THE BLUE BOOK

Yesterday, "The Blue Book" was squashed through my letter box. This Book which not surprisingly is blue in colour contains all the reports from the various Boards of the Church, which will be presented and debated at the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland which takes place in Edinburgh from 19th to 25th May.

About every four years, the minister and an elder from each congregation in Scotland attends the Assembly. You can even go to a Royal Garden Party at Holyrood Palace, if that is your sort of thing!

I haven't had time to read any of the Reports yet, but already it is becoming apparent that a Report by a Worship and Doctrine Task Group on human sexuality is likely to attract the most attention. The minister presenting this report will be Rev Dr Peter Donald, Minister of Crown Church, Inverness.

While the above report will probably get most of the attention, there will be many other fascinating reports on a whole variety of topics including Pastoral Care, Discipleship, Mission and Worship. You can read the reports for yourself as soon as they are released to the media on www.churchofscotland.org.uk/generalassembly During the Assembly it also possible to follow the debates via live streaming on this web page. I encourage you to take a look at the website, as it will give you a better idea of where Hilton Church fits into the bigger picture of the Church of Scotland.

DM