Minutes index >
Minute of the Scottish Churches’ Industrial Mission (SCIM) Council held on Wednesday 20 February 2008 at Scottish Churches House, Dunblane.
PRESENT:
Mr Ted Wallace, Convener (Methodist Church), Mrs Cate Adams (Team of Chaplains), Rev Jan Adamson (United Reformed Church), Mr Donald Black (Rock Foundation, Stirling), Mr Pat Foley (Roman Catholic Church), Rev Andrew Jolly (Aberdeen Oil Industry Chaplaincy Trust), Rev Gordon MacRae (Church of Scotland), Mr Lewis Rose, (SCIM Co-ordinator), and Mr John Thomson (Secretary).
APOLOGIES:
Rev Gordon Currie (United Free Church of Scotland), Mr Robert Matthew (Angus Industrial Mission), Mr George McSorley (co-opted) and Mr Matt Smith (Co-opted).
77 OPENING DEVOTIONS
The meeting was opened with prayer.
78 MINUTE
The minute of the meeting held on 4 December 2007 was approved.
79 MATTERS ARISING
79.1 Proposal for change of name of SCIM
It was agreed to homologate the recommendation of the team of chaplains that the operational name of SCIM should change to Work Place Chaplaincy Scotland. It was noted that the website address has already been amended to reflect this change of name. It was further noted that a letter of support from Cardinal O’Brien had been received.
79.2 Edinburgh City Mission
The Secretary reported that as instructed he had written to Edinburgh City Mission to acknowledge the withdrawal from SCIM with sadness and disappointment and to intimate that as a result the Council would not be in a position to continue its support and inclusion of Edinburgh City Mission and its chaplain within the SCIM network.
However, it was reported that the chaplain, Mr John Hopper, wishes to remain within the supportive network of the team and his name, and that of Edinburgh City Mission, are still included on the website.
Team members present affirmed that they wished John to remain within their fellowship.
79.3 Area Organiser Vacancies
It was noted that the Ministries Council of the Church of Scotland had withdrawn the offer of employment to the Rev John Jackson.
It was intimated that the Rev Elisabeth Spence had resigned from her position as Organiser in the Greater Glasgow in order to return to parish ministry.
The Rev Gordon MacRae advised that this left two current vacancies and the prospect of two retirements within the next 18 months.
He added that the Ministries Council has recently been considering its strategies for Ministries in Scotland and saw the need to link Work Place Chaplaincies with Presbytery Plans and Emerging Ministries.
He confirmed that the Ministries Council will honour its commitment to the Tayside post and will commence the recruitment process with the minimum of delay.
However, it has decided to hold off recruitment in the Greater Glasgow position for a short period whilst its Chaplaincy Task Group completes a review and research of the map of Work Place Chaplaincy in Scotland.
The Ministries Council was pleased to invite SCIM to assist in this exercise which was being carried out on the basis of full acceptance of the long standing ethos of ecumenical co-operation.
It was agreed that Jan Adamson, Donald Black, George McSorley and Ted Wallace participate in this review on behalf of the Council.
81 DATE AND VENUE OF NEXT MEETING
It was noted that the next meeting would be held on Tuesday 6 May 2008 in Scottish Churches House. However, as the house was unavailable for the meeting on Wednesday 20 August it was agreed to hold this meeting in the Offices of the Oil and Gas Chaplaincy in Aberdeen commencing with lunch at 12 noon and the business meeting at 2.15pm.
It was also agreed to consider at a future meeting the possibility of holding day time meetings on a regular basis.
The meeting was closed with the saying of the Grace together.