This year the debates will take place in a very different way.  Rather than everyone discussing each issue all together at the same time we will split onto four groups and move around the four topics below.  These topics will be presented and enabled in very different ways to help you learn about the topics and to talk about what you think about each one. 

Then on Monday we will all have a debate about each issue using what you thought was important to frame deliverences saying what we think about each of the topics and what we want to say to the church and the world about them.

 

This wiki will become a resource as we add your thoughts, comments and issues as we go along.

 

The topics are:

 

Sustainable Living:

 

Session 1: Biblical Perspective 

What does the bible actually say about climate change? How do we as Christians respond to the changes that our lifestyles are making to God's planet? How do we, as a church community, tackle climate change at home, nationally and globally? What do we actually think about climate change in relation to our faith?

 

Deliberations from Debate 1:

 

1. The youth assembly would like to consider how to develop ideas of eco-consciousness/carbon neutrality. (Such as was evident at the National Gathering)  This might include reducing wasteful useless mailings and developing more transport links such as car sharing, running buses etc

 

2. The youth assembly would like to ask Great Big Resources to investigate ways to use less energy for example: fewer screens, microphones and light and also using acoustic music.

 

3. The National Youth Assembly would encourage the CofS to:

• Slow down the rate of climate change,
• Use the earth’s resources wisely and less wastefully,
• Support vulnerable people most affected by climate change

   

By encouraging congregations to:

 

• Arranging a meeting with the CofS Climate Change Officer & other Eco-congregations.
• Introduce the role of an “Eco Elder” and an Eco-Education Programme.
• Encourage installation of sustainable energy where possible in churches and ensure that future developments are green.
• Eco Audits of church buildings to be part of the Quinquinial visits.
• Encourage the church to consider and provide resources for a focussed “sustainability Sunday”
• Emphasise the need for churches to make sacrifices to become greener.

 

 

 

4. The NYA would encourage the members of the CofS to reduce their carbon footprints in their individual lives by:

• Taking “greener” holidays by using greener transport or avoiding unnecessary journeys.
• Reducing energy wastage in homes & workplaces.
• Investigating greener energy suppliers and fuel alternatives.

 

5. Encourage legislation to enforce better use of resources, less wastage and increase the output to the national grid of renewable technologies. Recognise that nuclear power has a role to play in the current energy climate, but instead of investing more money in a nuclear programme, the money should instead be spent developing greener sources of energy. It should be noted that energy and weapons are separate issues, and the church should maintain its anti-nuclear weapons stance.

6. Encourage the development of greener transport initiatives such as hydrogen buses, urban tolls, free public transport, a tax on “food air miles” and excess packaging.

 

 

Session 2: The Power Crisis 

How do we solve the energy crisis that we are living in? Do we go purely for renewable technologies that don't harm the environment,  purely nuclear power that would cause waste problems, or a mixture of both? How can we strike a "healthy" balance between renewables and nuclear? Can we even do that? There's problems with all of them... some more extreme than others. Which ones are we willing to live with?

 

Deliberations from Debate 2:

 

1. The Youth Assembly affirms that action needs to be multi-faceted - even though there is no conclusive proof of anthropogenic climate change, we would regard the responsible attitude to be to continue current measures and use revenue raised by taxation in humanitarian aid.

 

 

2. Encourage the church to consider a central fund to grant churches wishing to make their buildings more energy efficient.

 

3. The NYA encourages the UK government to address the issues of fuel poverty as a matter of urgency.

 

 

4. The NYA affirms that, globally, the focus should be towards renewable sources of energy and increasing energy efficiency.

 

5. The NYA believe that we should learn from the examples of other countries’ complementary energy policies and that these schemes should be encouraged worldwide. We emphasise the need for our own country to be as energy efficient as possible before criticising other countries on their energy policies. As such, the NYA would encourage the UK government to advise economically less developed countries on their energy policies learning from our mistakes during the industrial revolution.

 

6. The NYA encourages charities to provide a range of “eco gifts”.

 

Session 3: Sustainable Living 

How can we as Christians improve our lifestyles to make them greener? Can we make ourselves self-sufficient by growing our own fruit & veg, having chickens, pigs... can we live in the "Good Life" style? Can we energy loss in our homes? Should we drive everywhere when we know we can use public transport just as easily to get there? Do we really need to jet off to exotic locations for a quick holiday?

 

Session 4: The Kirk and Sustainable Living 

How can the Kirk become more energy efficient? How can it move forward into the 21st century and become a greener church? What changes can we make for both the short term and the long term to make our churches more efficient? Should the Kirk suggest to all its ministers/employees that using public transport before a car where possible is best? Should travel expenses forms be changed so that claimers have to give a reason for using their car rather than public transport? Should people even be getting travel expenses for car journeys?

 

Before You Come, please think about these issues and your viewpoints on them! What do YOU think about nuclear power stations? What do YOU think about how "carelessly" we live our lives? We'd like to hear YOUR opinions on things - not what you've read on a website, not what you've heard from your friends, but what YOU think.

If you're not sure about any of the topics mentioned, or just want to find out more - Christian Aid is a good starting place for information and National Geographic

have some good stuff too.

 

 

If you're looking for a more "in depth" look, check out wikipedia: climate change &

global warming - There's plenty of more websites out there, but these are strongly recommended as they're the most accurate and un-biased!

  

 

 

Social Media: 

 

'If you're not online, you don't exist.'  Is that true? 

The Internet has changed the way we communicate, learn and relate as well as how we access information, share and cooperate.  The tools we use for this are called 'social media'.  This change has already had an impact on our identity, copyright, ownership of information and communication strategies. 

 

For most of us these tools are fun and distracting.  The simplicity of use of these tools means that anyone can have a website or blog.  We can all have Facebook or Bebo pages and be friends with people we have never even met.  We can also portray ourselves in different ways.

 

For others, Social Media is a key part of their business, advertising and communication strategies.  People are creating software, learning resources and tools by collaborating with people they have never met through Open Source developments.

 

Whether you know it or not, Social Media is changing how we live.

Over the four sessions we will consider how we, as individuals, and the church as an institution could or should react to Social Media and how we might make use of these emerging technologies.

 

Session 1: Authenticity

Who are you?  What are you?  Who says?  Are you the same person online?  What does your online presence say about you, your faith and the church?

 

Session 2: Information

Whether it's wikipedia, google, illegal downloads or people losing it the way we get and use information has changed forever.  So who decides what the facts are?  Is there a difference between information and knowledge?  How do we gather and manage information from the Internet?  And what difference does any of this make to the Church, an institution which has controlled information and interpretation for 2,000 years? You might be surprised!

 

Session 3: Privacy

Is privacy real anymore?  We all leave digital footprints for others to follow.  Can we control what people say and post about us?  Who has access to our online world?  Do we act in different ways in different spaces?

 

Session 4: Participation Culture

We expect to take part.  We expect to be asked or to be able to comment and contribute.  We expect information to be up to date and easy to find.  These are the demands that go with an online world.  What does this mean for media?  What does it mean for a church in a world that says 'If you're not online you don't exist'?

 

Before you come, make sure you sign up for Twitter and enable posting from your mobile phone!  The instructions are HERE.  And check out the Common Craft Show for some great introduction videos to the kind of tools we will be talking about

HERE.  We'll be looking at blogs, podcasts, wikis, social media, online photo sharing, twitter, social networking and RSS. Each video is less than 2 minutes.

 

Healthy Relationships: 

Whether it's with friends, family, significant others or the wider community it's important to know how to keep our relationships healthy.  It comes as no surprise to hear that healthy relationships increase our self-esteem, improve our mental and emotional wellbeing and lead to a fuller life. When we think of relationships we tend to think about the people we love and who love us but what about the wider community? 

 

Think about our basic needs, how we interact and why.  Apart from the safety and physical aspects most human beings have the desire to be loved and valued.  It's a good feeling knowing you belong.

 

Who is entitled to a meaningful and worthwhile life where relationships play an integral part?  We know that Jesus connected with individuals and groups that others didn't want to so what does that mean for us?  What is it like to stand in someone else's shoes?  Can we?  Are we fixed in our opinions and prone to stereotyping?  How do our values and beliefs shape our thinking?

 

What are the characteristics of an assembly of people who care?  People like you.  What are the real issues for Christians in 2008 and do you believe you have any influence?  Let's look at the barriers.

 

Over the weekend you will be challenged on many levels as you are taken on a journey which allows you to engage with the vulnerable, misunderstood, stigmatised, feared and fearful.  

 

Session 1 - Outside Looking In?

Can life and spirituality be separated?  Can we ever have one without the other?  How do you compartmentalise your life or is God's presence always known and appreciated?  How do you display your faith in the public arena and in your day to day activities?

 

Are you aware of your uniqueness and able to display and celebrate your gifts, talents and skills?  Can you assert your own identity or do others intimidate you with their knowledge and certainty?  How do others see you and does it match with how you see yourself? 

 

Self-awareness goes a long way in building relationships.  How is yours?

 

Session 2 - It's all in your Head!

Why do we need to look after our mental health as well as our physical health?  What does mental health and mental illness mean?  What are the most common issues and causes?  Where do we get our knowledge?  How is mental illness portrayed in the media and what impact does that have on public opinion and sufferers?  What is it like to live with mental illness?

 

How does the Church engage with mental ill-health?  All inclusive or lacking in understandng?  Are ministers and elders able to provide the support that's needed?  Do mental health issues limit our experience of the fullness of God?  Or can they actually increase that experience?

 

Session 3 - Me Being Me

We all have many different types of relationships but whatever relationship it is, how we feel about ourselves plays a huge part in the building and maintenance.

 

How do you feel about you?  Do you have positive sense of self?  What is self-esteem?  Are you true to yourself, your core beliefs and values?  Are you happy being who you are or are you forever comparing yourself to others?  Does the celebrity culture play a part in how you portray yourself to the outside world?  Are you becoming the person you would like to be? 

 

What impact does your faith and your Church experience have on the way you feel about yourself?

 

Session 4 - Knock Knock Who's There?

Hope and opportunity are two of the key elements to a fuller existence. 

 

Let's consider PEOPLE: the asylum seeker, accused of shopping around and abusing the system; the homeless person with drug and alcohol addiction; the old man fast becoming invisible and unimportant.

 

What are the key facts on asylum application, recognition and costs?  What does being homeless mean and who is most vulnerable?   In what ways does an ageing population affect us all?  Discover the challenges faced by older people in 2008.

 

How can we ensure we see the person?

 

 

 

Future Church:

 

Debate Workshop 1: Buildings and Sanctuary

 

When you hear the word church what is it that you think of?  Whether we like it or not for most people the answer to this would be a building, probably a sandstone spire with stained glass and dark wooden pews.  What will future church look like?  In the future will peoples understanding of church be similar to the one we have today?

Church is an incredibly fluid term and it is healthy to try and understand that what church might mean to you may be very different to someone else.  To some the church is a community of believers, to others a place of worship moreover some may see church as a safe space while others may regard its mysterious atmosphere as intimidating.  Some people may undstand church as nothing to do with hymn, songs prayers and doctrines but rather as a community, forged in communal tasks rather than communal creeds.

But what does all this mean in terms of what the future church should look like?  The debate workshop tackled difficult questions to try and decipher what the church of the future should be.  It recognised the importance and difficulties of ecumenism in any future church.  While many churches worry and battle over worship patterns we recognised that there is a role for both older and more modern styles of worship with in the church of the future.  The financial differences between many parish churches were seen as concerning and partnership between rich and poor churches was seen as a good model forward.

However the two statements that were most commonly held were that

The future church should be a 24/7 church modelling itself on the wider world which is increasingly operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The future church should be identified as a community that discuss and studies rather than a community that listens with shorter sermons and times of reflection and discussion within worship.

 

 

Debate Workshop 2 Mission and Identity

 

The two disciples travelled away from Jerusalem on the Emmaus road distraught. Their idea of what Jesus would be for them was shattered.  What their religion had taught them to hope was exposed as wrong by the humiliating hands of the occupying Roman army.    They cried out “We had hoped”. 

This cry resonates with those who know a bit of Jesus, but have not found the joyful news of the resurrection.

Jesus’ response to these 2 as they walked was not arguments and debate, but he asked a question to open up the space for them to express their pain and experiences.  He walked with them and listened. 

Once he knew where they were coming from he then took them on a journey from their believes to the true story.  He did not leave it there.  He joined them in fellowship during which they realised who he was and had their was faith restored.  It was a fuller faith.

We heard the same lack of hope or distance from God expressed in prayers from other religions and those who have turned their backs on the church.  We heard it from newspaper commentaries that knew of the Christian tradition, but not it’s hope and yet longed for the lost presence of the church.   

We looked at the hurts and concerns of Scotland as expressed through the days newspapers. We offered prayer for them.

We reviews what are key components of the identity of a Christian faith reflecting on the Cross, the bread and wine, the baptism water and the bible.

We looked at how Paul engaged with different communities with difference experiences of faith and different social conditions.

We then asked “Is 1 church and 1 minister to a parish and a patchwork of parishes across Scotland still the way to journey with the multicultural, people of Scotland?  What are the key identities of our faith that must be taken in to the future with us as we continue our mission in Scotland?

After reflection and conversation each small group was requested to prepare one statement that they believed they would want to see discussed by the full NYA. Only two of these could go through so a vote was taken with the top two to progress. The statements (deliverances) are recorded in descending order with numbers 1 and 2 to got forward.

 

 

1. Urges the church work towards bridging gaps between social groups, especially young and old, both within and outwith the church. We believe that we should celebrate the different needs of each group. Each person has a different but equal role to play. We should strive for a united Church under Christ and build relationships with those who still have to find Christ

2. Believes that congregations are responsible for caring for each other and the community, and all should be encouraged and empowered to practically show Jesus to and bless the community without expectation of anything in return.

3. Accepts that we as the church are the “outsiders” and need to change our image and status in order to become more in touch with our communities’ needs and common culture as a whole.

4. Believes the church needs to be flexible to meet the needs of the communities in which it is situated, which is the responsibility of all Christians.

5. Urge congregations to find a balance between the old and the new in order to make church more accessible to communities

6. Recognises the value of small congregations working in the best interests of congregations, and urges the church to support such congregations in the pooling of resources to avoid marginalisation and closure of these valuable communities.

 

 

 

Debate Workshop 3 Priorities

Churches are faced with difficult decisions when deciding what they should prioritise in with finite resources.  The image of the church as a wealthy institution is often, at least partly, sustained through the large organisation’s reputation as a big-spending charitable body.  The workshop noted that the national church spends many millions on mission both within Scotland and throughout the world as well as offering financial, personnel and written resources to her parish churches.  These churches find themselves operating within radically different social environments and with differing financial backing but it was noted that evaluating  and ordering priorities was far from a financial concern and the church of the future and the church of today had to also consider its unique situation so as to proclaim the Gospel most effectively. 

It is also wrong to assume that churches in well-heeled areas are better placed than others as these churches, fixed to an expensive ancient building and tied to higher contributions to the national church, can be placed in a position where they have surprisingly little available financial resources.  However we should not shy away from the difficult truth that some churches, most often working within urban priority areas,  are in sever financial difficulty with the surrounding urban decay affecting the church which, as well as being very poor,  suffers low attendance and low volunteer numbers. 

Taking this varied and complicated situation into account what should the priorities of church of the future be?  It is clear that one strategy will not suffice but what, in a world with finite resources, should the church be prioritising?  Here’s what we thought!

 

1.       The role of technology was considered to be very important within worship.

2.       Accessibility was also regarded as of considerable importance.  An attitude of acceptance to all must be seen as far more than disabled access but also include the use of car pooling and the provision of worship times, styles and spaces that are best suited to the local condition. 

3.       That money should be shared between rich and poor churches. This important comment was voted on.

4.       The church should prioritise its work with homeless, unemployed and needy, those who are at the fringes of society. This important comment was voted on.

5.       Many people were in favour of a statement saying that youth and children’s work should be a priority but on a vote that fell.

6.       In the future all churches who can afford it should employ a ministry team. This comment carried on a vote.

7.       The church of the future should be community focused.  This comment carried on a vote.

Therefore the two statements (Deliverances) to go on to be debated at the NYA shall be numbers 6 and 7.  The NYA can however add or discuss any of the above statements; especially the ones which we did not get a chance to discuss fully and also bring anything from their own experience that can help inform the assembly as to the priorities of the Future Church.

 

 

 

As society hurtles forward at ever increasing break-neck speed it is always the church that seems to be left behind in this grand prix race towards the future.  Visiting many local churches can often be like a journey back in time with robed choirs and dog-collared old men leading the silent congregation in long and laborious prayers.  The medieval experience is often finished off with words and phrases that seem to come straight out of a Higher English paper on Shakespeare!   No matter how alien this may seem when compared with the outside world, traditional worship patterns still hit a chord with vast swathes of the Scottish worshiping population.   Other churches however now go for a more modern funked upped style with praise bands and PowerPoint presentations, flashing lights and stylishly clad worship leaders.  This kind of worship may make your granny’s head spin but thousands flock to these high-octane experiences every week.   No one knows what the future might bring and no one can even guess what the style of worship most popular in Scotland shall be in 50 years time but Youth Assembly now has the chance to air her views as to what Young Christians in Scotland think the church should look like in the future.

 

We shall be doing this through 4 highly exciting and sexy workshop debates of which you lucky delegates will get to attend one.  Each debate will be run in different styles and we will keep you guessing right up until you join us as to what style of discussion, debate and deliberation you shall be involved in!

 

However we are prepared to let you into a little bit of each session, enough to whet your appetite and get you thinking:

 

 

 

Debate 1:  Sanctuary and Sacredness

Together we will be looking for places of sanctuary within our communities, we shall reflect on the role of pilgrimage, the act of journeying towards sacred places that can be close to home or in far flung lands, and asking what spaces and practices we would wish to take with us into the future.

 

Before coming to youth assembly you may want to...

Think of times when you talk of sacred spaces, what type of place do you think off?  Can you think of places which you think of as sacred or special?    Do you think we still need churches as sacred spaces with our communities?

 

Debate 2:  Mission and Identity

This debate will offer you a chance to reflect on what practices and beliefs you hold as defining your Christian faith. Here we can discover some of the characteristics that make one group of people a part of the Christian church and ponder what is shaping their identity and giving them integrity when mixed with groups of people who are not Christians.  What parts of our identity and mission are best suited to the future church in an increasingly secular and multicultural society?

 

Before coming to youth assembly you may want to...

Take time out to ask yourself what it is you think marks you out as a Christian, is there any part of the practice or mission of the church that you feel touches you especially?  Is there any part of the churches symbols or acts that you feel particularly distant from?  

 

 

Debate 3: The Priorities of the Future Church

So much to do and so little time...! The church is one of Scotland biggest charities and it has a finger in many pies but what do young people believe the church should be prioritising in the future?  This debate will give you a chance to tell the church the avenues that you think it should be going down to meet the needs of a future society.

 

Before coming to Youth Assembly you may want to...

Find out what your church chooses to prioritise at local level – does your church support any local charities or is it involved in local ecumenical work?  Do you think your church has got priorities that will see it safely into the future or is it missing the mark?

 

Debate 4: The Rights and Rites of the church

Did you know that the Church of Scotland is the National Church in Scotland?  No?  Well it is, but it may not be for much longer!  The Church is giving serious thought to abandoning the National Church model for something different (though we don’t know what that might be yet!)  It would seem only fair that Youth Assembly gets a chance to influence this discussion and this debate is that chance!  We would like to reflect on what your experience of school chaplaincy was like and whether you think that this facet of the National Church brief is well done or even necessary for the church of the future.  We would also like to ponder what a church that doesn’t marry or bury would look like!

 

Before coming to Youth Assembly you may want to...

Think of your experiences of the church when you were at school, were they positive or negative, did this change between primary and secondary school?  If you get a chance you may want to ask your minister what they feel about schools’ chaplaincy and also what they would do if they were no longer obliged to bury the dead of the parish.