A former missionary, who once had her house in China destroyed by Japanese firebombs, celebrated her 100th birthday in Drumnadrochit yesterday. Bessie Derbyshire celebrated at the Glen Urquhart High School senior citizens party. She regularly attends St Ninian's Scottish Episcopal Church and the weekly ladies bible study at Urquhart and Glenmoriston Church of Scotland.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal. posted at 10:27 PM

A former Church of Scotland minister has won the right to claim compensation for alleged sex discrimination. Helen Percy said she was forced out of her job after being accused of having an affair with a married church elder. Law Lords in London ruled she could take the Kirk to a tribunal, despite defence claims that her spiritual job meant she had no employment contract.
Source: BBC Scotland News. posted at 10:17 PM

Expansion plans for a new church and 200-space car park put forward by Milltimber-based Deeside Christian Fellowship have come under fire from local people. One resident said: "How many church members would like a huge car park foisted upon their immediate neighbourhood in the place of fields and woodland?" The 30-year-old independent evangelical church regularly attracts congregations of about 400 people for its Sunday services.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal. posted at 8:57 PM

The Rev Elisabeth Spence, chaplain of two of the biggest shopping centres in Scotland, has spoken out against long working hours faced by retail staff over the festive period. The Church of Scotland minister, one of six full-time industrial chaplains in Scotland, covers Buchanan Galleries in Glasgow and Braehead shopping complex near the city. She the "punishing schedule" that staff face leaves them little time to spend with loved ones.
Source: The Scotsman/PA News. posted at 8:35 PM

In six days' time, Aberdeen councillors Neil Fletcher and John Stewart will become the first gay couple in the UK to marry. Over the next few days, The Herald will follow the build-up to the event. John, from Kilmarnock, who studied church history and politics at Aberdeen University, where the men met, said: "When I saw King's College Chapel [part of the Old Aberdeen university campus] I had my heart set on a big wedding there." They will nip out to sign the official papers at the point when marrying couples go into the vestry to sign the marriage registry as it is not possible as yet for gay couples to have a civil wedding in church. Neil, a non-church-going Methodist, said: "I want a church and I want a Wesleyan hymn and I don't want to spend too much on the cake."
Source: The Herald. posted at 8:31 PM

Campaigners were yesterday fighting the deportation from Britain of an Armenian family, the Hagopians, claiming the mother and child are suffering post-traumatic stress disorder. The Rev Graham Thain, of St David's Church, Knightswood, said: "The family have been attending services for two years and are well respected. They are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder because of their experiences in hiding in Armenia."
Source: The Herald. posted at 8:02 PM

The kirk session of London Road church has lobbied Edinburgh City Council to try to stop the Edinburgh Dungeon's public entertainment licence being renewed because of Satan's Grotto, a tinsel-free "fun" alternative to Santa's Grotto, which features robins roasting on a spit and Father Christmas's elves lying impaled under his crashed sleigh.
Source: The Herald. posted at 7:58 PM

Scotland's ecumenical body, Action of Churches Together in Scotland (ACTS), has relocated from Dunblane to Alloa.
posted at 7:16 PM

Muslim organisations have formed a coalition calling for the establishment of Scotland's first state-funded Muslim school in Glasgow. The city council plans to close Willowbank Primary in Woodlands, which has a 98% Muslim school roll. Campaigners said the primary could be saved if it became a faith school, boosting the current roll of 76 pupils. The Scottish Executive said decisions on inter-faith schools were a matter for local authorities. The proposal has the backing of organisations including Glasgow Central Mosque, the Federation of Student Islamic Societies, UK Islamic Mission, the Islamic Society of Britain, the Muslim Association of Britain and the Scottish Muslim Parents Association.
Source: Evening Times, Glasgow. posted at 7:05 PM

Delegates from across the religious divide are to meet tomorrow for a conference on HIV and AIDS. The Right Reverend David Lacy, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, will welcome 40 delegates from Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh communities to the Kirk's Edinburgh offices.
Source: Edinburgh Evening News. posted at 7:02 PM

A gothic-style pulpit is among items to go under the hammer this week as a Glasgow church sells off its entire contents. Historic Queen's Park Parish Church on the south side of Glasgow is also parting with pews and a baptismal font to raise cash for a £500,000 renovation.
Source: Evening Times, Glasgow. posted at 7:00 PM

A revamped church hall in a Banffshire village was opened officially yesterday. SNP leader Alex Salmond performed the honours at Whitehills when he unveiled a plaque at what will now be known as the St Brandon's Centre following a dedication ceremony led by minister the Rev Brian Hendrie. Church members and the public raised more than £80,000 towards the £200,000 building costs.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal. posted at 12:49 PM

Fraudsters hacked into a Christian charity website to plunder the details of donors' credit cards. Thousands of people moved to help victims of persecution around the world are now at risk after their names, addresses and card details were stolen. Not satisfied with spending sprees on people's cards, the predators then phoned them at home, posing as charity workers, to beg for more cash. Scots priest Father John Bollan is among those who have been stung by the fraud on the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
Source: Daily Record. posted at 12:46 PM

Dundee University held its traditional candlelight service of lessons and carols in the city's St Paul's Cathedral last night.
Source: Dundee Courier. posted at 12:35 PM

Churches in the Highlands are being encouraged to sign up for a nationwide scheme designed to establish their green-friendly credentials. The eco-congregation ecumenical project is being spearheaded by the Church of Scotland.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal. posted at 12:29 PM

The most senior official of the Orange Lodge of Scotland has admitted the organisation is "old-fashioned" and needs to be radically overhauled. Ian Wilson, Grand Master of the Lodge for the past decade, said the Order should revise its anti-Catholic language, pay more attention to public "sensitivities" about marching and give women full membership status and voting rights. Admitting that some of the language used by the Order "would make your hair stand on end", Wilson says it no longer accurately reflects the relationship between the Catholic and Protestant churches, or the multicultural nature of Scotland.
Source: Scotland on Sunday. posted at 2:28 PM

Extensive analysis of the Orange Order in Scotland, including interviews with Lodge members from Glasgow, Wishaw, Inverness and Dalmellington.
Source: Scotland on Sunday. posted at 2:09 PM

Many offices look set to ban Christmas decorations this year. Over two-thirds of employers have put a stop to Christmas trees and other festive adornments in the office over fears that they will offend people from minority faiths, according to a new report. Employment law firm Peninsula surveyed 2,000 UK companies to find that about 70 per cent of employers are killing the festive spirit and embracing political correctness.
Source: Church of England Newspaper. posted at 6:12 PM

A row has broken out over plans to open a pub opposite a church in a north-east port. Members of the congregation at Our Lady Star of the Sea and St Drostan, in Fraserburgh, fear their chapel could be targeted by vandals and drunks if Aberdeenshire Council's Banff and Buchan area committee backs proposals to convert the members-only Solomon Social Club into a public bar and lounge. Thirty-six worshippers have signed a petition objecting to the scheme, and six members of the Roman Catholic church's parish pastoral council have put their names to a separate petition.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal. posted at 5:57 PM

Christmas message from Cardinal Keith O'Brien.
Source: Scottish Catholic Media Office news release. posted at 8:00 PM

Angolan pastor Makielokele Nzelengi Daly, his wife and their four children, who face deportation after their asylum application was rejected, have been granted bail at an immigration court in Glasgow.
Source: The Herald. posted at 7:52 PM

A pioneering bereavement project which has helped hundreds of children deal with the death of a loved one is facing an uncertain future. Richmond's Hope at Craigmillar Church, which provides support for young children who have suffered a traumatic bereavement, was set up three years ago with grant funding. But grants from organisations including Children in Need and the National Lottery will run dry in March. Liz Henderson, minister of Richmond Craigmillar Church and the principal architect of the project, said the centre desperately needs investment of £150,000 per year for the next three years.
Source: Edinburgh Evening News. posted at 6:02 PM

Norman Kember, one of four peace activists seized in Bagdhad by a group called the Swords of Righteousness Brigade, was warned about the danger of kidnapping but decided to go ahead with his Iraq trip regardless. He spent two days in Amman in Jordan being briefed on the security threats before crossing into Iraq, according to a Scottish member of the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), the group which organised his trip. Maureen Jack, 58, from St Andrews, said the teams had stayed in a flat in Baghdad outside the comparative safety of the central area known as the Green Zone.
Source: The Scotsman. posted at 10:25 AM

Priceless treasures dating back as far as the 17th century which were stolen last year have been returned to Dunkeld Cathedral by police after they were found in a nearby field.
Source: Dundee Courier. posted at 5:03 PM

The UK's most eminent family law judge has triggered a debate in Scotland over state support for married couples, after accusing the government of "downgrading" the institution of marriage. Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss accused Labour of running down marriage by removing financial incentives for couples in wedlock. She criticised the ease with which marriages break up, as the Scottish Executive plans to introduce legislation allowing for quicker divorces. Morag Mylne, the convener of the Church of Scotland's church and society council, agreed marriage "benefits society" by helping to form stable communities. She said: "Society is about more than just individuals. But policies - whether they are about tax or anything else - focused exclusively on the individual do not recognise that."
Source: The Scotsman. posted at 4:57 PM

A second new church could be built at a north-east village under plans lodged with Aberdeenshire Council. The new site would be barely a mile from Balmedie's first purpose-built church, which was granted permission last month. The Jesmond Gospel Trust wants to open a permanent place of worship to replace its temporary home at Bridge of Don.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal. posted at 10:31 PM

Angolan preacher Pastor Makielokele Nzelengi Daly and his family, who have been living in the Springburn area of Glasgow, have won the legal right to challenge attempts by the Home Office to deport them at the Court of Session.
Source: The Herald. posted at 10:19 PM

Reports that the Catholic Church is softening its stand on the use of condoms in the war against Aids "is in a good direction", says the Kenya Times. It quotes Archbishop of Glasgow Mario Conti as saying: "It is legitimate to ask whether there are any circumstances in which, not for contraceptive but for hygienic purposes, condoms must be used to prevent the spread of Aids."
Source: Kenya Times. posted at 9:56 PM

It emerged yesterday that African preacher Pastor Makielokele Nzelengi Daly and his young family, who became the focus of a campaign by churches, trade unions and politicians after being detained in Dungavel detention centre, were detained on Saturday at the immigration office in Brand Street, Glasgow, and are to be deported to Angola on Friday.
Source: The Herald. posted at 7:00 PM

A project to restore the historic Chapel of Uidh on Lewis has been boosted by a £162,000 grant from Historic Scotland to local group Urras Eaglais na h-Aoidhe. The 14th century church on the Aignish peninsula was one of the most important late mediaeval churches in the Western Isles, and is also one of the best preserved.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal. posted at 6:46 PM

Obituary of John Gunn OBE, a man of wide interests, considerable achievements in industry, an outstanding record of gallantry in the Second World War as an officer in the Seaforth Highlanders, and an elder of St Andrew's West Church in Falkirk for more than 50 years, who has died peacefully, aged 86.
Source: The Herald. posted at 6:40 PM

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has been chosen as book of the year for 2005 by David Lacy, Moderator of the Church of Scotland's General Assembly.
Source: The Herald. posted at 6:38 PM

The Orange Order is threatening to sue the Scottish executive over proposals that would allow councils to ban sectarian marches. It says ministers are acting outside their authority and that such a ban would breach their human rights.
Source: Sunday Times. posted at 6:07 PM

Church of Scotland leaders are out of step with ordinary members on ethical and social issues such as abortion and homosexuality, according to a new report by Robert Anderson, a minister in West Lothian. The survey reveals that only 13% of churchgoers believe public statements made on behalf of the Kirk reflect their own faith and beliefs. In a poll of 1,200 church- goers, 60% said they thought the church had lost its way spiritually and theologically and three-quarters said the appointment of moderators did not reflect the church membership.
Source: Sunday Times. posted at 5:56 PM

In answer to the prayers of those that are heavy laden, the Kirk is considering plans for a light version of its hymnbook. Church-goers have reacted with anger to the new fourth edition of the Church of Scotland hymnal (CH4), claiming it is too bulky and heavy.
Source: Scotland on Sunday. posted at 5:53 PM

The Devil's work is far from done. More than a third of Scotland's clergy still believe in the literal existence of Hell as a place, according to a new survey conducted by Dr Eric Stoddart, a lecturer in practical theology at St Andrews University. Hell has not got any less hellish over the centuries either. The ministers, from a wide range of denominations, are convinced that lost souls will still suffer eternal mental anguish after death. Rev Professor George Newlands, head of the School of Divinity in Glasgow, said: "All over the world, religions are tending to become more fundamentalist and moving towards a kind of literalism." A spokesman for the Catholic Church, which last week announced it was to scrap Limbo, the state between Heaven and Hell into which unbaptised babies were dispatched, said: "The Catholic Church affirms the existence of Hell, understood as eternal separation from God. However, the Church has never formally defined who, if anyone, is in Hell." Stoddart himself, a former Baptist minister, says he no longer believes in Hell in the sense of a future destination.
Source: Scotland on Sunday. posted at 5:52 PM

St Andrew's Scots Memorial Church, a Jerusalem landmark, marked its 75th birthday this week. It opened in 1930 but was conceived on 12 December, 1917 when news reached the Edinburgh Presbytery of General Edmund Allenby's capture of Jerusalem from the Turks. What the Church of Scotland referred to as the "liberation" of the Holy Land after nearly a millennium of Muslim rule, was accomplished with Scottish troops playing a prominent role. The conquest came just a month after the Balfour Declaration promised Britain's support for the creation of a "national home" for Jews in Palestine.
Source: The Scotsman. posted at 5:46 PM

St John's Episcopal Church in North Adams, Massachussetts - whose design was based on St Salvador's Church in Dundee - is celebrating its 150th anniversary.
Source: The Transcript, Voice of the Northern Berkshires. posted at 5:43 PM

The nativity crib in Glasgow's George Square was unveiled last night with a service including readings and songs from Glasgow church leaders, St Rose of Lima school choir, a Salvation Army ensemble and the St Mungo singers.
Source: Evening Times, Glasgow. posted at 11:59 PM

Peter Kerr, 12th Marquess of Lothian, who died just over a year ago at the age of 82 in his castle home in Jedburgh, left £5,000 to three churches in his will, including the Church of Immaculate Conception in Jedburgh.
Source: Edinburgh Evening News. posted at 11:54 PM

Rev Eric Cramb has been awarded a fellowship by the Al-Maktoum Institute of Arabic and Islamic studies in Dundee.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal. posted at 11:42 PM

Sentence was deferred on a 16 year old youth at Aberdeen Sheriff Court when he admitted breaking a cross on the roof of Bridge of Don Baptist Church. The church's John Greenshields said: "We are disappointed in the vandalism, but we are glad that those involved were not injured, and our prayer would be that they would come to know the significance of the cross."
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal. posted at 11:40 PM

The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Right Rev David Lacy, today visited a charity which helps homeless Scottish people on the streets of London. The Borderline charity is managed by the two churches of Scotland in London, St Columba's on Pont Street and Crown Court in Covent Garden, and is the only agency in London which specialises in providing advice and support to homeless and insecurely housed Scots.
Source: Community Newswire. posted at 11:38 PM

An 'All Nations' Advent service will be held at Greenside Church in Edinburgh this Sunday involving participants from Korean, Chinese, African, south Asian and Egyptian community churches in Scotland.
Source: Church of Scotland news release. posted at 11:22 PM

Strathclyde Police Pipe Band perform at a concert in front of Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican on Saturday along withthe Black Eyed Peas, Paul Anka and Dolores O'Riordan from Irish band The Cranberries.
Source: Evening Times, Glasgow. posted at 11:10 PM

The Association of Muslim Scholars, which is believed to have contacts with some Sunni insurgent groups, last night called for the release of five westerners taken hostage last week in Iraq. Yesterday, Jan Benvie, a Scottish primary school teacher who was in Baghdad in August as a member of the Christian Peacemaker Team group and is a friend of Tom Fox, the American captured, spoke of her deep concern for the hostages.
Source: The Herald. posted at 10:53 PM

The Church of Scotland is supporting the National AIDS Trust's campaign to make employers aware that it will soon become illegal to discriminate against people living with HIV in the workplace.
Source: Church of Scotland news release. posted at 10:50 PM