Dear
friendsFrom The Minister
Dear
friends
With regret, a landmark decision has been taken. At the last meeting of the Kirk Session a decision was taken to move toward ending the work of the 237th Glasgow Boys' Brigade Company, at the end of this session.
The company continues to be appreciated by boys and parents, because of the dedication of its officers. However, there is a time for them to lay down this task to which they have shown such devotion.
Leaders have always tended to be grown within their own companies. Patterns of education and work, among other factors, have prevented this in recent years, so that none are coming forward to take this forward. More fundamentally, it is clear that the Brigade, through no failing in the standard of the traditional activities, is loosing its appeal to boys.
At this juncture several boys will be of age to move on from the company or to move up from the junior section and this is a good time to give those who remain an opportunity to join another company. It seems, therefore, to Captain Bryan Turnbull and to the officers that this is an appropriate time to stop.
Later in the year - probably in September - we will mark this with an appropriate service of thanksgiving for 79 years of work and witness. The company has been an important part of the work of the congregation, has flourished and has had a deep impact on lives now scattered far and wide across this country and the world. Eternity will reveal the significance of times spent together by officers and boys, over these years.
However, we must recognise in the sight of God that it is time to stop and move on. This is not because of any failure to play well and aim at the goal posts, but because the goal posts have moved. It is obvious that times have changed. The culture of young people around us has changed dramatically. What appealed to them in the past, does so no longer.
Since ancient times, societies have been changing. The early church crossed boundaries of culture and race with a message which was relevant to people of all times and ages. The-structures of the early church were flexible enough to allow it to adapt. As long as the people of God the Father were committed to living for Christ and each other in the power of the Holy Spirit, the gospel advanced, though not without great personal cost.
The centuries have seen dramatic cultural changes. There have been intellectual and industrial revolutions. At times the church has been too tied to the structures of civil society and has failed to adapt to the needs of the gospel. Even today the Kirk is committed to the medieval parish system, which was not flexible enough to enable mission to adapt to the industrialising and urbanising Scotland of the 19th Century!
Now we are in the 21st Century when the patterns of people's lives are not tied to local communities. Yet people still need and seek community, in leisure, in sport or by electronic communication. And the same souls need communion with God.
So what shall we do next? Doing nothing is not an option. Yet careful reflection ought to come first. We must not assume that we understand the culture of young people or that they will associate and be satisfied the way we were when we were that age. Nor should we go to the other extreme and think that they are creatures from another planet. All young people are human beings with basic needs for love, security, acceptance and hope. We should not make the mistake of thinking they will be unresponsive to authentic faith and love.
We need to reflect on the different ways in which teens relate to each other. Many do not like to be 'organised'. Nor do they want to go to the same place week in week out. We may criticise them for lack of discipline or commitment, but this is a by-product of the fast moving 'sound-byte' world into which they have been brought. Association, communication and discussion takes place by text, by e-mail or on the street. We need to understand these worlds and enter them.
We ought, also, to learn from what others do. Several churches are engaged in developing new types of work with young people. If God is at work, we should watch and learn. Certainly we should join together in prayer that God may grant us wisdom (James 1;5), that he will raise up labourers (Matt 9;35-38), among them people who "understand the times" and 'know what we should do' (1 Chronicles 12;32) and that through the scriptures we may be "thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3; 16,17)
Your friend and minister,