THE BARN CHURCH, CULLODEN

Last night I was leading a team on a Quinquennial visit to the Barn Church, Culloden. Each congregation in the Presbytery is visited on a 5 year cycle. The visit provides an opportunity for the congregation to reflect on its journey over the past 5 years, and it could also provide a forum for addressing any difficulties within the congregation, if they emerged in the course of the visit.

At some point soon, I will have to write a detailed report on the visit for the Presbyterial Superintendance Committee. The Church of Scotland specialise in long winded terms! You need to be a good speller to cope with all these long words!

My key reflection as I think about all that I saw and heard last night, is that the Barn Church is a great church. It was so encouraging to be with Jim Robertson, the minister and the other church leaders, and to see how excited they are about what God is doing in their midst. We met in the new wing of the Church called the Barn Centre which has recently been re-developed. The church buildings are used extensively throughout the week for many different church and community groups. There is a lunch club for up to 70 people every week and a new counselling service which there is a growing demand for. The Church also has members working in Kenya, Gautemala, Thailand, Romania and Cambodia, as well as being involved in numerous city wide ministries like Street Pastors and The Homeless Shelter.

The Barn Church is a shining example of a church which is getting involved locally and globally and making a huge impact for the Kingdom.

quinquennial visit - former term for the five-yearly visit paid by presbyteries to each local church to assess the health of the local parish (now known as the 'presbytery visit')