THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND GUILD

REPORT to PRESBYTERY 2025

Moderator, as Conveners of the Guilds Together in the Presbytery of the South West, we present this Report and share the greetings of our members.

This Session sees the Guild begin a new three-year strategy entitled ‘ Let us Build a House’.

This strategy was chosen to help Guild members focus on building up people of God in their faith and in their mission when a lot of external focus is on physical buildings. Whilst it is important to acknowledge and understand the hurt that many of our members feel about the changes happening in the church, our aim is to focus on the positive outcomes that could come as a result where mission is at the heart of everything we do.

The annual theme for 2024-25 has been ‘Sure Foundations’ and this was launched at the Annual Gathering held in September at the Assembly Hall. Whilst this is always an uplifting and inspiring day with Guild members from across Scotland joining together in worship and to celebrate the life and witness of the Guild, this year was particularly joyous as we were joined by five sisters and brothers from the Guilds CCAP Synod of Livingstonia with whom we have had a long and positive relationship based on mutual learning and support. This year we were joined by the Moderator, Rt Rev Dr Shaw Paterson who led us in Holy Communion with a Malawian flavour as the elements were brought in slowly to a traditional Malawian hymn. In addition, one of our youngest members, Finlay Morse and his band led us in some traditional Scottish Music that had Scots and Malawians joining in some dancing. Our Guild pop up Choir also brought a new element to that day with voices coming together in worship. The day concluded with Christina Paterson of Stirling and Clackmannanshire Guilds Together being installed as National Convener for 2024-25 and we continue to pray for Christina as she serves God in this role. One of the important aspects of the day is that we can be joined online be Guild members and friends from across Scotland and indeed further afield. This is a great addition to our ability to connect with people.

A few members of our Guilds Together in our Presbytery area uplifted the offering, were singing in the Pop up Choir manning the doors and greeting some new and old members.

Some of our sisters and brother from MALAWI had a very busy ten days visiting Ayrshire. Whilst others were welcomed and stayed in Shetland. On the Thursday we all met in Largs for a Gathering, for praise and Scottish Dancing, thoroughly enjoyed by GLORIA, MONICHA, INNES and JANE.

The theme for the session, Sure Foundations, has encouraged Guilds to think about the ways in which the foundations on which our faith is built and how these foundations encourage us to build upwards and outwards as we develop as Christians.

This session has all been one of transition as we move to a new regional structure, loosely based on the new Presbytery boundaries but taking into account the particular need of the Guild in each local area. These Groups have been working together over the past session and have formally come into being on the 1^st June. In our Presbytery, we have Ayrshire Guilds Together, Galloway Guilds Together and Guilds Together groups in the Dumfries area working towards coming together.

Communication is the key to success in moving forward. Many Gatherings, Meetings, Coffee Mornings, Quizzes, Big Sings and Afternoon Teas will be held in different areas of our new groupings. Many of these events raising money for our Projects.

It has also been a year of transition as we moved from one set of project partners to another. From 2021-2024 we were delighted to Partner with Beat, Home for Good, The Vine Trust, Unida, Pioneers and Starchild. All of these projects help people on the margins and many who have been written off by others. Throughout the history of the Guild we have been at the forefront of challenging social norms and these projects were no exception. In total £553,318,40 has been raised for the projects which is a remarkable total particularly when you remember that year one of the partnership was still a time of COVID 19 restrictions when Guilds could not carry out their usual fundraising activities and testament to the outward facing nature of Guild members.

We are also delighted to have begun four new projects partnerships which will run from 2025-27. Working with Release International we will stand alongside persecuted Christians in Upper Egypt by providing practical and pastoral support through our Operation Hope project. Again, we will partner with the church’s social care arm, CrossReach, enabling them to provide perinatal counselling services in locations across Scotland and also by supporting Daisy Chain in Glasgow which provides support to children from vulnerable families. Playful beginnings will give families the best start in life. Our partnership in Bulgaria with Bear Necessities is already seeing the roots of a new worshiping community established in the city of Sliven where 30,000 people live in an area with no Christian church. We are excited to see how this church and community hub will develop to bring hope and care to some of the poorest people. Finally working with the Scottish Bible Society, we will support their Bibles for Bairns initiative which aims to provide a bible and other age specific activities to every child born in Scotland whose parents want it. This is a great opportunity for the mission and we hope that Kirk Sessions and c.ongregations will get involved in this initiative with us.

Since January more than £74,000 has been raised for these Projects.

Supporting the projects generally is a great way to support the Guild and so we hope you will consider ways in which your congregations can engage with these projects.

Our ongoing partnership with Malawi continues to flourish and this year thousands of trees have been planted in Malawi to help Tackle soil erosion and provide nutritious fruits for local people. In addition, Guilds have actively supported the Moderators challenge to provide solar lights to young people.

Through all of these partnerships our faith is enhanced and our horizons broadened.

LIFT (our young adult Guild) had its first in person event in April. Whilst we were disappointed that so many Presbyteries were unable to identify young people to participate, those who did attend were clear in what they were hoping to develop, a safe, caring space where young people under 40 could grow and develop their faith and be missional in their outlook. We are so encouraged by this and hope that this Presbytery will do all they can to identify young people who might benefit from this initiative by our own young people. Then we too can support mission in these spaces.

As we begin a further stage of Unions we do not underestimate the challenge this is for Guilds. Where there is one place of worship our aim is for there to be one, united Guild meeting the needs of its members and the community we serve. Where Presbytery has provided more spaces then we too can help support mission in these spaces.

Working together we are confident that we can all together continue to support the communities God has called us to serve.

Guilds Together Groups in the Presbytery of the South West