Church without Walls Planning Group
Report to the General Assembly 2005

Celebration amidst Struggle 
2005 is a year of Celebration and Reflection, for the Church of Scotland rooted in the “Church Without Walls Report” of 2001. This report has been received with enthusiasm and has influenced much of the reform that is currently happening locally and centrally within the church. 
 
After spending two years preparing the 2001 report the Special Commission considered how their recommendations might be implemented. At one point they considered the impact of a full time professional implementation team encouraging the church to adopt the principles laid out in the report. However they came to the conclusion that each congregation had its own implementation team already in place, namely its Minister and Kirk Session. 
 
The Special Commission anent Review and Reform, in faith, concluded that plans should be made at a later date for the whole church to recognise and celebrate the areas of spiritual growth and renewal that had occurred and would be occurring in all our congregations by the grace of God due to the influence of CWW. 
 
We are aware that this growth has often been borne out of much pain and disappointment, by many who have served the church at a local and national level. 
 
Renewal always comes out of a struggle; remember the story of Jacob and his encounter with God. He endured, his long night of the soul, a time of wrestling, a time of uncertainty, a time when he could have seen God far enough. Then, the sun rose in the morning and at that moment, God’s grace was sufficient for him, he walked with a limp, but his step was sure and his direction clear. 
 
Church Without Walls is an invitation to encounter the Grace of God and celebrate it, not using a formula, but in the practical daily lives of our local congregations, who are living out the gospel while wrestling to effect change in their communities. It is the church walking with a limp, but celebrating the struggle. 
 
In 2001 the General Assembly agreed it would be important to mark these milestones of faith and struggle with a year of accountability, reflection and celebration. The whole church was once again invited to consider the four great themes of the report and engage with them in their various communities at a local, regional and national level. The year 2005 was designated as an appropriate time scale to allow the report to be reviewed and its influence on the church appraised. 
 
Local, Regional and National 
No doubt for some the timing will be premature while for others the opportunity to engage again with the report will be welcomed. It is our hope as a Planning Group that the church at large will seize the moment and develop many of the opportunities this celebration has to offer. Starting with the local, to the national, to the regional and then back to the local. By engaging in such celebrations we believe the church will rediscover again what it means to celebrate with confidence the influence the gospel has had, is having and will have on our land. 
 
Every charge received planning material in September 2004 to help them reflect at a local level what it means to be a church: 
Shaped by the Gospel 
Shaped by Friendship 
Shaped to be relevant in its locality 
And shaped by the gifts of the Holy Spirit 
 
These themes we believe to be foundational to the life of the church. We are a people called to be missional in our corporate life and purpose. This year of reflection and celebration should encourage the whole church to continue to find a new confidence in the Gospel. 
 
There are amazing stories of faith and renewal that are being lived out each day in literally hundreds of small communities all around Scotland. It is time to tell these stories and spread abroad the good news that the gospel of Jesus is relevant for 21st century Scotland. 
 
It was, and has been, our prayer that the report would act as a catalyst galvanising the whole church to once again remember its core calling, being centred in Christ and shaped by the Gospel of Grace 
 
Many congregations have started using the local material or are planning to use it. Most, if not all, of our presbyteries have had their representatives attend the various planning meetings about the regional celebrations and there is a feeling in many quarters that 2005 is going to be an exciting year for the church. There can be little doubt that there is a spiritual stirring happening within the Church of Scotland and beyond. 
 
All kinds of celebrations and opportunities for congregations to meet together are being planned for 2005 by the presbyteries. The Clyde presbyteries are planning a spectacular event in the SECC in Glasgow in September 2005 and the Forth Presbyteries are all working closely together to bring about a series of exciting events during the year. Events and gatherings are also being planned in Argyll and Dumbarton and many other areas. So look out for the publicity in your area and have a look at our website www.churchwithoutwalls.org.uk for up to date information about these regional events. 
The co-ordinating and planning of these events has required a great deal of effort and creativity. Nothing quite like this has ever been attempted by the church before. The planning group are aware of the importance of prayer in creating a spirit of expectancy all over the church. Prayer material has been prepared and can be download from the web page www.wow2005.org.uk. This website has been created as a working tool for the whole church to be kept up to date with the programme for the year of celebration. This will include a National Day of Celebration. 
 
Nationwide Coverage 
The last time the Church of Scotland met in conference was back in 1931 after the 1929 Union in the St Andrew’s Halls in Glasgow. It met for a week, not to discuss administration or organisation or policy, “ but to envisage the magnitude of the church’s task and to realise afresh her boundless resources in God’s grace.” So wrote Rev John Aulay Steele, the editor of “The Congress Message” he continued, “All the main meetings included large spaces for prayer, which after some initial embarrassment, was found genuinely helpful.” When the conference was over he reported that all who attended felt the church was, “no longer in the trenches but going over the parapet on its knees.” 
 
This time, we will be meeting only for a day, but it is our hope that it will be a memorable one for all who attend and those who return home will echo the words of John Auley Steele of 70 years ago. 
 
The National Day of Celebration will be held in the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on Saturday 28th May 2005. Every congregation is invited to send initially three representatives to this event, (we are also looking at ways in which these numbers might be increased.) on the understanding that these representatives will report back to their own congregation on their experiences at the Celebration. This is a unique opportunity to influence and encourage a great deal of people who in turn will return to their parishes inspired to be agents of renewal and hope. 
 
On Sunday 5th June congregations are asked to invite those who have attended the Celebration to share with their own people the inspiration they have gained at the Celebration on what we are calling ‘WOW’ (With Out Walls) Sunday. We are doing this to ensure that the excitement of the national event is felt throughout Scotland and, of course, resources will be available to assist those reporting back to their own congregations. 
 
Kirk Sessions have been notified and asked to think about who would be their most suitable representatives, bearing in mind the responsibilities they will be taking on by accepting the invitation. Delegate information packs will be issued to ensure that those attending have all the information they need to have a wonderful day and to let those unable to come catch the vision for the future of our Church. 
 
A Day to Inspire 
The National Day of Celebration will certainly be a busy one and the Edinburgh International Conference Centre will never have hosted a day quite like it. From the moment delegates arrive, until the moment they leave, they will be aware that they are in the middle of something very exciting. The element of celebration and encouragement will be central, but there will be an underlying call to refection and discipleship as we are challenged to face the future from a different place. Opportunities for prayer and reflection will be available at all times. 
 
Works of art have been commissioned for the occasion, centred around the recycling of old bibles. New drama has been written and directed, to inspire the church to continue to be a reforming people. 
 
There will be workshops in which the best in worship and the use of sacred space will be explored. There will also be workshops presenting best practice in music, drama, outreach, and working with children, and much more. There will be internationally acclaimed speakers, Dr Leonard Sweet, E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism at Drew Theological School and creative writer on the church in the post-modern world, along with Dr Elaine Storkey, broadcaster, UK President of Tear Fund and Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, will address the gathering, as will the Moderator of the General Assembly and our own John Miller and Peter Neilson. 
 
There will be many ordinary folk from congregations throughout the land with extraordinary stories to tell. There will be exhibitions of projects set up with funding from the Parish Development Fund and the opportunity to meet representatives of organisations who want to fund new and original Church projects. There will be glorious worship, a Church Film Festival presenting films from many of our congregations. (Over fifty congregations have been involved in preparing films for there own five minute movie describing their vision of a church “Living the Dream”. A ceilidh is planned, storytelling, and a puppet show, and several plays will all be part of this extra-ordinary day, in which the gifts of God’s people will be used to build up the church. 
 
“Church through the Looking Glass” takes us to the circus to a fun-filled subversive look at the church of tomorrow. There will be plenty for young and old alike. The traditional Youth Night will also be incorporated in the evening events. We trust that no-one will leave without recognising God at work in the life and witness of the Church of Scotland. 
 
The CWW Planning Group hopes to make a final report to the General Assembly in 2006, reporting the National Day of Celebration, the variety of Presbyterial Celebrations planned for the later part of 2005 and to highlight the impact that the final local congregational celebrations will have when they take place across Scotland in November 2005. It is our belief that a Church without walls is in an excellent position to plan for growth and that the future of the church will grow out of a people who have been inspired to expect great things from God. 
 
Albert Bogle 
Convener of the CWW Planning Group