January 8th, 2010
The Courage Family is growing! As well as Courage UK, our parent group led by Jeremy Marks down in London, Courage Scotland is delighted to welcome Courage Ireland to the fold!
Courage Ireland have an excellent new website – found here. Please check them out.
We wish Willie and the new group God’s richest blessing and awareness of God’s Presence and hand upon all they do. It’s awesome to see the Good News to all God’s People – LGBT and straight – being strengthened in Ireland.
Hopefully we’ll have more news from our brothers and sisters in Courage Ireland very soon. Our prayer for Courage Ireland: Isaiah 54:2 “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.” (NIV)
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November 11th, 2009
A Bill is before the Ugandan Parliament that would place the LGBT community in Uganda in a far worse position than it already is. The blogosphere has been full of different views on this subject. If the proposed Bill came into law, it would not only affect the Ugandan LGBT Community, but those Ugandans who live abroad! Thus, a Ugandan person who is involved in any same-sex relationships (or a hint of it) in the UK, and goes back to Uganda to visit can be arrested and imprisoned for 7 years. Further, any LGBT person who has HIV/AIDS, can be executed. Yes, executed. Anyone who knows of an LGBT person and doesn’t report them to the authorities within 24 hours, will also be liable to a fine and/or imprisonment. For more information read my Blog here
On Facebook, Dr. Warren Throckmorton and Andrew Marin (The Marin Foundation, Love is an Orientation author) have set up a group to oppose this Bill – . They are calling for a Day of Prayer on November 17th to pray for 30mins over the day with the following suggested prayer points:
1. That this legislation be thrown out
2. For protection and peace for our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters living in this oppression in Uganda and around the world
3. That the Ugandan Church realize this legislation is not morally or Scripturally correct – as there has been disturbing news recently coming from some of my contacts in Uganda and Parliment that the Ugandan Church is starting to make official statements in favor of this bill.
In common with thousands of Christians across the world - both from the LGBT community and the straight, those who are Affirming and those who believe homosexuality is a sin, will be joining together to pray against the adoption of this legislation – CourageSCOTLAND is planning to take part in this prayer meeting. We hope all CourageSCOTLAND folks and all other folks reading this will join us.
Tags: Andrew Marin, Anti-homosexuality Bill, CourageSCOTLAND, Facebook, human rights, LGBT, Marin Foundation, prayer, Uganda, Warren Throckmorton
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October 19th, 2009
Currently the Church of Scotland is going through the process of having a ‘listening’ time for the Church at all levels to discuss the biblical and pastoral issues surrounding ministers and elders in same sex relationships. The Special Commission set up by the 2009 General Assembly will be consulting with Kirk Sessions and Presbyteries about their views in 2010 and that process is starting shortly.
In an effort to aid this, CourageSCOTLAND would be very willing to provide a speaker – or correspondance – to any minister, elders, or Kirk Sessions as a whole about the Biblical and pastoral reasons why, as Bible believing Christians we understand that the same sex relationships are compatible with Scripture.
Addittionally, CourageSCOTLAND is very keen to communicate with those who believe it is sinful to express or “practice” homosexuality in any circumstance. As Christians we believe it is important to continually communicate and learn from fellow-Christians. We also believe that it is crucial that the traditional Evangelical camp understands the views of fellow Evangelicals who accept Scripture in the same way they do but disagree over their interpretation of homosexuality in Scripture. The only way we will be able to understand each other better is by having willing and open dialogue, as brothers and sisters, in a prayerful spirit. CourageSCOTLAND would be very happy to engage in this with any individuals, groups or Sessions.
Tags: Bible and gays, Church of Scotland, CourageSCOTLAND, dialogue, evangelicals, gay Christians, homosexuality, inclusion vs exclusion, prayer, Special Commission, support networks, workshops
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October 4th, 2009
CourageSCOTLAND has got folks spread throughout the whole of Scotland. Most meetings have been held in the Edinburgh and Glasgow areas, though there has been one in rural Perthshire.
One problem of having small numbers in different areas, with a central meeting, is transport, location and accomodation. Very few of the people in CourageSCOTLAND have actually managed to meetings. Therefore, the proposal is that we will develop a cell structure. As long as there are 2 people in an area, we’ll organise cell meetings. Given the distance some areas cover, we can investigate the use of conference networking like SKYPE and face to face meetings. Of course, even if there isn’t another person in touch with Courage in your area support from Ruairidh and other Courage members is there.
To this end, Ruairidh will be visiting other areas of Scotland from the Western Isles, Highlands and North East Coast in the first few months of 2010. Central meetings will take place alternating in Edinburgh and Glasgow areas every second month, with the possibility of having social events in the months without meetings. (Dates TBA)
February (G)
(March: CourageSCOTLAND Retreat – possible)
April (E)
June (G)
August (E)
(September: Courage UK Retreat)
October (G)
December: Carol Evening (E and possibly G)
We’d also like to explore having meetings and more active contact with other LGBT faith groups in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North of England. If you have any ideas about topics and speakers please get in touch.
Tags: Christian, Courage 2010, Courage UK, CourageSCOTLAND, fellowship, gay, support networks
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October 4th, 2009
The end of September saw the Courage UK Retreat. Folks gathered from Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Switzerland, Germany, USA, the Netherlands and Italy. The subject was the Uniqueness of Christ:
Intro: Mark 8: Who do people say Jesus is?
Jesus: The Son
Jesus: The Servant
Jesus: The Saviour
Jesus: The Soverign
Jesus: The Spouse
Conclusion: Mark 8: Who do you say Jesus is?
It was an amazing weekend and really highlights the importance of Courage for us as a community and as individuals.
Tags: Courage UK, Retreat, Uniqueness of Christ
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August 20th, 2009
The Courage UK retreat is held at the end of September. The topic is ‘The Uniquess of Christ’ and the Rev Ruairidh MacRae, Courage Scotland, will be speaking.
We will be looking to see if there is any desire for a Courage Scotland retreat in Spring 2010.
We’ve not had a meeting over the last few months, but there have been many people contacting Courage Scotland and we’ve been able to offer support to several people. The next meeting will be on the 10th of October 2009. Please contact the office if you are able to attend.
Courage Scotland now has contacts in several rural areas of Scotland and we are hoping to organise a meeting in a couple of these locations. Contact the office if you think you’d be interested in a local meeting.
Please note the corrected mobile number on the Contacts page.
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May 27th, 2009
On Saturday 23 May, the General Assembly upheld the decision of the Presbytery of Aberdeen to sustain the Call of Rev Scott Rennie to the congregation of Queen’s Cross Parish Church, Aberdeen. Rev Rennie has been minister of Brechin Cathedral for 9 years. Rev Rennie has been openly living with his same sex partner for the last couple of years. He was open with the congregation before they called him and with the Presbytery. However, no objections or charges had been brought against Rev Rennie. Some ministers and elders in the Presbytery objected and complained to the General Assembly.
Obviously, this is a sensitive issue. As evangelicals, we understand the dismay felt by traditional evangelicals. For this, we feel pain. However, the pain felt by the traditional evangelicals is nothing to the pain, heartache and constant struggle felt by LGBT persons in the Church. The exclusion, mistrust and worthlessness that is thrust upon them by far too many traditional evangelicals is painful both to the LGBT community within (and outwith) the Church and to the wider Body of Christ.
The Church of Scotland voted overwhelmingly to set up a Special Commission to review openly gay folks and ordination over the next 2 years, and in that time for no such ordinations or inductions to take place – excepting Rev Rennie’s which had been decided on Saturday night. While many are disappointed, I think it is to be welcomed. There is a strong caveat to that welcome. The two year Commission will only be worthwhile if people are willing to sit down and talk, listen to people of different opinions. The extremes of the traditional wing seem totally unwilling to do this. They believe they have the truth, the only valid interpretation, that they are the only ones concerned with Scripture and the historic orthodoxy and those of us who disagree are agents of the Enemy. They have even gone so far as to say that anyone in a same sex relationship is “excluded from the Kingdom of Heaven”. We totally disagree, believing that we are made right with God, not through our works, understanding or ability to attain some moral position, but through the finished Work of Jesus and faith in Him.
CourageSCOTLAND does not exclude people who oppose gay relationships – some of our membership are unclear on the subject, some are aware that relationships are not for them. We can co-exist in Christian unity. Surely the same must be true in the Church of Scotland. CourageSCOTLAND will extend the hand to traditional evangelicals as brothers with the same view of Scripture as ourselves and hopefully they will be able to dialogue with us, listening to us and we’ll listen to them. We may not agree, but surely as brothers and sisters in Christ we will learn to respect each other more.
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May 27th, 2009
We were delighted that the Evangelical Fellowship for Lesbian and Gay Christians signed the Open Letter to the Church of Scotland General Assembly, bringing the number of organisations up to 12.
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May 21st, 2009
Inclusive Church and Ekklesia (the inclusive Christian Think Tank), have added their voices to nine other Evangelical organisations calling for the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland to vote for Gospel inclusion in support of the Presbytery of Aberdeen (for the continued translation of Rev Scott Rennie to Queen’s Cross Parish, Aberdeen) and for the rejection of the Overture from the Presbytery of Skye and Lochcarron.
Tags: Authority of Scripture, Bible, Chrisitian, coalition, Evangelical, gay, inclusion, inclusivity
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