Special update on the situation in Ukraine

Message sent to all members of Presbytry and all Session Clerks

Dear Colleagues,

The situation in Ukraine has touched all of us and we are aware that many congregations are looking at how they might be part of the response. The staff at the National Office are receiving many questions relating to this issue, some which can be answered fairly easily and others for which at present we do not have an answer. As you can imagine the situation is fast moving and changing every day but we want to ensure that we can offer support where and when it is required. The church has a role to play in this situation internationally, nationally and locally.  Last Friday there was a meeting with the Scottish Government to explore how churches and other Christian organisations can work with them in their role as a “super sponsor” of refugees.

To be able to support you best at local congregational level we are arranging an online meeting open to people from across the church. This will include Office of the Principal Clerk, Faith Action, Scottish Faiths for Refugees, the Law Department, the General Trustees, Safeguarding and Communications. The meeting will be held on MS Teams at 3.30pm on Tuesday 29^th March. Anyone wishing to attend should email nskinner@churchofscotland.org.uk who will send a Teams invitation.  It is hoped this meeting will be able to answer some questions, share information we know so far and to signpost other questions to the particular departments.

We also intend to be able to produce more comprehensive briefings once there is more information to share.

In the meantime, the communications team is working to create a Ukraine Updates page which will be in a featured spot on the home page of the website. This will have information about what the Church is doing to support partners and refugees and how everyone can support Ukrainians through donating and other actions. It will also link to specially written prayers and to the Scottish Faiths Action for Refugees (SFAR) website where you will find information about being a welcoming church. If you have not yet seen it, the, click here to see lots of helpful advice and actions.  

Best wishes,

George

Rev Dr George J Whyte, Principal Clerk of the General Assembly, 121 George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 4YN