October Stories
Young people express their faiths in many ways, whether through serving brunch like the Boys' Brigade, or performing music like the youth of Grangemouth, or correcting their teacher when they tell a bible story wrong like someone's little sister in Lanark.
The surprising things children say about faith
"I worked in a special school which catered for a wide range of additional support needs. One of our first year pupils had attended a Roman Catholic primary and was very knowledgeable about the nativity. However, at Easter time we had a service covering the death of Jesus. Jamie became very upset during the service and when we attempted to discover the reason he stated "No one told me he had died!" Elizabeth, Inchinnon Parish Church
"When my youngest son was 3-years-old we went passed a church and he asked what building it was. I answered that it was a friend's mum's church (meaning that was where she worshipped and to try to put it in a context he would understand). He said "I thought they were all God's churches": a true understanding about what the buildings are really about." Ann, Inchinnan Parish Church
"My young son had been a little naughty. I was cross and asked him to go to his room and think about his actions. His reply was "maybe you don't love me but Jesus does". No matter what we do our say Graeme knew he was loved by Jesus." Liz, Inchinnan Parish Church
"My little sister has grown up in the church and one day got into a disagreement with a school teacher over the order of Joseph's brothers so she got up and walked out of class to go and get a different teacher who she knew was a church-goer to inform the teacher that she, my sister, was right. It is this profession of faith that inspires me in my faith." Laura Jane, Forth St Paul's Parish Church
Grangemouth youth celebrated at concert
Churches of Grangemouth held an evening of music, with kids from churches, youth organisations, cadet forces and schools in the area. More than 130 young people entertained a packed Zetland church.
The young people sang and played the accordion, drum, violin and piano, with a mixture of religious and secular songs and a play about Noah. Everyone enjoyed and appreciated the talent within the community. The churches have been asked to organise a similar event for 2019, because "the community doesn't celebrate the youth of Grangemouth often enough".
Year of Young People parliamentary reception
The Church of Scotland hosted a Parliamentary Reception to showcase and celebrate the many different ways that churches are involved in the Year of Young People. MSP Ross Greer and NYA Moderator Tamsin Dingwall chaired the event, and Deputy First Minister John Swinney MSP was one of the keynote speakers.
He said: "The Church of Scotland has been incredibly active in 2018's Year of Young People. It has run events and celebrations throughout the year at local, presbytery and national levels and delivering some of the most creative and innovate youth work in Scotland. This has highlighted the invaluable contribution young people make in Scotland, and the significant role of the Church in helping to achieve this."
Go For It project nominated for Improving Children's Lives award
The Herald Society has nominated 3D Drumchapel for the Improving Children's Lives award Go For It funded project in Glasgow held a very successful Pop Up Play event during the October weekend. 100 people flocked through the doors and had a lot of fun across three different rooms of games, play and exciting activities.
Other stories
Boys' Brigade hosted and served more than 80 BB Brunches as Year of Young People events across the country.
Year of Young People Conferences were held during October with Professor Andy Root from Luther Seminary in the USA. He was very engaging and challenging sharing how culture and society has changed and exploring how we in the church can respond, in particular in our ministry with young people. Videos of his talks can be found Faith Formation in a Secular Age and Relational Ministry Reimagined
Barry Parish Church, Carnoustie hosted an art and design to celebrate the Year of Young People. The event featured work by recent local graduates from Jordanstone College, Dundee, and included a selection of photographic prints by 17-year-old pupil Megan. This was a great opportunity to admire the gifts and talents of the young people taking part.
This year's Good Money Week conference delegates were enthused and inspired by Prosper Social Finance which is a student run, socially responsible investment fund; the first student group of their kind in the UK. Their mission is to deliver positive social change in Edinburgh through responsible, student-led investments. They run a training programme for students to equip analysts with the knowledge and skills they need to start making socially responsible financial decisions.