We’re giving congregations an opportunity to make an award winning film. SAMYP which is our media project at the church has been helping congregations and organisations throughout the world develop their skills in film making.See our World Without Walls web page (www.worldwithoutwalls.net) One way we do this is by offering training to potential film makers and allowing them to enter their creations into our annual film festival. This year we are running our fourth festival in Edinburgh on the 15th March 2008

The theme we have chosen is “ECO Warriors” and we invite you to rise to the challenge and make a film from a Christian perspective about an important issue that affects the environment. The film can take the form of a drama production or a documentary. You can also write a piece of poetry or write a meditation highlighting an aspect of the creation that is in danger.

This is a great opportunity to involve a small group to take a look at this important topic.

If you are interested and want to sign up for the training which will include up to three people plus the opportunity to win an award. Send your desposit of £30.00 to SAMYP St Andrew’s Parish Church Bo’ness EH51 9DP or contact us at www.standonline.org.uk All entries must be in our hands by 15th January 2008. Dates for training will be published to correspond with the demand. have a go!

CWW as a ‘brand’
The term ‘Church without Walls’ is not peculiar to the Church of Scotland. Indeed if you google the phrase you will find it is a title that has been used by many writers to describe churches and movements that desire to move the church from behind closed doors to engage with the community. Jim Petersen is one of a number of authors who have used the title to challenge Christians today to make church more relational, relevant and responsive to an ever changing world.
Church without Walls (CWW) has become an effective brand name that has allowed congregations within the Church of Scotland to access, or at least think about, an alternative way of being church. It is equivalent to the Church of England’s ‘Fresh Expressions’. For many this has been a liberating experience allowing Kirk Sessions the opportunity to focus on what is core to their ministry and purpose. Many within the Church have interpreted the CWW Report of 2001 to the General Assembly as giving permission to explore change.

CWW Ethos
CWW is not a movement that congregations join. It is a mindset that we believe every effective church leader already owns. Church without Walls is not about a programme or a new kind of church. It is nothing more nor less than a description of what it means to be a group of disciples effectively making Christ known within the community in which they work or live. If you are seeking to do just that, then you are living out the ethos of Church without Walls.
CWW aims to encourage diverse congregations to share with others their stories of faith and renewal. It is as local stories of hope and endeavour are told that expectations begin to rise. We believe that we must also break down the walls that divide us locally and globally, and explore creative ways to network at local and global levels.
The Cause before the Vision
The purpose of “Church without Walls” for the Church of Scotland is to re-focus the church on Jesus Christ rather than being preoccupied with concern for buildings. Central to the gospel is the mercy, justice and compassion of God. It is about focusing us on our first cause and our first love, Jesus Christ himself, and on his words of discipleship, “Follow Me!”
If, as many say, we have created movement and change in the church, then is it time to ask, “What is it that we can’t leave behind as we press forward in our calling as disciples in the 21st Century?” The one thing we can’t leave behind of course is our freedom in Christ to speak for the poor. We cannot allow ourselves to become slaves to the culture of western materialism.
We must be prepared to travel light; to leave behind buildings if no longer required, and even power bases, in order that we establish a church that is faithful and flexible. Such a church may become the church of the exile, the church of the stranger, the church of the sufferer, the refugee, the marginalized; the church of the seeker, the saint and the sinner. A church perhaps that is despised and rejected, a church acquainted with grief. Such a church will be less structured and more relational. It will be shaped by the gospel of grace, shaped around the gifts of the Holy Spirit, shaped out of friendship, and shaped to connect with the cultural environment; though not controlled by that culture; a church where the cause drives the vision.

The Vision
The CWW 2008 National Gathering at the Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, Edinburgh will seek to model the cause through the practical demonstration of a vision. The first great visual aid will take the form of a tented city. 500 tents each representing a congregation will be used to explore the themes of the ministry of the local church in a changing culture. These tents will demonstrate prophetically the fact that there are hundreds of churches seeking to be obedient to the call of Jesus. These will be the tents of the risk takers, the tents of the vision casters, the tents of the faith story tellers.

Vision Sharing
Church without Walls or CWW is the equivalent of being the permission granter to local churches. We invite the church to become today what it has been called to be. In many ways CWW has encouraged others to begin to consider what the church will be like in 5 -10 years time. By doing this, CWW has begun to make it possible for others to consider and debate the ideas that have become known as ‘Emerging Church’.

However, we need to address the church as it is today in order that we can connect with the vision for tomorrow. One thing is for sure: God is calling all the churches, both independent and mainline, to a place of humility and repentance; to a place of compassion and service. It is when we are in this place of obedience and service that we are able to attract others to encounter the living Christ. This is what we mean by breaking down walls and building up people. For me the great challenge facing the 21st century churches is this: “Are we willing to re-energise ourselves through acts of mercy and justice?” Somehow it seems to me that the Church in Scotland is getting ready to reach out to the broken people of the world in compassion and service. In doing so I believe we will touch the whole nation.

It is our expectation that we will engage with around 20,000 people at t he CWW Gathering 2008. The cause of compassion, mercy and justice will be shared and explored through all forms of media. This will be a weekend to remember. What could happen in Scotland if 20,000 Christians were filled with compassion and sent out to live in their space as disciples?
It is our prayer that we will all become more inclusive and less exclusive, we will begin to consider ourselves as disciples of Jesus rather than members of a denomination.

We need a Christian church that is willing to become interdependent, learning from each other in humility and grace. We want to gather all God’s people together to celebrate our common faith in Christ. This is the vision that is driving the planning group forward to launch ‘CWW 2008 - the National Gathering’.

Here I am back at my desk again after the India trip. Sitting in my comfortable study. But I feel very uncomfortable. I’m constantly thinking about our friends and colleagues in Peru. Willie and I have been in constant touch thinking about how we in the Vine Trust can make a small difference in the life of some forgotten street kid on the edge of an abyss.

By God’s grace our partners in Union Bublica are up for one of the biggest challenges ever. To try and get food to the vulnerable street boys of Ica. This may prove more difficult than sailing a boat across the Atlantic. For these children will be the least known and loved. Somewhere tonight a child will be hiding believing the world has come to an end. And it may have for him.

On Wednesday evening an earthquake hit the country of Peru causing a great deal of damage hundreds have been killed. The cities of Pisco, Ica and Chincha Alta in the Ica Region, and San Vicente de Cañete in the Lima Region were most affected. Paul Clark told me everyone was afraid. The earthquake was felt in the capital Lima, where the quake broke windows in downtown sectors of the city, as well as various other Peruvian cities. Aftershocks of magnitude 5.0 or greater have been recorded.[8][9]

The Vine Trust has sprung into action and I’m happy to say that we have released $150,000 for our partners in Union Bublica to use in helping in the emergency relief for abandoned children in Ica and the surrounding area and to accelerate the construction of the Ica street children’s centre which was due for completion in October 2008. Thanks to the generosity of Coupar Old Parish Church

The immediate aim will be to establish four feeding centres aimed particularly at abandoned and orphan children who will be least well placed to cope with this tragedy whilst also supporting the wider community at this time.

I believe that the plan is to include some of the older street boys to become involved in the whole aid relief programme. So boys who were once classed as evil drug addicted demons will now be seen as angels of mercy offering food and shelter to children who have been displaced by this horrific incident. Please pray for Paul Clark and his team as they work night and day to bring relief to some of these precious children. In an e-mail i received from Paul this afternoon he writes,”How can I express my personal gratitude, and through me, that of hundreds of destititute Peruvians for the amazing offer I just heard about from Willie!

We are on the move. No time can be wasted. The situation in Ica is desperate. A prison collapsed and over 600 prisoners, mostly thieves escaped. As you can imagine, vandalism is rife. Buses and trucks heading for the area are being attacked and robbed. But that will not deter us. Remember Luther’s great hymn - A Mighty Fortress is our God. Indeed, the enemy will not prevail. The UB/VT venture into a scene more complex than I here can explain will not be deterred.” If you are reading this and would like to help make your donation on The Vine Trust Web Page.

There is a phrase that says we live in an ill divided world. The truth is that illness must affect millions upon millions of people all over the world. However there is nothing more moving than to stand with a group of people who are suffering from leprosy and see in their eyes the shear bravery that drives them on. When they come and stand or even kneel before you and ask for a blessing, it is then that you know what it means to be reduced to feeling like the smallest person in the universe. I also learned that many of the lepers are reduced to begging on the streets and hiding their affliction. This particular woman looked so sad as she stood outside the widow of our air conditioned car looking for some help. My heart went out to her. It really is an ill divided world.

It got me thinking about a song iain Jamieson and I wrote a few years ago, called “Brave Hearts” I was talking to the mechanic that was working on my car this afternoon about music. I told him I’d post the song on the blog let him hear it.

Amazon Heartbeat was broadcast tonight. I’ll hear in the morning what the viewing figures were. STV will be anxious to discover how many people viewed the programme. For me the music was immense. This was a collaborative piece of work brought about by my colleagues and co-writers Ian and Colin Jamieson. Well done lads, your contribution to he series is immense. It was also great that Graeme Duffin of the Wets and Sandy Jones worked their magic as producers. I still like the production job they did on the track “Amazon Hope” now available on the EP “Cries in the dark” have a listen

Haven’t had a moment since we returned from india on Saturday. Our bags have not all arrived yet and I’m waiting to charge my mobile phone before downloading some pictures to describe the last part of our Indian journey.