An online survey conducted by MethodistChildren has found that children prefer to participate in the fun, fellowship and community offered by churches during the week and in summer holidays than on Sundays. This is particularly the case for the 9-13 age group. Steve Pearce, Children’s Secretary, says; “Midweek groups are almost 100% bigger than Sunday groups. Many churches are doing great work on Sundays, but it’s clear from our results that children want church to be more than just that - they want to go to activities during the week. Which is great, because 43% of the churches that work with children already provide mid-week activities, with an average of 38 children attending each group.”
Source: Methodist Church news release.

Greenock's last traditional bellringer will stand down after 70 years service when his church shuts its doors for the last time. Andrew McKellar, now 93, first started ringing the bells at St George’s North in 1936. St George’s will close on 29 November when the Church of Scotland congregation joins with nearby St Luke’s.
Source: Greenock Telegraph.

An Aberdeenshire man has admitted swindling Easter Ross minister Rev Ranald Morrison and two Nairn churchgoers out of £270. Sentence on Mark Rhodes was deferred until December 12 at Tain Sheriff Court.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.

The United Free Church of Scotland has announced that the Moderator Designate of its 2007 General Assembly is Rev David Cartledge, who was minister of Milngavie United Free Church for 21 years. He retired to Hilton, Ross-shire, where he is currently serving as the Interim-Moderator of Balintore UF Church.
Source: United Free Church of Scotland.

Obituary of Rev Geraint Edwards; born 3 June, 1931, in Liverpool; died 6 November, 2006, in Christchurch, Dorset, aged 75. "Geraint Edwards was a minister of the old school, an all-round gifted person, a sensitive and caring pastor, a fine preacher and one who gave lifelong service to the Kirk and the Kingdom."
Source: The Scotsman.

MSPs have passed on to Westminster a petition calling for a return to Sunday observance. The plea for an official day of rest was made by the Reverend Hugh Cartwright, of the synod of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland. He said that the lack of a day of rest was one of the main causes of stress and family breakdown.
Source: BBC Scotland News.

The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Rev Alan McDonald, is greatly encouraged by the involvement of young people in the church in Midlothian. He was speaking as his 10 day tour of the Lothian Presbytery, which covers Midlothian as well as East Lothian, began last Friday at Carberry Tower, near Musselburgh.
Source: Midlothian Advertiser.

Ailidh Henderson, 11, from Kilsyth in North Lanarkshire, is a finalist in the second national Champions of Respect Awards, run by the Evangelical Alliance. Ailidh has raised over £600 for Comfort Rwanda, a charity set up to help children orphaned in the Rwandan genocide. She has visited the country and has been raising awareness of the needs of the Rwandan people back in Scotland, giving talks at her local schools.
Source: Evangelical Alliance news release.

Polish student Angelika Kluk has been cremated in her homeland. The 23-year-old's body was found in St Patrick's Church, Anderston, Glasgow on 29 September. Odd job man Peter Tobin, 60, has been charged with her murder. It is understood a private ceremony was held in a crematorium in Poland at the end of October. A spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland said St Patrick's will remain closed and be refurbished. It is expected to reopen in the spring.
Source: BBC Scotland News.

A memorial service will take place tomorrow for Mr Robert Downie, 78, of Florence, Alabama, who died at the weekend. Born in West Lothian, and an ordained Church of Scotland elder, Mr Downie moved to the United States in 1967.
Source: TimesDaily.com, Alabama.

The minister of the Canongate Kirk is to oversee a pioneering public consultation on the controversial £200 million Caltongate redevelopment of Edinburgh's Old Town. Rev Neil Gardner will chair a forum involving council officials and representatives of community and heritage groups, as well as the developers, Mountgrange.
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.

People in the Kirkcaldy area will this weekend get another glimpse of a historic mural which had been thought to have been lost forever. The artwork in Dysart Kirk was created by Charles Rennie Mackintosh in 1901 but was painted over during various redecoration projects throughout the last few decades.
Source: Dundee Courier.

Catriona Scrimgeour, finance director of the Bethany Christian Trust, has been selected for membership of the new Charities Statement of Recommended Practice Committee, a joint subgroup of the Charity Commission and the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator.
Source: Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator.

Scotland fell silent on Sunday in tribute to its war dead at a series of Remembrance Sunday services throughout the country. Alan McDonald, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, commented: "On this Remembrance Day there is once again an acute awareness of the cost of war because of the present international uncertainty and in particular because of the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan."
Source: The Herald.

On Sunday the 12th November Tristanians joined millions around the world in Remembrance Day services at the islands two churches, St Mary’s, the Anglican Church and St Joseph, the Catholic church. Official Flanders Poppies, made by severely disabled Scottish ex-servicemen at Lady Haig’s poppy Factory in Edinburgh, Scotland, had been on sale at the local store. "It’s a privilege that our community, which was founded by a Scot, William Glass, in 1816, and whose settlement is called 'Edinburgh of the Seven Seas', should be linked to the other Edinburgh in this way, and that we can in some small way contribute to those service men and women who now need our help and who in earlier times were ready to lay down their lives to save ours."
Source: Tristan Times
, Tristan da Cunha.

"We are a Christian family. We know we will be reunited with Kriss again one day." A quote from Angela Donald speaking about coping with her grief at the murder of her son, Kriss.
Source: Scotland on Sunday.

Pollokshields in Glasgow is starting to rebuild its community spirit in the aftermath of the Kriss Donald trial and with three men now beginning their prison sentences for his murder. But despite the optimism, some paint a picture of a community which still faces its problems. When the Rev Paul Jupp left Pollokshields on Thursday, having spent the day organising local youth work, a group of Asian boys hurled abuse at him. "The young kids shouted Baldy at me," he said. "It is not because of my hair but because Baldy has already become like a local bogeyman. They were saying that Baldy was going to get me." Baldy is the street name for Imran Shahid, the man now facing at least 25 years in prison for the murder of the innocent teenager. "The community police and others are trying so hard but they are getting very little support," said Mr Jupp of the United Free Church. "The problems are more to do with young people than race or religion. From the age of nine young boys join gangs and create ghettos in the area ... but the council would deny that." he added. "Youth disorder is a very big problem here. But the council and other agencies need to tackle the root of the problems with more investment rather than just firefighting after things go wrong."
Source: The Herald.

Kirk Moderator the Rt Rev Alan McDonald will visit Rosslyn Chapel, Lothian & Borders police control centre and Luca's ice cream factory as part of a ten-day official visit to the Church of Scotland's presbytery of Lothian.
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.

Dave Lynch, pastor of the Strathpeffer-based Tapestry Faith Community, has persuaded the management of Oscars Bar in Dingwall bar has agreed to screen the controversial film film Loose Change, which claims that elements within the United States government planned and executed the September 11 attacks in 2001. Mr Lynch said says he wanted the contents of a film hitherto restricted to the internet to be given a public airing in a bid to spark open debate. Several local churches he approached refused to screen it.
Source: Ross-shire Journal.

Clydesdale's shoebox total reached the 3000 mark this week. The organisers, Carluke's Kirkstyle Baptist Church, say 1700 shoeboxes containing relief items will start their trip to Romania next week.
Source: Carluke Gazette.

Celtic-mad Church of Scotland minister Ian Miller has discovered that Neilly McCallum, who scored the Celts’ first ever goal in 1888 against Rangers, is buried in the churchyard of Bonhill Church, where Ian has served as minister for 31 years.
Source: Lennox Herald.

Press obsessions with starvation and corruption in Africa are masking more positive images of the continent, according to development workers, and this diet of ‘bad news' is putting off outside investors and stunting local self-confidence.
Source: The Tablet.

The Rev Geraint Edwards, who served the parishes of Fyvie then the West Church of St Nicholas in Aberdeen in the late 60s and 70s, died this week in Christchurch, near Bournemouth, aged 75. In 1979 Mr Edwards was appointed to be minister of the Scots Kirk in Amsterdam. He became presbytery clerk for the Church of Scotland in Europe and was moderator for one year.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.

The head of Scotland's flagship secure unit for under-16s has been suspended after being provisionally disqualified from working with children. William McFadyen was sent home from St Philip's School near Airdrie, Lanarkshire, after authorities were told of allegations made against him when he worked at Kerelaw, the Ayrshire residential unit closed earlier this year amid one of Scotland's biggest-ever child abuse investigations. Mr McFadyen, who was deputy head of Kerelaw and in charge of its secure unit, left council employment in 2004 to take up his post at St Philip's, which is managed by Cora, a Catholic charity, on behalf of the Scottish Executive. Cora's chairman, Monsignor Peter Smith, yesterday confirmed: "He was suspended on November 6. I would emphasise that this has nothing to do with St Philip's ... We were not unaware of the difficulties that Kerelaw had encountered."
Source: The Herald.

A church volunteer is facing jail after stealing £31,000 that his own congregation raised for a Peruvian orphanage. Phil Rooney, 37, was originally charged with embezzling almost £70,000 from Our Lady of Assumption in Troon’s St Meddan’s Street while working as their banking official. But last week at Ayr Sheriff Court Rooney, who acquired the post when his father died, pleaded guilty to a reduced amount of £31,000.
Source: Ayrshire Post.

The name of Jesus Christ could be damaged if Christian parties contest next year's elections, the deputy leader of the Scottish Tories claimed last night. Murdo Fraser said the best way for Christians to play their role in government was by supporting the established parties, not by setting up their own. Giving the second Burke Address to the Conservative Christian Fellowship in Edinburgh, Mr Fraser said he wanted to avoid the "unhealthy polarisation" of the Christian vote seen in the US, where the Republican party had become "intimately entwined" with the evangelical church. Mr Fraser said there was no specifically Christian policy on tax, the NHS, or the armed forces, yet two Christian parties were intent on fielding candidates in Scotland next year.
Source: The Herald.

Glasgow prop forward Euan Murray says his place in the Scotland rugby team to face Romania owes everything to a rediscovery of faith. Brought up as a Baptist by his mother, Murray started attending a Baptist church in Govan earlier this year and was baptised in August. "That was where I found myself and realised I have been blessed with a whole load of talents which I have to use to the best of my ability. The biggest difference it has made is that I'm much happier than I used to be and at peace with things in my life. I still want to go out and smash people on the pitch," he laughed. "There's nothing wrong with that - it's one of my talents." When asked what it was that had been ruining his life - drink, drugs, sex or rock n' roll - he replied: "Some of the aforementioned! It wasn't drugs, just women mainly. In professional sport you can become drawn into things quite easily; you have money, spare time and are in the limelight. I just felt I was leading an immoral lifestyle."
Source: The Scotsman.

The Catholic Church in Scotland has seen its dwindling congregation bolstered by as many as 50,000 Polish immigrants, Church leaders said yesterday. They report an influx of thousands of new worshippers since Poland and other east European states joined the EU in 2004. About 20,000 Poles now live in Edinburgh. Thousands more, including Slovaks and Slovenians, are attending mass in the Highlands and Aberdeen.
Source: The Scotsman.

A Dundee Muslim community leader today denounced anti-police sentiment. Bashir Chohan, an executive member of Dundee Islamic Society Central Mosque, said pronouncements urging Muslims not to co-operate with Tayside Police’s Special Branch Community Contact Unit were not helpful, and did not represent the views of the wider Muslim community in the city.
Source: Dundee Evening Telegraph.

Dundee's Muslim community was last night urged not to co-operate with Tayside Police’s Special Branch community contact unit. Osama Saeed of the Muslim Association of Britain told a packed meeting at Dundee University last night: “There can be no excuse for being scared of the police. If we look at the history of our faith, what else is there other than the Prophet’s example to stand up to tyranny and stand up to oppression.”
Source: Dundee Courier.

Christian leaders go marching as to war today, aiming to put their stamp on the debate about the role of religion in modern public life. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, are introducing a new think-tank report that challenges the secular dream of taking Christ out of Christmas or anything else. The report from the Theos organisation, entitled 'Doing God: A Future for Faith in the Public Square' comes as the Royal Mail eschews religious imagery on its Christmas stamps, which go on sale today. The stamps feature Santa Claus, a reindeer, snowmen and a Christmas tree. The Church of England said that it “regretted” the omission of a Christian theme.
Source: The Times.

A rush of church ministers signing up for 'company cars' has encouraged businessman Nigel Williams to move his leasing firm, Newgate Finance, from Reading to Edinburgh. The number of Scottish clergy on its books has risen to 600. The Honda Jazz and the Peugeot 207 have proved to be most popular with Church of Scotland ministers.
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.

Scottish Executive-sanctioned celebrations for St Andrew's Day 2006 will be held in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Stirling following "the First Minister's pledge to raise awareness of and encourage involvement in the celebration of St Andrew's Day". Events in Glasgow will include Ceilidh on Ice at George Square with traditional live musicians including Amy McDonald and Punjabi No 1. [Comments on this, as on other stories, will be welcome at Scottish Christian Webtalk.]
Source: Scottish Executive news release.

St Peter's RC Church in Edinburgh celebrates its centenary next May. The Morningside church was built by a Russian Jewish convert to Catholicism who was a mutual friend of Irish author Oscar Wilde and of parish priest Canon John Gray. Gray, a poet who met Wilde in the decadent literary salons of late 19th century London, distanced himself from the author and his set in order to be ordained into the Church. But it is alleged that Wilde admired Gray so much that he based his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray on him. A book about the church by historian Michael Turnbull also examines its role in the anti-Catholic riots of 1935.
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.

Archaeologists are hoping to unravel the secrets which lie beneath the Tron Kirk in Edinburgh, 30 years after a whole 16th century street was found in its basement.
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.

Obituary of Roderick Macleod, teacher, choirmaster and cricketer; born July 21, 1934; died October 17, 2006. "He was choir master for the Congregational (School Wynd) Church in Paisley and, after moving to Kilmarnock, he became a member of the Henderson church choir, then became organist at St Ninians Church in Bellfield ... Roddy was ordained as an elder while a member of the Sandyford (Thread Street) Church in Paisley."
Source: The Herald.

Hollywood seems to have found a bit of faith in movies with religious content, or at least faith in these films' ability to make money. A spate of new releases in October sparked off interest in the media about the new trend. Religion has a harder time on the smaller screen, with the United Kingdom's BBC coming in for strong criticism recently. "It always seems that it's Christianity which gets the investigative and negative treatment," said Peter Kearney, a spokesman for the Scottish bishops' conference.
Source: Zenit News Agency.

The moderator-designate of the Church of Scotland's general assembly has said that one of her priorities will be to fight for the introduction of gay weddings by kirk ministers. Sheilagh Kesting, who takes over next May, said she believed “the time was right” for the church to bless same sex partnerships for the first time. But interim findings from a poll of presbyteries by Forward Together, which represents evangelical members of the Church of Scotland, show that 10 were against civil partnerships. Only three - Edinburgh, England and Europe - voted for them. Dr Ian Watson, secretary of Forward Together and parish minister at Kirkmuirhall, in south Lanarkshire, said he was “surprised” that Kesting had chosen to express her views. “We say the bible is our supreme guide on doctrine and lifestyle. It unequivocally says homosexual (intercourse) is wrong so therefore why are we even having this debate? I’m surprised that the moderator-designate has so quickly shown her hand. The moderator is supposed to be impartial and must respect the will of the general assembly.” A gay kirk elder who wished to remain anonymous said some gay clergymen would oppose Kesting’s views.
Source: Sunday Times.

The Christian Peoples' Alliance Scotland, which will field candidates at next year's Holyrood elections, has gathered 1,000 signatures from Muslims in a petition opposing new laws that will allow gay couples to adopt. A member of Glasgow's Central Mosque, Abdul Dean, who is standing for the party, claims it best represents his view on morality. A leading imam in Glasgow is also understood to have given his support.
Source: Scotland on Sunday.

Labour's hierarchy has begun a behind-the-scenes offensive to persuade the leader of Scotland's Roman Catholics that his controversial backing for independence was wrong. Chancellor Gordon Brown is among senior Labour figures who have met Cardinal Keith O'Brien in recent weeks, as part of a coordinated effort to heal relations. And last week a delegation of Catholic Labour MSPs had further private talks with O'Brien, where they set out their claims that Labour represents the Catholic community best. However, one source described the charm offensive as "more offensive than charm".
Source: Scotland on Sunday.

Scotland is recognised the world over as the home of golf, shortbread and whisky, but thanks to a new-found spirit of tolerance, could it soon add gay weddings to that list. Ewan Colville, VisitScotland’s marketing manager for North America and Asia Pacific, believes the potential is huge. The mainstreaming of gay culture has provided an economic spin-off, with many industries cashing in on the “pink pound”. With an average spend of £16,000 for a wedding, the institution of gay marriage is also an attractive economic proposition. Edinburgh is the third most popular venue in the UK for gay weddings, behind Brighton and Westminster and ahead of Manchester. Sheilagh Kesting, who takes over as the new moderator of the Church of Scotland’s general assembly next May, says “the time is right” to allow Kirk ministers to conduct services marking civil partnerships. However, Simon Dames, a spokesman for the Catholic Church, said: “Environmentally, we as a society have made progress with the increased awareness that we should work with nature, not against it. Irrationally, there has been regression when it comes to family and sexual social policy, as seen with the separation from relationship exclusivity, and openness to life. Simply put, naturally we cannot change the laws of nature.”
Source: Sunday Times.

Tim Bell, the seafarers' chaplain for the Port of Leith, is to join the crew of a Russian cargo ship on the 2400-mile round trip they make delivering coal to Edinburgh. He decided to make the almost fortnight-long journey after befriending some of the Filipino crew of the MV Adventure II. A spokesman for Leith Churches Together, which appointed Mr Bell in conjunction with the British and International Sailors' Society, said: "This is a good example of churches working together."
Source: Edinburgh Evening News.

Fred the cat has returned to St Patrick's church in Edinburgh after being missing for three weeks.
Source: The Scotsman.

Obitary of John Morgan, peace campaigner, teacher and community activist; born December 21, 1918; died October 28, 2006. A devout Roman Catholic, he became a lifelong peace activist, joining CND, Pax Christi and becoming part of an international body of peacemakers. Such was his esteem in Clydebank that the provost hosted a civic reception for him on his 80th birthday.
Source: The Herald.

Obitary of Rev Ian Murdo Mackenzie, Church of Scotland minister and former head of BBC Scotland religious programming; born August 3, 1931; died October 31, 2006.
Source: The Herald.

Grieving friends and family yesterday said farewell to Lisa Norris, 16, the teenage cancer patient who died after being given a massive overdose of radiation treatment. At the funeral in Girvan's South Parish Church, the Rev Ian McLachlan paid tribute to Lisa's courage during her illness and urged her friends and family to treasure their memories of her.
Source: The Scotsman.

The Rt Rev Alan McDonald, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, said he was overwhelmed by the welcome he received in communities and churches during a 10-day visit to the Dumbarton area - the first time a Moderator had visited the area in a decade.
Source: Lennox Herald.

Teenage thugs launched a bottle at Canon James Simcox, 78, parish priest at St Martin’s Church in Renton, before embarking on a weekend wrecking spree at the church.
Source: Lennox Herald.

Cambuslang's four Church of Scotland congregations are coming together this Sunday to hold a bereavement service, giving members of the local community the chance to remember their loved ones. A church spokesman said: "Christmas is coming shortly and soon the adverts for this year's must-have toys and gadgets will be appearing on TV. This is a time when the image of happy families is widely promoted, but the truth is that for many it is far from a happy time of year. For those who have lost a loved one, the approach of Christmas can be a painful reminder of someone who is no longer with us and the celebration of others only deepens that sense of isolation and loss."
Source: Rutherglen Reformer.

The associate minister of a new church building has defended its striking green colour, predicting it will become an "eye-catching landmark". The new Kirkintilloch Baptist Church has provoked a mixed response from residents, with some branding it a "monstrosity". But the Reverend Ian Birch said: "Our wish is to have a measure of visibility in the town and it would appear we have achieved this, though not to the pleasure of everyone."
Source: Kirkintilloch Herald.

Plans to erect a mobile phone mast inside the tower of Haddington West Church have been scrapped in the face of protests from residents.
Source: East Lothian Courier.

The sound of hymn singing was heard in Clydebank police cells on Wednesday night as church leaders and members of their congregations were held after their arrest at Faslane naval base. Clergy from the Church of England and the Church of Scotland are amongst those who are part of over 200 arrests now made since the F365 campaign began in October. Rev David McLachlan of Langside Parish Church in Glasgow said: "I want to claim my faith back from those 'Christian' world leaders who lie to their public, start wars to destroy other countries, do little to help the world’s poorest, whilst finding £76 billion to threaten death on an unimaginable scale. I don’t know what Bible they read. It’s not the one I’ve got."
Source: Ekklesia.

Black Isle resident Malcolm Dent is one of the volunteers who produces talking newspapers for the Highlands and Islands Tape Service for the Blind and Disabled (HITS). It is 25 years since the first edition of the north's talking newspaper was sent out to 35 blind people throughout the area. Today the service caters for up to 500 listeners. The Inverness Courier is just one of the local newspapers recorded, along with the Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and the Monthly Record, the magazine of the Free Church of Scotland, and some church services.
Source: Inverness Courier.

George Durkin, who raided a coffee morning at Hilton High Church in Aberdeen earlier this year while armed with a knife, was yesterday given an 18-month drug treatment and testing order at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.

Sitting high above Stonehaven and nestling among ancient woodland, Dunnottar Church appears unchanged by the centuries but has undergone a £139,000 refurbishment.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.

A Strathspey church could close its doors for good because of falling numbers of worshippers. Just one wedding and three funerals were held at Advie Church in the past three years and services have dropped to one a month.
Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal.

Fred the cat, who has purred in the pews every Sunday for years at St Patrick's Church in Edinburgh's old town, has been missing for three weeks. Some churchgoers have lit candles for him as they pray for his safe return. "He used to go into the care home next door and sit with the residents and would also wander into the offices of Canongate Books," said Father Ed Hone.
Source: The Scotsman.

School inspectors in Scotland have dubbed a Catholic school in East Renfrewshire the best mainstream primary school in the country. Our Lady of the Missions Primary School in Thornliebank was found by inpectors to have "provided education of the highest standard". The faith school has 664 children on the roll, the vast majority of which are practising Catholics. Around five per cent come from Muslim or Protestant backgrounds.
Source: The Universe.

Love letters have been discovered at the National Archives in Kew which Ramsay MacDonald, the pre-war political giant who three times led the country, sent to Lady Margaret Sackville, youngest child of the 7th Earl de la Warr. MacDonald proposed at least three times to Lady Margaret, but acknowledged that "formal barriers keep us from marrying". He was an illegitimate ploughman's son from Lossiemouth who belonged to the Free Church of Scotland, she an aristocratic Roman Catholic.
Source: Daily Telegraph.

Tayside charities face an uncertain future due to an anticipated 50% drop in funding caused by the expansion of the EU. Kath Critchley, chief executive of Perth’s Churches Action for the Homeless, said: "We are in the lucky position of knowing this was coming and planning for it. However, I would have to say that some organisations face cutbacks every year with the withdrawal of the European Structural Fund for individual projects that are not allocated new funding."
Source: Dundee Evening Telegraph.

Three candidates have been short-listed for the post of Bishop of Aberdeen in the Scottish Episcopal Church in succession to the Rt Rev Bruce Cameron. They are the Rev Canon Dr Emsley Nimmo, Rector of St Margaret’s, Aberdeen; the Rev Canon Dr Philip Noble, Rector of St Ninian’s, Prestwick; and the Very Rev Canon Kevin Pearson, Dean of Edinburgh and Rector of St Michael & All Saints, Edinburgh. An election will take place on 16 December.
Source: Scottish Episcopal Church news release.

A senior fireman demoted for leading a protest against leafletting a Gay Pride march has been reinstated on appeal. But he will be transferred and receive a final written warning. He was also warned he will face "specific development" to allow his needs to be "addressed". Brian Herbert had been demoted from watch manager to crew manager, with a salary cut of £5000, at Cowcaddens Fire Station in Glasgow. Three other firefighters were told they had failed in their bid to overturn their written warnings. They were among nine firefighters carpeted by bosses for refusing to distribute safety leaflets at the Pride Scotia gay festival in June.
Source: Daily Record.

Cardinal Keith O'Brien is visiting the Scottish Parliament this week and this afternoon gave the Time for Reflection in the Parliament's debating chamber. Under the theme 'Christian beliefs still cherished', he told MSPs: "Scottish society may no longer be as homogeneous as it once was – and our new diversity and multi-ethnic character is something to be celebrated – but it remains the case that a bedrock of belief still underpins our society. Those beliefs are Christian beliefs."
Source: Scottish Catholic Media Office news release.

Retired Glasgow lawyer Fred Shedden is standing down as chairman of Glasgow-based anti-sectarian organisation Nil By Mouth after last six years. Nil By Mouth was set up in 2000 by Cara Henderson, best friend of 16-year-old Mark Scott, who was murdered in 1995 by Loyalist thug Jason Campbell. Since then Fred, a colleague of Mark's father Niall, has given his time for free to fight bigotry.
Source: Evening Times, Glasgow.

Voluntary groups in Scotland stand to lose up to £20m following a shake-up in vital European funding. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), which represents 50,000 groups, warned that companies have already been forced to start making redundancies and reducing services. European funding to developed countries such as the UK is to be cut by 50% in the long term because of the needs of some of the new accession states, such as Poland. Projects at risk include Churches Action for the Homeless and the Church of Scotland's Crossreach organisation.
Source: The Herald.

Turner Prize-winning Glaswegian artist Douglas Gordon is to film a cinema version of James Hogg's book The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner. Earlier this year he released a documentary film about Zinedine Zidane,
Source: The Herald.

A female minister has been appointed as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for the first time. The Rev Sheilagh Kesting will take up the 12-month post from next May. Speaking after yesterday's announcement, the 53-year-old said reaching out to other Christian denominations would be a priority in the role. "From a very early age I became aware of the tensions between the churches," said Ms Kesting, who is based in Falkirk. "That didn't seem to me to be right." Born in Stornoway on Lewis, Ms Kesting comes from a staunch Church of Scotland family. Her father was an elder and her grandfather a minister. Ms Kesting said the appointment would make her family "very proud". The Kirk's first women elders were ordained in 1968 and female ministers followed two years later.
Source: The Scotsman.

Another landmark in Church of Scotland history was reached yesterday with the announcement that a female minister is to be the next Moderator. The appointment of the Rev Sheilagh Kesting as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland was been hailed as a "statement of equality" by a leading religious commentator. Miss Kesting, 53, secretary of the church's Ecumenical Relations Committee, said: "I feel rather overwhelmed and apprehensive at the moment, but I recognise the post as a huge privilege."
Source: The Herald.

The Solicitor General, John Beckett QC, today announced that the Crown Office's Victim Information and Advice (VIA) service is to receive automatic referrals in all cases where an offence against an individual is alleged to have been aggravated by religious prejudice. Mr Beckett said: "VIA was introduced into the Scottish prosecution system because we recognised that the criminal justice system can be a bewildering and even frightening experience for victims and vulnerable witnesses. The support and information provided by VIA staff can help remove that element of the unknown which makes the experience all the more difficult."
Source: Scottish Executive news release.