Monday, June 01, 2015
Another summer, another update
Facebook has allowed for more frequent micro-blogging, so
the old blog isn't getting as much love at it should. It's a time issue really. Given the general chaos of life with two
small children, it's far easier to fire up a few lines on social media to talk
about what is happening or share a prayer request. This is great, but it's not the sort of more
sustained reflection that the blog offers, a more joined-up picture of what the
Wilsons are doing in Glasgow. Which is a
good thing, but with the precious free time that we do have, I'm generally more
keen to spend it outdoors rather than sitting in front of a screen tapping
away.
I'm also aware that sometimes we assume our friends and
family know about what is going on, but that's not always the case. So here I'll try to give a summary of life
and ministry since I last updated the blog.
And... having a look, that was just after the Commonwealth Games. So this is overdue.
Destitution Support at St Rollox
Support for some of the most vulnerable asylum seekers,
the destitute, is still going on thanks to the overwhelmingly generous response
to the Great Swim fundraiser last year.
We're currently regularly supporting about 15 people who have no access
to support otherwise. As always, the
programme is limited so we don't stretch ourselves too thin and so we can
maintain a strong relational core to our ministry.
In the past year, a lot has taken off in regards to
providing more holistic support to our destitute friends. Many of you know that we had planned to provide
housing to the destitute. The vision for
Fasgadh House ('fasgadh' is a Scottish Gaelic word meaning shelter or refuge)
was strong, but we didn't have the resources to see it come into fruition. But all the time planning and praying was not
in vain, the project was driven forward by some partners in ministry and is now
providing a safe haven to three women who had no support otherwise.
The other noticeable gap in support for the destitute was
regarding their legal situation. It's an
area that can only be broached by experts.
There has been years of hard work going on behind the scenes to provide
feasible legal support. Like Fasgadh
House, this has recently come to fruition due to some hard grafting by the
Refugee Survival Trust and Refugee Council.
We're delighted that St Rollox is one of the places where they are
offering the initial triaging stages of their support. This will allow our destitute to get out of a
rut and make some practical decisions about their future.
We've rejoiced with friends who have made progress on
their cases and are now resident. We
pray for others who have left unexpectedly.
We try our best offer a listening ear and empathy to those who, after a
glimmer of hope of progress in their cases, are destitute again without a home
or food.
We've been able to carve out a unique role in serving the
destitute. We don't provide all the
support at St Rollox -- we offer food, a social outlet, and spiritual support
-- but the church has become a base that has linked into other aspects of help.
Supporting the destitute has been a blessing, but do
continue to prayer for us as we try to serve them. The situations are desperate and sometimes
there is no hope for a 'good' outcome.
Desperate people can also act in difficult and unpredictable ways. Every day we need a good dose of patience and
empathy to continue.
Studies at 'New College'
"Perhaps people are suspicious of the Bible because
Christians sometimes try to use it to win arguments with people who don't know
anything about it. Which is a bit like
being lost in London and someone saying to you 'Well if you I could just refer
you to the A to Z, page 27, grid reference G4..."
Though funny, I think the comedian Milton Jones touches
on something quite true in his book 10 Second Sermons (which I must
thank my mother-in-law for gifting to me a couple years back). In our work, I'd say that I spend most of my
time with people who don't read the Bible.
Yet many of the conversations that I have are about the Bible. Particularly with my refugee friends from the
Middle East. How Christians read
the Bible and why they come to the theological decisions that they do
underlie many of the discussions that I have.
I've started doing my Masters in Biblical Studies with
the University of Edinburgh at the historic New College. I often felt the need to have a better grasp
on the tools of biblical interpretation.
It's all the stuff that I didn't focus on in my undergraduate theology
degree because I was so excited to move onto more 'practical' issues. Not that there's anything wrong with the issues
of practical theology, it's totally essential! Still,
I felt that my practical theologising (ministry, basically) would benefit from
being able to use the Bible with more intellectual integrity.
The programme that I'm on is big on languages, so by the
time I graduate I should have some competency in Greek and Hebrew. I'm also doing research into issues of
historical context and interpretation. I
know that this kind of stuff isn't for everybody and usually incites
yawns. I'll be honest, I would've been
easier to do a research masters in something to do with refugee work, urban
ministry, and the local church. I do
find reading about grammar a real struggle at times, it's just not how my brain
is naturally wired. But I felt that this
challenge would be of greater benefit to me in the longer term and that the
biblical studies would better inform any more specific studies I might do in
the future.
As for the experience of studying again, I am enjoying it. I'm impressed with how New College run their
theology programme. The postgraduate
students are a very diverse group. There
are students from all over the word and unlike some other theological
programmes I've been on, it is not totally dominated by male students. In my current programme in Biblical Studies,
there are as many women as men which, to my mind, has added greater depth to
our class discussions. I also appreciate
how New College promotes interdisciplinary studies. Students are encouraged to take one elective
outside our field and we all use the same facilities. There's also something hard to quantify, but there's a really good atmosphere about the place. There's a nice combination of respect and accessibility. While there are some 'big names' in the school, all the lecturers have been approachable, helpful, and not pretentious. It's also a priviledge to study in such an amazing building in a beautiful part of Edinburgh. The travel is tiring, but I feel unbelievably grateful for the opportunity that I have to study when I walk through the stunning quadrangle.
I've just completed my first year, my results have been better than I expected (which is a nice bonus). I have one more year of classes, then I'll
write my dissertation over the summer.
In the year I've just completed, I've studied the following topics:
- Biblical Hebrew
- New Testament Greek
- I & II Kings
- I was privileged/lucky to be part of a group that were the first readers of Graeme Auld's as of yet unpublished book on the composition of Kings and the so-called 'synoptic problem' in Kings-Samuel-Chronicles; I out of my depth most of the time, but it offered a fascinating insight into of the work that goes into major scholarly publication.
- Memory theory and current historical Jesus research
- The formation of the Jewish Canon
- Christian-Muslim Relations
- My course in Christian-Muslim relations was my 'elective' choice. It was a real eye-opener. My postgraduate seminars included a Muslim student as well as an agnostic, so the discussions were fascinating. I also would like to make the suggestion that before people go posting highly ideological Youtube videos on Facebook, do a bit more reading before you pretend that a particular extremist ideology represents millions of people. It's very easy to indulge one's fears and this can be done on either side of the divide. A fascinating aspect of the course was our section on Christian-Muslim relations in the 7th-9th Centuries. Arabic speaking Christians have a witness that is worth looking into as many 'contemporary' issues of contextualisation were debated over a thousand years ago. It's also worth considering the theology of Arabic Christians and their history of witness while we advocate about the terrible persecution modern Arabic Christian communities are facing. Let's not make these Christians in our own image. If we are going to use descriptions like "brothers and sisters in Christ" let us take time to consider what this claim actually means and whether or not the way we talk about our Christian neighbours at home, even those we disagree with, fit into this familial expression of grace and generosity. It's an issue of integrity that is not lost on a watching world. I think anybody interested in Christian witness and Islam could benefit from reading Mark Beaumont's Christology in Dialogue with Muslims.
Family Matters
(no reference to cringe-worthy 90s sitcoms intended!)
Niamh is enjoying school and it's hard to believe that
she's nearly finished with P1! She has
become a proper adventurer, doing some proper hikes with us over the
holidays. She is currently taking
swimming lessons, but has also done gymnastics and has been to the bouldering
wall with her dad. She is artistic,
loses stuff easily, is prone to flights of fancy, a touch sensitive, but rather
determined and stubborn once she sets her mind on something. Emma says it really reminds her of somebody
else in the family... I have no idea what she means!
Shane is a wild man.
The opposite to his sister in so many ways at this age, but they are
becoming great pals. It has been over a
year since is surgery and seems to be getting on well. His speech is coming along. He can make most noises, but will probably
need a bit of support with some noises (s & f in particular) that he
struggles with. Still, we're encouraged that
he is not put off by the difficultly of trying to speak and keeps learning and
trying out new words.
We have sold our flat, but we are still caretakers of the
St Rollox manse. Our non-typical form of
earning a living doesn't fit into many boxes, so with the recent cautionary
stance on mortgages we're unlikely to get a mortgage easily. We are actively looking into some different
options and enjoying the space that our temporary home currently allows us.
On the topic of our old flat, something amazing
happened. It took over a year to sell,
but our old flat was purchased by a charity and is now the Fasgadh House (as
written about above) that is giving
shelter to destitute women. We were told
that our flat was ideal for the charity's needs. I'm happy that the flat sold, but even
happier that it's being used in a way that furthers the kingdom. Waiting is difficult, but we believe that God
moved providentially in how our flat was sold and purchased by the right people. It's a good reminder as we wait where we are,
not really settled and concerned about keeping Niamh her school and wondering
if we'll need to move out of the area, that God is still active while we wait
and that we trust that any future move will be the right thing.
Scotland in 2014... 2015... and who knows..?
In the past year, Scotland was rarely out of the
headlines. There was sport: the
resounding success of the Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup (but let's not
talk about the rugby). The biggest story
was politics, the independence referendum and now the collapse of Scottish Labour and the rise of the SNP. While I
can't speak for the rest of the country, Glasgow has felt highly charged. Emotions run understandably high. I might be wrong, but I think one underlying
and critical question is one of identity; there have been wars over less, so we
should be thankful that issues have been debated, not fought over. I'll admit
to finding it all tiring at times and the rhetoric overblown, particularly the
shrill tone of much social media debate.
That said, I've been encouraged that there's no longer a mood of political
apathy. Springburn, where we lived, had
a notoriously low voter turnout and general civic disengagement. The independence debate did spark something there
and the political momentum the referendum rolled through into the most recent
general election. The swing of the vote
in Glasgow North-East was unprecedented.
I hope some of this energy is positively channelled and that local
charities, politicians, business, schools, etc., can translate it into a
fresh impetus toward a stronger community that addresses many of the negative
social problems we face daily.
Greek connections
We're still surprised by how often we make Greek
connections here in Glasgow. Just the
other day, I found myself unable to communicate with some new Syrian guys at
the computer lab. Turns out one of them
had spent some time in Greece, knew about Omonia and Helping Hands, and spoke
Greek about as badly as I do.
Our friend Steve, who worked with us at Helping Hands,
has been coming along on a Tuesday to St Rollox and cooking our lunches. It's amazing what he can do with such a
limited budget and all of Emma's Arabic speaking friends ask for recipes.
Thanks for reading, will try to post updates more
regularly from now on! Some pictures below too:
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| Niamh did a walk across the Forth Road Bridge in terrible weather with a bunch of other people from the charity CLAPA (Celft Lip and Palate Association) because they did so much to help her little brother. Niamh raised about £150! Very proud of her. |
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| We've had some decent weather and Shane and I have got out on many adventures -- here's us hiking in the Campsie Fells. Shane also loves his seat on the back of my bike. Little adventurer. |
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| On weekends, we've made some family trips out to the wonderful beaches on the East Coast. Here we are at Belhaven Bay, enjoying a paddle in the sea. |
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| Right when the eclipse happened, the clouds broke briefly and I was able to snap this photo. I have never seen anything like it, pretty spectacular. |
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