From the Manse
Dear Friends
Let me bring you up to date about the vacancy.
When the charge became vacant it was discovered that we had done very little to the manse over the years. This has meant that we have to do a lot of work in it. The congregational Board have been working away and we have had a survey done on it and an asbestos survey. There is a little bit of asbestos that has to be removed from the outside. There is no great piece of work that needs to be done but a great many smaller jobs. Some of these jobs have been done by members of the congregation and we are very grateful to them. However, the vast majority need to be done by skilled personnel. We have had one quote and we need two more to satisfy the General Trustees. We will also need a loan to help cover the costs and that will need to be applied for through the Presbytery Property Committee and Presbytery itself. This all takes time.
Technically we are not allowed to proceed until the manse is in a condition to be lived in by the new minister. I am hoping that we can persuade the vacancy procedure committee to allow us to start the procedure as we are fairly advanced at getting the manse sorted out.
A representative from the Vacancy Procedure Committee of Glasgow Presbytery is coming out to see the Kirk Session at a special meeting on 7th September. It is my prayer that very shortly afterwards we will be given the permission we need to form a vacancy committee.
Once the vacancy committee has been formed you will hear nothing else until an advert goes out into the public arena. Then again you should hear nothing else until a sole nominee has been selected and the sole nominee has accepted. In the case of a minister who is in a charge we wait until he/she can gather his/her Kirk Session after an act of worship. Then both congregations will be told on the same day.
However, we cannot ask someone to be a sole nominee until the manse is up to the standard expected by the church.
I hope this of benefit to you.
The main thing we have to do is pray. “More things are wrought by prayer than anything in the world”. Prayer is vital at this time. We need to pray for our Session Clerk Anne Inglis as she takes much of the day to day burden of running the church. Pray for the Kirk Session and congregational Board as they seek to progress the vacancy. Pray for Stuart Bruce as he seeks to lead spiritually week by week.
But the main thing is as it says in Hebrews 12: 2-3 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
Every blessing on you all
Sandy Fraser
Interim-Moderator