Good News at Presbytery of Edinburgh and Perth

There have been times when Presbytery meetings are dull, bureaucratic and insipid…last night at the Presbytery of Edinburgh and Perth, although it was not the most exciting meeting in the history of the universe, nonetheless it was a good and encouraging meeting. Why?

We packed into room 8 in the Free Church offices (Presbytery hall is grand but not helpful to fellowship and warm discussion!). We received encouraging reports from the new church plants in Dunfermline and St Andrews. The latter especially who have just appointed a new womens worker and have a real problem with their morning service packed out – they need a new place to meet.

Then we accepted two new churches into the Free Church. Grace Church Leith, is a church plant from the ARP in the US, led by Athole Rennie. They have decided to join the Free Church and their application was warmly welcomed. Then it was the turn of Christ Church, Craigintinney – a new church plant led by David Court. David led most of the congregation of New Restalrig out of the Church of Scotland, because of the current situation. Again it was great to hear of the problem that they have, where it is standing room only at their morning service.

Then we were informed of two other ministers applying to join the Free Church. We also discussed the Principal of Edinburgh Theological Seminary, and various other matters.

At a time of decline in the church in an increasingly secularised society, it is great to see the Free Church growing and developing. We have a long way to go and there cannot be any room for complacency or triumphalism. We have only just begun….but nonetheless this is the most exciting time that I have known throughout my 29 years as a Free Church minister! May God grant that the latter days would be greater than the former.