feb 07a

Dear Friends

Now that Christmas and New Year are over, it seems the right time for us as a congregation to begin to plan the work of the coming months, and to 'get stuck' into the tasks of Interim Ministry. Many of you are familiar with what Interim Ministry is about, but as in so many areas of life it has its own 'jargon'. I thought it might help if I was to unpack a little bit of that jargon in this issue of the Magazine. There are three things in particular it is important to be aware of: The Tasks of Interim Ministry, the Aims and Objectives Document, and the Monitoring Group.

Task of Interim Ministry. There are 5 tasks which we try to address:

1. Coming to Terms with History - We need to be able to take from our past what is good, let go of what we cannot change and move positively into the future.

2. Discovering a New Identity -How do we see ourselves as a congregation, and how do others see us? Does the fact that we are linked with another congregation change our sense of identity?

3. Transitional Changes -Change is not always easy, so we need to explore what changes are needed and then begin to plan the way ahead.

4. The Wider Church -our relationship with Presbytery and other congregations.

5. Planning for the Future -what is our vision, how do we get where we want to be.

Aims and Objectives: This is the document which is produced following discussion with the congregation. It follows the pattern of the 5 tasks of Interim ministry and it lays out the tasks we have agreed to tackle under each heading. Our meeting for this purpose was on 2nd November 2006 in Holytown Church. On that evening, after some words of introduction, we were split into groups and asked to consider questions about the life of our congregation. Notes were taken, and these notes have become the basis for our Aims and Objectives document. You can see the document on another page of this Magazine -it is an important document to read, because in many ways it sets out the priorities for the coming months. And of course, the points mentioned come from the comments made by members of both congregations.

Monitoring Group: This group is made up of three representatives of the Presbytery of Hamilton, three members of the Ministries Council Interim Ministry Task Group, one member of staff from the Ministries Council, and one Interim Minister serving in another parish. The purpose of this Group is to listen to what the congregation and minister are saying and to help encourage the process we are engaged in. From time to time we will hold meetings of the congregation with the Monitoring Group so that we can talk about what is happening, where we are going and how we are feeling about our progress. The Monitoring Group can help us decide when the period of Interim Ministry should draw to its close.

As you know, Interim Ministry is not just about 'filling the gap' until a long term minister is called. It is about taking time to ask the question, ' Where does God want us to go? What kind of church do we want to be? What is our task as a congregation at this point in time? Interim Ministry is about working together on an agreed agenda that will hopefully enable us as a congregation to move ahead with greater strength, confidence and vision. That agreed agenda is the Aims and Objectives document, and it would be my hope and prayer that as we begin to tackle the tasks laid out there we might get a clear idea of the way ahead. We have a long way to go, but I am sure it will be an exciting journey. It just needs us all to be part of the journey and to ask ourselves, 'How can we tackle this agenda? What part can we play?' We are all different, we have different gifts but I hope we can all feel involved and willing to contribute to the discussions in the months to come.

Every blessing,

lain