Saturday 13th. June

I took this photograph this morning, not because of the beautiful view, but because after all of the glorious weather we have been enjoying, today we were in a real Scottish mist — we could hardly see Mount Pleasant up ahead of us.

This has been a busy week. I have been preparing services while Rachel has been emptying boxes and organising her weaving studio. I don’t suppose that our country has ever been filled with so many people who have done so much organising and tidying and gardening. Rachel has been busy in the garden outside our backdoor but the side of the driveway have gone to wrack and ruin and a recent delivery man said to me that the only grass he had seen which was longer was the rough at Duns Golf Course. (He confessed to playing two and a half rounds and losing eight golf balls. I think that I had better wait until the rough has been cut down a bit.)

On the news front, I have had an email suggesting that very soon there is going to be a Zoom Presbytery meeting. I’m glad of that because the future of the Gordon, Greenlaw, Legerwood and Westruther parishes for which I am responsible as Interim Moderator still has to be fully discussed and agreed. It is most odd being Interim Moderator of congregations which you cannot meet — all I have been doing is to prepare services online for Sunday worship and make myself available by telephone for anyone who would like to speak to me. Mind you, in these difficult times, I’m not sure that I really can be much help to anyone.

One of the things which has happened over recent week is a regular meeting of ministers in the presbytery on Zoom. For this week’s meeting we were each invited to prepare a two (or three) minute presentation on our vision of the presbytery in the future. One of the ground rules (although never formally stated) is that we should each be able to expect our thoughts to remain confidential, that way we can all share freely. But I am happy to share my own contribution and I am enclosing it here so that, if you are interested, you may see the way that my thoughts are developing. Of course, it is not possible to present a fully rounded vision in such a limited time but I found it interesting to listen to everyone’s views on where we are going.

I’d love to know what everyone in our church family has to say about the way forward.

I don’t know how long everything is going to continue as it is just now. Today I have received a lengthy document about all that we will have to do before we can reopen our Church for worship. There is a lengthy risk assessment which has to be completed, but I am sure that we shall be able to deal with that. Our aim, I suspect, will be to enable worship in the church once it is allowed while at the same time continuing to offer worship and support for those who prefer not to come to church just yet. Some of the thoughts coming from Church headquarters seem to suggest that some of us will be discovering that our church buildings are not as important as we thought that they were (perhaps preparing us to close more buildings). I must say that I am missing our building more than I ever imagined I would. It is a Holy Space and while I know that God is present with us wherever we are, our Church, hallowed by so many centuries of worship, is a very special place to me (and I’ve only been part of it for four years)!

There is a lot of talk just now about churches not being the most practical buildings for the future. I’ve come to believe that there are things about our church which are unbelievably appropriate. I’ll maybe tell you about something different which falls into this categorie (or invite you to tell me) each week, but right at the top of the list is the pathway from our gate to the Church. It is wonderful. It provides me with an opportunity to have a talk with everyone as they arrive and as they leave and I go home after a service really feeling that I have really been with everyone with whom I have worshipped. Mind you I am astounded by the number of steps which my fitbit tells me I make on a normal Sunday morning!

We are so fortunate in having such a lovely place in which to worship on a Sunday morning — mind you, we are so fortunate to have such a lovely church family with whom to worship as well. I hope that you have a very good week.