Only in Scotland or a Worrying Trend????

From today's Scotsman newspaper...

Union sets up hotline to help church ministers who are victims of bullying


Published Date: 10 January 2010
By Mark Smith


DOZENS of Scottish clergy have contacted a new hotline to claim they are being bullied or harassed by their parishioners.


The helpline has been set up by the trade union Unite, which says intimidation of ministers and priests from all denominations is a hidden problem.

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4 Minute Devotions: Willie

There are some great people that we get to know whose Christianity is a blessing to everyone they meet. Willie from Maybole, Scotland was a great example of this.

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1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

I have been blessed in the Lord’s ministry to have worked with some wonderful people and deeply contented Christians. They have shown me that happiness in the Lord does not depend upon what we have, but what we give. They have been examples of faithful servants in God’s Kingdom and I feel very privileged for having known them. They remain dear to my heart and are ever on my mind.

For example, Willie was a great mentor to me and a partner in God’s work when I was pastor in Maybole. He was our Session Clerk, as well as being a lay preacher. Willie worked in the local bank and was well known throughout the town. He was a great smiler and always enjoyed being with people. He had a wonderful way of dealing with trouble and crises through his rich sense of humor. Many a time, when I would get all hot and bothered over an issue, Willie was able to disarm the situation by finding something amusing to say. It was a special gift and I became a better pastor because of it.

Willie had his own heartbreaks and troubles, but he never let them get him down or seriously damage his faith. When his beloved grand-daughter died of leukemia, he was heart-broken, but he didn’t let his tragic loss cloud his life. He still served God faithfully and loved serving the church. In my books, he was a great man and a wonderful Christian. I am truly thankful for having known him as a fellow servant for the Lord.

Willie has recently been taken into the hospice to prepare himself for that last journey that we all must take someday. If I know Willie, he’ll be making the nurses laugh and will still have that boyish sparkle in his eyes. It will be a sad loss for all of us who knew and loved him dearly, but it will be a joyous occasion on the other side when Willie is ushered into the Lord’s presence. One day, I’ll get to see him again and we can laugh together doing God’s work in Eternity. O how I love being a Christian! O how I love true Christian folk!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the special Christians in our lives whose love makes it easier for us to come closer to You. Empower and enable us to become true examples of God’s servants, not in a self-righteous way, but in an endearing way. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor at Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment upon today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

4 Minute Devotions: The Bogle

We all should have spiritual mentors and heroes of faith in our Christian lives. One of mine is a Scottish preacher from Bo'ness.

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I have a few minister heroes that have been very influential in my life. One of the dearest to me is the Rev. Albert Bogle, who has been the minister at St. Andrew’s Church in Bo’ness, Scotland for his entire ministry. He is dearly loved by his people and deeply respected by a lot of ministers in Scotland. He is a great preacher, a wonderful musician, and one of the best holy teachers that I have ever come across.

I met Albert when I went to Glasgow University. His wife Martha taught in the same elementary school as my wife Evelyn. The two of them had a great friendship and because their husbands were studying to be in the same profession, we all met socially on a regular basis.

Albert’s enthusiasm for the Lord is deeply contagious. Whenever we came into his company, we always left feeling lifted up. His understanding of the scriptures is remarkable and the way in which he expresses his faith is highly attractive. Sometimes, I go to his church’s website just for a dose of enthusiasm to recharge my soul. Albert’s a great innovator who uses audio and video techniques in his worship services to make everyone feel that their faith is vibrant, relevant, and strong.

2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction.

Years ago, when I was being ordained in Maybole, Albert wrote a special song for me called “Preacher John.” He wisely used today’s verse from 2 Timothy 4:2 in order to remind me that preaching is the one of the most important vehicles for encouraging faith and challenging people. It’s something that I have aspired to do over the last 22 years. Albert has been a great encourager to me, and so I want to pass on that enthusiasm for Christ to other people.

Albert’s church’s website can be found at http://www.standonline.org.uk/ If you click on the audio/video section at the top, you can watch one of his wonderful services.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank You for the heroes of faith in our own lives. They may be preachers or Sunday School teachers. They may be members of our family or friends at church. Whoever they are, we pray that You will continue to bless them for their wonderful faith. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor at Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

4 Minute Devotions: Clydeside Preacher

God calls all sorts of people to minister and preach the Gospel, no matter where they came from or what they have done.

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My hometown of Glasgow, Scotland, used to have a magnificent shipyard industry on the River Clyde. Thousands of men were employed in the building of some of the biggest warships and ocean liners in the world. When I was growing up, it was wonderful to see the shipyards at night time. From all over the docks, flashes of light could be seen as the riveters and welders worked on the hulls of the great ships.

1 Corinthians 16:13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.

On Friday afternoons, when most of the workforce was paid, thousands of men would walk out of the gates to either go to the pubs and spend their wages, or head home to be with their families, possibly buying them a fish and chips supper for dinner. As these men walked out of the shipyard gates, a man, with his own portable platform, was preaching the Gospel to the huge mass of workers. Most of the men walked by, some jeered and some cheered, some hurled insults and called the preacher everything under the sun.

It was an amazing ministry to watch and, on some rare occasions, the preacher was able to reach into the heads and hearts of a few men. He had been a shipyard worker himself, so he knew of their hardships, addictions, and struggles with life. Jesus had changed him, so he wanted to help other men make that transformation. It was a courageous, yet often humiliating ministry. But every Friday, the preacher was there giving God’s message to thousands of men who had no time for faith.

The Church of Scotland was approached by some people and asked if they would ordain the Clydeside preacher. Sadly, they turned him down. He didn’t have the right academic qualifications, or the privileges of seminary training. This didn’t bother the preacher. He just kept turning up on Fridays to preach the Gospel. His strength was in the Lord, and not in an ecclesiastical certificate that proclaimed him to be an official minister of the church. I never knew his name, but I admired his ministry and he reminds me of this: God calls all sorts of people to minister, pastor, and preach in His Name.

Perhaps you are being led by God to initiate a new ministry in your church. Perhaps God is calling you to do something in Christ’s name for your community. Maybe you don’t feel qualified to start or accomplish it. Remember this: if God truly calls you, He believes you can get it done.

Prayer: Lord God, we are all so different and we each have various gifts, talents, and skills. Sometimes you call us out of our comfort zones and specialized areas to do something beautiful and completely unexpected for You. Grant us the courage to respond to Your call and give us the strength to successfully fulfill all that You ask of us. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor at Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org

A Scottish Spiderman

How a wee spider saved one of Scotland's greatest heroes.

Next to William Wallace of ‘Braveheart’ fame, Robert the Bruce is one of Scotland’s greatest heroes. He led the Scottish forces to victory over the English at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. It was a victory that ensured Scottish independence and enabled the Scots people to enjoy their freedom for several centuries.

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Like Wallace before him, Robert the Bruce had many setbacks and almost gave in to despair. At one point, he was a fugitive and spent the night in a cold, damp cave in order to hide from his enemies. He had reached the lowest point of his life and felt his struggle to win independence for Scotland was not worth the trials and tribulations he endured.

The story is told that he watched a spider trying to spin a web at the mouth of the cave. It kept trying to hook itself to a ridge, but kept failing and falling. Bruce was fascinated with the attempts that the spider made to latch itself on to the cave, but felt that it was futile. However, the wee spider persevered and eventually managed to accomplish its task. Soon the mouth of the cave was covered with a web.

This inspired Bruce to rethink his own unsuccessful campaign. If he and his Scottish army persevered, then perhaps they could win their freedom. After all, thought Bruce, ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, and try again.’ For the first time in what seemed like ages, Bruce slept soundly in the cave.

What he didn’t know was that his enemies were nearby, scouring the land and searching for him. When they came to the cave, they almost entered it and would have found the sleeping Bruce defenseless. But they passed it by. Why? Because of the spider’s web. His enemies wrongly thought that because the web was unbroken, no one had entered the cave. The wee spider had not only inspired Bruce, it had actually saved his life.

Bible Verse of the Day

Jeremiah 32:39 I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them.

When Jeremiah speaks of “singleness of heart and action”, he is talking about perseverance and endurance. His people have wavered in their religious beliefs, causing them to be disunited and divided, which in turn made them easily conquered by their enemies. Jeremiah’s prophecy is about a time when God will put all things right and His people will not be diverted or distracted from fully worshiping and believing in God.

As Christians, we are the heirs of that prophecy. God has given us His Son Jesus to worship and glorify. When we focus upon Him and place our lives into His Hands, we are inspired to lead better lives because He sets us free from our sinful past and leads us towards a more promising future. In Him, we are given meaning for our lives; through Him, we are restored to God’s love and favor forevermore.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank You for succeeding over sin and winning the battle with evil and death. Your singleness of heart and action led You to the Cross at Calvary, which in turn granted us the hope of forgiveness and the opportunity of everlasting life. We owe everything to You, so we place our lives into Your hands for Your service, mission and Kingdom. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Non-Believers Should Not Receive a Christian funeral, says Church of Scotland Minister

A LEADING Kirk minister has said conducting funerals for non-believers is a time-wasting burden on the church and that non-religious services should be provided by the state.

Rev Johnston McKay, BBC Scotland's former editor of religious broadcasting, said ministers were conducting more than 70 funerals a year and at many of them there was "no interest whatsoever" in the Christian faith.

McKay said one funeral he conducted was marred by constant noise from the congregation, one of whom shouted a stream of swear words before rushing behind the curtain with the coffin.The minister, writing in the Church of Scotland magazine Life and Work, said state-run funerals would be welcomed by many mourners, who feel their presence in church is "at best inappropriate and at worst hypocritical".

McKay, a minister for 40 years and clerk to the Presbytery of Ardrossan, stressed he would not refuse to conduct a funeral service for a non-believer, but his comments drew criticism from fellow clerics who pointed out it was "not for human beings to decide who is worthy of God's grace".

As the recognized national church, the Church of Scotland routinely conducts parish funerals for all, regardless of their religious beliefs.

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