Edinburgh!

Very sorry, this update is rather overdue! 

I went to Edinburgh on the 15th-21st of April to shadow Lou Davis who is a Venture FX Pioneer for the week.  

Venture FX (VFX) is a scheme set up by the Methodist conference in 2008 to reach younger people with no Christian heritage. The original proposal envisaged an investment of some £7 million over 10 years to establish 20 pioneers and 20 projects to encourage new forms of church to emerge among young adults. It intended to build on the recent experience in both the Anglican and Methodist churches of establishing “fresh expressions” – new and more relevant ways of being church in our time.

It was really challenging and inspiring learning about the successes and disappointments in the VFX project in Edinburgh. Lou uses her creative nature in a lot of the work there to inspire people to think about the deeper questions of life.  I met a lot of people who inspired me to think outside of the normal constrains of church. I thought a lot about what church really is and  how much of our own churches are filled with ritual and tradition. Even if you are in the most contemporary up and coming church, there are still traditions and unvoiced expectations. For someone who has never been a part of church life, it must be so difficult to find anything in common with a 10.30am service on a Sunday morning. 

There were two couples from America living near who Lou and her husband Tim introduced me to. They had come to Scotland as missionaries which I found interesting as we generally expect missionaries to be people who go to the 3rd world countries. I think the point is more about where the spiritual need is greatest and there we are commissioned to go. The fact these Americans had left everything to help Edinburgh come in contact with our loving God was really encouraging. They inspired me to think big and consider what the church is like around the world. God is so busy in every country, village, and home. We just have the privilege to work with Him in these places. 

My week in Edinburgh was a fantastic experience, full of new lessons, inspiring conversations, and different perspectives. Looking forward to whenever I go back to that beautiful city!

Kirsty x