"Le Tour"

The tour has begun: 5 days in 5 cities being introduced to the Baptist family and speaking of a future vision as we travel together on this thing we call the BUS.

Dalkeith Baptist Church hosted our evening together with great style and a beautiful sense of welcome. The hall was filled with Baptists from Edinburgh, West Lothian and the Borders. And what a night! A great encouragement for me and if the response of those who gathered is anything to go by, an evening of fun, laughter, challenge and hope, all of which were absent from the England football match we clashed with.

The loudest "amen" of the night was to the suggestion that Baptist musicians should form a Jazz group and there was quite a lot of talk about what type of road cycle team we could put together to participate in a "real tour".

Of course there were also stories of God's faithfulness and my own journey of faith was explored by David Currie, my travelling companion, interviewer and worship leader for the tour.

As I drove home along the M8 to Gartcosh I was overwhelmed by a sense of encouragement. I am so glad that I belong to a family of Baptists in Scotland such as these. I sensed among them a passion to serve Christ, a desire to be led into what that means in the 21st century and an openness to doing it together.

1 down, 4 to go. It's going to be a busy week!

Wednesday 23rd June 7.30pm, Dundee Central

Friday 25th June 7.30pm, Bearsden Baptist

Saturday 26th June 12 Noon, Culduthel Christian Centre

Sunday 27th June 3.30pm, Sheddocksley Baptist Church

"Vive le tour"

Fresh Expression

Saturday night, and I found myself in the Royal Concert Hall Glasgow, for a concert with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Not an unusual occurence for our family as we attend at least 12 classical concerts a year. Yet this was one was very different.



Scenery had appeared behind the orchestra to replace the usual wooden back drop. Lighting had been installed and was used throughout the night to interpret the mood of the music, more like a pop concert. Instrumentalists stood to play their solos and were picked out by spotlights, the audience clapped between movements and even clapped once in the middle of a piece, more reminiscent of a Jazz club. By now I was questioning was this really the RSNO? The conductor had changed, not the usual French Stephane Deneve but the New Yorker Jeff Tyzik, complete with cornet on the conductor's podium. Had the world gone mad? Oh I forgot to mention that they had rearranged the audience chairs at the front and put them around tables.

Less than a month ago I heard this same orchestra play Elgar's Cello Concerto in the quiet and austere surroundings of the Usher Hall. I had left there discussing Natalie Clien's interpretation of the music with my daughter and how it compared with the late Jacqueline du Pre. To be honest most of the discussion was on how bad the acoustics of the Usher Hall are for a cello solo.

But not on Saturday. On Saturday I left filled with excitement. I wanted to talk to anyone who would listen about what I had just experienced. It was not what I expected, it was unpredictable, it was joyful, it had life and charisma. The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle wrote of the conductor "His concert is the kind of thing that's likely to give classical music a good name!"

You only need to look at a classical concert audience these days to know that they are in the same position as many of our churches. Yet it seems that they are not afraid to challenge some of their traditional conventions and taboos to woo a new audience, to explode some old myths and to present the brilliance of what they do in a way that is accesible to many more people than they engage at present.

Therein lies the challenge. We have a message that is life giving, energising, hopeful, joy bringing, love enhancing and totally transformational and yet so often it fails to be delivered in a context that is negatively representative of the message. The medium which contains the message of new life is not engaging, and the sound of good news is not lifting from the platform and grabbing those who are searching. In fact the audience that most needs to hear doesn't come along because they do not imagine they will find life in our churches. Would the Rochester Demorcrat and Chronicle write of us "This worship service is the kind of thing that is likely to give Jesus a good name!"

What will it take for us to challenge the medium we use to communicate the gospel message? Can a classical concert inspire us to look afresh at our conventions and traditions, challenge them and find a fresh approach for our life giving message?

Bike Wheels speak of vision

The Baptist Union Council held in residence at Gartmore House spent time listening to God in the presence of one another and listening to one another in the presence of God. This act of communal discernement shaped by Andrew Rolinson's studies in communal discernment impacted the way in which we sought to become clearer in our understanding of the future of the Baptist Union of Scotland.

At the heart of my own address were three wheels, 2 of which I brought with me and 1 which my wife would not let me buy. (it would be wasted on me)

The hub of the matter that I was seeking to address is that we need a Baptist Union in Scotland that is fit for purpose. Able to take us forward, strong and robust to deal with some knocks and disapointments, but based on all that is good about being baptist.

Stuart Blythe had spoken the previous day, with a deep challenge to become who we say we are and to reengage with our Baptist values and declaration of principle.

Jonathan Edwards the General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain shared how they are working through these same issues in England and South Wales at the moment.

At the end of our 24 hour stay in Gartmore we agreed to explore further our vision for the future of the Baptist Union in Scotland reflecting on how our Baptist identity might inform and colour these three words "Building Missional Relationships".

Please join us in this process. You can read the three main addresses given to council below. We would invite you to reflect upon them and to respond by email to director@scottishbaptist.org.uk

http://www.scottishbaptist.org.uk/downloads.htm

"hearing God communally" "Who do we think we are" "Towards a vision for the future"