1.30pm -2.30pm

Martyn Link will be exploring climate change; energy; how churches can engage with this.

1.30-2.30pm

Andrew Flynn will be thinking about what fruitful mission could look like in the online environment.

3.00-4.00pm

Laura Young, COP26 Campaigns and Advocacy Coordinator for Tearfund Scotland, will be giving a practical guide about environmental lifestyle choices and why COP26 matters.

3.00-4.00pm

Rachel Turner, Parenting for Faith pioneer at BRF. Equipping and nourishing spirituality in our homes (youth and family focused)

3.00-4.00pm

Ali Boulton will be exploring why local communities have become more significant recently; how do we build on this for mission in the next season?

What does it look like to have a fruitful life?

What does an abiding life look like?

Simon has been part of the Sheddocksley church family since moving to Aberdeen in 1996. Having worked in the oil industry for 14 years Simon responded to God’s call to full time pastoral ministry in 2010, which included a return to university to study theology, at the same time as working full time in ‘Shedd’ as Assistant Pastor. As Lead Pastor since 2016 his heart for all people to grow in their faith, his teaching that equips ‘everyday disciples’, and his apostolic love for local community have been hallmarks of Simon’s life and ministry. Together with Karen he parents 3 teenage boys, and his greatest passions outside his family are coffee and sport (tennis and mountain biking are his new favourites).

Dr Ruth Valerio is Global Advocacy and Influencing Director at Tearfund. An environmentalist, theologian and social activist. Ruth holds a doctorate from King’s College London, and honorary doctorates from the Universities of Winchester and Chichester. She is Canon Theologian at Rochester Cathedral and her home church is part of the 24/7 Prayer Network. She enjoys living sustainably – practising what she preaches and inspiring others as she does so – in the South of England with her family. She is the author of L is for Lifestyle:Christian Living that doesn’t cost the earth and Just Living:Faith and Community in an age of Consumerism, and has written the Archbishop of Canterbury’s 2020 Lent book, entitled Saying Yes to Life. Ruth is a regular contributor on Radio 4 and the BBC World Service.

Martyn works for Wood Plc, the UK’s largest engineering and technical services company, headquartered in Aberdeen. Martyn leads the company’s energy transition mega-trend as well as being head of strategy. Martyn began his career in science, completing two degrees at Edinburgh University before working in the life science industry in Edinburgh and Dundee. In 2014 Martyn, along with three other Christian businessmen, launched the Business Connection charity, which seeks to equip, encourage and empower the corporate sector in Aberdeen. In 2019 this ministry gave birth to the Thrive conference which saw 12 Christian organisations join together to launch this catalyst conference in Aberdeen, as well as a new Christian workplace group within Wood Plc. Martyn lives in the beautiful Scottish countryside north of Dundee and is married to Gladys, with whom he has three teenage children.

Andy and Odele live in the south of Edinburgh with their two young boys Jenson and Tobyn. The family moved to the beautiful city seven years ago and love serving Jesus at Central Church in this most beautiful of nations. Andy has a real heart to see the church increasingly become the beautiful bride Jesus calls us to be as we simply grow in our love for God and one another. He is also passionate about seeing godly leaders raised up and released in all spheres of society.

Laura Young is an environmental activist, passionate about intersectional climate justice issues. Based in Glasgow, Laura works for Tearfund as the COP26 Campaigns and Advocacy Coordinator alongside being an ethical influencer online under the name Less Waste Laura. Her work looks to educate, challenge, and inspire people to think more about the system in which we live, specifically speaking into Christian groups and churches as we look towards the United Nations COP26 Climate Summit which will be held in Glasgow, November 2021. She is an environmental scientist by degree, but has joined her passion for the outdoors, academic background and faith to pursue justice through everyday living and activism. She has been a member of the Public Theology Group for the Baptist Union of Scotland since the beginning of 2021.

Ali Boulton is a practitioner, consultant, researcher in New Housing Engagement. She has been a pioneer Baptist minister living on a new housing estate for over 10 years, loving and blessing residents and birthing a community relevant church. During that time her regional and national engagement has grown and, along with Rev Penny Marsh, she has written a Grove book about Ministry on new housing estates and founded the ecumenical New Housing Hub in partnership with Fresh Expressions, Churches Together in England, and Baptists Together. She is part of the Fresh Expressions National Core team; has been commissioned to work with The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Commission on Housing, Church and Community researching new housing engagement, and is undertaking Doctoral research in this area.

Rachel is the Parenting for Faith pioneer at BRF. God gave her the vision for Parenting for Faith in 2005 in response to a need in her local church, and it has grown from there.  She consults, speaks at conferences and runs training days for parents and church leaders around the UK and Europe.  She is an author of eight books including Parenting Children for a Life of Faith, It Takes a Church to Raise a Parent, and Comfort in the Darkness and is the creator of the Parenting for Faith course. www.parentingforfaith.org

The worship team serving as our ‘House Band’ over the weekend consists of a number of talented musicians from some of our churches in central Scotland. We are very grateful for their time in serving and leading our network of churches in worship during the Canopy weekend.