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Church of Scotland’s Ministries Council
Priority Areas Committee
Annual Report 2014 ‘You are Great – Together We are Brilliant’
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Our Mandate ‘priority for the poorest and the most marginalised is the gospel imperative facing the whole Church,
not just the Church in the poorest places’ (General Assembly 2001)
Our Vision ‘a reinvigorated and sustainable worshipping people and community life in all
priority area parishes’
Our Core Principles Priority must mean priority Accountability to the local Partnership is the only way
Priority areas are good places to be
Our Strategy Engaging with Wider Church & Society Developing New Models of Church Life
Supporting New Models of Community Life
Our Priorities 1. We need to sort out the problem of buildings.
2. Our structures and processes need to be simplified.
3. We want to take our work right to the margins.
4. Worship must be at the heart of what we do.
5. We want to tackle causes not just symptoms.
6. We need to be intentional about supporting leaders.
7. The time is right to extend our support. (General Assembly 2010)
Where We Belong The Priority Areas Committee is part of
the Ministries Council of the Church of Scotland. It supports work across the Councils of the Church and local congregations.
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Welcome Welcome to the 2014 Priority Areas Annual Report. In the following pages we try to give a little bit of a flavour of the last year, as well as identifying things to be looking forward to in 2015. 2014 has been a momentous year when the eyes of the world have been focused firmly on Scotland. In the summer we showed the world how to party as the sun shone on the Commonwealth Games – and even when it didn’t. And then, on September 18th, the result of Independence Referendum was keenly watched in all corners of the globe. Perhaps some of those who heard the result from afar missed one of its most intriguing (and inspirational) dimensions – the vast numbers of people who turned out to vote, many for the first time and thousands who had given up on politics. Whatever way people voted, it is clear that huge numbers voted for change. This was not necessarily constitutional change but it was for change in the way that we do politics. People want to be involved. The challenge upon all of us – not just the politicians – is to live up to that appetite for a different way of doing things. Across priority areas there is that commitment to seek to do things differently. We recognise that many of the old ways of doing things simply do not work any longer. The future is far from certain and it would be easy to become paralysed by anxiety or concern and to keep looking back. Our commitment, however, is – in faith – to look forward, confident that God is doing a new thing. Or, indeed, lots of new things!
As well as doing lots of new things, 2014 has also been a year in priority areas of significant change. The publication of the new Priority Areas List saw 15 parishes coming on to the list of priority areas. Welcome! It also saw eleven parishes coming off the list – good-bye but not yet. The commitment is to be continuing to work with the eleven congregations serving these parishes for at least the next three years. Any change will be a gradual process.
We hope that you will enjoy looking over the following pages – that they will give you a wee glimpse of what is going on and inspire you to get involved.
Derek Pope (Convener: Priority Areas Committee) Martin Johnstone (Priority Areas Secretary)
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Engaging with Wider Church and Society We recognise that the real problem is not poverty but wealth, and our inability to share the wonder of God’s creation in just and equitable ways. In our work, therefore, we seek to raise awareness of the obscenity of poverty in a nation
(and world) of plenty. We are committed to building new relationships based on friendship and justice which are capable of changing individuals, communities and nations. We are also increasingly committed to looking at how we support people to build just and sustainable wealth.
Anti-Poverty Networks
We continue to work in close partnership with a wide range of key anti-poverty organisations as we seek to deliver the
Church of Scotland’s gospel towards the poorest and most marginalised. As well as collaboration with organisations such
as Church Action on Poverty, the Poverty Alliance, Citizens Advice Scotland, Nourish Scotland, Christian Aid, Joseph
Rowntree Foundation and Child Poverty Action Group, the Committee also works ecumenically and with the Scottish
Government and local authorities.
Working with these networks augments the work which the Committee does with the three organisations (Faith in
Community Scotland, WEvolution and theGKexperience) that it has helped to develop and continues to support
financially.
Funeral Poverty
The rapidly escalating cost of funerals over recent years has been highlighted by recent General Assemblies. This
increase has been caused both by increases charged by undertakers and by local authorities. According to Citizens
Advice Scotland (June 2014), the average cost of a ‘simple funeral’ is £3,240 with a massive disparity between different
parts of the country.
One of the most practical – and effective – pieces of work which has been developed to tackle funeral poverty is Quaker
Social Action’s (QSA) Down to Earth project. The project helps families in the East End of London (and other parts of the
UK) to access more affordable funerals as well as campaigning against funeral poverty. In 2015, through Faith in
Community Scotland, we will be working with QSA
to look at the potential of developing a similar
scheme in Scotland.
Poverty Truth Commission
In June the Poverty Truth Commission hosted
Turning Up the Volume on Poverty – a gathering of
almost 500 people designed to highlight the work of
the Commission over the last two years and to focus
attention on the scandal of poverty in Scotland
ahead of the Scottish Independence Referendum.
The event (and report) focused on: the cost of being
poor; welfare cuts; in-work poverty; stigma; and
food poverty.
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June also saw the establishment of a new set of Commissioners drawn from across Scottish society. Over the next two
years they will develop their own priorities for action, based around the core principle of the Commission that the issues
of poverty will never be adequately addressed until those experiencing poverty are at the forefront of the movement to
eradicate it. ‘Nothing About Us Without Us is For Us.’
Church & Society Council/Scottish Churches Parliamentary
Office
As part of the Priority Areas Action Plan, the Committee
works closely with many of the core Councils and
Committees of the Church of Scotland’s General Assembly.
Particularly close working relationships exist with the
Church & Society Council and the Scottish Churches
Parliamentary Office, with the experience of people living in
priority areas is constantly informing the Council’s response
to issues facing Scottish society. Over the past year this
included making contributions to the Council’s Referendum
work (Imagining Scotland’s Future) and joint work around
food poverty.
Priority Areas Forum
The Priority Areas Forum is a gathering of key representatives from the Councils and Committees of the Church. It aims
to engage the wider Church in the life and work of priority area congregations. The Forum met in September in
Wellesley Church in Methil to hear stories from 3 local congregations (Chalmers in Larkhall, Richmond Craigmillar in
Edinburgh as well as our hosts in Methil) on how they were addressing the impact of the changes in welfare reform in
their local communities. Forum members considered what they had heard and agreed to take forward some
commitments and report to next meeting in March 2015
Together for a Change
In 2014 Together for a Change hosted visits from East Jerusalem to the east end of Glasgow and from Kenya to
Drumchapel (Glasgow) as well as supporting a visit from Ardler (Dundee) to Kenya. Each of these visits has helped to
build important international links between different communities struggling against poverty.
In 2015 it is hoped to develop a number of new links between priority areas and partner churches and communities in
other parts of the world with a particular focus on different parts of Europe.
Twinning
There are currently 14 twinning relationships. Although we haven’t had much progress in the year in terms of more
numbers, in the coming year we plan to offer this way of meaningful engagement to the Churches who have recently
come on to the new Priority Areas List. Where required, Priority Areas staff have provided support to the existing
relationships but most have tended to organise themselves. A number of those from the wider Church who are in
twinning relationships with priority area congregations made significant financial contributions towards the Priority
Areas Holiday Week in Iona in 2014.
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Developing New Models of Church Life We cannot avoid facing the reality of struggle which many parts of the Church are
facing in Scotland with small and increasingly fragile congregations. This is often
particularly the case in priority areas. In our work we are seeking to support the
Church to develop new ways of living which take seriously the call of the Gospel and the reality of our
context.
Buildings
Our buildings are often a physical expression of the on-going presence of the church in a local community. They also
speak to people of God. It is, therefore, a vital part of our challenge to ensure that our buildings speak of hospitality,
love, concern and of God’s desire for the best for all people.
Climate Change
The impact of Climate Change, globally and nationally, is felt
most acutely in our poorest communities. In Scotland, as
well as dealing with the consequences of changing climate
patterns, it is often linked to growing levels of fuel poverty.
Many people are being forced to choose between eating or
heating. Local churches are finding ways to respond to this
crisis and a number have been successful in applications to
the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund to help
to support this work.
Chance to Thrive
This 5-year Pilot Project is showing clear benefits for the 8
participating congregations and is also showing how churches can play a key role in neighbourhood regeneration
with local people leading. The different local groups are supported in different ways by mentors and enabling panel
volunteers. This has helped raise ambition with a focus on mission and community engagement. A clearer sense of
purpose for building projects has enabled the local congregations to engage with Presbyteries and the General
Trustees in more effective ways.
The focus on purpose has also helped in getting significant funding for building work and activities from non-church
sources. The guiding principle, ‘first the life, then the place and lastly the buildings’, will now hopefully be carried
forward with a proposed expansion of the project to take on a further 4 congregations in 2015 and 4 more in 2016.
Buildings Maintenance Programme
Proper maintenance is critical if we are to have decent buildings for the future, also, protecting investment and
ensuring we have a good reputation with external funders. With this in mind, we are exploring the possibility of
contracting maintenance to external organisations which have proven expertise. Unfortunately plans to develop a
pilot in Glasgow over the last year have not been possible.
Another possibility would be for a congregation to enter into a contract with a local Housing Association. Where
local arrangements are not possible we are continuing to see if we can run a pilot scheme with a larger contracting
and training organisation with benefits of scale and involvement of trainee programmes for parts of the work.
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Buildings Capital Development
Although very considerable work has been achieved in recent years, we are increasingly aware that if the Church of
Scotland is going to maintain a physical presence in many of Scotland’s very poorest communities, a major piece of
work is required to develop new and refurbished buildings in priority areas.
In April the Committee, in partnership with the General Trustees, hosted a 24 hour gathering to begin to develop a
high level strategy to secure major capital investment in the Church’s buildings in priority areas over the next 15
years. Five key steps were identified:
I. Drawing up and carrying out a Priority Areas
Buildings Survey to get an accurate picture of
overall issues.
II. Gaining support and ownership of the Plan by
the wider Church.
III. Hosting conversations with each priority area
congregation to identify their vision and
needs.
IV. Raising a minimum of £20million over a 15
year period from external sources.
V. Minimising ongoing maintenance through
effective design and management.
This agenda will form a major part of the Committee’s work over coming years as we continue to try to address the
issues of buildings as laid out in the Priority Areas Action Plan.
Leadership
Leadership development is a major focus of our work. We are concerned not just with supporting those who are
traditionally thought of as leaders in the Church but also people who exercise leadership in the wider community.
Equally we don’t just want to develop existing leaders but also to nourish new ones. We are clear that everyone has
leadership qualities and potential which needs to be nourished.
Coaching
The Coaching Programme, developed by the Priority Areas Committee, is now very much a part of the wider work of
the Ministries Council although it continues to support a number of those in ministry within priority areas within the
current cohort. Over the last eight years, the programme has supported nearly 100 people involved in a range of
ministries across the Church.
Training & Formation - Team Mentoring
Four teams from priority areas took part in the team mentoring programme called ‘Collaborating for Change’:
Castlemilk, Drumchapel St Mark’s, St Christopher’s Priesthill & Nitshill and St Quivox in Ayr. Teams were invited to
take part in 8 all-day sessions (four to six-weeks apart) during the year. Alongside this there was a Practice Group of
some of those who had already undergone the programme with Verene Nicholas, the programme facilitator, for
more in-depth skills practice at enabling teams to become spaces for personal growth, creativity and authenticity.
We plan to continue this highly effective and well-appreciated programme in 2015.
Developing All Our Ministries
We are increasingly aware that new models of ministry are required to equip the Church for its mission in 21st
century Scotland. In March, the Committee agreed to look at ways in which it could support the development of
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training opportunities for people from within priority areas who were interested in deepening their ministries
through the learning programmes previously developed by Scottish Churches Open College (SCOC) and Training in
Learning & Service (TLS).
Working with others across the Ministries Council, the Mission & Discipleship Council and ecumenically it is hoped to
develop two Glasgow-based groups in 2015. These groups – based in the north and south of the city – will aim to
attract participants from across a range of different congregations, including priority areas.
Women’s Leadership
The Women's Leadership Network is continuing to enjoy the success of past years. Although we haven't attracted
any new members this year we still maintain our numbers and are just as enthusiastic and committed as we have
always been. This year we have been concentrating on dealing with stress, maintaining motivation and enthusiasm
and helping to promote and sustain self-esteem in our own group and church. Our main focus at the moment is
helping each other to cope with conflict and negativity.
Priority Areas Holiday
We took 103 people in total (plus a van for the luggage!) to Iona in July,
having dropped off the teenagers and their leaders from theGKexperience at
Camus on Mull on the way. It was an amazing week, helped on the whole by
good weather which made the lovely sandy beaches a highlight for many.
There were other highlights including the boat trip to Staffa, the team
challenge, the ceilidh, pizza-making (and eating!), the pampering session for
the adults, kite-making, candle-making, lots of knitting, the talent show, not
forgetting the enormous waterslide in the garden and so much more!
It was wonderful to see families relaxing and enjoying themselves together, chatting, making new friends, supporting
one another and sometimes having some time out from each other as they did
separate activities. It was a truly memorable experience for everyone. In 2015 we
will plan to support a few smaller groups from priority areas to have holidays with
the hope that another large-scale holiday will take place in 2016.
Worship in Priority Areas
Worship lies at the heart of what we do as churches in priority areas. It is the air we
breathe every day and we are determined to continue to find ways to enable people to discover and deepen their faith
in Jesus.
Healing
Jenny Williams has done some work with a priority area congregation in Wishaw on the role of people in creating
health with an emphasis on listening. Uptake from other congregations in this area of work is really slow and this
could well be because some of the areas around healing are being addressed through the support provided by
Shirley, the Worship Development Worker.
Weaving Worship
At the beginning of the year, Shirley Billes became a part-time member of staff within Ministries Council as a Priority
Areas Worker (Worship). This is important as it ensures that we now have a clearly identified resource person to
take forward the Committee’s work around ensuring that worship is one of our core priorities. She continues her
work with congregations within priority areas including schools chaplaincy work, working with families at Messy
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Mondays in Govan & Linthouse and developing interactive worship space in Gorbals as well as some wider
collaboration work and writing resource materials. We held two praise services during the year, a Poverty &
Homelessness Service at Penilee St Andrew’s in January and a Celebration Praise evening at St Andrew’s East in
September where ‘Sons of Thunder’ led us in a wonderful evening of music and praise.
Young People & Families Work
The more that we do with children, young people and families, the more we realise that there is more to do. In our
evaluation of our Youth Work strategy (2012), we identified that much of the work going on in priority areas that we
designate as youth work is often with children of primary school age. This is vital work and we continue to support and
encourage it. At the same time, we are also trying to encourage more intentional work both with families (and young
children) and with teenagers.
Families Work
Sadly, it has not been possible to take forward our planned work around Supporting Families over the last year –
some things are just not possible. However, we remain committed to this vital area of work and will be continuing to
work closely with Crossreach to turn our aspirations into reality.
theGKexperience
theGKexperience continues to partner closely with priority areas, working with some of the most brilliant young
people and yet some of those who face the greatest
levels of disadvantage in Scotland today. Funding has
ensured that we have delivered a full programme of
residential experiences for young people from
different priority areas across Scotland. We have also
developed our ongoing locally based work, supporting
young people and youth work in local communities and Church-based projects in a bespoke manner depending on
aspirations and need. Often this will come in the form of helping to support some of the most vulnerable young
people in these settings, adding capacity or experience in new youth work settings or challenging situations.
An area of work which has grown hugely for theGKexperience in conjunction with
priority areas and the Rank Foundation has been our work with young leaders.
Our ‘Young Team’ programme is now in its second year, and we have an amazing
group of young people many of whom are from priority areas. They are working
as a team, learning about leadership and undertaking training, as well as being an
integral part of our residential teams.
We are also pleased to say how well our apprentice, Kourtney McMurray has
done this year. The apprenticeship scheme sees Kourtney working full-time on a
variety of tasks in the office as well as being involved in the planning and delivery
of the local and residential work. Having such great support from priority areas for this scheme has been hugely
beneficial, not just to the development of Kourtney but also to the many young people she has worked with.
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Supporting New Models of Community Life Although we are often small and fragile, churches (and broader faith
communities) continue to be amongst the most effective local community groups,
particularly in our poorest communities. In our work, primarily carried out
through a range of partnership organisations that we have helped to establish and support, we are
helping people of faith to achieve all that we can, and much more than many of us believed possible.
Faith in Community Scotland Faith in Community Scotland (www.faithincommunityscotland.org) is an independent charity
which works closely with the Priority Areas Committee in the Church of Scotland, as well as a
wide range of other churches and faith groups. Set up in 2005, it has established a reputation
both nationally and locally to making a real difference. It aims to build on the strengths and
abilities of local people and faith groups to reduce poverty in Scotland’s poorest communities.
We have various teams of people – paid staff and volunteers - who work hard to support local people in their efforts to
bring about change. Last year we concentrated on the following work...
We helped faith groups in the economically poorest communities in Glasgow and Dundee to improve their effectiveness in the community by providing different forms of development support, funding, advice and training.
This work is carried out through two community development teams and a funding programme: the Transformation Team, Faith in Community Dundee and FiSCAF – Faiths in Scotland Community Action Fund. Both teams help build the capacity of faith groups in each city’s poorest and often most culturally diverse communities. Over the past year the Transformation Team has worked with 532 people and 94 organisations, provided 46 community profiles and has run 25 events. The team in Dundee has worked with 149 people in 25 groups and has run 9 training days or events. Both teams are also working with 15 communities in Dundee, Stirling, Glasgow, Lanarkshire and West Dunbartonshire, supporting local groups to develop particular projects which help people struggling with the effects of welfare reform. FiSCAF awarded grants totalling £161,473 to 24 faith-based anti-poverty projects across Scotland. The Fund has also developed a new partnership with the STV Appeal which has resulted in increased funds to faith groups tackling child and family poverty. We also began working with Richmond’s Hope to support groups in the Glasgow area wishing to support bereaved children and their families.
We provided advice and training for faith groups and local communities in north Glasgow, Inverclyde and Kilmarnock to support people leaving prison.
Faith in Throughcare works with faith communities in Scotland’s poorest neighbourhoods to support individuals involved within the criminal justice system to settle into more constructive and stable lives in their families and communities on release from short-term prison sentences. Over the course of the year the team supported 76 people leaving prison (our participants) who returned to the community. They were supported by 30 volunteers who collectively contributed over 4000 volunteer hours.
We worked with Catholic and Reformed churches in Glasgow, West Dunbartonshire and Lanarkshire to help them
tackle sectarianism in partnership with other organisations involved in the Scottish Government’s programme.
We have continued to develop our programme of action-based learning and research to identify ways in which an
asset-based approach to tackling sectarianism can be effectively developed and delivered in Scotland’s poorest
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neighbourhoods. We have worked in partnership with churches and community groups in eight communities in the
west of Scotland: Dumbarton; Glasgow – Castlemilk, Cranhill & Ruchazie, Riddrie and Carntyne, Gorbals, Milton;
Motherwell and Wishaw. Approximately 1380 participants of different ages attended 39 events.
We supported various faith groups to engage in issues of social justice through promoting and embedding reflective practice.
Over the past year we have continued to embed reflective practice within the social justice activities of local faith groups, the teams within FiCS, and other organisations we work with. We do this by engaging with faith groups who are seeking to develop their engagement with the wider community, and journeying with them to support their reflection on their identity and values, and to build trust and communication within the group and to support their engagement with their local community.
If you would like a full annual report, or wish to find out more about our work and opportunities for
volunteering, please visit our website: www.faithincommunityscotland.org, follow us on twitter
@FiCScotland, or telephone 0141 221 4576.
WEvolution
WEvolution (www.wevolution.org.uk), formerly known as ‘Passage from India’, was formally launched on 30th
April by the Very Rev Dr Alan McDonald, former Moderator of the Church of Scotland and with Mr John
Swinney MSP in attendance. Funding from the Scottish Government in October 2013 helped WEvolution put
together a small staff team based in Glasgow & Dundee. By the end of March 2015, WEvolution will have a
total of 18 Self Reliant Groups (SRGs) spread across Glasgow, Inverclyde, Edinburgh and Dundee. In January
2013, a group of eight people (including people from England and Wales) visited India to see the impact of
Self-Help Groups there and to learn from their experiences. The trip has led to the start-up of
SRGs in Wales and potential start up in Manchester. The Church of Scotland Guild has
supported WEvolution Microfinance Initiative by raising a total of £68,000 in the first two years
of its 3-year support.
YMCA George Williams College
In 2014 the Professional Development Award in Youth Work level 2
(PDA), provided by the YMCA George Williams College has been run
successfully with 6 participants in Dundee and around 10 in
Glasgow. This award is an excellent opportunity for all involved in
youth work across Scotland to gain a strong understanding of what
underpins quality youth work and helps further their own
attainment. A new PDA course started in November in Glasgow, with 8 participants keen to learn!
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... … And Some of the Rest Much of our work deliberately tries to cut across our three main spheres of activity.
Indeed, we think that the need for our work to relate to more than one area of
activity is vitally important – it is one of the tests of whether we should be taking something on. In our
work we are always trying to help local priority areas to have the courage to dream dreams and then
to be supported to turn these dreams into realities.
Administration & Team Working
Our work continues to be coordinated from our offices in Anderston Kelvingrove Parish Church (Glasgow) although with
our partner organisations we also have bases in Kilmarnock, North Glasgow and Dundee. More importantly, the work we
support is located in every priority area across Scotland through the commitment and dedication of local churches. Our
core team exists to enable and support that work.
Communications
The Priority Areas Blog, introduced during the year,
has been well received and includes some thought-
provoking contributions from writers from both
within priority areas as well from a wider network.
Visits of a team from WEvolution to India earlier
this year and Martin Johnstone’s trip to Rome for a
Global Meeting of Popular Movements has been well documented through the blog and has helped provide an insight
into a multiple activities and stories. The eNews is well received and Anne Jolly does a tremendous job of regularly
collating the news and putting it all out in time each month. We have worked very closely with the Communications
Department at the Church of Scotland offices in engaging with the media notably around the launch of WEvolution,
highlighting work in a number of priority area congregations and the work of the Poverty Truth Commission. We had a
Priority Areas display in the Ministries Council tent at the Heart & Soul event in Edinburgh in May which was very well
attended. We were able to support two of our Churches – St. Paul’s (Royston & Provanmill) and St. Rollox’s (Sighthill) –
to put up a tent to showcase their work so as to be able to attract potential candidates for ministry there.
International & Ecumenical Links
The Church’s work in priority areas continues to attract
widespread attention within churches in Scotland and beyond.
Good working relationships exist with a range of denominations
including the Catholic Church, the Methodist Church, the United
Reformed Church and the Scottish Episcopal Church. In early
2015, the Priority Areas Committee will host a visit from the
Archbishop of York as he seeks to learn more about the Church
of Scotland’s work in its poorest neighbourhoods.
There is also continuing links and partnerships internationally,
particularly in the United States (PCUSA) and Europe, including
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Germany, Hungary and Romania. And in October, Martin Johnstone (Priority Areas Secretary) was a guest of the
Pontifical Council of Justice & Peace at the first Global Meeting of Popular Movement in Rome.
Pastoral Support: Priority Areas Friends
We recognise that whilst ministering in priority areas is an extraordinary privilege, it can also bring particular challenges
and demands. We want to help people to address these before they become too big to deal with through a small team
of Priority Areas Friends. These are individuals with many years of working, living in and supporting priority areas who
give their time voluntarily to offer a listening ear, practical advice and some pastoral care. It is good to note that an
increasing number of those working in priority areas are taking up this offer of support.
Priority Areas List
In May the Church of Scotland’s General Assembly approved a new list of priority area parishes. The publication of this
list represents the biggest change in the Committee’s constituency for a decade. Although the majority of parishes
previously designated as priority areas remain on the new list – a reflection of the stubborn nature of poverty – there
has been a slight shift away from large urban centres to Ayrshire and Argyll.
Eleven congregations which were previously designated as priority areas cease to be so. We are committed to
supporting these congregations and communities over the next three years and have been meeting with each of them
to discuss how this can be done most effectively.
At the same time, fifteen parishes which were not previously designated as priority areas now are. We have been
meeting with representatives of these congregations – and the presbyteries in which they are located – to look at how
we can most effectively support them.
The transition to this new list is challenging but it is important as we seek to ensure that the Church’s resources continue
to be focused in the communities where poverty is at its most intense.
Volunteering
As the church within priority areas continues to change and develop, there is an increased understanding that many
congregations could benefit from some full-time volunteers. In developing this we are working closely with the
Volunteering Vocations initiative being developed
more broadly across the Ministries Council as well as
through links with the Presbyterian Church USA’s
Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) programme.
In 2015 we hope to recruit and support eight volunteers (four from the USA and four from Scotland) to support
congregations in priority areas. If successful we will develop and expand this programme further in future years.
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Our Report Card … …
... … on Our Seven Priorities The 2010 General Assembly approved seven key areas of work within priority
areas for the next decade. In 2014 we reported on our progress in against
them. It is our ongoing aim that these priorities should cut across all the work
that we are doing. At different times we will focus on different issues but none of these priorities
should every be far from the surface.
We need to sort out the problem of buildings. We have made reasonable progress here but much work remains to be
done. Ove the coming years we will be expanding and accelerating Chance to Thrive, coordinating a large capital appeal
and looking to establish a maintenance programme for local churches.
Our structures and processes need to be simplified. Here we have not made the progress that we would have liked. The
Church’s systems and structures too often drag people down and sap them of creative energy. Through the General
Assembly, the Councils of the Church committed to try to do better.
We want to take our work right to the margins. As the crisis caused by the 2008 economic crash continues to linger in
our poorest communities, it is good to see so many churches, working collaboratively to support those at the margins of
our society. It is regrettable that so much of this work has become increasingly necessary.
Worship must be at the heart of what we do. Reasonable progress has been made but it is clear that our innovation in
worship, at times, drags behind creativity in other parts of our life as churches. Through our Worship Development
Worker we are working to support a growing number of congregations to make small but innovative steps.
We want to tackle causes not just symptoms. We were able to report on significant progress. The Church’s work in
priority areas is understood by many, both nationally and internationally, as ‘prophetic’. However, this is clearly not a
time for complacency and we continue to challenge all governments to ensure that the wisdom and experience of
people living in poverty is at the heart of decision-making processes.
We need to be intentional about supporting leaders. We reported good progress. There is increasing interest across the
Church about how we have been providing opportunities for people to develop their leadership. We need to continue to
work with others to ensure that people from our very poorest communities become the leaders that they are capable of
being in their churches, communities and wider society.
The time is right to extend our support. We already spend a lot of time with congregations outwith priority areas keen
to learn from the work that we are doing and committed to working alongside those in poverty in their own
neighbourhood. We will be developing this work in the future whilst seeking to ensure that we retain our focus on the
very poorest and most marginalised.
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Our Report Card … …
... … on last year’s Consultation Last year the Priority Areas Consultation was on the theme of Hospitality in an
Age of Austerity. During it, we focused on two key areas of development:
making our buildings more hospitable; and responding effectively to the damage being caused by
welfare cuts. By the end of our time together, we had identified six pieces of work to take forward
together.
A One-Stop Shop for Buildings Advice
We have worked with the General Trustees. There is not a one-stop shop as envisaged. There are, however, significantly
more straighttforward forms for getting approval for building work and clearer ways of making sure that you are
speaking to the right person. The more effective linking together of the different parts of the Church responsible for
buildings issues is also helping here.
Property Conveners’ Workshop
Whether because we encouraged it – we would like to think so – or because others thought of it as well (we’re happy
with that) over the last year the General Trustees ran Property Conveners’ Workshops across the country, including, of
course, folks from priority areas. This is a practice which we are keen to see repeated on a regular basis.
The Creative Menage
Sorry folks. This one drew a blank. It probably was the whackiest idea – which may well have also made it the best – but
we haven’t been able to make the progress that we wanted. That said, the Mission & Discipleship Council is hosting a
fascinating event Equip for the Arts (March 2015 in Motherwell) so maybe the idea could yet burst to life. We certainly
hope so.
National Faith & Community Forum on Welfare Cuts
There is no doubt that the churches (and increasingly other faiths) are working together to speak out about the impact
that welfare cuts are having on people’s lives. Leading up to – and following on from – the Independence Referendum a
number of key organisations are working increasingly effectively together.
Families and Food
Sorry folks. We failed here, partly because of ill health and partly because of other priorities. The simple idea of creating
places where we share meals together remains and a number of small examples are popping up across the Church. Let’s
keep going with this.
Improving Job Centre Relations
Well we have tried. We have had a number of meetings with Department of Work & Pensions staff and have made a
number of practical proposals to help with a buddying system and a chaplaincy service. Let’s just say that it has not been
easy!
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The Priority Areas Team The Priority Areas Team is based in Anderston Kelvingrove Parish Church in Glasgow although much of our time is spent in local communities. Our purpose is to support churches in priority areas to be as effective as possible. You can contact the team either by email or by phone (0141 248 2905).
Shirley Billes
Shirley is our Worship Development Worker. She supports local churches to think about how our worship
both delights God and also engages people in our congregations and community. She tries to work with a
relatively small number of congregations at any time – about five – and also coordinates some larger
worship gatherings in priority areas. She tells exceptionally bad jokes so thankfully she is not about the
office very often but you can contact her on [email protected].
Martin Johnstone
Martin is the Priority Areas Secretary which means that he technically coordinates the overall work of
the team although his colleagues might tell you something different. He combines this role with
being Chief Executive of Faith in Community Scotland and is also involved in a range of different
charities and organisations. Often the best way to contact Martin is through Lynn (see below) but you
can also get in touch with him on [email protected]. You can also follow his various
rants (sorry comments) on twitter at @MartinJohnston8.
Anne Jolly
Anne is one of our Administrators. She does all sorts of things which help to keep the office running
smoothly and has been particularly involved in supporting WEvolution and theGKexperience as these
pieces of work have developed. This means that she has the ability to conjure up last minute solutions
(and speakers) from nowhere! Anne coordinates our eNews and priority areas blogs, so if you have a
story to share then she is the person to speak to. You can reach her on [email protected].
Lynn MacLellan
Lynn is our Senior Administrator – a title that encompasses a myriad of different tasks. She is the person
who keeps the office running smoothly, coordinates and organises diaries (especially Martin’s) and is
often the person that people speak to most when contacting the office. She is a mine of information and
constantly patient – apart from when the dishes in the kitchen don’t get done. Lynn can be contacted on
Russell McLarty
Russell is our Chance to Thrive Coordinator, our resident storyteller and expert on all things to do with
buildings. He works with the eight congregations in Chance to Thrive, has also been helping to develop
our work with volunteers and is frequently the person who shows visitors around priority areas.
Russell is out and about most of the time – at least that is what he tells us – but you can always try to
contact him on [email protected].
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Noel Mathias
Noel is a Ministries Support Officer based in priority areas. That, however, doesn’t begin to describe
Noel. He coordinates our work around team mentoring, communications and youth strategy.
However, a great deal of his time is spent on the work of WEvolution. Noel likes his coffee piping hot
and has an unsurpassed eye for a bargain. You can contact him on [email protected].
Derek Pope
Derek is convener of the Priority Areas Committee and a parish minister in North Motherwell.
He chairs the Priority Areas Committee, which directs the overall work of the Church’s work in
priority areas and is a vice convener of the Ministries Council. He is not based in the offices – he
has a real job – but you can get in touch with him at [email protected].
As well as contacting any member of the Priority Areas Team you may wish to contact another
couple of people who we work particularly closely with.
Alex Bauer
Alex is the Project Manager of theGKexperience, supporting young people in priority areas. This means
that her office is full of sleeping bags, waterproof jackets, young people and phone chargers. It is also
incredibly pink. Alex claims that she lowers the average age of the team by some distance. That’s not
actually true! You can catch Alex on [email protected].
Iain Johnston
Iain is the Operations Director of Faith in Community Scotland (FICS). He facilitates FiCS’ work in
Glasgow, Dundee, Kilmarnock and elsewhere as well as doing a host of other worthwhile things. For
some peculiar reason he also has a large bollard in his office! If you want to find out why you can
contact Iain on [email protected].
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Getting in Touch
a: 759a Argyle Street, Glasgow, G3 8DS
t: 0141 248 2905
w: www.churchofscotland.org.uk/serve/priority_areas
