Still Achieving Excellence

29th and 30th August We woke up in the town of  St Andrew's Fife  early in the morning prepared to face another day. We have actually discovered a really good bed and breakfast just about 5 minutes drive outside St Andrew's called the Old Station. This is where we stayed when we went to CLAN earlier this month, so it was good to return to kind of  a familiar  setting. The first port of cal that day l was to visit the candidates in training for the various ministries of the Church of Scotland. A group of them were together for a training conference  in St Andrew's University and this was an opportunity for me to meet with them and share a little about the Moderatorial year. I talked about some of the frustrations of this post. Its a wonderful privilege don't get me wrong, but you sometimes feel like a butterfly moving from one idea to the next without being aware of the extent of the follow up to the discussion you take part in. I also feel it would be good to have a dedicated team of one or two people simply working on these issues and helping energise action to come out of discussions. Anyway I spoke to the candidates about the four ontological words that have helped frame my thinking and theology over the past 30 years.  Its amazing how the theology of John Zizioulas, the Greek Orthodox  theologian has shaped the way many Church of Scotland ministers think.  These four words communion, holiness, freedom and love are at the heart of the Christian's knowledge of God and therefore must be reflected in the lives and the actions of believers. The thing was i had only a short time to speak with the candidates then I was off to the next engagement. There was no time for coffee we were picked up by Andy our chauffeur for the day and whisked  off to Perth prison. The point of this visit was to see and understand how Crossreach has been influential in establishing a very successful visitor's centre at the prison in Perth. I found the visit to the prison as always a difficult experience. Its not that you are unwelcome, its more that you feel you are intruding, and you need to feel that you are not coming across as a 'do gooder'  yet you also want inmates to feel that people outside do care  and that there is hope for them beyond the prison bars.  We were shown around the prison and I had a number of interesting conversations. No one wants to be in prison and equally when you go visiting you need to be aware that a prisoner may feel that his or her space has been invaded, so you need to tread carefully watching what kind of question you ask. We were there especially to visit the Prison's Family Visitors' Centre. This is a centre that has been championed by Crossreach it is an amazing facility and one that needs the help and support of outside agencies and trusts from the private and charitable sectors. I spoke with a young woman who shared with me the personal loss in her life and how she worried about her children, she also confided that the centre had been a life saver for her. She could come and compose herself before moving across the prison to make her visit. I asked if I could pray for her situation, the woman was delighted, I managed to put her in touch with a friend I know who lives near her home. Just a few days ago I got an email to say that the woman had been greatly touched by the prayer and was going to try and attend her local church. For me this is what being moderator is all about, reaching out to people and offering the gospel of Jesus to those who are willing to receive it. Then it was off to Adams House in Johnstone. This was an experience worth having. We were met by John McDaid the unit manager. He is a young man full of energy and has an obvious passion for his work. His enthusiasm was infectious, the whole staff enthused about their work and how they loved working alongside the residents. I was attending this home because of their "Sing For the Brain' programme. They told me it had become so popular that they now had over 5 nursing homes meeting in the local church on a week night to sing together and play musical instruments. A small group of about thirty people met with us in one room, all kinds of percussion instruments were handed out and then we sang for an hour or more. We sang all kinds of tunes from hymns to ballads. the thing was everyone was smiling and animated. Even the old lady who at first seemed dis-engaged, finally was switched on. What a fantastic experience to watch and to also share in. John also spoke of his passion to help those in the last stages of dementia and he introduced us to his latest innovation. This is a room which he is in the process of decorating and fitting out with multi-sensory equipment, to help  those who are suffering from the final stages of dementia, to continue to have a meaningful relationship as far as is possible with those who are closest to them. John has been getting his staff specialist training in this area and he has also been consulting with the hospice movement, in relation to his latest support service.  I left this home thinking no wonder it continually is rated among Scotland's top care homes. Crossreach certainly aims for excellence and is achieving it here in Adams House.  

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