THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND COMMITTEE ON ECUMENICAL RELATIONS. Conforti Institute, Coatbridge September 2017 MINUTE

Transcription

1 ER THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND COMMITTEE ON ECUMENICAL RELATIONS Conforti Institute, Coatbridge September 2017 PRESENT: Convener: Members: Staff: Guest: Apologies: 20 September 2017 MINUTE Rev Alison McDonald Rev Ross Blackman (Ministries Council), Rev Gerald Bostock (Methodist Church), Rev Anikó Schütz Bradwell (World Mission Council), Alison Burnley, (Religious Society of Friends), Rev Dr Liam Fraser (Theological Forum), Rev Stephen Fulcher (Mission & Discipleship Council), Rev Alexander Horsburgh (WCRC), Mr David Nicholson DCS (Social Care Council), Major Steven Turner (Salvation Army), Ms Miriam Weibye (WCC), Mrs Mary Welsh (Roman Catholic Church) Rev Dr John L McPake (), Ms Ros Milne (Senior Administrator) Dr Thomas Hefin Jones, UK/Irish WCRC representative Rev Dr Frances Henderson (Joint Commission on Doctrine), Mrs Marjorie Paton (Church & Society Council), Rev Matthew Ross (ACTS) 1. Welcome and Constitution The Convener welcomed Committee members. The meeting was opened with readings and prayer. 2. Minutes of the meeting of the Ecumenical Relations Committee The minutes of the meeting of the Ecumenical Relations Committee held on 20 June 2017 were approved as an accurate record. 3. Matters arising from the minutes Item 5.2 Heart and Soul The reported that the initial planning for the event had just begun. He said that Action of Churches Together in Scotland would like to share a tent again. It was hoped to have a larger tent. It was noted that there had been a suggestion to change the layout and have villages rather than the current rows of tents. It might therefore be possible to have an ecumenical area where groups could share the space. It was agreed that ecumenical bodies and member churches of ACTS should be encouraged to participate. Bi-laterals Item United Free Church The Convener reported that following the General Assembly of the United Free Church, it had been agreed that the two Churches should meet to discuss future co-operation. It was hoped to set up a meeting later in the year. It was agreed to set up a Doodle Poll to find a suitable date for the meeting, following consultation between the Conveners. Item Presbyterian Church in Ireland The Convener reported that she and the had attended a debriefing meeting with the Moderator following his attendance at the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.

2 ER Item 8 Vice Convener The Convener reported that following consultation with the Principal Clerk and the of the Council of Assembly a letter had been sent to the Vice Convener advising him that the post would be declared vacant at the meeting of the Committee on 20 th /21 st September. The Convener shared the terms of the letter which had been agreed following consultation. She said there was now a vacancy for the remaining period of the term of office which would end in May 2019 and that there would be further discussion on the second day of the meeting. In the meantime, a name was put forward for Committee members to consider. She invited members to submit further names for consideration. Item 9 General Assembly Deliverances World Mission Council deliverance 15 The reported that he had met with Jennie Chinembiri of the World Mission Council, and later with Bishop Peter Forster of the Church of England, in connection with advocacy on issues of peace for South Sudan. There was a suggestion of a pilgrimage in Scotland in partnership with the Church of England in relation to this matter. Panel on Review and Reform deliverance 4 The reported that he, Liam Fraser and Ross Blackburn had attended a meeting to discuss the nature of Sacramental Ministry in the Church of Scotland. Ministries Council deliverances 5, 6 and 30 The said that no action was required on these deliverances at this time. Theological Forum deliverance 3 It was noted that a letter had been sent to ecumenical bodies and member churches of ACTS asking for feedback on the report An Approach to the Theology of Same-Sex Marriage. Item 11.2 International Reformed-Anglican Dialogue 2017 The reported that Rev Dr Peter Donald had accepted the invitation to represent the Church of Scotland at the meeting in Durban, South Africa from 4-6 September. He would replace Professor Iain Torrance who had tendered his resignation. It was noted that Peter was well qualified having previously served on the World Council of Churches Faith and Order Commission. He had submitted a report of the meeting which would be considered later in the meeting. Item ACTS Review The Convener reported that this item would be covered later on the agenda under Theos Reports and advised that she, along with the and the Principal Clerk, had been interviewed by researchers from Theos at a meeting in Glasgow. 4. Review of the Ecumenical Policy of the Church of Scotland A first draft of the Ecumenical Policy prepared by the was tabled and the Convener asked the to introduce the paper. In so doing he made reference to the ongoing process relating to the discernment of a Strategic Plan for the Church of Scotland. Having sought permission to do so, he gave an indication of the broad parameters of the process to date and suggested that it was important that ecumenism was fully incorporated into the operational principles of the Plan. In the light of the intention of the Council of Assembly to present the Plan to the General Assembly of 2018, he suggested that the Committee ought to give consideration to presenting the Policy in 2018 and not to await the outcome of the ACTS Review. If so presented, the Policy could be adjusted in the light of the Review outcomes.

3 ER Committee members were asked to forward any comments they had on the draft to the and it was agreed to produce an Executive Summary of the draft. ALL The Committee agreed that the policy document should be produced in time for the 2018 General Assembly to ensure that ecumenism becomes a key operational principle. Ross Blackman volunteered to prepare a draft Executive Summary. Committee members were asked to send comments to Ross with a copy to the. R Blackman The Convener thanked everyone for their comments and the for producing the document. 5. Implementation of the Committee s Review The Convener invited Council representatives to reflect on their current accompaniment of the Councils of the Church. The reported that he had attended a number of Council meetings and noted how different each Council was and that it would be difficult to produce a single, generic pattern for accompaniment. Steve Fulcher indicated he would be meeting with the Acting of the Mission and Discipleship Council in November. He suggested that the new arrangements placed him at a greater distance from the Council than previously. David Nicholson said that the Social Care Council was involved in a wide range of work and meetings were held at Charis House. He wondered if there was an argument for meetings being held in the Church Offices at 121 George Street instead in order to be nearer the other Councils. He indicated no difficulty in liaising with the Council. Anikó Schütz Bradwell said she had agreed with the of the World Mission Council that she would attend the September and April meetings of the Council, while continuing to send updates to both the Council and the Ecumenical Relations Committee. This would pause whilst she was on leave until June Liam Fraser said that he had attended fewer meetings of the Theological Forum but that this was due to it being in a transitional period. Ross Blackman said he had attended a meeting of the Ministries Council in August and noted that the Council was also in a period of transition. 6. Action of Churches Together in Scotland Members Meeting The Convener s report of ACTS Members Meeting held on 13 and 14 September 2017 was noted. She also appended notes on a report by Rev Dr Peter McEnhill, Consultant on Ecumenical Ministerial Formation, who had made a presentation to the meeting. ACTS accounts had been discussed and reports from programme groups noted. Applications for funding had been approved and Ms Miriam Weibye, Inter Church Relations Officer, Scottish Episcopal Church, had given a report of a group visit from Scotland to a Focolare Conference in Italy in May. 7. Theos Reports 7.1 Churches Together in England (CTE) The reported that CTE had sent him a pre-publication copy of the Theos Report on ecumenism in England and that this would be circulated to members following

4 ER publication on 28 September. He said that as the Church of Scotland was a member of CTE, he had been invited to participate in the review process on behalf of the Church. 7.2 Action of Churches Together in Scotland (ACTS) The Convener reported that the review of ACTS by Theos was underway. Theos had given a presentation to the ACTS Members Meeting of its initial findings from interviews it had conducted. Her notes from the presentation had been circulated to the Committee for information. Twenty-four interviews had been conducted. Member churches of ACTS, the Iona Community, Workplace Chaplaincy and others had been interviewed. Approximately 40 people in total. The main themes and areas of concern had been identified. A full report would be available in the spring of Reports from International Bodies 8.1 Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy (FCEI) A letter from the FCEI to ecumenical partners in connection with arrivals of migrants in Italy and the European migration policies was noted. The FCEI had asked that churches raise the issue of migration as a key priority, both in the sending and receiving countries. An international conference would be held from 30 September to 4 October 2017 in Palermo and churches had been invited to send participants with the Church of Scotland being represented. The reported that he had forwarded the letter to the Moderator s office with respect to his forthcoming visit to Rome and that he would accompany the Moderator on this visit. 8.2 Conference of European Churches (CEC) Secondment The Convener advised that CEC member churches in Britain and Ireland had received a proposal in February suggesting that a seconded staff position be established within CEC to enhance and develop the participation of British and Irish churches particularly in the light of Brexit. The Committee noted a further letter from CEC which gave an update and a proposal for consideration. Member churches had been asked for comments and suggestions. Following discussion, it was agreed that a discussion with British and Irish churches would be helpful General Assembly 2018 The Convener reported that a letter of invitation had been received from CEC inviting the Church of Scotland to send two delegates to its General Assembly which would be held from 31 May to 6 June 2018 in Novi Sad, Serbia. Nominations were to be submitted by 31 October She said that a non-voting delegation advisor could also attend. It was agreed that the Convener should attend and that the Church and Society Council be asked to nominate a second delegate. Young people should be encouraged to apply for the stewards programme. 9. World Communion of Reformed Churches General Council 2017 Evening Session Following dinner, Dr Hefin Jones was welcomed to the meeting and introductions were made. Dr Jones, a Senior Lecturer at the School of Biosciences at Cardiff University and member of the Union of Welsh Independents, had replaced Rev Cheryl Meban as the UK/Irish representative on the WCRC Executive Committee.

5 ER A paper prepared by Rev Sandy Horsburgh, incorporating comments made at a debriefing meeting for Scottish delegates: Rev Alison McDonald, Rev Ian Alexander, Rev Anikó Schütz Bradwell, Andrew Macpherson (Moderator of the Youth Assembly), with Rev Sandy Horsburgh and Mrs Pauline Weibye in attendance as General Council appointed Minute Secretaries, was noted. The Convener said that she had been invited to chair the Nominating Committee of the General Council. This had been a very challenging but positive experience. Nine people from across the world had been on the Committee and, for most, English was not their first language, however, the group had worked very well together. The most memorable experience had been the sermon in Wittenberg by Najla Kassab Abousawan, President of the World Communion of Reformed Churches and an ordained minister in the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon. The sermon was available to download at: The Convener then asked delegates present to share their experiences of the General Council which, in turn, reflected a mixture of the memorable encounters with those of different countries and cultures alongside the frustrations of an administrative system which was incapable of bearing the load of a major church assembly. The evening session finished with prayers in the Chapel. 21 September Committee s Budget The Committee s expenditure vs budget to the end of August was noted. The reported that he had had a very helpful meeting with Mrs Anne Macintosh, the General Treasurer, and reviewed the Committee s expenditure and discussed the budget for He indicated that no issues with respect to the Committee s expenditure and budget had been identified at this time. 11. Reports from Council representatives 11.1 Church and Society Council The report from Mrs Marjorie Paton of the meeting of the Church and Society Council held on 6 September 2017 was noted. The Council had adopted a new style of reporting. Members were given a printed update of its work at each meeting. Mrs Paton had based her report on that information. It was noted that the Council had drafted a response to the CEC open letter on the Future of Europe following the CEC/ACTS conference in Edinburgh earlier in the year. It had been noted that David Bradwell had been elected onto the Churches Commission for Migrants in Europe Executive Committee for a three-year period. The Council had worked with Mission & Discipleship Council and the Moderator to commend the World Council of Churches commitments to young people World Mission Council Rev Anikó Schütz Bradwell gave an oral report of the meeting of the World Mission Council held on 6 September in Edinburgh. She had given an update on the work of the Ecumenical Relations Committee. She said an inter faith trip to Rwanda had taken place in August organised by Mrs Jennie Chinembiri of World Mission Council and Mirella Yandoli, Inter Faith Officer. A pilgrimage to Middle East would take place in May 2018 to visit holy sites and partner churches. Visits had taken place to Lebanon and MECC Partners Meeting in May and to Egypt in June. A useful visit to China had just been completed with a group from CTBI.

6 ER The National Council for Churches in Korea was campaigning for peace across the nation, regarding the rising tensions over nuclear threats. There is to be a trip to the United Mission to Nepal in April 2018 to which a good number of people had already signed up. Rev Dr David Sinclair would soon start as a Mission partner with the ECCB in Prague, as Ecumenical and International Relations Officer. Czech minister, Rev Ida Tenglerova and her family had been welcomed to Thurso West. The Convener commented that she would attend the Ecumenical Forum of European Christian Women s Executive Committee meeting in Edinburgh on 23 September. Ms Fiona Buchanan would show a film about the Pop-Up Monastery Theological Forum Rev Dr Liam Fraser gave an oral report of the meeting of the Theological Forum held on 16 August. Liam reported that there had only been one item of business at the meeting - reconciliation - and the discussion had been wide-ranging and diffuse. He had sent the Forum John McPake and Ross Blackman s comments on sacramental ministry. Miriam Weibye reported that the Scottish Episcopal Church would like to meet with the Forum in relation to its Cascade project. The SEC was beginning to change its Canon on Marriage. She said the SEC would invite a member of the Forum to sit on its Faith & Order Committee. Liam said he would suggest to the Forum that this could be a reciprocal arrangement. Liam Fraser 11.4 Social Care Council Mr David Nicholson s report of meetings of the Social Care Council held on 7-8 June and 13 September was noted. Viv Dickenson had been welcomed as the new Chief Executive Officer and Sheila Gordon, the newly appointed Director of Children and Family Services. It was noted that plans were being drafted for CrossReach s 150 th celebrations in 2019 and it was hoped to involve the wider church. David had attended an afternoon session on Safeguarding which he had found to be very beneficial Ministries Council The Committee noted Rev Ross Blackman s report of the meeting of the Ministries Council held on 30 and 31 August in Cumbernauld. The programme had consisted of six sessions: The Why of Ministry, Vision for Ministries Council, Business Session, Integrating Values, Development Programme, and Development Programme and Finance. The opening session had been led by John Bell of the Iona Community. The Convener thanked everyone for their reports. She handed over convenership of the meeting to Rev Ross Blackman. 12. Autumn Conference Ross asked Ros Milne for an update on the conference. She said around 24 registrations had been received to date. Invitations had been sent to Presbytery and Presbyterial Council Ecumenical Representatives and attendees at last year s conference. The conference had been advertised on the Church of Scotland website and Action of Churches Together in Scotland had distributed copies of the flyer. It was agreed that the flyer should be sent to Presbytery Clerks. Committee members were encouraged to attend. Mary Welsh agreed to find out if Radio Alba would publicise the conference. M Welsh

7 ER Nominations 13.1 Vice Convener, Ecumenical Relations Committee The referred to the vacancy of Vice Convener for the remaining cycle. A name was proposed for the Committee s approval. Approval was given and the agreed to forward this to the Nominations Committee Convener, Ecumenical Relations Committee The reported that Rev Alison McDonald s term of office would end at the General Assembly in 2018 and that Alison had already served for an additional year as Convener. He advised that the Committee should appoint a sub-committee with a view to bringing a recommendation to a future meeting of the Committee and thereafter to the Nomination committee in January The Committee appointed Rev Anikó Schütz Bradwell (Convener), Rev Dr Liam Fraser and the, as the subcommittee. Members of the Committee were invited to forward recommendations to the Convener or by 30 September Assemblies and Synods 2018 A list of assemblies and Synods to be held in 2018 at which the Church would be invited to send a representative was noted. Following discussion, names were agreed to be invited Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Work Programme Consultation The reported that CTBI had invited member churches to send a representative to a consultation to be held on November in Buckinghamshire. Neither he nor the Convener were able to attend. It was agreed that the and Convener should take this forward Trustee vacancy The reported that Rev Graham McGeoch had resigned as Trustee of CTBI as he would be moving to Brazil with his family. The General of CTBI had requested a meeting to discuss trusteeship. It was agreed to remit this matter to the and Convener. All to note Convener/ / Convener 14. Local Ecumenical Partnerships The gave an update on local ecumenical partnerships. He had been involved in discussions in relation to three partnerships. The discussions had been linked to constitutional issues and were ongoing. 15. Reports for noting 15.1 Churches Together in England National Ecumenical Officers meeting The aide-memoire of the NEOs meeting held on 19 July 2017 in London was noted. The had represented the Church of Scotland s Report The s report of work undertaken and meetings attended from June to September 2017 was noted. To a question about the joint conference in March 2018 on Semper Reformanda between the Joint Commission on Doctrine and the Scottish Episcopal Church, the reported that no progress had been made on the planning of the conference. Ros Milne would meet with Rev Dr Frances Henderson (co-chair of the JCD) on 25 September to take the planning forward.

8 ER Ross Blackman referred to the Sacramental Ministry Working Group which the had attended and indicated that this was a significant area of work International Anglican-Reformed Dialogue The report from Rev Dr Peter Donald, the Church of Scotland representative on the IARD held in Durban, South Africa from 31 August to 7 September 2017 hosted by the Anglican Communion. Peter had agreed to attend following the resignation of Professor Iain Torrance Scottish Pilgrim Routes Forum The report by Mrs Marjorie Paton of the AGM held at Markinch Parish Church on 15 September was noted. 16. Future meetings It was agreed that a Doodle Poll be set up to fix dates for the next two meetings of the Committee. Ross thanked everyone for attending the meeting... Convener.. Date... Date