Inverness - Highland Creativity Changing Mindsets.
We've had a really busy few days. Our London visit went exceeding well. The Service at Paul's was an historic occasion and it was a real privilege to represent the Church of Scotland. One thing I did notice the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in ireland Roy Patton and myself looked a bit like the black crows among the very colourful bishops outfits. However it was a joyous occasion. We spent Tuesday night on the sleeper heading up to Inverness. on Wednesday we visited a food bank organised by Blythswood Trust. Finlay MacKenzie of Blythswood keen to explain the difference between a food bank and a feeding programme. He warned agains the danger of the latter because it creates a culture of dependancy. We then spent the early afternoon visiting Duncan MacPherson"s Church at Hilton. Duncan is engaging in an excellent ministry that reaches out into the community not unlike what we're doing in Bo'ness. They have a fantastic cafe and centre which they call The Lighthouse. Three years ago it was the manse today its a thriving community centre.
Later in the afternoon our host Alasdair Munro showed us round the Health and Science Centre which is a Research programme involving four Universities and an Art College. Its all about exploring effective ways to take health care out into the remote areas of Scotland using technology. Its a great deal more than that it also explores ways of delivering training and education to health professionals who live in the remote areas of Scotland. I must confess I found it a fascinating visit and one that I will talk about in the future.
I think there is a real opportunity for the church to begin to collaborate in projects like this one. As Health Boards seek to take health care to the remote areas using technology and the existing infrastructure of buildings , the church might have a lot to learn and give in this area. Perhaps the church could start using this kind of technology to keep centres of worship open. Many of our country churches could be used as duplicate health centres -might that not in fact be a good fit?
