Intentionality in Advent
Advent is here and for many brings with it a sense of excitement and reflection as we open doors to see what treasure is hiding behind. So this year we thought, what better way to celebrate than to open the doors to our Baptist churches across Scotland! For each of...
Thank You to Faith and Belief Communities, from Professor Jason Leitch
Recently the Scottish Government have made a video available to us to use and share widely. In light of the Covid 19 restrictions and the impact on churches gathering in person, you may want to share it with church members and your communities, perhaps online via...
A New Convenor
Martin Hodson says ‘goodbye’ to one Convenor and ‘hello’ to another One of the less prominent but critically important roles within BUS is the Convenor. This is the person who serves as Chair of the Trustee Board, who chairs the Council and the AGM, and who generally...
How many COPs does it take to arrest climate chaos?
Written By Martyn Link As the eyes of the world turned to Glasgow for the 26th Conference of Parties (COP) the question on the world’s lips was “can we keep 1.5 alive?” For some of us this cryptic question may well leave us cold, I have heard some ask “why bother with...
Scottish Baptist Online Advent Calendar 2021
Welcome to the first ever Scottish Baptist Online Advent Calendar 2021! This year Baptist churches from...
Opening the Doors & Stepping Out Post-Pandemic
By Mark & Irene, Westwood Baptist Church, East Kilbride "It required a wholesale change in the DNA of the church..." Prior to lockdown we, as a church, had been re-considering our Church Mission Statement and then working through together what changes would be...
‘A problem only exists in the absence of the right conversation’
‘A problem only exists in the absence of the right conversation…’ I first heard this quote from a good friend of mine, Jim McNeish, and whenever I feel things are going round in circles or the same perceived problem keeps being revisited it often springs to mind. As...
Growth, Challenge and Change for EBF & Alan Donaldson
Alan Donaldson, General Secretary of EBF, shares about both the growth and challenges from across Europe, and how our Scottish churches can play a significant role in God’s kingdom. “The Lord gave me a picture of you and Ruth travelling together with just a few...
Journey to Renew Wellbeing Centre (Cathcart, Glasgow)
Written by Cara Wightman and the Renew Wellbeing Team at Cathcart. Renew Wellbeing Cathcart was just launched on Thursday 28th October 2021! Before the launch there has been significant journey and a stirring of the Holy Spirit amongst several people about the need to...
20 Scottish ‘Renew Wellbeing’ centres launched since Canopy 2020!
Ruth Rice, Director of Renew Wellbeing and Coordinator for Scotland, shares the incredible springboard our BUS conference, Canopy 2020, provided as 20 new centres are launched around Scotland! Renew Wellbeing helps churches open spaces of welcome and inclusion in...
COP26 Resources
COP26 is a massive opportunity for churches around Scotland to really engage with the issues of climate change and there are plenty of insightful and creative resources around for you and your churches to engage with. On the BUS website we have a whole section with...
All Change at BUS- saying Hello!
All Change at BUS- saying Hello! In our last Connect we said a fond farewell to 3 of our team, and now this month we are excited to say hello to some new faces! Our new National Team has grown as we welcome Glenn, Lisa, Lyndsay, Andrew and Brian, so do give them a...
It’s good to talk!
It’s good to talk! By Jenny Wilson and Lyndsay Cameron-Ross Those of us of a certain vintage will remember the TV adverts from the mid-90s for a telecommunications company with actor Bob Hoskins saying ‘It’s good to talk!’ And so it is! I am sure in this last season,...
Finding a Home in Jesus
Finding a Home in Jesus By Rev Charles Maasz BSc Hons BD Hons, CEO Glasgow City Mission Some will have noticed that I have rather embarrassingly written a load of incidental prefix and postfixes along with my name and job title. I have never done that before and I may...
5 Simple Steps to Sustainability: As Individuals
5 Simple Steps to Sustainability: As Individuals By Laura Young Tearfund COP26 Advocacy Events Coordinator, member of the Baptist Union of Scotland Public Theology Group, and also famously known on social media as environmental influencer, ‘LessWasteLaura’ COP26, the...
5 Simple Steps To Sustainability: For Churches
5 Simple Steps To Sustainability: For Churches By Dave Lazonby, Assistant Pastor at Newton Mearns Baptist Church Sometimes the climate crisis makes me want to go “off grid”. It seems like the only sustainable option is a hermit-like existence where I forage for...