteered to become a paratrooper and was captured by the Nazis near Tunis. Revd Macdonald was taken to 'Stalag Luft III, where he assisted fellow prisoners in their Great Escape - an operation later immortalised in the Steve McQueen movie. After the war Revd Macdonald preached in the Old Partick Church in Glasgow before moving to Edinburgh's St George's West Church and eventually becoming Professor of Practical Theology at Trinity College in Glasgow University. He died peacefully in Glasgow on Sunday, the 60th anniversary of D-Day.
Source: Stornoway Gazette.
posted at 7:14 PM

The people of Castle Douglas and surrounding villages raised £6187 during this year's Christian Aid week.
Source: icDumfries - Galloway News.
posted at 6:58 PM

Greyfriars Episcopal Church in Kirkcudbright will celebrate a quarter of a million pound achievement this weekend with a special service marking the completion of essential repair work, which has been carried out on the church since last year, as well as the five years of fundraising which went before.
Source: icDumfries - Galloway News.
posted at 6:55 PM

An Annan priest, Father Stuart Campbell, is at the centre of a child porn probe. He was interviewed by detectives on Thursday. Police seized computer equipment during the Operation Falcon raids. Father Campbell was asked to step down from his duties at St Columba's parish while the investigation is underway. Father Campbell has been at Annan for around five years. He converted to Catholicism after spending several years as Scottish Episcopal Church minister at Greyfriars in Kirkcudbright.
Source: icDumfries - Dumfries & Galloway Standard.
posted at 6:49 PM

The refurbished Emmanuel Christian Centre in Irvine has opened after a 14-year building project carried out almost single handed. Pastor Duncan MacDonald died before he could see the realisation of his dream. But his widow Greta has taken over the reins.
Source: icAyrshire - Irvine Herald.
posted at 6:44 PM

PC Dave Riley from Merseyside and Superintendent Ivan Brown from Montego Bay, Jamaica, were among 430 people who attended Perth Christian Centre's Outreach Dinner. Dave is part of Liverpool's IMPACT group (In Merseyside Police And Churches Together) where Christians actively support the police force in prayer. Ivan told how his Christian faith has sustained him during very difficult experiences in his 36 years in the Jamaican Police Force, including an assailant cutting off both his arms with a machete. Said Pastor Mervyn Milne of Perth Christian Centre: "One of the most powerful things about this remarkable man is that Ivan genuinely forgives the man who did this to him. In fact Ivan told us that through this experience he came to a personal Christian faith which has sustained him ever since."
Source: icPerthshire - Perthshire Advertiser.
posted at 6:40 PM

East Perthshire Action of Churches Together in Scotland will hold a launch event in the Wellmeadow, Blairgowrie, on Sunday, July 11, at 3pm. It will take the form of a Songs of Praise led by the Salvation Army Band and a praise band composed of members from all the congregations in Epacts, with hymns introduced by the Rev Donald Macleod of Blairgowrie Parish Church.
Source: icPerthshire - Blairgowrie Advertiser.
posted at 6:30 PM

The Sisters of Notre Dame want to flatten their run-down 19th century convent in Dumbarton and get outline planning permission to replace it with a residential development. The only part which would be retained is a chapel adjoining the convent, which could be converted into flats.
Source: icDunbartonshire - Lennox Herald.
posted at 6:25 PM

Dry rot is forcing the congregation of Denbeath Parish Church in Leven to move out of their decaying building next week. Congregation members will move to share the worship space at Methilhill Parish Church, with whom they already share a minister, Reverend Elisabeth Cranfield. However, the congregations will not be merging.
Source: Fife Now - East Fife Mail.
posted at 6:20 PM

The fund-raising campaign to restore St Mary's Mother of God church in Leslie has been given an early boost. Fife Environment Trust have given £15,475 toward the cost of replacing five stained glass windows at the historic building, which was gutted by fire in May last year.
Source: Fife Now - Glenrothes Gazette.
posted at 6:15 PM

Labour's plans for more partially-selective schools should be strongly resisted in Scotland, said Ronnie Smith, general secretary of teachers' union the Educational Institute of Scotland. "We should be concerned when we hear of ideas for city academies in Scotland being backed by the likes of Sir Peter Vardy (evangelical Christian sponsor of Emmanuel College in Gateshead), who has used this in England as a vehicle for promoting his own religious views and the teaching of creationism. We, in Scotland, should all stand firm against public policy and the curriculum being driven by such special interests under the guise of philanthropy."
Source: Dundee Evening Telegraph.
posted at 6:09 PM

The common mission of Scottish and Irish churches was underlined today by the Most Rev Dr John Neill, Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland, at St. Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh during the General Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church. "Apostolic Order is about the whole ministry of the Church and that includes the ministry of the whole people of God," he said. "Evangelical Truth, the truth of the Gospel, calls on every member of the Body of Christ to be effective in Mission."
Source: Anglican Communion News Service.
posted at 3:16 PM

A 60-year-old law should be changed to allow schools in England to drop the daily act of collective worship in favour of weekly or even monthly "spiritual experiences" for pupils, the chief inspector of schools there said today.
Source: The Guardian.
posted at 3:04 PM

The Scottish Episcopal Church's General Synod, currently being held in Edinburgh, is focusing on church unity, in particular with the Methodist and United Reformed Churches. It's also considering the merging of two boards covering the major work of the Church - Mission and Ministry. This will ensure the Church is able to deliver ministry appropriate to the mission needs in which congregations find themselves, and better equip them to serve their communities with a different approach to ministry in the future.
Source: Scottish Episcopal Church news release.
posted at 9:55 AM

A rockin' north-east reverend will swap his dog collar for a leather jacket tonight to share a stage with one of his music heroes. Fraserburgh United Reformed Church minister Stephen Brown has joined the bill for Welsh singer-songwriter Martyn Joseph's concert at the Broch's Dalrymple Hall and Arts Centre.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.
posted at 9:48 AM

Garnethill Synagogue in Glasgow will celebrate its 125th birthday on Sunday. And in its basement, the new home of the Scottish Jewish archives centre is gearing up to open to the public. The synagogue is an ageing community, with membership currently down to about 200. But Harry Diamond, a member of its ruling council since 1979, is optimistic. "Among us, there are those determined that the synagogue keeps going," he says. "We sincerely believe we have a future."
Source: The Herald.
posted at 9:39 AM

The Home Office last night continued to deny suggestions that secret plans had been drawn up to double the size of Scotland's controversial Dungavel detention centre near Strathaven. A spokeswoman for the Church of Scotland said: "Some time ago, the Churches in Scotland put forward imaginative proposals which were an alternative to incarceration but these were rejected."
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 9:30 AM

The Solemn Dedication of St Columba's in Oban, Cathedral of the Diocese of Argyll and the Isles, has taken place at a Mass concelebrated by all the Catholic bishops of Scotland.
Source: Scottish Catholic Media Office news release.
posted at 9:51 PM

At the first public meeting of NHS Tayside's spiritual care sub-committee today, it was emphasised that people who professed no formal religious belief system still had spiritual needs. The sub-committee includes representatives of the Church of Scotland, Scottish Episcopal Church, the Roman Catholic Church, a humanist and members of Dundee Inter-faith Association.
Source: Dundee Evening Telegraph.
posted at 9:40 PM

Broomknoll Parish Church in Airdrie is expected to be packed out this weekend when Scottish Television film two services for broadcast on August 1 and November 28. Rev Andrew Thomson said: "This event will put our Blacket and Howden pipe organ to the test, after just being restored to its former glory at a cost of around £25,000."
Source: icLanarkshire - Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser.
posted at 3:41 PM

More than 5,000 people logged on to listen to a Pentecost Day sermon by Rev Jonathan Kerry, the Methodist Church's co-ordinating secretary for worship and learning, at the Church of Fools website.
Source: Methodist Church News.
posted at 3:07 PM

Former Bishop of Edinburgh Richard Holloway and former Chairman of Scottish Arts Council Dr Magnus Linklater are among cultural commentators heading up a public forum on the cultural, spiritual and political significance of public spaces in Scotland on Thursday 24 June. The forum, called Place, will be held on Thursday 24 June at Old St Paul's Scottish Episcopal Church in Edinburgh, and is presented by The Fruitmarket Gallery in association with BBC Radio Scotland and The Scotsman. It will be broadcast live by BBC Radio Scotland's The Art Show on Thursday 24 June between 6pm and 7pm.
Source: Artdaily.com.
posted at 2:24 PM

Church representatives are gathering in Edinburgh for the annual General Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church. The two-day event will see discussion and debate on a wide range of issues and the laws of the Church will also be considered.
Source: icScotland.
posted at 2:18 PM

Ernest C. Reisinger, former Florida pastor and publisher, has died at Fort Myers aged 84. He served as a trustee of Banner of Truth Trust in Edinburgh, which publishes a monthly periodical and reprints classic Puritan religious works.
Source: Florida Baptist Witness.
posted at 9:28 PM

Rev Tom-Hunter Kapengule, co-ordinator of an HIV/AIDS programme run by Blantyre Synod in Malawi, will visit the St Bryce Kirk Centre in Kirkcaldy next week. The programme covers an estimated population of over 4,600,000, including 422 congregations and over 600 prayer houses.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.
posted at 4:25 PM

Dr Alison Elliott has told the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland of her "inspiring" visits to Northern Ireland and her regard for the resilience of its people during the Troubles. The Moderator of the Church of Scotland's General Assembly underlined, however, that circumstances in Scotland were different. She said: "The Scottish churches exist in a more benign climate and co-operation between them comes naturally. So it was natural that two weeks ago Keith O'Brien, the Cardinal Archbishop of St Andrew's and Edinburgh, should address our Assembly."
Source: Belfast Telegraph.
posted at 3:46 PM

Dr Sinclair Ferguson, minister of St George's Tron Church in Glasgow, will be guest minister this Sunday at Reformed Presbyterian Church of North Hills, Ross Township, Pittsburgh.
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pennsylvania.
posted at 3:41 PM

Oban was blessed with the presence of no fewer than 20 bishops yesterday. All seven of Scotland's serving Episcopalian bishops and the country's eight serving Roman Catholic bishops, plus five retired bishops, were attending ceremonies at the town's two cathedrals. The big event at St John's Cathedral was the consecration and installation of the Rev Canon Martin Shaw as the new Episcopalian Bishop of Argyll and The Isles. In addition, last night, St Columba's Cathedral was officially consecrated 70 years after mass was first celebrated there.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.
posted at 11:55 AM

Obituary of Peter John Dundas McCall, chieftain of the Ayrshire Clan McCall, who has died in Lockerbie at the age of 84. Peter McCall was a devout Catholic and supported several church organisations including Churches Together in Scotland, the Dumfries Christian Council and the Pluscarden Benedictines at Elgin.
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 9:04 AM

Catholic Church leaders are to meet North Lanarkshire Council officials tomorrow to try to break the deadlock over plans for seven mixed-faith joint campus schools, with Catholic and non-denominational schools sharing facilities. Frank Cassidy, the chancellor of the Motherwell diocese, said the Church was happy for schools to share some facilities, such as the dining hall and gymnasium. However, he said the "ethos" of denominational primaries should be protected.
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 8:49 AM

Focus on Graham Spiers, the son of a Baptist pastor, who completed a degree in theology and remains a Baptist but earns his living as a football journalist.
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 8:46 AM

A Roman Catholic priest has been quizzed by detectives investigating a child porn ring. Police acting on information from the US seized computer equipment from Father Stuart Campbell parish house in Annan on Thursday. He was absent from Sunday's services at St Columba's, Annan. Catholic Church spokesman Peter Kearney confirmed: "He was taken out of his parish last Friday and his responsibilities passed to someone else. We've opted not to leave him there and he is helping police with their inquiries."
Source: Daily Record.
posted at 7:28 PM

The British state education system is failing to meet the needs of Muslim pupils and parents, according to a report published by published by the Association of Muslim Social Scientists, the education and development campaign FED 2000, the Muslim College UK and the Forum against Islamophobia and Racism (Fair). It calls for special classes in Islamic subjects, more single-sex education and prayer rooms in secondary schools.
Source: The Guardian.
posted at 7:09 PM

Regarding the prospect of the Prince of Wales remarrying, Gillian Bowditch writes: "The problem with the Church of England is that it is as fixated with sex as a convention of pornographers. And just as nurse always said it would, this unhealthy obsession is leading to blindness. Whatever the preoccupations of the Church of Scotland - money, bring-and-buy sales - it is much less interested in what goes on in its parishioners' bedrooms. The Prince of Wales could always emulate his sister and hold his second wedding in Crathie."
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 7:03 PM

The Moderator of the General Assembly, Dr Alison Elliot, has joined with the convener of the Kirk's Church and Nation Committee, Morag Mylne, in calling on Scots to vote in this Thursday's elections to the European Parliament.
Source: Church of Scotland news release.
posted at 6:46 PM

This year's Christian Aid book sale at St Andrew's and St George's Church in Edinburgh has raised £106,000. More than 100,000 volumes were sold at the world's largest charity book sale, including rarities such as a copy of the Abbey Press illustrated printing of the Book of Job, dating from 1902.
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.
posted at 6:42 PM

Dr Alison Elliott, Moderator of the Church of Scotland's General Assembly, attended last night's installation of Reverend Dr Ken Newell as Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. Also present was Archbishop Sean Brady, the first Catholic Primate to attend the opening of a PCI General Assembly.
Source: Belfast Telegraph.
posted at 6:39 PM

A Church of Scotland minister is among those arrested as part of a nationwide swoop on suspected paedophiles. The Rev James Bain, who officiates at Corstorphine Old Parish Church, Edinburgh, was taken into custody on Thursday after a series of dawn raids involving all eight of Scotland's police forces. Mr Bain, who is single, appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Friday. He has since been suspended from duties by the Church of Scotland, pending the outcome of the police investigation.
Source: The Herald.
posted at 6:31 PM

Catholic schools in Scotland are to be promoted by a new charter which will defend them on the basis that they provide a moral framework which non-denominational schools cannot match.
Source: Sunday Herald.
posted at 6:46 PM

The political party Operation Christian Vote is being funded by royalties from Sinitta's 1980s disco classic 'So Macho'. The man who wrote the song, the Rev George Hargreaves, is a songwriter and promoter turned Christian who hopes to become a Scottish MEP in this week's European elections.
Source: Scotland on Sunday.
posted at 6:45 PM

Describing his inspirations, Colin MacIntyre of the Mull Historical Society makes connections between the Bible Belt of the American deep South and the religious landscape of his own home.
Source: Scotland on Sunday.
posted at 6:41 PM

In discussing the state of Scottish football, Murchadh MacLeoid recalls the old saying that "the Gael washed up on a desert island had built two churches by the time they rescued him, the church he went to and the one he did not go near". ("Tha an seann sgeulachd a' dol gun do rànaig Gaidheal a chaidh a dhìth aig muir eilean beag fàs, nuair a rànaig cabhair air, bha e air dà eaglais a thogail. An te a bhiodh e a' frithealadh, agus an t'eile.")
Source: Scotland on Sunday.
posted at 6:37 PM

An engine invented by a Church of Scotland minister almost 200 years ago could help to reduce the world's insatiable and ever-growing appetite for oil. Rev Robert Stirling created his hot-air engine in 1812 because steam engines of his day often blew up, killing and maiming people who happened to be close by. As prices on the oil markets today continue to approach their highest for 21 years, Dr Peter Waddell, a leading expert on the Stirling engine, claims it could reduce petrol and diesel consumption in motor vehicles by more than half.
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 6:19 PM

Eddleston Parish Church Junior Choir celebrated 10 years of 'Singing with the Spirit' at a special service held in the church on Sunday. Founded by Rev David MacFarlane, the choir became affiliated to the Royal School of Church Music in 1998.
Source: Peeblesshire News.
posted at 8:42 PM

Bill Irons, the session clerk at St Michael's church in Dumfries, has accused the Scottish Executive of discrimination over the allocation of cash for improving security at places of worship. So far 44 mosques and six synagogues have received grants totalling £1 million, with the largest donation being £64,000 to the Central Mosque in Glasgow. Mr Irons said: "I'd like to know why everyone else is being given the money to improve security and the Church of Scotland is not awarded a penny. We are the largest religious organisation in the country yet we are being ignored." The money was set aside by the Executive in the wake of September 11 and applications are considered by local police forces on the basis of risk of attack.
Source: icDumfries - Dumfries & Galloway Standard.
posted at 8:36 PM

The organisers of a controversial march of 12,000 Orangemen through the streets of Blantyre are confident that it will go ahead on July 10.
Source: icLanarkshire - Hamilton Advertiser.
posted at 7:59 PM

Vandals have smashed 19 windows at Slamannan Parish Church. The cost of the damage is estimated at £2,000. Villagers and parishioners have recently raised £7,000 towards the £13,000 needed to replace all of the windows in the historic building. Rev Ray Thomson said: ''We would be horrified if that happened to the new windows.''
Source: Falkirk Today - Falkirk Herald.
posted at 7:54 PM

Allan Russell, a long-time member and elder of Holy Trinity Parish Church in St Andrews who won the Distinguished Flying Cross while serving with the RAF in World War Two, has died at the age of 84.
Source: Fife Now - St Andrews Citizen.
posted at 7:49 PM

Big-hearted members of St Devenick's Scottish Episcopal Church in Bieldside are embarking on a 300 mile bike ride to help raise needy cash for project work in India.
Source: Aberdeen Independent.
posted at 7:44 PM

The Moderator and Principal Clerk of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Cardinal Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, the Scottish Episcopal Church Primus and representatives from the other faith communities greeted the Dalai Lama at Dunfermline Abbey yesterday. Later he was introduced to a capacity audience at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh by Rev Prof Frank Whaling, co-chair of the Edinburgh Interfaith Association.
Source: Phayul.com.
posted at 7:30 PM

Churches are among bodies to be consulted by Glasgow City Council over the future of parades in the city in response to public fears about the sectarian overtones of many marches.
Source: Evening Times, Glasgow.
posted at 5:33 PM

Four Paisley churches are running a Star Project in connection with an In Kind Direct scheme. The churches are Wallneuk North, St James Church of Scotland, St James RC Church and the Mossvale Community Church. Unfortunately, the PDE's story is incomprehensible.
Source: icRenfrewshire - Paisley Daily Express.
posted at 5:30 PM

The Scottish Executive successfully dodged the controversial issue of gay marriages yesterday by deciding that Westminster should be allowed to set policy for the whole of the UK, even though the issue falls under the Executive's remit.
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 10:44 AM

Tough new laws designed to make processions and demonstrations less disruptive and offensive are being drawn up by Labour leaders on Glasgow City Council. The laws are likely to have the greatest effect on members of Scotland's Grand Orange Lodge, who were responsible for organising 80 per cent of the 305 parades and demonstrations in the city last year.
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 10:42 AM

The Dalai Lama yesterday met leaders of different faiths including Cardinal Keith O'Brien and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Dr Alison Elliot, at Dunfermline Abbey.
Source: Dundee Courier.
posted at 10:36 AM

The leaders of the Church of Scotland, the Roman Catholic Church and the Scottish Episcopal Church have called on the government to increase development aid "substantially" in order to meet the United Nations spending target of 0.7 per cent of gross national income by 2008.
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 10:27 AM

Lambeth Palace and Clarence House united yesterday to quash claims that the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Prince of Wales have discussed the possibility of the prince marrying Camilla Parker Bowles. Like any divorcees, they could have a civil marriage ceremony followed by a blessing in a church. However constitutionalists and some bishops have complained that this would be an unseemly way for a Prince of Wales to marry. That objection has been levelled at another solution, adopted by the Princess Royal for her second marriage, of getting married through the Church of Scotland.
Source: Daily Telegraph.
posted at 10:24 AM

The Rev Canon Martin Shaw is to be consecrated and installed as Bishop of Argyll and The Isles in the Scottish Episcopal Church at a special service on Tuesday 8 June in St John's Cathedral, Oban.
Source: Scottish Episcopal Church news release.
posted at 11:06 PM

Catholic leaders have paid tribute to Frances Shand Kydd, mother of the late Princess Diana, who died today. The Bishop of Argyll and the Isles, Rt Rev Ian Murray, said: "She was a deeply spiritual woman who had very successfully made her home here, integrating into the community very well. The priest administrator of St Columba's Cathedral in Oban, Canon Donald MacKay, was with her when she died, shortly after having received the last rites of the Church." Cardinal Keith O'Brien said: "Frances Shand Kydd was a very wonderful member of the Cathedral Parish in Oban, participating fully in the life of the parish. Among my many memories of her is of her playing her full part in the liturgy ... I am aware also of her dedication to the sick and handicapped on her regular visits to Lourdes."
Source: Scottish Catholic Media Office news release.
posted at 11:05 PM

Adeline Bowden, who claims to have been abused by nuns at a Catholic orphanage, Nazareth House in Glasgow, took her case to the Court of Session today in a move that could open the floodgates to legal actions worth up to £50 million. Lawyers will question a rule that complaints must be lodged within three years of the abuse taking place.
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 10:55 PM

The Archbishop of Canterbury has cleared the way for the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles to marry, according to The Times. But the Guardian claims that senior Lambeth Palace sources deny the story and revives a long-held view - always denied - that Prince Charles might choose to remarry in the Church of Scotland, like his sister the Princess Royal.
Sources: The Times, The Guardian.
posted at 10:45 PM

Scots-born Frances Cairncross, the management editor of The Economist newspaper, today told the Royal Society of Edinburgh that a return to 'Victorian' family values of the 19th century is a growing trend. She said: "I believe we will see a new austerity and a new interest in religion and Victorian values. I feel that the whole swing towards liberalism has probably reached a high water mark." Peter Kearney, spokesman for the Scottish Catholic Church, says: "I agree with her, as there is a move to clearer and more moral values."
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 10:39 PM

Chalmers Church and Thornlie Church have agreed to unite to form South Wishaw Parish Church, whose combined membership of over 800 will make it the largest Church of Scotland congregation in the area.
Source: icLanarkshire - Wishaw Press.
posted at 10:32 PM

Close ties between the Church of England and the state will hinder Methodists getting much closer to Anglicans, according to a Methodist report prepared in consultation with the Church of Scotland.
Source: Church of England Newspaper.
posted at 10:30 PM

Vandals have destroyed 300-year-old tombstones and grave monuments at St Michael's church yard near the Rabbie Burns mausoleum in Dumfries.
Source: icDumfries - Dumfries & Galloway Standard.
posted at 10:28 PM

Jack Harrington, who studied English at Edinburgh University in the 1980s, is the only man to be ordained a priest this year in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Fall River, Massachusetts.
Source: Braintree Forum, Mass.
posted at 10:26 PM

Profile of Sheena Boyle's musical work with Palestinian children in the Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem. A retired primary teacher from Prestwick, and a member of the UK Association of Christian Counsellors, Mrs Boyle's project is funded by two Scottish Episcopalian charities and another set up by Edinburgh bankers.
Source: The Independent.
posted at 10:23 PM

Elections to the European Parliament take place on 10 June 2004 and the parliamentary officers of a number of churches have produced a 12-page briefing guide for churchgoers, available for download from the excellent new website of Churches Together in Britain & Ireland.
posted at 3:12 PM

A proposed regulatory framework for Scottish charities is set out in a draft Bill and a public consultation paper published today by the Scottish Executive. In future, any organisation wishing to qualify for charitable status will have to show that its purposes fall within one or more the categories in a new list of 13 criteria, and that it will provide public benefit.
Source: Scottish Executive news release.
posted at 4:19 PM

A new prayer compilation by Christian Aid that rewrites some of the best known prayers and psalms in the Bible to address issues such as fair trade and developing world debt is to be published by the Church of England. It has been undertaken by an African pastor, Zephania Kameeta, who was formerly vice-president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia. He tackles issues such as fairness and freedom and seeks to inspire those praying and working for harmony, fairness and freedom around the world. In the 23rd Psalm, the passage "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death" has been replaced by: "Even if a full-scale violent confrontation breaks out I will not be afraid, Lord."
Source: The Guardian.
posted at 3:55 PM

Scots missionaries Andrew and Genevieve Pont have moved to Uruguay, where Andrew will be working as an Episcopal Assistant as part of the Diocesan Pastoral Team. Genevieve is a nurse and will be using her skills in support of the church's projects. This will include working in a house in Montevideo for people who are HIV positive.
Source: USPG (United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel).
posted at 8:55 AM

An inquiry into proposals for road tolls in Edinburgh today heard evidence from the Church of Scotland, which called for an exemption for ministers on pastoral duty. Paul Middleton, convener of the Social and Community Interests group for the Presbytery of Edinburgh, said that ministers visiting people who are hospitalised, housebound or bereaved should not have to pay the charge. He said that the Church could face costs in excess of £20,000 a year for ministers carrying out essential duties.
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.
posted at 3:00 PM

A man was told he faced a ten-hour wait to see a doctor at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary after suffering an epileptic seizure at St Andrew's Parish Church in Inverurie. Andrew Conway, 20, lives at the church with Rev Graeme Longmuir as part of the Barnardo's 16-Plus project. "It is absolutely appalling that he was forced to wait for so long," said Mr Longmuir. "Andrew is relatively fit and healthy but if it had been an old person who was put through that they might not have been so lucky."
Source: The Scotsman.
posted at 9:05 AM

Leaders of Glasgow Churches Together yesterday welcomed the Dalai Lama's visit to the city as "an opportunity to promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all peoples, faiths, cultures and societies". The Tibetan Buddhist leader was met by representatives of GCT's seven member churches.
Source: Phayul.com.
posted at 8:48 AM