On Saturday 3 September 2005 all roads led to Dundee where hundreds of Guild members were welcomed, by warm sunshine, an amazing array of flowers in City Square and friendly stewards, to the venue of the Guild Annual Meeting – the Caird Hall.
The National Convener, Norah Summers, extended a very warm welcome to the platform party, to the many former National leaders, to representatives from various organisations, to members of Councils and Committees of the Church of Scotland, to representatives of some of the current projects, and lastly to the members of the Guild who had travelled from all over Scotland to attend Guild Alive 2005.
The organist played, the congregation stood and soon the hall was filled with wonderful singing from about 2000 people. GUILD ALIVE had begun.
The Moderator, the Right Reverend David Lacy, quickly bonded with his audience by affirming that the Kirk is alive – the evidence was in front of him. What other institution in Scotland could ask one of its subdivisions to send a few representatives and get 2000 turning up?  Also the audience was not just one type of people…they came from many airts of Scotland, were manual workers and professionals, some are soap addicts, some are not, women, men - there he rested his case!!  Yes, the hall was filled but with only a few representatives of one of the Church’s organisations. A good image of Church Alive!
The Moderator then discussed the image of the Church as it is perceived by the public. It has been influenced by negative advertisements, the muddled clergymen portrayed in TV programmes and the lack of inclusion of women (except for the Vicar of Dibley), the biblical ideas of the People of God or the army of Christ’s followers.  The public image fails to perceive the people of strength and resolve, people who experience the joy of the Gospel, people who love and who love to care with commitment. Perhaps that image has been determined by the failure of Christians and the Church to shout aloud about the Church and what it stands for and does. Instead of accepting this negative image perhaps we should be forcing a new, truer image on the public to show that the Church is Alive.
The Moderator highlighted the despondency that attacks the whole Kirk, including falling membership, financial difficulties and the crisis of belief. This generates a negative view but there is an equally valid positive view. Looking at each topic he explored the strengths and ascertained that they were more important than the weaknesses. Falling numbers were often dead branches and the remaining members are faithful to their vows, happy and friendly in their love of Christ and in church each week because they want to worship God.  Financial difficulties are also a delusion.  The national income of the church goes up every year, smaller congregations often give as much, sometimes more, per capita than bigger congregations. Financial difficulties occur when one project has to be cut to pay for another and hard decisions have to be taken.  Churches are closing but this is not a bad sign. After the reunion 76 years ago even then all the churches were not needed.  Crisis of belief is sometimes 
reported in the press. This refers to the odd one watering down a fundamental or two but what about the solid faithfulness of the people we know.   The Church of Scotland is not as bad as these delusions would indicate. 
What about the problem of guilt? Are we meant to feel inadequate? Do we see our weaknesses and feel depressed by negative self criticisms?  We need encouragement, we need to look at what we are doing, be reaffirmed and move forward.  If we dare to care with commitment we need to be strong and resolute but there are resources to help….faith, trust, conviction in the truth of our Gospel and determination to let God’s Word be heard.  Dispel the negative image in individual witness and in the mission of our Church. Let all see the Church Alive.
What a message!
A musical interlude illustrated part of “Mother of all Peoples”, the story of Mary Slessor who gave a life of commitment to the people of Calabar in West Africa.  Born near Aberdeen in 1848, eleven years later the family moved to Dundee and the city now honours Mary with a Mary Slessor Day. She was greatly influenced by her mother, a religious woman who believed in the value of educating her children, and after much involvement in the church in Dundee, Mary applied to the Foreign Mission Board for a post in Calabar. By poetry and song the cast told how this 28 year old woman endured a four week sea journey and of her life with its hardships, achievements, sadness and triumphs. After almost 40 years of mission and service to the people who knew her as the Mother of all Peoples or Ma, Mary Slessor died in 1915.
What an emotional and inspirational presentation!
The Solicitor General for Scotland, Eilish Angiolini, held our attention with her address ‘Commitment to Justice’. Graduating in law she joined the Procurator Fiscal Service and through the following nineteen years progressed ever upwards in the Crown Office to reach the post of Regional Procurator Fiscal for Grampian and the Highlands and Islands – the first woman to hold such a post. In December 2001 she was installed as Solicitor General for Scotland, becoming the first woman, the first Procurator and the first solicitor to hold the post.
What an achievement to break the glass ceiling!
In her talk she recalled an incident in her teens when she was a witness to a crime. The way that she was treated made her feel guilty and afraid as if she had been the bad person. There was no respect shown to the witness or to the victims and a great lack of communication. To be left sitting in a witness room, not knowing what to anticipate, is a bewildering and frightening experience. This gave her the resolve to improve the support offered to vulnerable victims and witnesses,  especially  children.
She has been responsible for the development of policy across all functions of the Crown Office and in particular helped in preparation for Devolution and in the Scotland Act 1998. Also she was responsible for the Department’s preparation for the introduction of the European Convention on Human Rights. 
She told about the risks of being a Procurator Fiscal. Those in Scotland are fortunate as there is no intimidation, but in other countries some are killed in the line of duty. A memorial service in  Korea was attended by 500 Procurators Fiscal from across the world and by the relations of those who had been killed. Very recently she had returned from a similar gathering in Denmark. Elish is presently supporting the Lord Advocate in taking forward the most wide-ranging programme of modernisation in the Department’s history.
What a commitment to justice!
Soon it was the lunch break and the audience were spilling out on to the streets of Dundee to explore the local eateries, to enjoy the sunshine, or to accept the hospitality of two local churches, Meadowside St Paul’s and Dundee Parish, who offered facilities for those with a packed lunch.
What a generous gesture!
The Marryat Hall provided facilities for the Guild Stall and the Wesley Owen bookstall. This gave those from far  flung  places the opportunity to make some useful purchases.
Refreshed, replenished or restocked the audience settled to hear the address on ‘Commitment to the Community’ given by Bob Holman, a professor who became a community worker. He told us how this transition took place. He had survived the London Blitz and been evacuated after his home was flattened. He experienced the feelings of isolation and hostility as the influx of extra children caused overcrowding in the local school. In his teens he sought God. His sympathy for children separated from their home probably influenced his decision to become a childcare officer. He entered academic life, his Christianity waned,  and he wanted more and more – a PhD, to write books, to become a professor. He had it all and a lovely family, two cars and a detached suburban home but was not satisfied. He turned to the Bible – realised that Jesus had not lived with the rich – became convinced that God was calling him to leave university and work with deprived young people.
With his wife he moved to Bath with a project based in their home. He met a young delinquent, Dave, who had been converted, realised that this friendship was a confirmation that he was doing the right thing.  They worked there for ten years and Dave had taken over as leader.  It seemed time to move.  Houses were not selling at this time but the morning after they took the decision to go to Glasgow a note was pushed through their letter box to offer to buy the house. This was confirmation enough and they moved to Easterhouse. Bob talked of the inequality where children are concerned. Society allows an  overspend on some while others are left to suffer. In Great Britain three and a half million children are poor, mainly concentrated in deprived areas, where poverty, unemployment and poor housing conditions exist. These children suffer socially and educationally – they miss out on three meals a day, adequate clothing, leisure  activities , a holiday. Babies are two to three times more likely to die before the age of one than those in better off areas.
Christians are reacting to this situation and committing themselves to these communities.
Bob and his wife (who is from Glasgow) moved to a flat in Easterhouse. He became friendly with people  in  a squat in an empty shop. After their eviction a public meeting set up a project called FARE (Family Action in Rogerfield and Easterhouse) with one room and a half time worker – Bob. In a tenement with hard to let flats (because of drug related deaths) the council let FARE move in. With  its own premises grants were obtained and FARE multiplied. Now they have five staff and volunteers and in any month they have 2000 users. It runs a café, youth club, sporting teams, a women’s group, dads’ group, literacy scheme, IT skills, takes 100 kids on holidays and supports individual families. A notable development has been work across different territories of Easterhouse, breaking down barriers between gangs by engaging in sport, an  outward bound course and holidays. They ran an Olympic Games   for Greater Easterhouse – nearly 1000 children and no violence. FARE is rooted in the community and managed by an elected local committee who must live or work in the area. It includes unemployed, a school janny, a young person with learning difficulties, a teacher. The agenda is set by the residents. It  is  run by people from the east end of Glasgow. They are local people committed to their community. 
Videos were shown of some of the youngsters helped by this project and by the one in Bath. There may be some failures. There are many successes – thousands of children are involved in a variety of activities, community projects do make a difference to vulnerable young people.  There are opportunities, they bring out the potential. FARE is a secular charity, it is for people of any religion or none. Many are Christians and try to live as Christians in the community. Some of the young people have become Christians. In commitment to communities we may think that we take God in, but find He is there already. Some people have a prime commitment to God, but we also have commitments that stem from Him. We must not overlook the commitment of local residents, some in poverty, to their community  and to God.
What a commitment to the disadvantaged of our society.
Moving on ….people were thanked for their various support, given in the preparation and execution of the Annual Meeting.  Presentations were made to retiring conveners of committees and to Elspeth Dale, the retiring National Convener. Elspeth responded indicating the pleasure and achievements she had experienced through her year of office.
A short duologue showed the commitment of various communities to the challenges of Guild Week. Fiona (now Punton) introduced this, mentioning how Guild Week had grabbed the imagination of Guild folk across the country. The Guild has often been described as a trailblazer for the Church so why not blaze our trail all over Scotland? Let people know how we are involved in many issues and give them the opportunity to join us. 
First, in conversation with Isobel Bell from a rural Guild in Kirkcudbright, we heard how their 25 members decided to make 25 other folk  feel special during Guild week.
Next chatting to Sheila Philp from the town of Glenrothes with a guild of 80 members, we discovered that they made their regular Guild meeting special by having a celebration. They realised that their Guild was 50 years old and decided that this could be celebrated during Guild Week.
It had been suggested that Presbyterial Councils might consider an event for Guild Week and so Fiona turned to Elspeth (Kerr) to find out what had happened in Aberdeen. They picked a city centre church and presented a Songs of Praise with a difference. The theme was Dare to Care in the Past, Present and Future. This highlighted Dr Charteris, the present projects and a drama for the future based on the issues affecting the women who wore ‘a second hand coat’.
We were left in no doubt about the value of Guild Week and of the need to be planning now for the next one. Yes, it will be soon. Could we forget? The dates were flashed on the screen every time that Guild Week was mentioned. 
Yes,  it is 20 – 27 November! 
The afternoon finished with worship led by Lesley McCorkindale the Vice Convener.  The singing of ‘Go forth and tell’ soared to the roof of the Caird Hall and the Annual Meeting drew to a close.  The audience went forth  setting off on their journey home with thoughts of a memorable day and full of inspiration for the start of their next Guild Session
Yes, the Guild is Alive!




Many thanks to Valerie Thomson, Convener, Edinburgh Presbyterial Council, for compiling this report