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Life and Work - August

Wish you were here...

Jane Dawson, Professor of Reformation History at the University of Edinburgh, offers a snapshot view from the pew of the Scottish Reformation, which began 450 years ago this month. Reflecting on the impact of the Scottish Reformation on ordinary men and women, she writes: "If you received a postcard from Scotland in 1560 it might say: 'We are having a smashing time, wish you were here' or 'We have had a disaster, vandals have trashed our church' or 'Really peaceful and the weather has been great'.

"How the events of 1559-60 appeared to ordinary men and women varied enormously depending on where you lived and what had happened in your locality. Most people in Scotland were alerted to the Reformation crisis by what they saw happening in their parish church which started with destruction and was followed with reconstruction."

"Where God wants me to be..."

Joel Githinji is a Kenyan-born mission partner of the Church of Scotland in Nepal. Married with two children, he works in Kathmandu among the poor and marginalised, with a particular interest in those affected by HIV or Aids. He felt called to this sphere of work after caring for a cousin who had contracted HIV and died of Aids after five years of treatment.

"So far I have trained 200 leaders from Christian partners and churches on HIV... HIV plays a huge role in making the poor poorer. It leaves orphans, widows, vulnerable people in its wake. My ambition is to create the kind of caring, knowledgeable environment that will allow people with IV to take part fully, not just in the life of their church, but in life itself."

Mills and Mausoleums

For over 200 years Calcutta (now Kolkata) was home for thousands of Scots working at the headquarters of the East India Company or at the administrative centre of the British Raj. For many their final resting place was the sprawling Scottish Cemetery attached to the city's St Andrew's Church.

Established in 1826, the cemetery had become derelict but is now the subject of a major restoration project by the Kolkata Scottish Heritage Trust. Following work by architects and Scottish restoration experts, around 1800 gravestones were uncovered.

The research generated by the project will be folded into the school curriculum in Scotland and will be offered as a history project for Bengali schools, according to Lord Bruce, chairman of Kolkata Scottish Heritage Trust.

Ends.

Note to News Desks

For further information, please contact Thomas Baldwin, Deputy Editor of Life and Work on 0131 225 5722 ext 229 or by email at tbaldwin@lifeandwork.org.

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Thursday 15, July 2010

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