The Parish Record September 2010 - download PDF file

From the Manse

This month's message from Revd Morris Coull, B.D.

Just these words to say…
...that the only summer reading I managed turned out to be an amazing and thought provoking book by Ayaan Hirsi Ali entitled simply ‘Nomad’.

This is the author’s follow-up to her first true-life account ‘Infidel’ and tells of her ‘transition from a tribal mindset that restricts woman’s every thought and action to life as a free and equal citizen in an open society’. Her story is, as the blurb says, a personal journey through the Clash of Civilisations which serves to highlight just how difficult it is to reconcile the values of Islam with Western values.

Although herself an atheist, she nevertheless looks to the Christian Churches to become active again in propagating their faith and the values that underpin that faith. I understand her to be saying that the mainstream, moderate denominations offer practical help but little in the way of spiritual guidance. And that is a most dangerous omission.

After some 40 years in the Christian Ministry I am not surprised by this. Church members are pretty good at the practical help bit but when it comes to spiritual guidance we draw back. Why? Because we don’t really know much about what we believe, or at least that we don’t feel comfortable talking about our faith. It’s a personal thing, we say …a private matter. Well, you know what they say… you never see a removal van in a funeral procession. But if you can’t take it with you, what do you do with it?

You pass it on.

That’s one of the reasons why we are introducing a couple of new developments with the Alpha Course. The first of those is what we are calling the Friday Soup Lunch Alpha Course and you can check out the information about that elsewhere in this newsletter.

It is a relaxed, low-key, friendly and fun way to explore the Christian faith.
Do come along and see what you think.

The second development (by popular request) is to run a follow-on course or Alpha Plus Course under the title ‘FAITHTRACK’. Attendance at this course will be by invitation in the first instance as it is by way of a trial run. If it proves successful it will be opened up for future registration. The FAITHTRACK programme has been developed by St. Paul’s Theological Centre at Holy Trinity Brompton, London and is offered to churches who wish to run their own basic theology courses. St. Paul’s Theological Centre has a vision to help theology back into the heart of the church and thereby help those who wish to understand their faith more deeply. And in today’s pluralist society, not only to understand their faith but be able to articulate it and connect it with the
rest of their lives – and to pass it on.

Hold us in your prayers, as we hold you in ours.

I am, your friend and Minister

Morris Coull