Peter's Blog

Summer Issue of Spill the Beans

Written by Peter Johnston on .

Spill the Beans Issue 47

The Spill the Beans Resource Team continues its alternative journey for 2022/23 using a lectionary prepared by Ashley M Wilcox titled "The Women's Lectionary" . This new lectionary seeks to provide something of a rebalance to the usually androcentric approach we have to the Bible by deliberately focusing on bible passages about women and female imagery of God.

Not only are we using this new lectionary for the next year, but we are also deliberately trying to focus more on how we worship intergenerationally within our church contexts. That has shifted our thinking somewhat so that instead of defining materials by age groups rather we are organising by how we might use different resources to "tell the story", "explore the story", and "live the story". Youi will still find a range of materials and ideas, but we challenge you to think creatively about how you use it and to think more intergenerationally.

You will find more about this approach in the Introduction section of the issue. Any feedback you want to offer will be most welcome. This is easily done on the Facebook page/group.

Sampler

Created by folks here in Scotland, this issue has lots of ideas and resources for you to inspire, adapt, use in your setting. If you have not used Spill the Beans before then please have a look at this sample.

In this copy we are also introducing a new two year lectionary that the Spill the Beans Resource Team have devised for 2023-2025 that we are calling "Word and World" as we try proactively to engage with events taking place in our own nation and worldwide during the course of those two years. A full draft table of readings is within the issue and will shortly be made available on the website.

We have also included some resources to facilitate churches going through transition whether that is closure of buildings, unions, linkages, groupings and so on.

If you'd like to download a full copy of Issue 47 for use in your church or personally, then click the 'Buy Now' button below. The cost is only £12 (GBP). You can make a secure payment via PayPal and then an email with secure link to the download should wing its way to you. Please note that you can only download the file using this link three times, so please make sure you save the file to your computer as soon as you have downloaded it. We recommend first downloading to a laptop or desktop computer before moving to phone/tablet.

Please follow the instructions carefully. The pdf file is approximately 11 MB so it may take a wee moment to download. Please be patient as your computer does so!

Spill the Beans Issue 47 Cover

Buy Now

You can also get involved in feedback and discussion on the Spill the Beans website, where we try to put up weekly PowerPoint backgrounds too. There is also a facebook page in which we share ideas and we have introduced a new Facebook group which you can link to from the facebook page and which we hope will provide a place of mutual support, ideas and encouragement as we trek together through this new adventure.

Print Copies

The office is open once more and can provide printed copies (within the United Kingdom) for an additional cost (usually around £20 + P&P depending on the size of the issue). Note that we recommend using the electronic version to reduce environmental waste. Please contact Ferryhill Parish Church Office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

Spill the Beans, Issue 46

Written by Peter Johnston on .

Spill the Beans Issue 46

The Spill the Beans Resource Team continues its alternative journey for 2022/23 using a new lectionary prepared by Ashley M Wilcox titled "The Women's Lectionary" . This new lectionary seeks to provide something of a rebalance to the usually androcentric approach we have to the Bible by deliberately focusing on bible passages about women and female imagery of God.

Not only are we using this new lectionary for the next year, but we are also deliberately trying to focus more on how we worship intergenerationally within our church contexts. That has shifted our thinking somewhat so that instead of defining materials by age groups rather we are organising by how we might use different resources to "tell the story", "explore the story", and "live the story". Youi will still find a range of materials and ideas, but we challenge you to think creatively about how you use it and to think more intergenerationally.

You will find more about this approach in the Introduction section of the issue. Any feedback you want to offer will be most welcome. This is easily done on the Facebook page/group.

Sampler

Created by folks here in Scotland, this issue has lots of ideas and resources for you to inspire, adapt, use in your setting. If you have not used Spill the Beans before then please have a look at this sample.

If you'd like to download a full copy of Issue 46 for use in your church or personally, then click the 'Buy Now' button below. The cost is only £12 (GBP). You can make a secure payment via PayPal and then an email with secure link to the download should wing its way to you. Please note that you can only download the file using this link three times, so please make sure you save the file to your computer as soon as you have downloaded it. We recommend first downloading to a laptop or desktop computer before moving to phone/tablet.

Please follow the instructions carefully. The pdf file is approximately 6 MB so it may take a wee moment to download. Please be patient as your computer does so!

Spill the Beans Issue 46 Cover

Buy Now

You can also get involved in feedback and discussion on the Spill the Beans website, where we try to put up weekly PowerPoint backgrounds too. There is also a facebook page in which we share ideas and we have introduced a new Facebook group which you can link to from the facebook page and which we hope will provide a place of mutual support, ideas and encouragement as we trek together through this new adventure.

Print Copies

The office is open once more and can provide printed copies (within the United Kingdom) for an additional cost (usually around £20 + P&P depending on the size of the issue). Note that we recommend using the electronic version to reduce environmental waste.

 

Artificial Intelligence (AI): Opportunity and Challenge for the Church

Written by Peter Johnston on .

Republished from Church of Scotland's website:

Thursday 17 November, 2022
07:30 pm - 08:45 pm

Join Dr Murdo Macdonald, Society, Religion and Technology (SRT) Policy Officer, Very Rev Dr Martin Fair and Rev Peter Johnston for this online evening event to understand what AI is and explore how we as Christians can respond.

About this event

Internet-based new technologies are rapidly changing the way we live and became a remarkable lifeline to people socially isolated during the Covid-19 pandemic. Machines with artificial intelligence (AI), at the heart of search engines, voice assistants and speech and face recognition on mobile phones, are powering much of this revolution. AI is used in business and government administration, including the assessment of social security, employment and loan applications. AI algorithms also underpin some impressive innovations in healthcare, assisting doctors to diagnose illness, discover new drugs, read medical images and use robots in surgical operations.

The Church has many reasons to celebrate and embrace these technologies, but some difficult questions arise about the implementation of the digital revolution.

At this online event we will hear from the Very Rev Dr Martin Fair and Faith Impact Forum Vice Convener, Rev Peter Johnston about importance of AI and how it affects our daily lives.

We will introduce our new congregational resources available to help us understand these issues and explore how we as Christians can respond. There will be opportunity for discussion and a Q & A session with Martin and Peter.

You can read the Faith Impact Forum Artificial Intelligence Report and download our resources at SRT topics: technology.

This event is free and will take place on Zoom. Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to register in advance.

Please read the Church of Scotland's Privacy Notice.

A New Season of Spill the Beans

Written by Peter Johnston on .

Spill the Beans Issue 45

The Spill the Beans Resource Team is delighted to be doing something different for the next year. Instead of using the Revised Common Lectionary (of which we have completed two cycles) or the Narrative Lectionary (of which we have completed a four year cycle) we are using a new lectionary prepared by Ashley M Wilcox titled "The Women's Lectionary" . This new lectionary seeks to provide something of a rebalance to the usually androcentric approach we have to the Bible by deliberately focusing on bible passages about women and female imagery of God.

Not only are we using this new lectionary for the next year, but we are also deliberately trying to focus more on how we worship intergenerationally within our church contexts. That has shifted our thinking somewhat so that instead of defining materials by age groups rather we are organising by how we might use different resources to "tell the story", "explore the story", and "live the story". Youi will still find a range of materials and ideas, but we challenge you to think creatively about how you use it and to think more intergenerationally.

You will find more about this approach in the Introduction section of the new issue. Note that we are still working on this and fine-tuning it as we go. Spill the Beans is always experimental!

Sampler

Created by folks here in Scotland, this issue has lots of ideas and resources for you to inspire, adapt, use in your setting. If you have not used Spill the Beans before then please have a look at this sample.

If you'd like to download a full copy of Issue 45 for use in your church or personally, then click the 'Buy Now' button below. The cost is only £12 (GBP). You can make a secure payment via PayPal and then an email with secure link to the download should wing its way to you. Please note that you can only download the file using this link three times, so please make sure you save the file to your computer as soon as you have downloaded it. We recommend first downloading to a laptop or desktop computer before moving to phone/tablet.

Please follow the instructions carefully. The pdf file is approximately 8.5 MB so it may take a wee moment to download. Please be patient as your computer does so!

Spill the Beans Issue 45 Cover

Buy Now

You can also get involved in feedback and discussion on the Spill the Beans website, where we try to put up weekly PowerPoint backgrounds too. There is also a facebook page in which we share ideas and we have introduced a new Facebook group which you can link to from the facebook page and which we hope will provide a place of mutual support, ideas and encouragement as we trek together through this new adventure.

Print Copies

The office is open once more and can provide printed copies (within the United Kingdom) for an additional cost (usually around £20 + P&P depending on the size of the issue). Note that we recommend using the electronic version to reduce environmental waste.

 

The South Africa Debrief

Written by Peter Johnston on .

On Saturday, 15 October, we had our debrief after a packed few days of meetings, visits, stories, heartache and inspiration.

Graham Philpott from Church Land Programme used the form of a worship liturgy to guide us through our thoughts from the past few days. It was an effective tool. We began with an opening affirmation: "The Lord be with you. And also with you."

The gospel was an exploration of where we had seen good news during the past days. Where had we seen God present in the time and experiences we had shared together? As we started to share the gospel, memories and moments flooded out and on to many pages of flipchart...

Debrief 02

For me, it was in the laughter amidst the trauma and fragility of one of the informal settlements. In the midst of suffering and exploitation, even there God finds a way to bring a moment of light and joy as people work together through their struggles.

We went on to offer our prayers and everyone was invited to share their own. Some wrote, some spoke, one of us (thank you, Shermara) used song, as we tried to express our thoughts to God. Here's what I wrote:

God of love and life,

in our struggle to be human

hold us close when we need to know

we are not alone,

and scatter us far when we need to be

your seeds of life.

 

When we see injustice

may we recognise it,

and name it.

 

When we find ourselves

with power to wield

may we be wise and ready

to offer that power to others,

with vulnerability

may we seek community,

solidarity, and peace.

 

In the struggle, give us hope,

be with those on the margins

where your community grows,

an antidote to greed.

for the common good of all.

Amen.

And then we moved to that moment in the service when you might recite a Creed or Statement of Faith. And we explored what impact this trip had had on us and our understanding of God. How had our perceptions of what was important to God and God's kin-dom been affected by what we had witnessed?

Debrief 03

This began another outpouring of ideas and feelings and descriptions from the group as we explored what our Statement of Faith, our Creed about God, might look like. We filled two sheets with ideas and as we did so the twin pillars of 'love' and 'life' kept recurring.

On one of the flights back home, unable to sleep, I started toying with the ideas we had splurged onto the sheets of paper and tried to distil them into a form of words:

We believe

that God is LOVE:

present in all of creation,

seeking communion and relationship

on the margins of society,

in the struggles of the poor,

being  both vulnerable and uncontrollable,

active and limitless,

and opening opportunities for grace.

 

We believe

that God is LIFE:

bringing agency and dignity

in the messiness and bloodiness

of life on the edge,

revealing truth

and disrupting our delusions,

offering hope

wherever it is needed.

 

We believe

that God is INCARNATE:

journeying with us

in solidarity and faith

on the long, potholed road

towards justice and freedom.

 

We believe

that God is LOVE

and LIFE,

here and now.

And then we came to the offering of the peace, and the hugs and farewells began for we were going to be saying goodbye to many of the group after lunch. It was such a condensed time together, learning from one another and from everyone we met, and we were all anxious that the experience would be more than a memory of a few intense days.

Unwinding

Safari 04

After such a focussed and exhausting time, those of us who were still in the group were offered a few alternatives to do something different and, of course, we all chose to visit a game reserve. We were laughing together because it turned baltic and the rain started coming down as we ventured out in the safari truck with a very chatty ranger to explore the park and the animals.

We met Zebras and ostriches, wildebeest and kudi, hippos and elands, but the stars of the show were the giraffes...

Safari 02

...who were fascinated by our presence and comforted by the presence of our Ranger who knew them all by name. One of them was called 'Darky' because her patches were much darker than any of the others and she was the Ranger's favourite because she was so photogenic, always coming forward when a picture needed to be taken and presenting herself for the camera in stately beauty. 

I was amazed at how they all came out into the road to have a good look at us.

And then there were the Rhinos...

Safari 03

...this wee one was just months old, still nursing from its mum. The mum, by the way, weighing in at 2.5 tonnes.

The park owners realised that they should keep their shop open until we finished the tour. It was a wise decision on their part and most of us found something for family to bring home with us.

I was getting a bit anxious about all of this thinking I still did not have my suitcase so I would need to buy another case just to put all the stuff in that I had acquired over the last few days. It was returning from the park that I found my suitcase had arrived. Alleluia! Even if it just meant opening it to pull out a clerical shirt and pair of trousers, packing it with gifts and dirty clothes and sealing it back up for the return trip the next day!

Scottsville Presbyterian Church

Scottsville 02

On Sunday morning most of the group headed off to the Anglican Church in Howick where one of our group was the priest. I had made arrangements through a connection of the Church of Scotland's Carol Finlay with the Uniting Presbyterian Church in South Africa to join Scottsville Presbyterian Church nearby for Sunday worship. I was picked up by two daughters of missionaries, Fiona and Mairi Mathieson, who have been long time members of the church and have witnessed how it has evolved from a predominantly white church to a predominantly black church.

It is right next door to the University. There was an extraordinarily high rate of doctoral and post-doctoral worshippers present, one of whom had led our Contextual Bible Study on the Friday. It was super to meet Belinda again and chat with her about her studies and her desire to come to the United Kingdom to explore chaplaincy - something which is taught as a module in the theology classes but for which there is no practical outlet in South Africa at the moment.

Scottsville 01

I spoke with the minister on the phone a couple of days earlier. but he was away this particular weekend in Jo'burg. The service was instead led by the Session Clerk, Songe, who kindly let me introduce myself and the reason I was in South Africa and then to close the service with a benediction during which I taught everyone to sign the Grace using BSL!

It was really good to hear Songe preaching and he did cause me to chuckle as he referenced the political shenanigans in the UK as an illustration of how things in the world are in such a terrible state. By the by, almost everyone we talked to in SA was looking upon the UK with bewilderment at how things fall apart so quickly in what they had always considered such a stable nation. During our time in SA we had the firing of the Chancellor and the continuing meltdown over his mini-budget within the UK Government. One couple I was chatting to later in the day as our plane refueled at Jo'burg told me they loved following British politics because it was such good comedy. Oh dear.

Scottsville 03

Songe, picture on the far left of this group photo was encouragingly honest also about the situation in South Africa, naming gender-based violence as a problem needing to be rooted out and named as abhorrent to the values of God's kin-dom. It was really good to hear this being called out after our meeting with the Ujamaa Centre two days earlier.

After the service and an opportunity to chat with other worshippers, Fiona and Mairi invited me back to their home for tea and home-made carrot cake while they then picked my brains on everything going on in Scotland. They were remarkably well informed about what was going on, even asking me about the formation of the new Presbyteries and how that was developing. They shared their own story and their long and deep involvement with the Church. It was a lovely time, only interrupted by the phone and the rest of the group wondering when I would be back to the hotel as they were hungry for lunch!

Services in South Africa are early! The Anglican Church service began at 8 a.m. and the Presbyterian service at 9 a.m. Ouch.

Scottsville 04

Homeward Bound

We then started to make our way, slowly, to the airport in Durban. We took the scenic route up to the tourist spot of 1000 Hills Arts and Crafts VIllage where we had lunch and got a few more presents to bring home. The setting was glorious overlooking multiple valleys and a surprising number of hills...

Homeward 03

Then it was our final farewells as the larger group of us took the same flight out of Durban to Jo'burg to Doha, to London.

Homeward 02

Time to reflect as the plane gathered us back home, the world turning beneath us as we travelled throught the night and were greeted with the beautiful colours of a new dawn. We started to turn our attention back to the week to come.

Homeward 01

What next?

I hope this blog has been helpful for readers to share something of the journey of these packed days. It is also very helpful for me to reflect and try to unpack some of my own thoughts about the trip.

It has given me a wee insight into the plight of urban poor people in South Africa. Something beyond what you gain from reading a story or watching a short video. It reveals just what a society looks like when there is no social safety net for people. Sometimes that is derided here in the UK, but that kind of derision is easy when you are not faced with the threat of no food, no home, no water, no opportunity.

What I also gained was an incredible sense of the commitment by many people to create dignity and agency for people who are so often denied even basic access to the commons (water, sanitation, etc.) that we take for granted. Then there are the people living in informal settlements themselves, and the sense of frustration and anger of some, and the quiet determination of others: that their story will have future chapters. Often, far more often than the big grand gestures, it is the small acts that really turn the world around: an act of compassion towards a neighbour, an act of defiance towards oppressive systems, a bible study.

There was also the reality that sacrifice for doing the kin-dom thing is not just about words on a page but a lived reality. One organistion has seen 26 members murdered because of their work with people in informal settlements. "Take up your cross, and follow me."

We have heard about the devastating affects of climate change in the severity of flooding that can do such destruction to informal settlements in particular, the tin shacks providing no safety from the ravaging waters. This is the reality for people now, not a distant threat as it seems from the UK.

And having been given such insight, the question remains: what do you do with this insight?

As I write I have spent half the day chairing a meeting, and the rest on administrative work... and it felt like I had never been away. Coming back to write this post has been very helpful to remember that this trip was not a dream.

So there may be more to come, here or in preaching, or wherever else I can share a thought from this experience.

That's enough for now.

Oh, and when I finally got back to Aberdeen (no surprise that the Aberdeen flight was delayed as there were no staff at Heathrow to load the bagged aboard the plane) late on Monday night... my suitcase eventually appeared on the baggage carousel. Yay!

The Invisible Reality

Written by Peter Johnston on .

Yesterday, Friday, was another long and engaged day, which we finished with a Last Supper of the whole group together. Some of our compadres from South Africa were leaving us today to return home. It has been a wonderfully enriching experience for us all that this shared time together has been a cultural mix. The insight and experience from those who are engaged day in and day out with life and ministry (in different forms) in South Africa has been a beautiful gift for those of us from the UK. In some small way I hope we have also been able to share our own experience of faith in a meaningful way. Mostly, though, those of us in the UK have been listening and learning.

Friday morning involved a visit to the University and to the School of Religion, Philosophy & Classics in which we met with members of the Ujamaa Centre (a similar concept to ubuntu, but from a Kenyan context). The work going on in and through the centre is pioneering as they explore the interface between theology and the outworking of that theology in communities (the praxis). They are grappling with a range of subjects and groups, including gender-based violence, the colonial imposition of traditions of patriarchy and power dynamics, and inclusion of the LGBTI community. 

Ujamaa 06

It was empowering to hear the women theologians and practitioners describe their work, from the research they have done to the ways in which they are then utilising that information to guide their thinking and acting. Of course, this means courses for students, as a part of the University, but also other pieces of work with direct links back to communities. An example of that is the "Tamar Campaign". I had just written some bible notes about the story of Tamar and her rape (2 Samuel 13) a couple of days before leaving for South Africa so my ears immediately pricked up when I heard it mentioned. The Tamar campaign is a way of helping to encourage and resource church leaders to talk about gender-based violence in their own communities, recognising the important part that church leaders play in those communities.

Always, and this has been a recurring theme through the week here, there is a sense of how to encourage, celebrate, and enable 'agency' amongst those who are part of such training, but also amongst those living in vulnerable and yet deeply witnessing communities. This is in opposition to the ways in which the State often seeks to dehumanise groups of people, something we see in the UK too, of course. For instance, the young families living in the commune we visited the day before are, even in their fragile situation, displaying extraordinary agency. They are taking control of their own lives and futures even when those in power are trying to evict them, to deny them, to ignore their needs. They are confronting the power of Empire in their own small way. Without glorifying their actions, nonetheless it is a sacrificial living, echoing the sacrifical confrontation of Empire by Jesus. And some have paid with their lives for living in this way.

Ujamaa 03

Later in the afternoon we visited the botanical gardens in Pietermaritzburg, which were beautiful, though of course a remnant of colonisation... Fiona, one of the group from the UK, had found a bench in the park from which she sat enjoying the view. On the bench was the inscription: "The Invisible Reality".

What a powerful statement that is. It resonated with many of us. It perfectly encapsulates what we have been forced to see this week: the reality that is otherwise invisible to us. The lives of those living on the very edges of society, right in the space that challenges our conceptions of what is 'acceptable' and 'normal'. You could drive past a community such as the one we visited yesterday and not pay a second glance. It was just a few corrugated tin shacks and vegetable patches on either side of a valley with a stream winding through its heart. Yet in that community, risky and dangerous and edgy though it is, we also found God at work, in the commitment, in the relationships, in the laughter, in the honesty. Each person knew they had dignity amongst each other, even when the State (and sometimes their neighbours) sought to deny it. And that agency bore witness to love more than any sermon could. The invisible reality amongst us, if we stop, if we see, if we listen.

Ujamaa 07

While we were out and about we could not help but be impressed by the beautiful blossom (it is Spring here) of the Jacarandas trees. Gloriously hopeful amidst the struggle. [But, later found out that these are not indigenous trees and are very invasive a species which are not allowed to be planted any longer.]

Contextual Bible Study

While we were at the Ujamaa Centre we also discussed the "Stolen Bible" - how the Scriptures have been stolen from the people. Gatekeepers such as ministers like me, theologians, so-called guardians of the faith, create walls around the Scriptures, providing their interpretations of the Bible as the one true interpretation. By doing so, they can cut the Scriptures off from being a living witness to God at work in a community - speaking into specific situations and needs to bring hope.

Ujamaa 05

The centre uses Contextual Bible Study (CBS) as a means to overcome that great theft from the people. What does this mean? It means engaging with the Scripture and letting it speak beyond the spoken or written word to bring God and hope alive. Sometimes communities ask for a session of CBS to help them through a particular challenge. One example of this was a community that had been affected by flooding, seeing the terrible damaging effects of water. The Ujamaa Centre provided a CBS using Ezekiel 47:1-12 to explore their relationship with water. This would usually take a day to run through. We gave it a go in a very condensed form, breaking into groups to explore the text, unpacking how it spoke to us of water, of life, of abundance. We relished it, of course, delving into the text and seeking new insights from the groups and letting our interpretations of that text shape our reflections on some of the stories we have heard across these past few days. It was a small glimpse into the power of Scripture still to inspire, if we let it.

Of course, even when using CBS there is always the danger of pre-judging the needs and guiding the conversation, and thus creating a power imbalance. It is a critique all leaders of any kind of bible study would do well to remember. 

Ujamaa 02

Church Land Programme

Our final official stop was to the offices of Church Land Programme (CLP) who have been our brilliant hosts this week. Graham Philpott talked us through the fascinating history of the organisation. It began as a response to the question over what would happen to the large amount of land in the possession of church denominations as South Africa moved into the post-Apartheid era. When so many people in the country were landless, what kind of witness was it for churches to be holding huge portfolios of land? So the CLP became a mediator in transactions that moved land from church ownership to ownership by the people. And such it did for a number of years. Only those who were running the organisation, Graham included, started to ask some deep questions as the realisation began to dawn that what they were increasingly doing was facilitating the transfer of land from the hands of wealthy churches into the hands of people who had little intention of using it to benefit those who were landless.

The board of CLP engaged in a period of self-criticism and reflection which ultimately led them to shift what their core focus was away from land transactions to working with communities who were seeking to resist being dominated by others. This was a big decision for a group that is supported by financial donors for whom a transition in purpose could have jeopardised the support they were willing to afford. It is highly commendable and speaks of a deep humility and authenticity in the board to make this move.

The process they use for thie work they do now  they refer to as 'animation' - in the sense of 'bringing to life'. They predominantly work with groups of poor people in situations of seeming powerlessness - those who are landless, those denied access to the basic needs for life, those who are victims of patriarchy and other abusive situations. Part of their work is triying to link these people into other groups such as some of those we have visited this week. It has been inspiring to see the work of these 'animators' as they describe the process of walking alongside people in their struggle, building trust, listening to their issues, and helping people find routes to their own solutions for the complex problems they face. Note that CLP do not provide the solutions. They are not purveyors of ready-made programmes or pre-packaged solutions. Instead they work to animate the people with whom they are engaged to seek a way forward on the journey for themselves.

Ujamaa 09

The practice of animation includes listening, dialogue, making connections, understanding, people taking action for themselves, reflection and learning, and material support. There is an excellent summary of this practice here. The component parts of this all build up a way to follow the simple guide of SEE, JUDGE, and ACT that has also been our guide for this week. I have not, however, seen this put into such good and effective practice as I have here. It really is inspirational.

Listening to Graham speak about the shift in priorities and focus for CLP I noted well his emphasis on what they do WITH people and not FOR people. It is such an important distinction. One of the quite a few things within the Church of Scotland that I am rather uneasy about at the moment is the adoption of the Five Marks of Mission (you can find them here if you scroll down the page a wee bit), I understand them, I get why folks find them appealing, but they grate with me because they are framed in a way that talks about what the church does TO people and the world. This is even worse than FOR. It is a model with worrying overtones of domination.

There is a movement amongst some, I sense, for reviving a powerful church that acts to change the world to its own ends. I fear it is doomed to failure. For this is not how God chooses to work. God incarnate in Jesus did not come to dominate but rather to walk beside. Jesus animated fisherfolk, tax collectors, zealots and myriad others to become the disrupters of the dominant ideology of Empire and control. I fear that many parts of the church, and the Church of Sccotland is far from immune, are once again succumbing to the lure of power that cosying up to the powerful brings and adopting the practices of Empire. Faith Action Plans and Deliverables and so on... Like God operates according to five year business cycles. It is laughable when you take a step back from the weeds of trying to implement all this busy-ness.

This adoption of the ways of Empire, of market ideology, of ecclesial capitalism are about maintaing the power of an institution, not about a living witness to the God who preferences the poor and dispossessed, the oppressed and the abused. We see this in frightening forms with the rise of dominionist theology in the USA and the Seven Mountain Mandate and the adoption of these frameworks in a grim merging of church and politics in the current Republican party.

One of the many, many things that has been so obvious during this week has been the need for listening, communication, understanding, action, and reflection in the decisions we make for the future and the need for a cycle of this that continues to iterate as we grow together. To do that we need space and time. That is in short supply at the moment. 

Ujamaa 04

In the evening some of us (thank you, Fiona, for finding this on the menu!) could not resist trying a dessert which had a distinctly Scottish twist: deep fried Lindt chocolate balls. All I can say is that the collective oohs and aahs as we cut into them were not left wanting! Something for the locally chipper, I think.

Ujamaa 11

Delving Deep

After the Last Supper, we returned to the Ascott Inn where we are staying in Pietermaritzburg and, as has been the pattern of most evenings, some of us lingered around the terrace to enjoy a drink and conversation. After much laughter and silliness, the therapeutic value of which should never be underestimated, we delved deep. I was in the company of four of our South African fellow travellers. This was an utterly fascinating exploration of the current situation in South Africa. I was humbled and privileged to sit in their presence and listen to their discussion, not wanting to ask too many daft laddie questions. Throughout the week there has been an undercurrent of lament and sorrow amongst those with whom the journey has been shared and amongst many we have meet along the way. It is a sorrow that what could have been at the moment when the apartheid regime finally collapsed under the wieght of its injustice never came to pass. The hopes and dreams of so many who had been dominated by the Apartheid Empire were only realised in terms of gaining the vote. The other promises failed to appear in a healthy and sustainable manner.

The result is growing inequality, whole groups of people forced into the situation of informal settlements in order to survive with no safety nets, rampant corruption, and a sense that the country has lost its way. Any comparisons to the current situation in the UK are entirely coincidental... In amongst that, the Church has also lost its way. While some parts of the Church were completely complicit in apartheid, many other parts had a powerful focus and urgent prophetic voice to counter the domination of the Apartheid Empire. With that gone, so the Church lost its focus and sense of purpose amidst the deepening struggles of those at the bottom of society.

As ever, market-driven ideology destroys community and a sense of neighbourliness amidst the lure of consumerism and the desire for more, more, more for me, me, me!

I cannot do justice here to a wide-ranging discussion of many hours. What I took away from it, however, is that there are some wonderfully thoughtful people who are doing their very best to think how they, in their own small parts, can make a difference through their accompaniment with others, through challenging the systems around them, and through a vital disruptive energy to create something different.

My prayers are with them in the continuing struggle.

At every gathering we have been to during the week, there is always a rallying cry amongst everyone present. It originates in the resistance movement against apartheid. The leader cries,, "Amandla!" which means "Power" and everyone responds "Ngawethu!" meaning "to us". POWER TO US!

This post is too long already! I will end these reflections on yesterday here, writing now late on Saturday when everyone else has gone to bed.

Oh, one last thing, when I got back into the bedroom late on the day before we leave to head home guess what I found in my bedroom?

...

...

...

Ujamaa 10

Just in time to take it back home again...

Informal Settlements

Written by Peter Johnston on .

Today, Thursday, was another full packed day that has left me and all the group deep in thoughtful reflection at what we heard, what we saw, and the conversations we had. We focused on informal settlements today. These are areas where people, for many different reasons, usually revolving around lack of resources (money, connections) have had to resort to living in informal settlements. These are settlements which are not sanctioned by the municipalities. People, in some desperation, have had to take their circumstances into their own hands. They have no other choice.

To put some context to this, it is worth considering that the relatively new constitution of South Africa states:

Housing
(1) Everyone has the right to have access to adequate housing.
(2) The state must take reasonable legislative and other measures, within its available resources, to achieve the progressive realisation of this right.
(3) No one may be evicted from their home, or have their home demolished, without an order of court made after considering all the relevant circumstances. No legislation may permit arbitrary evictions.

That ideal from 1996 has failed. Too many people are forced by circumstances into situations where they have no choice but to take up residence in informal settlements, sometimes occupying land in order to build homes for themselves. They are in an incredibly vulnerable situation. The authorities do nothing to assist them. No water is provided. No electricity. No sanitation. So people have to get these things themselves. Some of this sounds alien and troubling to our Northern sentiments, but you have to understand the situation in which shack dwellers are trying to make a home for themselves. They have no other choice. So they tap into water supplies to create a communal downpipe, hook up a power supply to overhead cables, even create their own sewage systems.

Settlements 11

But they do all this with constant threat. The authorities often turn up and tear down the fragile homes that have been built, leaving people to rebuild them the next day if they want a roof over their heads. They are extremely vulnerable to climate change and the more extreme weather events that has brought, particularly flooding which can wipe away whole communities. Women are both incredibly strong and courageous in the efforts they put in to creating homes in these terrible circumstances, but also vulnerable to gender violence. We heard first hand stories of how violence and sexual violence towards women would never see justice done as the local police and authorities would dismiss any accusation from within one of these settlements.

Settlements 01

We heard today both from a large organisation (Abahlali BaseMjondolo, AbM) with over 100,000 members from informal settlements of how some of the leaders with whom they worked in local settlements had been murdered for their role in supporting the members of these communities. It was heartbreaking. Young lives, committed to helping their brothers and sisters, ripped away in the name of greed and power. Capitalism, raw and wild.

Evictions happen frequently from these communities, despite rulings from the courts to say that the evictions are not legal. Those with their eyes on the land just threaten and evict anyway, getting rid of troublemakng voices if necessary.

Settlements 02

This is the context for what we heard today. We had almost three hours in the morning with a group of activists from AbM who either live in or used to live in informal settlements (and still support them). We explored with them the topics of climate justice and racism, what it is to be black and poor in post-Apartheid South Africa, and the particular challenges faced by women in informal settlements.

Settlements 03

It was an eye-opening, harrowing, exhausting morning. I took lots of notes, but at the late hour at which I am writing this I have not quite had the time to process all that we heard. Save that there are many incredibly dedicated people seeking to create a movement of people who aspire to the same dignity that others are treated with. It was overwhelming. There were glimmers of light, in the stories of evictions that were succesffuly quashed through the law courts, and stories of communities working together to support each other and try to model a different kind of world.

Visiting Informal Settlements

Settlements 05

Which led us in the afternoon to visit two quite different informal settlements. One was being run as a socialist commune, the residents having chosen to live together in this way. Think of St Paul talking about the early church as a place where everyone shares all that they have and work together to form a new community and you get the idea. It sounds idyllic on paper, the reality is heart-rending. This community lost one of its leaders, murdered by someone who was known and for whom there were eyewitnesses, but no arrest has been made. The local pastor (this was deeply, deeply troubling) is in cahoots with the councillors and police seeking to evict these 17 families because he has eyes on the land for his own enrichment. It is disgusting to think of this distortion of gospel values.

We met in their own community hall which is used as a meeting space and school, named after another leader who was murdered in a different community - a sense of solidarity across the different settlements in the city. That sense of solidarity is always expressed in song - with songs of protest reclaiming power for themselves sung at every gathering.

Settlements 06

What was deeply impressive were the young people of this settlement. Two young women in their early 20s spoke to the small group I was with about their experiences and how they work together. It was both wonderfully encouraging to see the spirit of resistance and fortitude in women so young trying to create a living for themselves, but also horrifying to think of the trauma they lived with day in and day out. They had lived through the murder of a servant leader of their community, they knew the vulnerability of having their gardens washed away in the floods, and of the constant threat from others who saw them as a target. They tended to sleep during the day and be awake at night for fear that it would be at night that others might come to destroy all they had built. One of the ways AbM was able to help this settlement was with the construction of fencing and a gate to the commune.

I kept coming back to the fact that these young women were the same ages as my own girls. I'm not going to use the names of the settlements in order to protect their residents.

Settlements 08

The community worked as one in raising their chickens, selling the eggs for some income, and working out their plans for what vegetables to grow on the land in order to support themselves and, if possible, have some extra to sell to others.

Settlements 10

We had to leave this settlement sharpish as there were worries our presence might be creating too much interest amongst others in the surrounding community.

We visited a second much larger informal settlement, only four years old. As we arrived and moved to their community gathering space, complete with stage area for performances - all built with their own hands, we soon found the space filling with residents who wanted to meet us and to share some of their own story. We heard from some people who had been living in rented accomodation but had found themselves unable to continue paying the rent - a combination of rental prices moving upwards and lack of job opportunities. Their only option was to move to an informal settlement.

Over and over again we heard the plea simply that they be recognised by the state, by the municipality. It was a plea to be given dignity and for their constitutional rights to be respected. It was a plea that their humanity not be neglected, that they not be treated as second-class citizens. It is a plea that, it would seem, is not heard by those who are in or close to power.

The Vanishing Church

Which led to another eye-opening moment from the day. We who were part of the church in the visiting group noticed that there was very little mention of the church. When we drilled down into this, it was devastating. The church, having played in many parts (though not all) such an important role during apartheid to speak truth to power made the decision after 1994 and the fall of apartheid to step back from politics and 'return to being the church'. This seems, in hindsight, to have been a grave error. The church is now, we heard, almost absent from the plight of people in the informal settlements. Where would Jesus be ministering, one inevtably asks? Furthermore, many in the church have cosied up to the powerful for the access and status this brings within society. This then has weakened their ability to challenge those who are failing the people, harming those who are most vulnerable. It is complicity in a corrupt system. A story that has been told many times within churches over the centuries.

Having sat with the memory of the Most Rev Desmond Tutu's amazingly powerful rhetoic when he addressed the General Assembly in 2009, it is hard to now hear how the church is failing some of the most vulnerable people within South African society. It was deeply shaming to hear from the young women directly how the pastor was not just absent in their own situation, but an active participant in the destruction of their homes and livelihoods.

It was quite a day. We were scheduled to have a time of reflection on all we had witnessed while still at the second of the informal settlements, but it was too early. We decided to do that tomorrow morning instead. In the meantime, over dinner and fellowship this evening we did share our thoughts and feelings from the day, but we'll reflect more tomorrow.

And tomorrow involves visiting the University in Pietermaritzburg to visit Ujamaa and how they are using Contextual Bble Study, and then a session talking in detail about the work of Church Land Programme, who are our wonderful hosts here.

 

South Durban

Written by Peter Johnston on .

I made it to Durban, finally, on Tuesday night. It will come as no shock to anyone that, while I made it, my suitcase did not. At the moment, a day later, the airline is still trying to trace it. I am assuming it is lost somewhere in Heathrow. After trying to get the baggage claim done while watching the clock at Jo'burg, I had to make great haste to catch the flight to Durban, just boarding as they closed the door of the plane. Honestly, it is a good thing I don't get stressed easily.

On arriving at Durban, my driver pointed me to the Woolworths in the airport where I managed to get some basics and a clean pair of shorts and a top. Over 50 hours in the same clothes and I was done with them and they with me! The driver was great on the trip out to Pietermaritzburg, filling me in with lots of local information.

I met some of the team that evening and then slept very well. Actually, my first room kept tripping the circuit breaker so no electricity... but the second room was fine. It was so good to lie down.

South Durban Community Environmental Alliance

We left early this morning to head back to Durban. The morning was spent in the company of a large gathering of people with whom South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) is involved, building bridges of solidarity between different communities and stakeholders who have been affected by the growing environmental problems.

South Durban 03

It is difficult to describe the content of the morning in a way that does justice to the outpouring of sorrow, anger and frustration from people whose lives have been so badly affected by enviornmental issues. From many people we heard about the devastating impact of floods which destroy homes and the subsequent breakdown within municipal and national governments to provide the support that people and families who are made homeless require. One lady told us how she was still living in temporary accommodation after her house was destroyed in 2009. Others told us of having to live for months on end in community halls and then getting moved to tents. One grandmother tried to express through her tears her heartbreak and frustration at all that life had thrown at her. Another younger mother vividly portrayed the aftermath of a flood and how no support came from the municipality to assist the community in trying to dig out their neighbours, and how basic sanitation is utterly broken.

South Durban 05

Another man who had travelled some 200 km to be at the meeting, shared the story of how his community's water supply has been destroyed by mining, polluting the water sources that had once been used. Now water is trucked in once a week, but it has to be paid for, something many families cannot afford.

We heard from those who practice subsistence fishing, totally reliant on the produce of the sea and how rampant pollution from industry and failing sewage systems has led to greater risk for those fishing in the polluted waters, the risk of E. Coli, and even how, during the pandemic, the beaches were closed to all - including those who make their livings from subsistence fishing. Note that commercial fishing still was allowed to continue.

South Durban 02

Through numerous stories it was clear that there were great failings within the governments, local and national, to meet the basic needs of all citizens of the country. Infrastructure collapses sometimes do not get fixed. In one community a bridge was washed away in a storm. It only got fixed by the local community coming together to build a new crossing themselves. We heard of how officials would come to investigate problems, take photos, meet with residents but then nothing would happen.

Into what could be a hopeless situation, is the voice of solidarity which organisations like SDCEA are promoting by bringing together poor people affected by environmental catastrophe in order to work together to demand that politicians and leaders listen to their plight.

South Durban 04

We visited the site of a memorial to a moment in 1995 when Nelson Mandela came to listen to the people of Wentworth, a part of the city, and to their objections and fears about the environmental impact of industry especially on the poor. The levels of cancer and asthma in the communities that immediately surround huge oil refineries and storage areas are elevated. I was blown away by the visual contrast of the massive sand dune with Indian Ocean waves rolling in on one side and the ugly and polluting petrochemical plants on the other.

South Durban 06

We journeyed with Desmond D'Sa, the SDCEA Co-Ordinator, around the area on a "toxic tour". It is so easy to see how poor regulations, a lack of oversight, the corrupting influence of huge amounts of money, and rampant profiteering by multinational companies has a devastating impact on many communities. It is no wonder that there is considerable resistance from these communities at the moment. That people in these situations find ways for their voices to be heard is critical.

South Durban 07

The housing areas and small farm lands run right up to the massive plants. Near the harbour is a petrochemical storage facility with over a thousand not always well maintained containers and gasometers. Memories of the Bhopal disaster in India were brought to mind when we saw the scale of these facilities.

South Durban 09

Just Transition

The late afternoon was in the company of David Hallows of Groundwork. We discussed the complexities of a just transition from an extractive economy with all the damage that this does to environments and communities to a regenerative economy which has co-operative production at its heart. These are massive shifts, and of course ones that we in Aberdeen should be spending a lot more time talking about ourselves. This is huge rethinking from a capitalist mindset that requires continual growth to feed an ever hungrier beast (consumerism) to a kind of society that tries to live well with each other and the earth.

South Durban 11

It goes without saying that those States that are reliant on petrochemicals for their wealth are fighting any attempts towards that kind of shift in our thinking as inhabitants of our one earthly home.

Our discussions later in the evening as we reflected on all we had seen and heard today were fascinating. We talked a lot about our own distorting presence as representatives of NGOs or other Northern bodies with all the collonial baggage that brings to the table and how challenging it can be to avoid any paternalistic thinking, It would be easy to wallow in the lament and stories, but it is also essential that people in these situations find a way to resist and mobilise themselves to confront the challenges they face and those who try to retain the power to influence decisions. The slogan on the back of Desmond's polo shirt read "The RIght to Know. The Duty to Enquire. The Obligation to Act." And that does helpfully summarise a lot of what we heard today. For us, coming to visit, we were reminded "Don't talk about us, without us."

South Durban 10

There was an awful lot to take in today, much of which needs further thought. But this is a wee snaphot of some immediate thoughts.

Tomorrow we are visiting a settlement to see first hand some of the issues that people are having to live with.

 

Aberdeen Airport Strikes Again!

Written by Peter Johnston on .

Having not flown from Aberdeen airport for quite a few years, I have done so a few times in recent months and... every time there has been a delay and problem. It is so frustrating. Last night was no different. My flight to London was already running late when I arrived at the airport, and then, once we had all boarded and the Airbus A320 was fully loaded they realised that the door of the plane had become jammed against the airbridge. The weight of the plane had, of course, caused it to hunker down on its suspension and the door then made contact with the airbridge. 

Okay, the physics of it are all simple to understand, but... this happens every time a plane is fully loaded. My conjecture is that there were not enough ground crew staff to monitor and lower the airbridge as, I assume, would normally happen. The upshot of this was we were running way behind schedule by the time an engineer had checked the door and its tolerances to ensure we were safe to leave.

The flight to Heathrow was then fine, but you know where this is going, right?

A mad dash then took place on landing to get from Terminal 5 to Terminal 4, via Terminal 2, by bus. Of course, it took forever. By now there was a wee group of us who were in the same boat all trying to get to the same flight to Doha from which we were then connecting to various other parts of the world. It was good to be 'in it together'! We went through security again which was laughably slow, missing the flight we were scheduled on, but knowing there was a later flight which we might just make it for.

We got to the gate as that later flight was boarding (see picture above), and beseeched one of the crew, but British Airways had done nothing to book us on to the next flight so we were stuck. This later flight had some of the rest of my South Africa-bound party on it so all I could do was wish them well on the WhatsApp group as they departed.

Another bus ride back to Terminal 5, by which time it was a couple of hours after we had landed in Heathrow, and then a long time with BA's very patient customer service team as they got me rebooked, but flying out 24 hours later, and with vouchers for a hotel. Which is where I am writing now.

I'm so sorry for the extra hassle this is going to be for the team in South Africa to have to come and get me a day later from the airport, and that I will miss a whole day's activities. All down to a wedged door.

All is not doom, though. I have a day to kill in London. So, I'm off to Covent Garden this afternoon to meet up with Scott Rennie for a coffee before I head back to the Heathrow hellscape!

 

Almost ready to leave

Written by Peter Johnston on .

Just back from an excellent Joint Harvest Thanksgiving Service at South Holburn this morning. It was great to see everyone together and to witness some of the generosity shown through the Harvest Appeal.

I have a bit of final packing to do, making sure I have all the paperwork I need, and then I am off to the airport headed initially to Heathrow where I hope to meet up with some of the other folks going on the trip to South Africa. We are thereafter on a number of different flights to actually get to our final destination. It is a fair trek: Aberdeen to London to Doha to Johannesburg to Durban. I'll be arriving around 2:40 p.m. on Monday in Durban, if all goes according to plan...

I have some books, movies to watch, podcasts and music to listen to on the way. It would be great to have a kip on one of the long plane flights, but I won't hold my breath!

More here as the week unfolds.

Christian Aid trip to South Africa

Written by Peter Johnston on .

On hearing that there might be the possibility of joining an “immersion trip” with Christian Aid my first thoughts were of baptism, but this was quickly corrected as I read on. This is an opportunity to travel with other church leaders from across the UK in order to immerse ourselves in the work going on in part of South Africa with the urban poor.

Our small group gathered from across the UK will be travelling to Durban in South Africa and meeting up with other clergy with whom we will spend the week together. We are kindly being hosted by the Church Land Programme, an organisation working in solidarity with the landless poor in Durban and Pietermaritzburg.

In the UK, mortgage rates and the impact of these on homeowners has recently become a major topic of concern raising doubts over how secure the place we live in really is. For many people and families in shack-dweller communities around cities like Pietermaritzburg there have been generational struggles over their rights to the land on which they live. Issues of land justice and the exclusion of the poor from meaningful discussion and decision-making over their own futures has been an area of great concern, frustration, and anger. Evictions from homes and land alongside institutional biases towards the rich in law-making and criminal justice systems has denied the dignity and basic rights of many, particularly women.

We will be joining members of the Church Land Programme which works in and amongst people in areas that are most affected by just such injustices over the land on which they live and, increasingly, climate justice issues also. This will give us a chance to observe the situation for people living with these threats, reflect on the causes of their predicament, and listen to their stories and those working in solidarity with them. I have no doubt that this will help us better understand an issue that impacts on global development.

I am looking forward to learning a lot, meeting new friends, and building connections with sisters and brothers in faith across the globe as they strive to advocate for justice for shack-dweller communities.  

My hope over the next week is to give a short update at the end of each day, with some personal reflections, of what we have witnessed and learnt about together. All this is internet willing, of course!

Please do join me on this journey. I'll be arriving in South Africa on Monday 10 October.

Courageous Leadership

Written by Peter Johnston on .

Here is an excellent video interview between William Rae, a new member at Ferryhill, and Jane Miller, Academy Programme Manager at the ALLIANCE. Some really good insight into leadership attributes as shared from his experience in the Student Community and Leadership Development Panel. Thanks for sharing this with us, William! 

 

Final Issue for RCL Cycle of Spill the Beans

Written by Peter Johnston on .

Spill the Beans Issue 44

From the delays getting Issue 43 published to actually being ahead of the schedule for Issue 44... a big thank you to the Spill the Beans Resource Team for getting contirbutions submitted to the deadline so I can get away on holiday without worry!

This is the final issue in our second journey through the Revised Common Lectionary. We are going to do something different for Advent 2022 to Reign of Christ 2023, to explore some parts of the Bible, characters and imagery that have a particular focus on women and the feminine imagery of God. To do this we are going to adopt a new lectionary titled "The Women's Lectionary" by Ashley M Wilcox for that year. This is readily available in book form with notes from Wilcox should you wish to look ahead. We do hope you will join us on that journey.

Sampler

Created by folks here in Scotland, this issue has lots of ideas and resources for you to inspire, adapt, use in leading worship or for age groups in Junior Churches and youth groups. If you have not used Spill the Beans before then please have a look at this sample.

If you'd like to download a full copy of Issue 43 for use in your church or personally, then click the 'Buy Now' button below. The cost is only £12 (GBP). You can make a secure payment via PayPal and then an email with secure link to the download should wing its way to you. Please note that you can only download the file using this link three times, so please make sure you save the file to your computer as soon as you have downloaded it. We recommend first downloading to a laptop or desktop computer before moving to phone/tablet.

Please follow the instructions carefully. The pdf file is approximately 4.5 MB so it may take a wee moment to download. Please be patient as your computer does so!

Spill the Beans Issue 44 Cover

Buy Now

You can also get involved in feedback and discussion on the Spill the Beans website, where we try to put up weekly PowerPoint backgrounds too. There is also a facebook page in which we share ideas and we have introduced a new Facebook group which you can link to from the facebook page and which we hope will provide a place of mutual support, ideas and encouragement as we trek together through this new adventure.

Print Copies

The office is open once more and can provide printed copies (within the United Kingdom) for an additional cost (usually around £20 + P&P depending on the size of the issue). Note that we recommend using the electronic version to reduce environmental waste.

 

The Presbytery of Aberdeen and Shetland

Written by Peter Johnston on .

This is a short video that I created to be shown during the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, May 2022, sharing a few of the things that have been going on around the Presbytery over the last year or so. Thanks to the Communications Officer, Dr Sundari Joseph, for some of the ideas in this video.

Summer Spill the Beans

Written by Peter Johnston on .

Spill the Beans Issue 40

My personal apologies for the delay to the production of Issue 43. A bout of Covid arrived right at the time I was hoping to push on with editing this issue. However, it is here now! This issue covers from Trinity to half way through the Pentecost season.

The issue to follow this will be the final one in our current cycle of the Revised Common Lectionary, the second time we have completed that cycle. We are going to do something different for Advent 2022 to Reign of Christ 2023, to explore some parts of the Bible, characters and imagery that have a particular focus on women and the feminine imagery of God. To do this we are going to adopt a new lectionary titled "The Women's Lectionary" by Ashley M Wilcox for that year. This is readily available in book form with notes from Wilcox should you wish to look ahead. We do hope you will join us on that journey.

Sampler

Created by folks here in Scotland, this issue has lots of ideas and resources for you to inspire, adapt, use in leading worship or for age groups in Junior Churches and youth groups. If you have not used Spill the Beans before then please have a look at this sample.

If you'd like to download a full copy of Issue 43 for use in your church or personally, then click the 'Buy Now' button below. The cost is only £12 (GBP). You can make a secure payment via PayPal and then an email with secure link to the download should wing its way to you. Please note that you can only download the file using this link three times, so please make sure you save the file to your computer as soon as you have downloaded it. We recommend first downloading to a laptop or desktop computer before moving to phone/tablet.

Please follow the instructions carefully. The pdf file is approximately 4.7 MB so it may take a little time to download. Please be patient as your computer does so!

Spill the Beans Issue 43 Cover

Buy Now

You can also get involved in feedback and discussion on the Spill the Beans website, where we try to put up weekly PowerPoint backgrounds too. There is also a facebook page in which we share ideas and we have introduced a new Facebook group which you can link to from the facebook page and which we hope will provide a place of mutual support, ideas and encouragement as we trek together through this new adventure.

Print Copies

The office is open once more and can provide printed copies (within the United Kingdom) for an additional cost (usually around £20 + P&P depending on the size of the issue). Note that we recommend using the electronic version to reduce environmental waste.

 

Easter Anthem Praise

Written by Peter Johnston on .

Thank you to all the contributors to this year's new Virtual Choir Easter Anthem which you can enjoy here.

New Issue of Spill the Beans: Lent and Easter

Written by Peter Johnston on .

Spill the Beans Issue 40

This is the big issue of the year as we cover from Ash Wednesday through to Pentecost Sunday, including resources for all of Holy Week. As always, we have a diverse range of resources including resources for some inter-generational conversations through Holy Week.

Sampler

Created by folks here in Scotland, this issue has lots of ideas and resources for you to inspire, adapt, use in leading worship or for age groups in Junior Churches and youth groups. If you have not used Spill the Beans before then please have a look at this sample.

If you'd like to download a full copy of Issue 42 for use in your church or personally, then click the 'Buy Now' button below. The cost is only £12 (GBP). You can make a secure payment via PayPal and then an email with secure link to the download should wing its way to you. Please note that you can only download the file using this link three times, so please make sure you save the file to your computer as soon as you have downloaded it. We recommend first downloading to a laptop or desktop computer before moving to phone/tablet.

Please follow the instructions carefully. The pdf file is approximately 5.5 MB so it may take a little time to download. Please be patient as your computer does so!

Spill the Beans Issue 41 Cover

Buy Now

You can also get involved in feedback and discussion on the Spill the Beans website, where we try to put up weekly PowerPoint backgrounds too. There is also a facebook page in which we share ideas and we have introduced a new Facebook group which you can link to from the facebook page and which we hope will provide a place of mutual support, ideas and encouragement as we trek together through this new adventure.

Print Copies

The office in which the printed copies are made is currently only periodically open due to the pandemic so we cannot provide any printed copies of this issue. Our apologies for that inconvenience.

 

Christmas 2021 Virtual Choir

Written by Peter Johnston on .

We have finished creating some new additions for the Virtual Choir library. A huge thank you to those who have contributed their voices and to Kevin Haggart for his guidance and accompaniments.

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Thank you for the contributions for this wonderful hymn. Here is our version:

Falantidida

What a fun, if challenging, anthem from the New Zealand composer Jenny McLeod. Here we go:

Ding Dong! Merrily On High

A classic Christmas Carol here, take a deep breath and...

Away In A Manger

A delicate arrangement of this Christmas favourite arranged by Bob Chilcott. Enjoy!

Joy To The World

Our final new addition to the virtual choir library for Christmas 2021. Join in and sing:

Advent and Christmas Spill the Beans

Written by Peter Johnston on .

Spill the Beans Issue 40

We start Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary with a new issue of Spill the Beans from the team. This covers Advent, Christmas, and all of Epiphany to Transfiguration Sunday (28 November 2021 to 27 February 2022). We have the usual rich variety of resources including resources for Christmas Eve/Day, some ideas for inter-generational conversations around Christmas, and a Blue Christmas liturgy.

Sampler

Created by folks here in Scotland, this issue has lots of ideas and resources for you to inspire, adapt, use in leading worship or for age groups in Junior Churches and youth groups. If you have not used Spill the Beans before then please have a look at this sample.

If you'd like to download a full copy of Issue 41 for use in your church or personally, then click the 'Buy Now' button below. The cost is only £12 (GBP). You can make a secure payment via PayPal and then an email with secure link to the download should wing its way to you. Please note that you can only download the file using this link three times, so please make sure you save the file to your computer as soon as you have downloaded it. We recommend first downloading to a laptop or desktop computer before moving to phone/tablet.

Please follow the instructions carefully. The pdf file is approximately 5 MB so it may take a little time to download. Please be patient as your computer does so!

Spill the Beans Issue 41 Cover

Buy Now

You can also get involved in feedback and discussion on the Spill the Beans website, where we try to put up weekly PowerPoint backgrounds too. There is also a facebook page in which we share ideas and we have introduced a new Facebook group which you can link to from the facebook page and which we hope will provide a place of mutual support, ideas and encouragement as we trek together through this new adventure.

Print Copies

The office in which the printed copies are made is currently only periodically open due to the pandemic so we cannot provide any printed copies of this issue. Our apologies for that inconvenience.

 

Sunday's Message and Speech from Youth4Climate 2021

Written by Peter Johnston on .

We were having some audio issues with the streamed service last Sunday. My apologies for that. Below is roughly what I was saying based on James 3-4. And at the bottom you will find the video of Greta Thunberg's speech.

This week, the fourth in our series with the epistle of James, we are right at the heart of the matter for James. We’re diving down deep into the message that he is trying to communicate to his listeners and readers.

I’m a wee bit of a film buff. I love movies. I try not to be a film snob either – only liking the “good” movies because there is so much to enjoy about what used to be called the “B movie”. Indeed, I always try to keep in mind, even when watching something that is objectively pretty terrible that for the people making it at that time this was everything – they were putting their hearts and souls into it – it gives you quite a different perspective!

And, in that vein, I love to hear the background information and stories about how the film was made. A month or so ago we watched a few of the classic Hitchcock films including The Birds. It was fascinating to find out just how much Hitchcock and his team were pushing the technology to make that film possible. Watching the accompanying documentary lets you behind the doors, to see how the magic happens. For some that might take away from the enjoyment, for me it makes me even more appreciative of all that went into making the film.

I remember an elder in the church I grew up in who was something of a hymnologist had a real love of the composer John Bacchus Dykes, J.B. Dykes, who wrote tunes like Nicaea (Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty) or Melita (Eternal Father, strong to save) amongst many others. At lunch after the Sunday service one weekend when we had sung a J.B. Dykes tune, he said to my father, who was the organist at St Columba’s in London, “That J.B. Dykes – he never wrote a bad tune!”

To which my father, quick as a flash, replied, “You never saw his wastebasket!”

Every so often with the recorded sermons that we’ve been making over the last year and a half we’ve shown you a little behind the scenes – just to keep us humble, to give a glimpse of what goes into the making of those. The veil pulled back!

Today’s section of James’ epistle feels like that. He is pulling into the open air what makes the church tick. He is clarifying for everyone reading what he thinks is needed for a healthy faith community, one which is following God’s will. He is revealing what is needed behind the scenes, in our own hearts.

James has taken us through considerations of just how important our actions are, that they match our words; he has spent time warning us of how our tongues and the words we use can have incredible power (for good and for ill); and in today’s section he is connecting this to what motivates us.

This is about our inner desires: are we motivated by envious thoughts, by ambition to succeed no matter the cost, or is our inner motivation one that models God’s loving-kindness, that seeks to grow a harvest of good fruit on the soil of gentleness, peace, equality and honesty?

James is calling on Jesus’ followers to live with these values and principles embedded in our hearts, guiding all we then say and do.

But God is not trapped within the church. Over the last three years I have been profoundly moved and encouraged by young voices like Greta Thunberg’s, the Swedish student, now 18, who has become a prophetic voice calling out into the political wilderness of inaction in the face of climate change. She has been horrifyingly ridiculed and shamed by people as powerful as President Trump, but she persists. She combines lamentation, an outpouring of pain and hurt and anger, with the hope that things can change. This has strong parallels with many of the psalms and other works of lamentation in the Bible.

This week Greta was addressing the pre-COP26 Youth4Climate conference in Milan. You may have seen a snippet or two of what she said, but a snippet or two is not enough. For she gets it, as did James, that words on their own are not enough, that actions are what counts more, and all of this reveals what is in our hearts.

Enough words from me. Let’s hear another voice as she pulls back the veil on what is really going on in the world, revealing the truth. Greta Thunberg, speaking on Tuesday: