Most Rev David Chillingworth
Following the approval today by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland of the joint report with the Church of England ‘Growth in Communion, Partnership in Mission’, the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Most Rev David Chillingworth, said:
“We are grateful to the General Assembly for extending an invitation to the Scottish Episcopal Church to appoint a member to the contact group being created to take forward this agreement between the Church of Scotland and Church of England.
“That will give us the opportunity to be actively involved in future developments. Our representative at the Assembly this year, the Rt Rev Mark Strange, Bishop of Moray, Ross and Caithness, was able to express our common desire to move forward in furtherance of the Gospel of Christ and expressed our thanks for the gracious apology given by the Archbishop of Canterbury during his address to the Assembly.”
The address given by the Archbishop of Canterbury to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland can be read here.
A summary of discussions at General Assembly on the ‘Growth in Communion, Partnership in Mission’ report can be read here.
New initiative following Second Annual Meeting of Scottish Episcopal Church and Church of Scotland Ecumenical Committees
The Inter-Church Relations Committee of the Scottish Episcopal Church and Ecumenical Relations Committee of the Church of Scotland held their second annual meeting on 12 May 2016 in advance of the General Assembly and the General Synod. It was a lively and positive discussion during which the group explored ways in which the relationship between the two churches could be developed within the Scottish context.
There was a strong level of agreement and a desire to explore our common calling. A working group will be set up and hold its first meeting in the early autumn to take forward this new initiative. The conversation will have an emphasis on what is happening in local settings across the country as well as addressing the theology that underpins our shared mission.
A third meeting of the two committees is planned for next year.
The Rev Canon John McLuckie, Convener of the Scottish Episcopal Church’s Inter-Church Relations Committee, commented:
“Our Inter-Church Relations Committee was delighted to join with the Church of Scotland’s Ecumenical Relations Committee for the second of our joint annual meetings. Such meetings have been arranged with the enthusiastic support of our Faith and Order Board. This year we were able to develop proposals for a joint working group to undertake more focussed work for the future of our shared mission in a rapidly changing Scotland. The Faith and Order Board will be invited at its next meeting to make appointments to the proposed working group.”
