The date 3 September 1989 still rings bells with me, writes Rev Sydney Maitland. It is not just that it was 50 years since the declaration of war by the British Government on Nazi Germany, but it was also the day when the first non-dictatorial regime had come to office in Poland since 1939. The…
Bishop Kevin gives formal notice of retirement
The Rt Rev Kevin Pearson, Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway, has given formal notice of his resignation (as required under Canon 7 of the Code of Canons of the Scottish Episcopal Church) to the Primus, the Most Rev Mark Strange, following Bishop Kevin’s announcement earlier this year that he will retire on 31 August 2024 shortly after…
Diocese of Argyll & The Isles elects new Bishop
A new Bishop has been chosen in the Diocese of Argyll and The Isles, with the Rev David Railton elected to the position that has been vacant since the death of Bishop Keith Riglin in September 2023. Mr Railton accepted the post following a vote of the Electoral Synod, held today in Oban. He becomes…
Pentecost: The fruits of the spirit
Sermon by Rev Sydney Maitland for Sunday 19 May 2024. ‘Faith, hope and love all abide – and the greatest is love, which we need to be grown within us and among us.’
Discipline Tribunal to hear complaints against Bishop Dyer
In November 2023, the Preliminary Proceedings Committee (PPC) of the Scottish Episcopal Church referred to the Church’s Procurator a number of complaints lodged under Canon 54 against the Rt Rev Anne Dyer, Bishop of Aberdeen & Orkney. The complaints had been referred to the Procurator for further consideration following investigation by the PPC. The Procurator,…
Ascension: A personal assurance
Sermon by Rev Sydney Maitland for Sunday 12 May 2024. ‘Humanity is rife in its selection of personal resentments, all demanding redress and restitution. But none of this remotely sets aside the glory and wonder of Jesus Christ, risen and ascended.’
Easter 5: Rejoice in new harmonies
Sermon by Rev Sydney Maitland for Sunday 5 May 2024. ‘How can an ear rejoice in new harmonies when still deafened by old discords, or an eye see colours when still having to look through a darkened lens, bespattered by mud?’
Easter 4: Grounded in where we belong
Sermon by Rev Sydney Maitland for Sunday 28 April 2024. ‘Jesus is not going away, even when things feel dark and foreboding. He is as much with us in those times of trial and temptation as in times of light and peace and joy.’
Commentary: An easy target
It’s the vicar wot dunnit!’ This was an almost routine explanation for any villainy in some rather unimaginative dramas shown during the 1960s and 1970s, writes Rev Sydney Maitland. The church was an easy target because it did not hit back and the charge of hypocrisy could be levelled so deliciously. The sense of bile…
Diocese has a new administrator
A new Diocesan Administrator has been appointed, with the arrival of Kim Schmulian at the Diocesan Offices earlier this month. She will ultimately take on much of the work currently undertaken by Bob Burgon and John Mitchell ahead of their departures from their roles. Kim has practised law for over 25 years, and has considerable…
Farewell service for Bishop Kevin
Bishop Kevin Pearson’s farewell service following the announcement of his retirement as Bishop of Glasgow & Galloway will be held at St Mary’s Cathedral in Glasgow at 11am on Saturday 29 June, when he will celebrate 45 years of ordained public ministry. It is hoped as many as possible will be able to join together…
Diocesan Synod 2024
An extensive report on this year’s Diocesan Synod, held in Kilmarnock on March 2, is available on the Diocesan website.
Bishop faces fresh allegations over church accounting
The Rt Rev Anne Dyer, who was previously embroiled in a bullying scandal, is alleged to have overseen the submission of ‘misleading and untrue’ documentation.
Easter 3: The Peace of God
Sermon by Rev Sydney Maitland for Sunday 21 April 2024. ‘God is always with us. Like a shepherd – calling us, healing us, tending us, leading us into new pastures, with fresh food and water and shelter.’
Easter 2: Jesus is doing the same today, for each of us
Sermon by Rev Sydney Maitland for Sunday 14 April 2024. ‘He meets us in the scriptures, and in the breaking of bread, as we gather together before Him and as we share in that communion in which we relive with Him that atonement He has made for us.’
Easter 1: A story to tell
Sermon by Rev Sydney Maitland for Sunday 7 April 2024. ‘Here is love – and it starts with God and His total self-giving.’
The Copts: Early Christian Egypt
The Talk to be held in the church on 4 April at 2 pm will be given by Dr Bill Manley, an archaeologist, Egyptologist, author and lecturer. His subject will be The Copts: Early Christian Egypt 300 – 800 AD. Dr Manley, honorary president of Egyptology Scotland, is best known for devising popular forms of…
Easter Sunday: Christ is risen!
Sermon by Rev Sydney Maitland for Sunday 31 March 2024. ‘That is why we gather together, why we worship and find that in the presence of God we also have an identity and a purpose that can never be matched by the wealth, the opulence or even the scientific knowledge of the world.’
Commentary: The turning point of the whole of human history
I suppose that it is unavoidable to compare Easter with Christmas, writes Rev Sydney Maitland. Christmas is in deep winter, when our nights are dark and the weather is cold. Our images are of snow-clad landscapes and city scenes. And then the story is definitely a family story: a mother having a baby, in hard…
Maundy Thursday: A foundation for their lives together in prayer and worship
Sermon by Rev Sydney Maitland for Maundy Thursday, 28 March 2024. ”Do this in Remembrance of Me’ would become a command to love one another, as they allowed His love to flow through them.’
Holy Week Services at All Saints
Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday.
Dr Dee Bird is appointed new Secretary General
The General Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church will welcome a new Secretary General when Dr Dee Bird takes up the position this summer. Dr Bird joins the General Synod Office from Edinburgh Napier Students’ Association where she has been Chief Executive Officer since 2020.
Lent 5 / Passion Sunday: God’s cleansing agent
Sermon by Rev Sydney Maitland for Sunday 17 March 2024. ‘Jesus would carry the load than none could carry for themselves. He would be the atonement that none even dare imagine, and which no amount of self-appointed good works would ever satisfy.’
Lent 4 / Mothering Sunday: The work of the Holy Spirit
Sermon by Rev Sydney Maitland for Sunday 10 March 2024. ‘We find ourselves by looking to Him and as He leads us into those dimensions of His love which we never even imagined.’
Lent 3: The power of God over death
Sermon by Rev Sydney Maitland for Sunday 3 March 2024. ‘Is self the measure of all that we do and are? Is it humanity in its many forms of community and its political doctrines, each locality choosing its own model? Or might it be God?’
Bishop Kevin announces retirement
The Right Rev Kevin Pearson has announced today that he will retire as Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway on 31 August 2024. Bishop Kevin became the 15th Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway in July 2020 upon his translation from the Diocese of Argyll and The Isles. Announcing his retirement to the Glasgow and Galloway Diocesan…
Lent 2: Walk before Me faithfully and be blameless
Sermon by Rev Sydney Maitland for Sunday 25 February 2024. ‘Jesus may have been following Abraham, but He was also leading the rest of humanity in general and the church in particular.’
Commentary: Escaping the silo of self-definition
I suppose that one of the most intriguing paradoxes of our time is the sense of self, writes Rev Sydney Maitland. We definitely live in a time of seeking to achieve and fulfil ourselves, to deepen our sense of our identity, achieve our ambitions and to live full and meaningful lives. Yet this set of…
Lent 1: Repent and believe
Sermon by Rev Sydney Maitland for Sunday 18 February 2024. ‘We can make a better sense of the things that hold us back – especially the things that do not have to.’
Quinquagesima / Epiphany 9: No alternative and no evasion
Sermon by Rev Sydney Maitland for Sunday 11 February 2024. ‘The Holy Spirit is still promised to us, to support us in need and to strengthen us in weakness. To bring us to the fulness of Jesus Christ and to support us as we seek to abide in Him.’
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