"Remember Who You Are" Urges Moderator
(from www.lifeandwork.org)
The Moderator of the General Assembly has again urged the Church of Scotland to ‘remember who you are’.
As the 2023 Assembly drew to a close, the Rt Rev Sally Foster-Fulton said it had been ‘a beautiful mix of ideas and energy, insight and innovation and inspiration’. She said that the church was ‘the body of Christ’ with ‘hands that aren’t afraid to get dirty’, ‘feet that walk the extra mile’, and ‘here to hold up a sister who’s struggling or sit with a brother who’s afraid’.
And she added: “We are part of something so much bigger than any one of us and we are blessed to be. So, challenges – bring them on.
“You have all made this so much fun. Please go out from this place and be the body of Christ.”
The Lord High Commissioner, Lord Hodge, in his closing speech praised the standard of debate at the Assembly: “You have conducted your deliberations with dignity and grace, tackling difficult issues concerning the Church’s future structure on which differing views are held in good faith.”
He singled out the Jewish-Christian Glossary which was introduced yesterday, and the speech from the Chief Rabbi, which he said was ‘healing misunderstanding which may have developed in the past’.
And he said that in his visits as part of the week he ‘was struck by the energy of those engaged in local initiatives to improve people’s lives and keep the Church active in the local community. The Moderator said “the worship is over let the service begin”. From what we have seen, the service continues and is developing in new and imaginative ways.’