On Saturday I was delighted to bring the Moderator of the General Assembly, Rt Rev Dr Shaw Paterson, and his wife, Christine, to Trinity Church in Westhill, to an event designed to celebrate the work of churches/volunteers in relation to the resettlement of people in Aberdeenshire.
It was an excellent opportunity to hear about the work of the Aberdeenshire Council Resettlement Team (currently celebrating their 10th anniversary) and to hear from both asylum seekers and volunteers about the practical challenges that face those find themselves here. It was humbling to listen to our Depute Clerk, Ruth Mackenzie, talk about the work in Peterhead and in particular, the way in which one of the church members, Jimmy, has been supporting resettled families.
This was also an instance where those attending took time to ask the Moderator for his help in advocating for asylum seekers at a higher level of government. But we were reminded that we can all play a role in raising concerns with our elected representatives. We all have an ability to advocate for others, remembering to listen carefully to find out what the exact problems are.
The event formed part of a visit which took the Moderator across the North East and gave him a chance to see some of the work that is going on in NENI, as well as to find out first-hand some of the challenges congregations are facing. A high point was celebrating long service at Inverurie West, with over 1700 years of hard work and labour marked.
The Moderator will be back with us in April, to visit the Northern Isles part of NENI and to participate in our Presbytery meeting. A huge thank you goes to all who helped make the first part of the visit such a success.
Rev Stella
