Dear friends,

I would like to comment on the two issues which are to some extent dominating the thoughts of some of us at the present time. I would rather not be giving any more attention to the General assembly's decisions on same sex relationships and the ministry but I feel it is important to bring members up to date with this issue given its potential for disruption within the Church of Scotland. It might seem as though I am giving more exposure to this matter than it warrants at present having devoted the last pastoral letter I can assure you that I know of several congregations where it has been given a lot more exposure with congregational meetings being held to discuss it. What has been happening? Three congregations I know of are almost certainly leaving the Church of Scotland imminently - none of them in our Presbytery or immediate area. Two are in Aberdeen one is in Edinburgh. I know of several elders who have already left the Church of Scotland one of them not far from Dalserf, it was announced at East Kilbride South church on Sunday that two elders there had resigned and left the Church of Scotland - these are only situations I know of personally it must be happening all over Scotland. I along with our Session Clerk Joan Pollok attended a meeting held in St George's Tron Church in the centre of Glasgow on the afternoon of Friday 17 June lasting two and half hours. It was a private meeting for ministers and elders for those on the traditionalist side of the issue. It was by invitation only but nevertheless there was an estimated 700 present. About 5 or 6 ministers spoke, the thrust of their message being predominantly that to them there seemed to be little hope of a recovery of a Biblical position on this issue and therefore no alternative but to move towards leaving the Church of Scotland sooner or later.

The meeting was helpful I believe in impressing on anyone who may have doubted it, the seriousness of the situation we are in but I have to say that since the meeting I have become increasingly convinced that the pessimistic tone reflected in the meeting is based on a premature assumption that there is nothing those who are opposed to these decisions can do. The General assembly decision was to consider allowing people in same sex relationships to be in the ministry and to that end to set up a theological commission to do the considering. I think until the commission comes to the firm conclusion that we should accept this proposal we should not be giving up on the Church of Scotland but rather trusting that God will intervene to enable the Church of Scotland to adopt an approach to this issue which is in accordance with the teaching of the Bible and the consensus of the worldwide church both past and present.

The second issue on which I have only a little to say is that of the position of Dalserf with regard to the future Presbytery plan. It was intimated at a Sunday service that Lanark Presbytery had approached Hamilton Presbytery with a proposal to transfer Dalserf from Hamilton Presbytery to Lanark Presbytery. The pulpit intimation about this was made simply because it was known about by a number of people in the Lanark presbytery area through the publication of their Presbytery plan and I felt it was important to let the congregation of this proposal but that it was only a proposal and had not even been discussed by us far less be agreed to. The proposal involved in the (very) long term a union between Kirkmuirhill, Crossford and Kirkfieldbank and Dalserf retaining all the existing places of worship. Lanark Presbytery however rejected their whole plan so we have no idea until a new plan is drawn up and approved, if our future is going to be with Lanark or Hamilton. Meanwhile a meeting of the local area committee on Monday 27 June may produce an interesting proposal in relation to our future with the Larkhall churches.

Finally, please remember that the time of the service does not change to 10.30 this summer but remains at 11.30.

Have a good summer holiday

Yours faithfully,
Cameron McPherson