Youth Report

Youth Camps: The year 2005 was another year in which the Camps experienced the goodness of our Lord. Seventeen Camps were arranged, two at Easter and fifteen in the summer. There were five boys’ Camps, three girls’ Camps and eight mixed Camps. One Camp did not run due to insufficient numbers. The total number of campers was 353. This was in line with the previous year. The total number of leaders and cooks was 163. The Committee are grateful to all who work hard to make the Camps such a successful part of the Church’s life.

Youth Work Developments: A major part of the Committee’s work this year has focused on two key areas—producing an overall strategy for Youth Work, and putting in place an appropriate, Free Church College led, training programme for Youth Workers. A strategy for Youth Work is now largely in place. Discussion of a training programme is ongoing and the Committee is grateful for the contribution of the Principal and his colleagues in the College. The Committee is also grateful for the input, in regard to both issues, of the Working Group on Youth Worker Training, and especially to Mrs Donna Matheson, the Youth Work Co-ordinator.

The Instructor: The magazine celebrates its Centenary with the October issue this year, 2006. Young readers seem to appreciate the variety of articles published, and their support of the letters’ page, gallery and birthday page is a measure of their interactivity with the Editor. Nearly three hundred letters / pictures / puzzle pages were received by the Editor in the course of the year. Each receives a reply and a little gift. The Youth Project, for building work on Chhapara and Lakhnadon Schools, raised a splendid £9,614. The Committee unanimously recommend that the General Assembly reappoint Mrs Irene Howat as Editor of The Instructor.

Free: It’s all change at the Free Church teenage magazine. The Editor, Rev Colin Morison is retiring after five and a half years. The Committee wish to express their gratitude to Mr Morison for the sterling contribution he has made to the work of the Church by carrying out his duties as Editor of Free in such an excellent fashion. The Committee are pleased to report that Mrs Christine Nicolson, a member of Olrig Free Church, Castletown in Caithness, is willing to accept nomination as Editor of Free and the Committee are recommending that she be appointed. On the technical side, Mrs Catherine Pearson, Communications Officer, has agreed to do the layout and design of Free.

Education: Some local authorities, if not all, are encouraging schools to set up their own Religious Observance team—comprising chaplains, teachers and possibly even pupils. They will be asked to put forward a programme which is line with the agreed values of the school community. Where Free Church ministers are chaplains or Free Church members are active on School Boards they should be encouraged to become involved in this process, difficult as it may prove to be. The conscience of Christian chaplains is safeguarded. Other implications for the Free Church are these: (a) Young people’s experience of religious observance in schools will be nothing like a service of worship in a Free Church. We cannot expect outside youngsters to have any idea of the rudiments of biblical worship. (b) We now have to face a secular definition of ‘spirituality’. It is now to include “sensing mystery; sensing values; sensing meaningfulness; sensing a changed quality of awareness; sensing otherness; sensing challenge”.