Background to the Twinning

8/14/2019 Background to the Twinning

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/background-to-the-twinning 1/4

BACKGROUND TO THE TWINNING

The origins of the partnership and the journey so far

Colinton Parish Church commenced almost two years ago with an idea that they would like to

establish a twinning. The establishment of a twinning was to be one of a number of events thatwould celebrate their church building centenary in 2008. It took them over a year to find a potential

partner but we are now making real progress towards cementing a relationship with Umoja Parish

Church, Nairobi, Kenya.

Getting Organised

A twinning committee was established and we were to work closely with the World Mission

department at Church of Scotland Headquarters (CoS) to take the initiative forward.

We developed a Congregational Profile which described ourselves and set out in that document;

why we wanted to develop a twinning, and what we would like to receive from it, i.e.:-

Why do you want to develop a twinning?

We want to develop a twinning because we wish to enjoy the experience of a strong and fruitful

relationship with a partner congregation from another part of the world.

This will open our perspective on the wider church.

We wish to receive self enrichment through mutual learning and education, sharing a common faith,

prayer, and friendship, which we believe will help us on our journey as a disciple community; and

We also wish to establish links at various levels which will assist with personal, group and communitydevelopment.

We will work with our partner congregation to develop a set of common purposes on which our

relationship will build.

What would you like to receive from the twinning?

A fresh perspective obtained through:-

Friendship An exchange of ideas and ways A cultural exchange Visits A better understanding of life and faith in another place

We felt that this opportunity should benefit not only the faith development of our own congregationbut also enable development of our connections with the wider Colinton community and therefore

mission at home.



Whilst we would like the twinning to develop at a variety of levels, we would in particular wish to

see the twinning being a big opportunity for our youth. This would also help sustain the twinning inthe future.

It is important that this initiative is embraced and owned by the whole of Colinton Parish Church.

Finding a Partner Church

We worked with CoS World Mission to find a potential partner church.

We discussed which country would be suitable and were guided towards Kenya; although we didexplore the potential of and received Congregational Profiles from churches in other countries inAfrica. We also considered and made contact with representatives from other countries, not justfrom the continent of Africa; including India, some from mainland Europe, the Middle-East, in South

America and Fiji.

There were a number of strong reasons for looking towards east Africa.

There is a good link between Church of Scotland and the Presbyterian Church of East Africa(PCEA)

There are strong historical links - with Scottish missionaries being the first to settle in Kenya Transport links are reasonably straightforward PCEA is keen to develop twinning relationships with Scottish churches Different culture from which to learn Common language Common denomination We had experience of this part of the world through Willie Farquhar and Bill Donaldson

It was through a meeting in Edinburgh in June 2008 with Rev Francis Njoroge deputy secretarygeneral of PCEA and his visit to our church, that we found Umoja. It was his visit that inspired his

thoughts on Umoja being a potential partner church. When he returned to Nairobi he immediatelycontacted Umoja and we then started to communicate with them. We received their Congregation

Profile in July 2008.

Rev Francis has been our main broker in Kenya and he maintains communication with Carol Finlaywho looks after the twinning programmes for Church of Scotland. The links that we have developedat ‘institutional level’ both here in Scotland (at 121) and in Kenya (at PCEA) are strong. It is important

to hold to on these and nurture them for keeping the initiative alive.





Documents

Background to the Twinning