I had a little bit of space this morning so have just watched "A Church in Crisis" which was still available on BBCi player.

The final image of the programme was of a candle being blown out as Reevel Alderson stated "The Church must change if its light across this nation isn't to be snuffed out " This was dramatic but also poignantly inaccurate. The Church must change - we are constantly changing as followers of Jesus, our faith should challenge us and makes us people on the move, however the "light" of the Church, which is of course Christ shining through His people, will never be snuffed out.

I really want to make another programme, full of the stories of people who have known and know this light in their lives; the child who went to a church holiday club this summer and experienced the love of God through the people who led it, the young person who goes to a Cosy Cafe during their school lunch break and finds a church alive and welcoming, a parent who finds a home at the toddler group on a Wednesday morning when they have spoken to no other adult all week, a broken middle age man who finds friendship and purpose as he chats in the pub with some guys from the church, and an elderly person whose life is touched by the light of Christ as a young person brings her a cup of tea at the end of a church service.

When these stories, and many more, are told the nation will see the light of Christ through His Church. "The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out." (John 1, The Message)

Summer

Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" was published 50 years ago this summer. It is a book that changed me - it gave me a hunger to read, and also opened my youthful eyes to the reality of prejudice and how each of us can make a difference to our society. Early in the book the young narrator, Scout, reflects on summer...

"Summer was on the way; Jem and I awaited it with impatience. Summer was our best season: it was sleeping on the back screen porch in cots, or trying to sleep in the tree house; summer was everything good to eat; it was a thousand colours in a parched landscape; but most of all summer was Dill."

For the past 6 years summer has been many things; time off, beaches with the family, the dog running in the sea, long evenings with less meetings; but most of all summer has been Scoughall.

The final week in July has found me at the beautiful campsite on the East Coast of Scotland. While there a temporary community has been formed made up of a team of 30 adults, and 50 young people (P6-S2), from all over Scotland, but with a strong Lanarkshire contingent.

Summer is Scoughall; songs on the minibus, young people scattered across the field or the beach, quiet times and noisy times, sad moments and moments that we will remember all our lives, an awareness of God's presence and a longing that we would know that reality when we return to our homes, space to pray and worship, young people growing into adults; hurts healed and stories shared; tiredness, sun, and sticky toffee pudding!

Summer is Scoughall - maybe you, or someone you know, could be a part of it in 2011!