I will be heading for Edinburgh at the end of this week for the General Assembly. I am looking forward to it mainly because the new Moderator, Albert Bogle, was a contemporary of mine at University. I am sure that his natural ebullience and infectious enthusiasm will make this an Assembly to remember, not to mention the year of duties which lie ahead of him.
My first General Assembly was in 1984 when my predecessor at St Paul’s, John Patterson, was Moderator. It must have been a challenging experience for him since it was one of the most controversial Assemblies for many years. Two men who had served prison sentences, one for murder and the other for embezzlement, were both petitioning the Assembly to have their candidature for the Ministry upheld. There were also impressive debates on the Westminster Confession of Faith and a document put forward by the Woman’s Guild on the ‘Motherhood of God’.
In a sense it is a pity that was my first Assembly since none I have attended since has come close to the drama and impassioned rhetoric that was on display. The lowest point for me was 1994 when some procedural sleight of hand instigated by a former Moderator ensured that two important reports on human sexuality were not voted on. Instead standing orders were suspended and the Assembly went into discussion mode when nothing was decided. This, I believe, was without precedent and has not happened since.
It was disappointing since there was expectation among many members of the Church that the traditional values relating to human sexuality would be reaffirmed. Instead the Assembly was committed to a continuing ‘conversation’.
From time to time eminent people are asked to address the Assembly. I will always remember Terry Waite who spoke apparently off the cuff and captivated everyone. The standing ovation for him went on for some time. Then there was Billy Graham who was in Scotland for a series of Evangelistic meetings in 1991. In thanking him the Moderator, Bill Macmillan, said he had heard Billy when he visited Scotland in the 1950s. He said: ‘I don’t remember what you said but I will never forget the way you said it.’
It was Bill Macmillan who delivered the one Communion address that I can actually remember. He took the word ‘remember’ as the opposite of ‘dismember’. When we dismember we take apart; when we remember we bring together. At the Lord’s Table we bring together all that Jesus is and all that He has done for us. Simple but very effective.
At the moment I still have some work to do on the ‘Blue Book‘ which contains all the General Assembly reports. It can often be quite a slog but if you are to make any meaningful contribution to the proceedings you have to get your head around as much as possible. Which is what I should be doing now . . .
