As we approach the end of one Presbytery year and begin another, the focus of the Presbytery office is very much on getting the right people onto the right lists, with the right information beside their name. You might be surprised how many different lists we have on the go at any one time. And sometimes making sure that the information tallies from one to another proves challenging, especially given the fact that any list is out of date almost as soon as you hit PRINT.
One such list is the Register of Ministry for our Presbytery. It lists all the ministers who are fall within our jurisdiction, including those who have retired. Over the last few weeks I have been in correspondence with various folks on our list to determine whether their categorisation and contact details remain the same. It has been lovely to speak to colleagues on the phone and find out where they now are and what they are up to. It is also good to reminded of how much our retired ministers contribute to the life of our Presbytery.
Another list is the Roll of Presbytery and our corresponding Year Book. We are grateful to those congregations who have been in touch about their Commissioned Elder (including those who will make the appointment in June). We appreciate that some congregations struggle to find an elder willing to take on this role. And yet I know that many of the elders who do serve in this way find it incredibly fulfilling. We hope to be in a position to send out an updated Roll with the Presbytery Papers. Please can I ask you to doublecheck it and let us know if we've left someone off or included someone by mistake.
Of course, congregations face the same kinds of challenges when it comes to keeping Communion Rolls up to date. A new Act has come into effect following the General Assembly, which sets out how congregations are to maintain these lists going forward, including a phasing out of Supplementary Lists. You can find it by clicking 2025-Act-04-Communion-Rolls-and-Adherents-Rolls. You may wish to share it with your congregation's roll keeper.
All this thinking about lists brought to mind the song in the heading. When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder was an 1893 hymn with words and music by James Milton Black. The song was inspired by the idea of the Book of Life and by the absence of a child from Black's Sunday School class when the attendance was taken. Bessie was a little girl living in difficult circumstances and James Black, together with his wife, had been supporting her. The idea of someone's being not in attendance in heaven haunted Black, and after visiting Bessie's home and calling on a doctor to attend her for pneumonia, he went home and wrote the song. Bessie died shortly afterwards and the song was first sung at her funeral. It was later made more widely known by Moody and Sankey.
Thankfully, when it comes to that particular 'list', God is infinitely more wise, merciful and gracious than any of us. And as the Good Shepherd, he doesn't have a habit of losing people from it!
Rev Stella
